Porcelain terrace and steps, Gloucester
The ground fell away sharply from the bifold doors, so the terrace is built off a blockwork retaining structure and stepped down in stages. Porcelain is laid on a full mortar bed with a slurry primer and held flat with levelling clips while it cures.
Key facts
- Town
- Gloucester
- Year
- 2025
- Surface
- Light porcelain paving
- Build-up
- Blockwork retaining structure, concrete slab, full mortar bed
Why are levelling clips used on porcelain?
Porcelain is dense and unforgiving — a 1mm lip between slabs is visible and catches a foot. Clips hold adjacent edges in the same plane until the adhesive goes off, giving a flat surface across the whole terrace.
How is a raised terrace supported?
Not on hardcore alone. A blockwork retaining wall carries the perimeter and a reinforced slab spans between, so the paving sits on a structure rather than on fill that will settle.
- Blockwork retaining walls to the open sides
- Concrete slab over compacted base
- Porcelain bedded on mortar with primer
Does the terrace fall away from the doors?
Yes. A fall of roughly 1:80 is set away from the threshold so rain runs to the open edge rather than back towards the bifold track.
Photographs from this job
Other projects
Gloucester · 2023
Resin bound side return
A narrow side return between two houses surfaced in gold resin bound aggregate, taken tight to the brickwork on both sides.
Gloucester · 2023
Recessed manhole cover in resin bound
An inspection chamber dressed with a recessed tray cover and filled with the same gold aggregate, so the surface reads as continuous.
Gloucester · 2024
Porcelain patio in progress
Mid-build: grey porcelain being laid on a full mortar bed with a recessed cover dressed in cut slab so it vanishes into the pattern.
Frequently asked
Can porcelain be laid on sand like block paving?
No. Porcelain has no interlock and almost no porosity, so it needs a full mortar bed and a primer to bond.
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