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[ID2]

Obviously most of those that have cracking tile/grout had it installed with cement board underneath. Now they use a special membrane that prevents the tile from cracking. Technology is wonderful!

[mima]

I LOVE our tile. It is 8 1/2 years old now and we don't have any cracks anywhere. We have it in the foyer, kitchen and one bath.

Ours is heated and uses a thermostat. We turn it off in the spring/summer and turn it on when it gets cold in the fall. It is very cheap to run and makes the room so cozy and warm. Love it with sock feet.

If you live where it gets cold, the heat is wonderful.

My grout is dark gray, so it doesn't show stains. It is also sealed.

If you go with tile, get porcelain. It is stronger than ceramic.

[gardenman]

There are pros and cons to every type of flooring. The key with tiles is to make sure they're installed properly. If they're going over concrete, then an isolation membrane of some sort should be used to prevent cracks in the concrete from telegraphing through to the tiles. This provides a layer of elasticity between the tiles and concrete that prevents many of the issues people have with tiles cracking.

If concrete backerboard is used then it has to be properly secured and the areas where the boards meet taped and prepped correctly. A good, properly done tile installation, especially one using the new harder porcelain tiles, should last the life of the house. That's the big advantage to tile. Done right, you buy it once and never have to replace it again.

And, truth be told, tile can be very inexpensive. The tiling for our shower cost less than most of the fiberglass shower surrounds. I think my total cost (twelve years ago) was around $90 for the backerboard, fiberglass tape, adhesive, tiles, and grout. Mind you I went with the cheap and boring white 4X4 tiles and did the install myself, but it was cheaper than most of the shower surrounds and looks far better. I meticulously painted on two coats of the grout sealer after I'd finished the grouting and it looks good to this day.

[millieshops]

I don't like tile because my feet and back hate it so badly.

[RetRN]

I dislike tile flooring, granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances--so have none. So many people fall for these trends instead of purchasing what they really like and what is appropriate for their lifestyle. I think vinyl flooring is the way to go. Good luck with whatever to decide on.

[mstyrion 1]

I live in a hot climate and tile is my choice over anything else. It's much cleaner than carpet and a breeze to keep clean. I have raw edge tile with concrete colored grout. I use my Rainbow vacuum cleaner once per week and it shines like it is brand new.

You can change up your area rugs for a lot less money than re-flooring if you want to redecorate.

I could see where people in cold climates may not like it, but for a hot desert climate, I wouldn't have anything else.

I also prefer granite for countertops not because it's a "trend" but because I think it is more beautiful than any other material out there. Give us some credit. Those of us who elect to have tile and granite do it because we like it.

[brii]

We have large plank tile that looks like wood planks on the whole first floor of our home and all the bathrooms. I absolutely love it. We had the tile guy set them as close as he could and matched the grout to the tile.

We have carpet in the bedrooms. We put in vinyl plank in the basement.

[peachesncream]

I won't argue in favor of any flooring. Get what you like, it's all good. Personally, I love tile. In hot climates, it's a good choice. It stays cool. It's durable and lasts pretty much forever. On a concrete slab foundation it shouldn't crack. Grout isn't a problem if you choose dark or beige grout. I also like hardwoods and engineered wood. The one category I dislike is carpet. But that's just me.

[Dee in OK]

We moved from a house with a vinyl kitchen floor to a house with a tiled kitchen floor. Within a week, my back, hips, knees, and feet were aching every night when I got into bed. I didn't know what was causing that sudden and severe deep aching. I mentioned to my mother-in-law, and she told me it was from standing on the tiled floor. She was right. The aching continued until I got rid of the tiled kitchen floor. I went to wood floors, and even though it's also a hard surface, I don't ache like I did when standing on the tiled floor. Something about standing on tile kills my lower extremities.

Even though I like my wood floors, and the deep aching is gone after removing the tiles, I still miss my sheet vinyl floors in the old kitchen.

[Abrowneyegirl]

On 1/7/2015 GoodStuff said:

Vinyl flooring isn't currently "in vogue", but if you like it and it works for you, why not? There are attractive patterns, it's affordable, easy to clean and keep up.... I say go for what you like and what fits into your lifestyle.

I agree with most of what you stated here, except for affordable. High quality vinyl is VERY expensive. Tile (in our kitchen and laundry ) would have saved us at least a thousand dollars, but I do not like it in those areas so we spent the extra $$$$ and I have beautiful vinyl floor.