There is a fair amount of misinformation that circulates around the internet and some of the information about porcelain tile is not accurate, particularly when it comes to its durability against staining and strength.
Once porcelain tile is mortared to concrete it is amazingly strong and is not easy to break. Porcelain tile is simply the hardest, most durable surface you could have for a garage floor. Of course, it almost goes without saying that if you drop an engine block on tile that the product will crack, but then all flooring systems would not be immune to this kind of damage.
Porcelain tiles have high mechanical strength and are extremely chip resistant. If you tour Ferrari's assembly plant in Modena; Lamborghini's factory in Bolognese, Italy; or BMW's factory in Leipzig, Germany, just to name a few, you will witness porcelain tile on their shop floors that have been in service for years and are holding up better than any other flooring system could. You can only imagine the amount of abuse these tiles are subjected to in a manufacturing environment.
Simply stated, there is no other surface treatment that has the durability, strength and highest return on an investment than porcelain tile, which has a life expectancy that will last generations.
Regarding grout, this is also a topic where there is a lot of misinformation floating around the internet. All tiles used in a garage environment should specify epoxy or stainless grout. Just as in the examples above, if you visit the factories where these tiles are being used, the stainless grouts have not be sealed (you actually do not want to seal the tiles or grout because cleaners and dirt will “float” on the surface of the sealant) and are holding up just fine.
Of course tiles will crack if the concrete under them settles, but that would take a catastrophic flooring failure of the foundation to move that much where tile would be affected. In the event this actually happened, here again no flooring system would be immune to damage, but porcelain would hold up better than any other shift in the concrete foundation.
Lastly, it is not accurate to say that porcelain enamel is not durable or that it stains. That would be true if we were talking about natural stone or ceramic tiles, but if you select a porcelain tile that is warranted against staining, nothing will affect them, be it oil, grease, chemicals or other contaminants.
The key is to do your research on selecting the best porcelain tile to meet your needs. In my opinion, select only those manufacturers that will warrant their product against staining. The garage is a very harsh environment and you will want a tile product that can hold up against the abuse.
