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[SaggingGal]

We have ceramic tile that is 15 years old. It held up well in our hallways, kitchen and baths until I started steaming it to sanitize it. Since then the tile has developed hairline cracks and a few chips in areas where we stand on it the most. I use a firm toothbrush and that amazing grout cleaner they sell on the Q to clean the grout lines. Looks like new when I am finished.

Like other posters I would recommend tile that is higher quality than ceramic. The cracks have revealed a darker color under the surface of each tile that is an eyesore.

I will purchase tile from Ann Sacks next time for a better selection and higher quality.

FYI in our condo association if hardwood floors are installed in a unit a cork underlayment must be installed first or homeowners pay a stiff fine.

[Junker2327]

I remodeled my kitchen and bathroom 5 years ago. I put wood in the rest of the house. I chose porclein tile for my kitchen and eating area flooring. My backsplash matches my floor but different size tiles. I took a lot of time deciding what to do. My porcelain is beautiful and very easy to take care of but......... it can get very slick. You have to keep all wet spots up. I love the tile, HATE the grout. My kitchen is heavily traveled and the grout has been really hard to keep clean, even after sealing. I recently used a product from a tile salesman called BLAST to clean the grout. It did clean it substantially and then I sealed it again. The floor is very cold, especially because we keep our home cold in the winter and cold in the summer. The floor is very hard also. I do love my tile but in hindsight, I would pick a very good quality laminate or linoleum that looks like tile primarily because of the grout issue. This is my opinion.

Beckyblu

[Lela]

Love, love, love my laminate flooring. It is not Pergo brand, it is WilsonArt. I believe they are no longer making laminate flooring, but I remember we were told WilsonArt was the brand used in bowling alleys. Installed in the kitchen 13 years ago, still looks like new - virtually maintenance free. A couple years later extended the same flooring to continue the pattern as one in the living room. Have an area rug over a decent area of the living room, but not covering all the laminate by any stretch. Cleans great, looks exactly like a hardwood floor and doesn't need sanding. I have tile in my bathrooms - also in great shape but cold to walk on and hard on the feet. If I had my way, I would have laminate throughout my house in a variation of patterns - there are several choices and some are gorgeous. There's something for everyone!

[raven-blackbird]

on the flooring you actually have 3 options............stone.......porcelain and ceramic...........for durability, you can't beat porcelain.......it's hard and tuff and because it's fired to such high temperatures the surface is resistant to stain.......ceramic is a good choice but not as durable as porcelain............stone is beautiful but it has to be sealed and sealed often

As to keeping it clean........it's not the tile that is the problem it's the grout..........BUT..........you can buy a product called Grout Guard......you use it instead of water when mixing the grout.........the result is each and every particle of the grout is sealed........for you that means a grout line that resists dirt and staining

wood/laminate/engineered flooring can be noisy.........but you can buy and underlayment that keeps the noise down and cushions the step...................................raven

[chiclet]

I have tile in my bathrooms and kitchen. Very hard. I fell in the bathroom and broke my elbow in December as the floor had just been mopped and was slippery. Standing on them in the kitchen for long periods makes your back hurt unless you are wearing very padded shoes. If replacing I would get the vinyl flooring.

[raven-blackbird]

On 3/12/2015 chiclet said:

I have tile in my bathrooms and kitchen. Very hard. I fell in the bathroom and broke my elbow in December as the floor had just been mopped and was slippery. Standing on them in the kitchen for long periods makes your back hurt unless you are wearing very padded shoes. If replacing I would get the vinyl flooring.

you're right...........ceramic flooring can be hard on the back.......but for durability, it beats vinyl hands down..........there is one fix you can do and it's a fatigue mat......it basically looks like any throw rug you would use in a kitchen but it's padded.....................................raven

[Susan Louise]

On 3/8/2015 Southern Fried Chick said:

On 3/1/2015 graycatsrule said:

On 3/1/2015 Susan Louise said:

Last pic...

It came out really nice. I'm all for the bigger tiles.

Very pretty and inviting. Cozy comes to mind.

Thank you ladies