Ceramic tile flooring...

[judyindaskyz]

how do you keep it clean? We've been renting a house for the last several years that has (UGH) carpeting in the kitchen/dining room. We are looking to buy a house now and have seen several that have ceramic tile flooring in the kitchen. How do you care for this type of flooring? I have no clue! Do ceramic tiles break easily?

I don't know anyone with ceramic tile floors although my Mom & Dad are considering it when they re-do their kitchen this spring. I figured with all the people here, someone must have this type of floor and will be able to give me hints on caring for it! Thanks!!

[sheenajungle]

http://www.floorstransformed.com/tileclean.html

[jaybird]

We installed our own ceramic tile flooring in the foyer. Was a piece of cake. Make sure the grout is sealed. (you can buy a grout sealer) If you're not sure, reseal it yourselves. I just use a damp rag or mop on mine.

EVERYTHING and ANYTHING you drop on it will shatter into a gazillion pieces. That is why I didn't put it in my kitchen, as much as I wanted to. Also, if it's in the bathroom, it's VERY slippery. Make sure you have a non-skid rug to step on when getting out of the tub/shower.

[2chevys]

Yep, Grout sealer is a must. But tile doesn't have to be slippery. Don't put a high glaze tile in a bathroom or kitchen and you won't have that problem. We have tile in about 1/3 of the house and love it. I picked out a darker grout color so it's easier to keep clean. Light colored grout shows dirt and traffic patterns too easily.

[judyindaskyz]

Thanks, everyone! Wow, I had no idea it was that easy to care for. I was all worried about having to mop, scrub and shine it regularly. Now I just have to invest in a good kitchen carpet to keep near the sink & dishwasher (if I'm lucky enough to have one) so that when I drop things they don't break.

[kidzpca]

I had my entire main floor tiled last August. A full 1200 square feet. I use 1 cup vinegar/gallon of warm or hot water. The vinegar cleans the tiles very well and removes any grease or grime easily.

Do not use any commercial cleaners of any sort. They will do the tiles more harm than good

[judyindaskyz]

Originally posted by kidzpca
I had my entire main floor tiled last August. A full 1200 square feet. I use 1 cup vinegar/gallon of warm or hot water. The vinegar cleans the tiles very well and removes any grease or grime easily.

Do not use any commercial cleaners of any sort. They will do the tiles more harm than good

Exactly why I was asking - I had a feeling that commercial cleaners were not good for it. Vinegar makes sense and it's less expensive than many other cleaners! Are the tiles easily broken or just anything that you might drop on them? I'd hate to have to replace tiles because they broke!

[Lizerella]

Originally posted by jaybird

EVERYTHING and ANYTHING you drop on it will shatter into a gazillion pieces.

thats the truth...i've broken many plates since we had the ceramic put in...and slippery as heck in humid weather

[Jolie Rouge]

Are the tiles easily broken or just anything that you might drop on them? I'd hate to have to replace tiles because they broke!
Buy anextra carton for replacements over time. Tiles you purchase at a later date may be very expensive and you may have trouble matching.

[mesue]

We just put in ceramic tile in the kitchen not long ago and we bought plastic glasses tonight for the reason that we are down to 6 glass glasses left. I agree the tile is easy to clean and looks good, so far I have not had any broken tiles just broke everything else thats hit it. We plan on doing the dining room, the bathroom and two bedrooms and the laundry room in tile, I have bought the tile already its just that the hubby is working 6 -7 days a week and just do not have the time to put it down yet. Is there a product you can treat bathroom tile with to make it less slippery since we intend to build the shower out of tile and also I am a little worried about the bathroom floor being slippery?

[kidzpca]

As for broken tiles. I haven't broken any tiles. I do however have about a dozen boxes from the 1200 square feet that have been done already. This way I have plenty to go around if breakage occurs.

The rule of thumb is say you need 1000 tiles to do your project. Make sure that you have 5% more (1050) tiles. This way you have 50 tiles for replacement use.

As for slippery tiles. The best advice I can give is make sure that the tile is not glossy or shiny. The duller the appearance the less likely it will be slippery. Also it wears much better and no streaks when you clean the floor. Looks much better too. One more thing the higher the grade of tile the better and more durable. Do not buy the lower grade. They end up worthless. Home Depot or Lowes will be able to help. I found Grade 1 (the highest grade of tile) was best for me. So in most cases the lower the number, the higher the grade.

As for rugs make sure you have rug pads or what not that keeps them in place. Then less likely for rug slippage.

Best of luck to you.