Porcelain Tile Questions

[62thunderbird]

All along my original intent was to go with the modular tiles (racedeck, etc.) but subsequent posts regarding the use of porcelain tiles have caught my interest. I see many tiles described as porcelain, with price points all over the map, many lower than the plastic modulars. I will use jacks and stands, but will have them on wood pads so I forsee no tile breakage problems. And the look is outstanding.

Are there any specific criteria for a good garage floor porcelain tile? What about preferred finish - smooth vs textured - and size? Lastly, what about surface prep of the dirty concrete for best mastic adhesion?

(I love this site)

 

[SteveL]

I would be concerned about the climate where you are. Winters can get a bit cool up there and unless you have a heated garage, the tile may not fare well. Not sure, but I would make sure to check it out.

Other issue to me would be grout maintenace. Unless it's sealed, it will stain easily. Granted, porcelain tile would be very cool, just not sure if it's practical enough for a "working" garage.

 

[62thunderbird]

I was planning on using a black grout and seal it for that staining potential. And I was under the impressions porcelain is resistant to the freeze/thaw cycles that would crack other tiles. And the color is throughout the tiles so small face chips would not be visually disturbing. Tell me I'm wrong, and I'll go back to the bigfoot tiles I was leaning toward.