Ted, I was waiting to see if an expert chimed in here cause I'm not! However, I had some thoughts. Being from St. Charles, I at least know your weather. We put thin (maybe 1/2"?) bricks over our concrete stoop which matched our full-brick walkway. No problems after 8 years. As for ceramic, I would think they would be slippery when wet. We installed a bathroom in our garage to make it more convenient for people to pee there rather than in our pool or going into an air-conditioned house. We used rough travertine 2"x2" tiles (came in those meshed sheets maybe 18"x18") from Home Depot on the floor because of the slip factor. Works great. I don't know how that would work outside though. A tile shop could tell you even if you don't buy from them.