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How to lay decking tiles

Updated: 21 October 2026

A click tile feels finished the moment it locks, and it still fails if the concrete is a bowl or the ground underneath is soil. How to lay decking tiles, for the packs in this set, means a solid base that already sheds water, a corner start, and a cut edge you planned before you opened the box. The [decking comparison](/hub/flooring/decking) is the product table. The Products Compared editorial team used seller install notes and the amazon.co.uk reviews from 19 October 2026. Those seller steps are not a British Standard. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A click tile feels finished the moment it locks, and it still fails if the concrete is a bowl or the ground underneath is soil.

Our top picks

Nicoman Nicoman light grey, 10 tiles

Best overall

Nicoman Nicoman light grey, 10 tiles
7.5/10about £28.99
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Nicoman Nicoman light grey, 40 tiles

Best value

Nicoman Nicoman light grey, 40 tiles
4.9/10about £119.99
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Nicoman Nicoman mosaic graphite, 10 tiles

Alternative

Nicoman Nicoman mosaic graphite, 10 tiles
6.2/10about £32.99
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On this page
  1. 1.The base you need first
  2. 2.Click, cut, and edge
  3. 3.Water, smell, and clips
  4. 4.When to stop and call someone

The base you need first

Clear the slab before you judge it. Sweep grit, lift loose moss, and move pots so you can see the fall. DeckingX’s Click-Deck notes ask for a clean, flat base. eDecks says lay interlocking tiles on level slabs or concrete and allow a slight fall. Height and planning sit in the decking buying guide. A hollow that rocks a straight board is where a clip works loose. One Nicoman review says a clip broke on uneven soil. If the concrete holds a puddle in the middle, the gaps will not empty that bowl. Old boards can be a base when they are already solid. Soft, springy boards are a frame problem. Covering them hides the rot.

Click, cut, and edge

Start in a corner you can see and click away from it. Lock each tile fully. A half-engaged lug is what pops later. On the light-grey rubber, reviewers used a saw, a bandsaw, a hacksaw, or a knife. Which pack to buy is on best decking tiles. Leave gullies and the gap a downpipe needs uncovered. eDecks’ 295 mm tile, which is not a pack in this set, is the warning: a nominal 300 mm square can arrive smaller, so a counted row may finish short of the wall. If the patio is wider than the pack, buy the rest rather than stretching gaps. These are loose click mats. You should be able to lift them later.
Nicoman Nicoman light grey, 10 tiles

Testsieger

Nicoman Nicoman light grey, 10 tiles
7.5/10about £28.99
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Water, smell, and clips

Gaps move water down. They do not create a fall. One Nicoman balcony review says the water drained and that a lay of about 2 m by 5 m took around 40 minutes. That is one household on a balcony that already shed water. If water sits on the rubber, the base is the fault. New Nicoman tiles can smell of rubber or tyres. Some reviewers say it fades. One found it too strong on about 1 m². Open the carton outside if the smell is already sharp. Mosaic reviews mention warmth under bare feet in the sun, and locks that popped out. Light-grey reviews also include a patch that paled after rain and sun, and a later box that did not match tiles laid a month earlier. Compare the next carton in daylight.

When to stop and call someone

Stop if the ground is soil, loose gravel, or grass, and stop if Nicoman’s heavy-load line rules out a hot tub. A click mat will not stand in for joists. Stop on a flat until you have asked the council and the freeholder. Loose tiles are chosen in seller practice because they are not screwed through a balcony membrane. That is not permission. See balcony decking tiles. Stop if the deck must rise, if it meets the house as a new structure, or if people could fall more than 600 mm. A fitter is the right call when the slab needs a new fall or the walking surface has to be a framed deck.

Common questions

Can the tiles go on grass?
The listings ask the question and do not answer it. Seller notes say soil, loose gravel, and bare grass move, and a Nicoman clip broke on uneven earth. Lay these tiles on concrete, paving, or old boards that are already firm.
Do I need a fall if the tiles have gaps?
Yes. Gaps let water through to the base. They do not empty a hollow. eDecks asks for a slight fall on slabs or concrete. If rain sits in the middle of the patio today, it will sit under the tiles after you click them down.
Where do I start?
Start in a visible corner and work outwards, locking each tile fully before the next. Click-Deck’s notes use that corner start. A dry row along the house shows where the cuts fall before you saw anything. If the first row rocks, go back to the slab.
How do I cut the edge?
Mark the tile in place, then cut it off the paving. Light-grey reviews mention a saw, bandsaw, hacksaw, or knife. One mosaic review found cutting difficult, and an Airsell review used a jigsaw. Do not close a gully or a gap the wall needs for water.
What if the concrete is uneven?
Small hollows can be packed, which is the limit Click-Deck states for sand. A tile that spans a dip will stress the lugs, and a Nicoman review records a clip that broke on uneven ground. If a board rocks on the slab, repair that area before you lay.
Will they hold a hot tub?
Nicoman’s bullets say the tiles are not suitable for heavy loads, and no filled-tub weight is stated. Do not put a spa on these tiles. The click is for foot traffic on a solid base.
When is this no longer a DIY click job?
Call someone when the patio needs a new fall, when you are covering a flat’s balcony without consent, when the surface must rise on joists, or when a fall of more than 600 mm needs guarding under Approved Document K for England. Cutting a tile on a sound, sloping slab is the DIY part.

Related pages

Decking tiles vs boards

Decking

Balcony decking tiles: permission, lease and weight

Best decking tiles: which pack, and who should skip

Decking buying guide: tiles, a kit or joisted boards

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved for this set on 19 October 2026.

  1. Planning Portal — decking planning permission (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK — permitted development rights for householders (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Approved Document K — protection from falling (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. TDCA — specification for timber decking (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. WPA buyer guide to preservative-treated wood, September 2025 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. TDCA — is composite decking all it is cracked up to be? (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. TDCA — preventing slips on timber decks (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Hastings Borough Council — balcony and decking (retrieved 19 October 2026)