If you are thinking about building a new patio in your outdoor space, one thing that will certainly be at the top of your mind is deciding on which type of flooring to lay. Read on to learn about the different types of patio flooring you can choose from.

Wood decking

Wood decks look classic and feel comfortable, and they can easily blend in just about any landscape. Wood decking is one of the oldest patio flooring options available today yet it continues to be very much sought after by several patio builders. The only major downsides of this type of patio flooring are that it costs more to buy and requires more maintenance than other durable materials. The more hard-wearing the wood species selected for patio flooring, the greater the longevity.

Apart from being prepared to deal with mold growth, you should also be ready to re-varnish the floor every now and then to revive its initial charm. If you want to have some aspect of wood into your patio flooring but can't afford the high costs of natural wood tiles or planks, you can opt for composite decking.

Concrete

Concrete is another durable patio flooring type and is also one of the least costly options. Even though plainly-installed concrete flooring may not look very attractive with its shades of grey color, it can be stained, colored, engraved or stamped to add a more nice-looking finish to it. Since concrete floors are susceptible to weathering effects such as moisture damage, you should ensure that your concrete patio flooring is properly treated (e.g. by coating it with epoxy).

Natural stone

As it naturally looks beautiful and is extremely long-lasting too, natural stone is a great choice of material for flooring your patio. It comes in numerous colorful varieties ranging from setts to cobbles, slate to sandstone, flagstones to granite and many more selections. A major drawback of natural stone patio flooring is that it comes at a very expensive cost; but once it is installed, you won't have to provide any extra finishes to improve its aesthetics.

Gravel

If you had really wanted natural stone but could not afford it, gravel would be a more cheaper and practical alternative. Gravel is commonly used to lay beds for road construction and can bring its attractive, durable qualities into your patio when used for flooring. Typically, enclosures are provided for gravel patio floors to ensure that they remain where they have been poured and spread.