Porcelain Paver Patio — 2 cm Porcelain on a Gravel Base or Pedestals
A patio in large porcelain slabs that look like stone or wood and shrug off salt, grease and Minnesota freeze-thaw, built on a base flat enough to carry them.
A porcelain paver patio uses 2 cm porcelain pavers, a dense tile made for outdoor use, set on a compacted class 5 base with a fine bedding layer, or on adjustable pedestals over a concrete slab or roof deck. JMB Builders builds them across the Twin Cities metro. Porcelain does not absorb water, so it does not spall in freeze-thaw, does not stain and never needs sealing; the base under it has to be dead flat. Priced per project.
- Priced per project after a site measure
- 2 cm porcelain: no sealing, no staining, no spalling
- Base built flatter than for concrete pavers
- Quote from photos, reply within one business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Send photos and hear back within one business day — or book a free in-home estimate.
Porcelain pavers are 2 cm thick outdoor tiles, usually in large rectangles, that look like limestone, slate, concrete or wood plank and are made to be walked on outdoors. They soak up almost no water, which is what makes them good in Minnesota: a paver that cannot absorb water cannot freeze and flake, and it does not hold the grease stain from the grill or the rust ring from the fire pit. They never need sealing. The trade is that they are thinner and more rigid than a concrete paver, so the base has to be flatter and the edges have to be supported.
On a yard patio we build the base the same as for any paver, class 5 compacted in lifts, then screed a finer bedding layer than we would under concrete pavers and set each slab by hand to a level, because a porcelain slab bridging a low spot cracks under a chair leg where a concrete paver would just rock. The joints are set with spacers, filled with a polymeric sand made for narrow joints, and the edges are held with a rigid restraint. Cuts are made with a wet saw and a porcelain blade.
Over a concrete patio, a roof deck or a balcony the better system is pedestals: adjustable supports under each corner that lift the slabs off the slab, let water drain under them, and make the surface flat without touching the old concrete. We set the pedestal grid, level each one, and drop the slabs in. Either way porcelain is a slab you pick at a tile shop or a paver yard, and we tell you which base your spot needs.
What you supply
- The porcelain paver, picked at a tile shop or a paver supply yard; we check the thickness and the slip rating before you order
- The layout you want; large slabs need a plan for the cuts so the pattern lands right at the house
- For a pedestal job, confirmation the slab or deck underneath can take the weight
- Access to the back yard for a skid loader or a wheelbarrow route, and a dry place to stage the crates
What JMB supplies
- A site measure, layout, and a check that the paver chosen is rated for exterior freeze-thaw use
- Excavation and class 5 compacted in lifts, with geotextile fabric where the soil calls for it
- A fine bedding layer screeded dead flat, each slab set and checked with a level
- Spacers for even joints, polymeric sand made for narrow joints, and a rigid edge restraint
- Wet-saw cuts with a porcelain blade at the house, steps and borders
- On a slab or roof deck: adjustable pedestals set to grade, slabs dropped in, edges trimmed
- The patio pitched away from the house so it sheds water, and photos in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Square footage and the slab size; large format means fewer pieces and more careful leveling
- Yard base vs. pedestals over a slab or deck
- The porcelain itself, from a plain gray to a wood-look or a large stone-look slab
- Number of cuts: a rectangle with few cuts vs. a shape that runs around a bay or a curve
- Excavation and soil, the same as any patio
- Steps or a seat wall built with it in a matching or contrasting material
- Removing an old patio first, or leaving a sound slab and going to pedestals
Send a photo of the space and a photo or link of the porcelain you like, and we check that it is an exterior 2 cm paver before you order. The quote follows a site measure.
How long it takes
A yard patio in porcelain: four to six working days, a day or two longer than concrete pavers of the same size because of the leveling. A pedestal deck over a slab: two to four days.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Porcelain patio on a gravel base
The standard build in the yard: compacted class 5, a fine bedding layer, slabs set by hand and leveled one by one, narrow-joint polymeric sand and edge restraint. The patio that never needs sealing.
Porcelain on pedestals over a concrete patio
A sound but ugly concrete patio stays put. Pedestals set on it, leveled to take out the slope or the cracks, and the slabs float on top with open joints that drain through to the slab.
Roof deck or balcony in porcelain
Pedestals over the membrane on a flat roof or balcony where the structure allows it, with the slabs leveled to a flat surface that drains under itself. No fasteners through the roof.
Wood-look porcelain plank patio
Long plank-format porcelain that reads as decking without the splinters or the staining, set in a staggered pattern on the same base. Popular where a deck came out.
Porcelain Paver Patio — 2 cm Porcelain on a Gravel Base or Pedestals: questions, answered
Do porcelain pavers hold up to Minnesota winters?
Yes, when they are exterior-rated 2 cm pavers and not an indoor floor tile. Porcelain absorbs almost no water, so there is nothing in it to freeze and pop the surface the way a wet concrete paver or a soft stone can spall. Salt does not bother it. The thing that fails a porcelain patio in winter is a base that heaves unevenly under a rigid slab, which is why the base goes in deeper and flatter than the how-to videos show.
Can porcelain pavers go on a gravel base like regular pavers?
Yes, with a flatter bedding layer. Concrete pavers are thick and forgive a slightly uneven bed; a 2 cm porcelain slab does not, and a slab bridging a low spot will crack under a point load. We compact the class 5 in lifts, screed a finer bedding layer dead flat, and set and check every slab with a level. The joints are then filled with a polymeric sand made for the narrow joints porcelain is laid with.
What are pedestals and when do you use them?
Pedestals are adjustable supports that sit under the corners of each slab and hold it off the surface below. We use them over a concrete patio that is sound but out of level, over a roof deck or a balcony, and anywhere we cannot dig. Each pedestal is turned to height so the slabs come out flat, water drains through the open joints to the surface underneath, and nothing is fastened to the slab or the roof.
Do porcelain pavers need to be sealed?
No. The surface is fired dense enough that sealer has nothing to soak into. Grease from the grill, wine, leaf tannin and rust from a fire pit wash off with a hose or a mild cleaner. That is the main reason people pick porcelain over natural stone or a light-colored concrete paver, and it is a real difference after a few summers.
Are porcelain pavers slippery when wet?
Exterior porcelain pavers are made with a textured face and carry a slip rating, and the ones sold for patios and pool decks are fine wet. The glossy indoor tiles that look similar are not, which is why we check what you picked before you order. Around a pool or at the bottom of steps we steer you to the more textured finishes.
Porcelain or concrete pavers for a patio?
Concrete pavers cost less, come in more shapes, are thicker and forgiving to set, and are the right pick for most patios and every driveway. Porcelain costs more per square foot and more to lay, but it does not stain, does not need sealing, does not fade and does not spall, and it comes in large slabs with a stone or wood look that concrete does not quite match. For a patio you want to look the same in fifteen years with a hose and nothing else, porcelain is worth the difference.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners, builders and dealers. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed October 1, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All pavers pages
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