How do I avoid surface tension on porcelain tiles, in a flat pedestal dry lay system?

Wondering why your tiles have standing water on them? 

What is surface tension? 

Why is there puddles on my outdoor porcelain? 

You ask, we answer. 

When it rains you get lots of water falling ( and we are in the UK so for us it is a lot 😏) When the water puddles (if the tiles are laid flat, eg pedestal system?), it goes to the edge of the tile and goes no further, this is called surface tension. 

Definition of surface tension (from Oxford Languages): 

1. the tension of the surface film of a liquid caused by the attraction of the particles in the surface layer by the bulk of the liquid, which tends to minimize surface area.

Because of the straight edges on most tiles, water tension appears. The effect is similar to when you fill a glass of water to the brim, the water appears to have a skin stretching down to the rim of the glass, meaning the water is raised a few ml above the glass. The same happens with tiles.  

See below video experimenting with two different tiles and we show a great alternative option to avoid these challenges. 

For more information about the tile shown with lower surface tension, get in touch...