Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Grout is the material that spaces your tiles, it is portland cement and lime.
The grout line is usually lower than the tiles so takes an effort to clean. When you scrub the bathroom floor, the grout is not necessarily getting clean.
Stuff gets ground into it, it stains, discolours and requires an effort to keep it clean and disinfected.
Ceramic tile will generally have an orange colored core regardless of the finished color. If it chips, you're going to see the orange colored core. Ceramic is known for low wear resistance meaning it doesn't really last that long. Porcelain tile is a little more difficult to work with as it does not want to absorb any water which means you need to use a real good modified adhesive. It's less prone to chip and will wear a lot longer. Should it chip, the core is usually an off white regardless of color. The only tile we install that is ceramic is one that is a reddish brown color so should it chip, it's far less noticeable. Otherwise, all of our installs are porcelain and I prefer tile with the tumbled edge. You will also find that most of the high definition tile will be porcelain and we use a lot of it.
I've never heard of the grout line being attributed to how a tile wears but then we set all of ours on 1/8" grout lines. Many of the contractor tile setters will set tile on half inch grout lines. To me, that's what you'd find in a cheap restaurant, not in a home. Any blind moron can set tile on half inch grout lines as the tile can be crooked and yet look decent once all of the grout is smeared all over it. So the installers like that better as they can lay tile far faster and many don't bother setting spacers to insure the tile is oriented correctly- just slap it down.
FWIW, here's porcelain with 1/8" grout lines
Ceramic tile will generally have an orange colored core regardless of the finished color. If it chips, you're going to see the orange colored core. Ceramic is known for low wear resistance meaning it doesn't really last that long. Porcelain tile is a little more difficult to work with as it does not want to absorb any water which means you need to use a real good modified adhesive. It's less prone to chip and will wear a lot longer. Should it chip, the core is usually an off white regardless of color. The only tile we install that is ceramic is one that is a reddish brown color so should it chip, it's far less noticeable. Otherwise, all of our installs are porcelain and I prefer tile with the tumbled edge. You will also find that most of the high definition tile will be porcelain and we use a lot of it.
I've never heard of the grout line being attributed to how a tile wears but then we set all of ours on 1/8" grout lines. Many of the contractor tile setters will set tile on half inch grout lines. To me, that's what you'd find in a cheap restaurant, not in a home. Any blind moron can set tile on half inch grout lines as the tile can be crooked and yet look decent once all of the grout is smeared all over it. So the installers like that better as they can lay tile far faster and many don't bother setting spacers to insure the tile is oriented correctly- just slap it down.
FWIW, here's porcelain with 1/8" grout lines
This is ceramic with 1/8" grout lines
Thanks for the information, I learned a lot from this post.
Tile: Cystal looks nice, but it should be slippery. I prefer to go with Botancia Cashew, any comments? It is about 3/8” thick If it is not a good choice, what would you suggest?
Backboard：0.25" or 0.5", I prefer 0.25“, but I am not sure if it is supportive. If 0.5", I am not sure if it is too thick that the door cannot close.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
