Porcelain tile suitability question

[wesalexleft]

Looking at two tile types for the garage. Both have the same basic ratings for hardness, cof, and absorption, just different sizes mainly. I'm really just looking for opinions. Hardness IV. I know this is good, but is it good enough for a working garage that will have jacks, jackstands, etc? I'm finding very little grade V at the right price point of $1/ sq. ft. Both have .60 C.O.F. I really don't have a " feel" for what this means. I understand it's okay for wet locations, but does anyone have a comparison to, say, sidewalk concrete? Absorption on both tiles is .5, which from what I can tell is acceptable, but? This will be in a southern garage (Memphis, TN), where hard freezes occur about two to three times per winter. The only real difference is size. One is 12" and the other is 18". I'm good with either, but can see 12" being a little easier to work with as well as handle slab imperfections better. The only drawback is more grout and the scale. Input?

 

[bdamico]

you're overthinking it 18 will look better than 12

 

[Stinger]

For the COF, I'd suggest bringing a water bottle into the store and pouring a little on one of the tiles to see first hand. Otherwise there is no good way to know if it is acceptable for your application or not.

 

[KPSquared]

From recent research I learned that bare concrete has a dry c.o.f. of 0.50 - 0.55. The tile i purchased is 0.50 wet and 0.60 dry. I figure as long as I don't go backwards on friction, it'll be fine.

As far as tile size goes, make sure you have a flat slab to start with or it won't matter what tile you use. . .they'll crack. 18 will look better for sure.

PEI4 will be just fine.

 

[slickgt1]

All your specs should be good. I says 12" for a garage. Take that 18" and lay it upside down, you will notice that the edges bow just slightly. This is very common on cheap tile. This effect will be pronounced more when you lay 8 tiles around that one tile. The edges will all bow in creating low spots.

The same thing will happen with a 12" tile, but much less. It really only shows up when you install it, and can't figure out why one edge is not lining up with the opposite edge.

12" also gives you better wiggle room to follow any curvature that your slab might have.

2 links in my signature for some ideas. The Tile for the win one, shows some abuse that I have subjected my tiles to. I give them a beating frequently without any issues at all. Still looks like the day I installed them.