Everyone’s familiar with the uncomfortable feeling of scorching hot hardscaping underneath their feet. Whether you’re lounging on your patio or walking across your pool deck, that uncomfortably hot feeling is never desired, but seems virtually inevitable. If you’re worried about how hot your deck pavers will be during the summertime, these three factors can help you estimate the temperature of your existing deck or choose cooler options for your new paver deck installation.

Paving Tile Material

Which paver deck material you choose matters significantly, as some materials are naturally hotter than others. Natural stone tends to be cooler than concrete paving slabs, and porcelain pavers tend to stay cooler than both depending on the variety you choose. Real wood products, such as our IPE wood deck tiles, also tend to run cooler than stone, although aging and maintenance can alter this over time. If you’re building a paver deck with a specialized purpose, such as a pool deck, then other properties such as slip resistance should be taken into consideration. However, your material’s natural properties play a large part in the temperatures your deck will reach each summer.

Paving Tile Color

Do you remember how burning hot the school blacktop would get as summer neared? That’s because black absorbs the most heat, causing temperatures to rise drastically. Lighter colors, such as white and beige, reflect heat rather than absorb it. Reflecting heat causes the surface temperature to remain lower, making it more comfortable for you to stand on. Tile Tech’s Cool-Roof Pavers are a great example of this. They’re created using premium, ultra-white, raw materials that give them a high reflective value and low emissivity rate. By keeping the roof tiles’ surface significantly cooler, Cool-Roof technology also reduces the amount of heat transferred to the building below, reducing energy use and utility bills for the property owner.

Paver Deck Location

The location of your paving tiles can also play a large part in how hot they get during the summer. For example, porcelain pavers placed in direct sunlight will absorb the high heat throughout the day and, as a result, become hotter to the touch. Rooftop decks also tend to get hotter than ground-level paver decks since they’ll receive more solar radiation. Other factors in the location that influence temperature include wind exposure, nearby vegetation, surrounding buildings or structures, and more. When choosing where to place your new paver deck, consider what areas will have the most shade during the time of day that you’re most likely to be outside.

If you’re tired of suffering through scorched feet every summer, renovate your pool deck or patio to be cooler and more comfortable. With Tile Tech porcelain pavers, the whole family can enjoy the sunny summer worry-free. We can help you choose the right paving tile for your renovation, and we have hundreds of product options that will suit every need. Give us a call at (888) 380-5575 to find out more, or fill out our online quote request form. We’re always happy to help in whatever way we can, whether that’s a free catalog or convenient product samples for you to try out at home.