Tile Flooring

[marylandmark]

Anyone know any info about tile floors?

I was looking at tile and I want ceramic or porcelain on the sale racks- was $7-$10 square foot and now is $3-$5. I am looking to upgrade my kitchen floor which is a very high traffic area and about 280 square feet.

I don't like the tile with the color painted on the top of it, however the sales dude told me that all tile is like that unless I get granite or marble which the color goes all the way through. Is that true? Some of the tiles I have looked at it looks like the color is all the way through it? I am worried that if I drop some thing and it chips the tile I will have the color under the painted surface showing through. I would prefer to have the color all the way through the tile- that way I can chip a few pieces and have it still look good before I have to replace them and re-grout and so on...

Help?

[Zuma88]

uhhhh last i check this is a scooter forum. lol


i have installed a few of the floors but nothing for shops or anything.

[Elliott]

We have those Tiles all over the House some time Jumping on them can Break them but as far as Color Marks from the bottom to the Top! depends which color you have White tiles !! it may Fade thru..


I DID NOT KNOW KYMCO WAS Taiwan!

[scooterconvert]

It sounds like that granite or marble line is a bit of a sales pitch to get you to buy more expensive tile. The tile in my kitchen is not granite or marble and it has held up pretty well. I don't know what kind it is though because it was here when I bought the house. I haven't chipped it or anything. It's tough to keep clean though because the dirt and stuff likes to stay in the grouted areas. That's about all I know about tile...sorry :(

[King Vino]

uhhhh last i check this is a scooter forum. lol

Mark's question is perfectly valid in this forum. the Lounge was created solely for non-scooter discussions as long as they comply with the TOS.

...The Lounge is used for Off Topic (non-scooter related) Discussion

[marylandmark]

Thanks-

I have heard about dirt loving the grouted areas.

I posted this on a tile forum and I will update this as they reply in case anyone else may be interested....

[marylandmark]

Topic
I did a search but I am not really sure what I am talking about so my search didn't really yield any usable results.

Scenario:

Install tile in my kitchen. This is a 280 square foot room that has to be walked through to get to almost any area of my home. I am looking for ceramic or porcelain- $2-$4/square foot on the closeout racks of my local tile store which is about 1/2 the regular price.

Information needed:

I see some "glazed" tile- the color looks like it is painted on the top of the tile. Do they make ceramic or porcelain tile with the color all the way through? If it is the painted on look it seems that if I went with a dark tile I will have the lighter "under the paint" color showing through- forcing me to replace that when it happens instead of waiting until I chip a few more or have to re-grout.

Any other shopping tips?

Thanks in advance for your time!

Mark

Name: Bill Vincent
Date: November 01, 2004 at 20:31:36
IP Address: Logged
Subject: Newbie looking for some expert advice.

Reply 1
There is a multitude of porcelain lines made unglazed. Some are textured, others aren't. Either way, it might be just what you're looking for, and the price would be just about right, too.

Name: Mark Bohrer
Date: November 02, 2004 at 11:28:03
IP Address: Logged
Subject: Newbie looking for some expert advice.

Reply 2
Unglazed meaning the color is all the way through I would assume?

Would you agree that this is the better route to go?

Thanks again,
Mark

Name: Bill Vincent
Date: November 02, 2004 at 12:07:25
IP Address: Logged
Subject: Newbie looking for some expert advice.

Reply 3
Yes, the color is all the way through. For some it's the better way, for others it's not. It's all a matter of taste.

[indy]

Glazing (aka color or pattern added to top) is added to tile. The color
of the tile itself is consistent thru the thickness. If you go with a solid
color no problem, if you get glazed that may wear thru in about 40 years!

As far as grout sucking up dirt and stains, all you need to do is keep up on
the grout sealer and it'll be fine. If a stain does get past you, then just use
some comet or bleach-type cleaner and then be sure to reseal.

Tile is great and very durable surface. A word of caution though...it's damn
cold on bare feet! You will not walk on it barefoot more than once or twice
in the winter before socks or slippers are burned into your brain.

That's my .02 from a do-it-yourselfer.

Regards,
Indy

[marylandmark]

THANKS INDY!

I am having the floor heaters installed with this as well..

I sat 6 tiles on my existing floor for a few days to see which color I liked the best and walked on them- FREEZING!

mm

[mrklaw]

Here is a link to some info about types of tile http://www.johnbridge.com/types_of_tile.htm

Lowes (http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=howTo&p=BuyGuide/ChooseFloorTile.html&rn=RightNavFiles/rightNavGoShopping) also has some info about tile.

As long as it's a high enough grade, then the finish on the outside of the tile should hold up to the traffic.

[King Vino]

Mark, doesn't Home Depot and Lowes do those evening classes on stuff like this?

[marylandmark]

I think so-

The problem with that is all they sell is the glazed tile- meaning I am sure they will sales pitch me about how great glazedtile is and so on, not give me the facts and let me decide for myself which I would like to buy.

I am hiring someone to do the work for me but when you ask someone in the trade what is really going on they clam up- they like making $$$ on the materials as well..

[sp6669]

new to the site and scoot world, but came across this thread and had to reply.

the "glazed" tile you were looking at is ceramic tile, unless it was the unfired saltillo tile which is that red mexican tile which must be sealed. it also sounds like the person you first spoke to at the store didn't know very much about tile as porcelain tile is a through and through color like granite and marble. in other words, if it chips or wears, it doesn't show as a ceramic would if chipped or cracked. I don't remember who it was that stated it provously but they were right in that it would take about 40 years of wear to wear down a ceramic glaze.

Hope this helps....oh, in case you might want credentials, my family has been in the flooring business for over 30 years and i have been involved in it on and off since I was 12, so that's 19 years of knowledge on my part.

anyway, like i said good luck, and if you want any addt'l info you can always e-mail me.

[marylandmark]

Thanks for piping in Bro!

I am almost finished with it- went with a 17X17 porcelain tile in my kitchen, laundry room and breakfast nook. I used an 8X8 porcelain in my hall bathroom.

Porcelain in harder and more dense- which I am taking to mean it will not crack as easy when I get drunk and drop my beers all night as well as it will not absorb said beer as fast, giving me ample time to stumble over to get a rag to clean it up with. :D

I have a friend who knows how to do this stuff and did his. Looked good so I said let's do mine and we did. WOW! If I would have known how much work it was I would have hired someone... I saved about $3K but man am I sick and tired of being on my knees laying tile (NO JOKES ABOUT ME BEING ON MY KNEES KING!) :)