porcelain or ceramic tile

[Need more space]

How come we don't see more porcelain or ceramic tile used in garages? Could it be because a lot of garages aren't climate controlled? (Maybe causing issues) I've seen a number of porcelain tiles in dark colors on sale for as low as $1 square foot, I've also seen tile like this used in commercial shop setting so my guess is it would be strong...... Any thoughts?

 

[JimVonBaden]

There is absolutely no reason to avoid porcelain or ceramic tiles. Just go a couple pages, look for Jack Olson and a few others. Lots of great examples of tile use.

 

[Dakota00]

Climate control has nothing to do with it. Many have never thought of installing tiles in their garage. Or do not want to tackle such a project themselves. There's many reasons behind it.

 

[BRIANBB]

I have ceramic tile in my garage and love it. Whether the next owner of the house will love it that remains to be seen.

 

[Need more space]

Climate control has nothing to do with it. Many have never thought of installing tiles in their garage. Or do not want to tackle such a project themselves. There's many reasons behind it.

Love the floor in your pic, I've done alot of tile work on homes, have all the tools so I'm thinking this might be my answer.

 

[Need more space]

I have ceramic tile in my garage and love it. Whether the next owner of the house will love it that remains to be seen.

Do you do much work on it? Any issues?

 

[Shea]

We wrote an article about the advantages of porcelain tile here. Dakota is correct. Many people just don't think about it.

 

[Dakota00]

Love the floor in your pic, I've done alot of tile work on homes, have all the tools so I'm thinking this might be my answer.

Then it's a no brainer!! I beat the **** out of my floor and there's not even a scratch on it. It's going to be 1 year this week that I installed the floor and it looks like I just put it down. I love it!!

Take a look at the link in my signature...

\/ \/ \/

 

[Angelfire]

I think the reason why tile isn't used more is often related to just pure ignorance. Too many view tile as "fragile" or "it'll break as soon as I drop something on it". Nevermind the fact that much of the tile available is harder/tougher than the concrete it's set upon.

In a proper install, Tile is king!

In a related story, I was recently in Florence Italy and put the car into a garage (well the hotel did). I had to retrieve something from the car and walked over to the garage to get it. My first thought was whoa, look at all these amazing cars (porches, Ferrari's, etc...)....but my biggest aha came when I saw the floor....yep, tile and it looked great. Noticed many of the garages using it actually. Granted, it was just a parking garage but still.
Cheers.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I think the reason why tile isn't used more is often related to just pure ignorance. Too many view tile as "fragile" or "it'll break as soon as I drop something on it". Nevermind the fact that much of the tile available is harder/tougher than the concrete it's set upon.

In a proper install, Tile is king!

In a related story, I was recently in Florence Italy and put the car into a garage (well the hotel did). I had to retrieve something from the car and walked over to the garage to get it. My first thought was whoa, look at all these amazing cars (porches, Ferrari's, etc...)....but my biggest aha came when I saw the floor....yep, tile and it looked great. Noticed many of the garages using it actually. Granted, it was just a parking garage but still.
Cheers.

Tile is very common in European garages.

They often serve double duty as well. This is from a wedding party in the same garage.

 

[atifn79]

Have never had porcelain tiles but I will say ceramic tiles don't really chip very easily; we have had some down in our house, back area of an old house which is toilet, laundry, enclosed porch leading to back door so heavy traffic area, they have been down for about 15 years, young children lived thru them, mid range in price and have stood the test of time very well.

Tiiles are unforgiving to things dropped on them - plates, etc will break but without damaging the tile.

 

[APEowner]

What are folks doing about protecting the grout from chemicals and staining? Is some grout more resistant to that than others? What are the pros and cons of narrow or non-existent grout lines?

 

[JimVonBaden]

What are folks doing about protecting the grout from chemicals and staining? Is some grout more resistant to that than others? What are the pros and cons of narrow or non-existent grout lines?

Use a dark grout and it will be a non-issue.

 

[rlitman]

Have never had porcelain tiles but I will say ceramic tiles don't really chip very easily

It depends on the tile, and on if the tile is set correctly.
In general porcelain is stronger than ceramic, but ceramic tile comes in many grades, and some are industrial in strength (see Jack's thread).

What are folks doing about protecting the grout from chemicals and staining? Is some grout more resistant to that than others? What are the pros and cons of narrow or non-existent grout lines?

With cementitious grout, yeah they make sealers. YMMV

But nowadays grout technology has changed a lot. Epoxy and urethane grout have changed the game in terms of grout performance. Yeah, they're expensive, but they are completely waterproof and impervious to chemicals (once cured).

Both take some extra skill in working with them, and epoxy grout sets fast, so you need to work in small areas. The cleanup is also kind of complicated (epoxy grout is cleaned with a diluted vinegar solution, and excess MUST be cleaned completely, or else the haze will really stick to your tiles).
I was VERY happy with the last DIY job I did with epoxy grout. It's not that hard to do, but you need to read and follow the instructions closely, because it is quite different from conventional grout.