Pulled trigger on porcelain tiles.

[ct71rr]

Hello all, after much discussion and research on this site, I finally decided on a floor for my garage. I purchased these porcelain tiles from The Home Depot website. They are 12X12 group IV, vitreous tiles that were $1.14 per sq/ft. I also got them delivered for free and used a $100 coupon I found online. I'm just waiting for all this damn snow to melt so that I can start on the garage...

That's 94 cases of tile, all of which were unloaded by hand by my wife and I. The driver did help some...although he did trip a few times causing him to drop the case of tiles he was carrying . It was a bit of a disaster with the delivery. The pallets (which weighed a ton) were load-locked in the delivery truck. The fact that my driveway has a bit of an incline didn't help either. So, we couldn't use the pallet jack. Then, as we finally got one of the pallets unloaded, the driver went to lower the hydraulic lift gate and it broke. It would not go down Not to mention the fact that he didn't show up until 6:30 for a scheduled delivery of between 1:00 and 4:00.

 

[gtivr4]

Wow, that is quite the pile. Let us know how the installation goes.

 

[Kevro]

Subscribed. Looking forward to seeing the result!

 

[les_garten]

Nice lookimng tiles. I had some like that in 20" in my last house. Just remember those are gonna be slicker than CatChit when they are wet.

 

[redlinetoys]

I am looking forward to seeing the install and final product!

 

[R6 Racer]

Post lots of pics along the way!
I'm looking forward to watching this go. I am teetering on weather to do tile or a coating of some type.
Subscribed!

Steve

 

[ct71rr]

Thanks for the responses everyone! I was a little concerned with the slip factor using tiles but, these have a C.O.F. rating of .60 to .79. And, my wifes car will be the only one to be in and out of the garage (will be 3 car) during wet weather. I'm also going to put Ditra down. I was a little (actually a lot) surprised on how much it costs. I'll end up paying more for the Ditra than the tile. I'm going to need to save up for it. I have time to do so , I still need to start demo on existing garage, do the framing, etc... had a little issue with the building dept about the foundation I poured but, that is another story that I will post on my garage build thread

 

[les_garten]

Thanks for the responses everyone! I was a little concerned with the slip factor using tiles but, these have a C.O.F. rating of .60 to .79. And, my wifes car will be the only one to be in and out of the garage (will be 3 car) during wet weather. I'm also going to put Ditra down. I was a little (actually a lot) surprised on how much it costs. I'll end up paying more for the Ditra than the tile. I'm going to need to save up for it. I have time to do so , I still need to start demo on existing garage, do the framing, etc... had a little issue with the building dept about the foundation I poured but, that is another story that I will post on my garage build thread

Please don't take this the wrong way. Just giving some warning about your tile. I decided to use RaceDeck on my Garage. I was looking at some 12" Porcelin tiles as well. I've laid about 6000 sq ' of tile in my last house. Lots of tile, on walls, etc. I did a 2200 sq' Pool deck with the a similair tile to the one I am about to show you.

When I was looking for tiles in the Garage, I was looking for a lot of surfae texture and trying to find the roughest tile I could find that was close to 1.00/sq'. I did find some I was considering at Lowes.

The thing that threw me off on Tile in the garage was mainly how back breaking tile work is, and the slickness of the tile, cost also is always a consideration. IU have all the tools to do the tile work, but it's hard work. Cutting out a tile for repair work is childs play, nort worries there.

But my biggest concern was finding a surface texture that was rough enough.

The Tile I put around my pool is similiar to this one:

This tile is as rough as 40 grit sandpaper! It has significant raised texture. I can tell you when my feet are wet, it is slick and you can't walk very fast on it. I have a Dachshund, and he slips on it when he comes out of the pool, and he has hobnails built into his feet!

I have a tile like yours in my house in a 20", and coming out of the shower, if something wasn't on the floor, you are at SERIOUS risk of falling trying to move an inch. Coming out of the pool into the house, my feet had to be dry.

I understand that you own the tile now, and like I said, don't take this wrong, but I wouldn't have snagged that tile for garage duty. BUT, in my experience with tile, they are all varying degrees of SLICK! It was amazing how slick that Pool deck tile was.

I just recently had a tile fall in my house. I had some water came out on the floor from a clogged line under a freezer. Couple drops of water, and I'm flying. I had a buddy paralyzed from a fall in his house, which is really why I bring all this up. Falls on Tile are common, best to mitigate them as much possible.

Anyhow,good luck with your tile job. I would have liked to do mine in tile, just the Cost was significant(Thinset and grout ain't cheap). You're using Ditra, expensive stuff that. Also, I just wsn't up to the physical task! Laziness setting in. My wife would have balked at a Garage tile job, so if I requested her help, it would have been painful to endure! She's been There, Done That, Got the Tee Shirt, and Consulted a Divorce Lawyer!

 

[Jack Olsen]

I never understand the worries about this kind of tile being slippery. I have the ceramic ones -- similar color to yours. Wet or dry, you are not going to slip on them. They're made for use in outdoor public areas -- they'd be litigated out of existence if they were slippery.

Bathroom tiles are slippery.

 

[ct71rr]

I never understand the worries about this kind of tile being slippery. I have the ceramic ones -- similar color to yours. Wet or dry, you are not going to slip on them. They're made for use in outdoor public areas -- they'd be litigated out of existence if they were slippery.

Bathroom tiles are slippery.

Thanks for the response Jack, I was about to PM you about this. I tiled the basement floor in my first house with ceramics. If I remember correctly, I think it was about 800 sq.ft or so. I do not recall the floor being so slippery that I or my wife wiped out on it. Even after mopping. The manufacturer of my tile states they are OSHA compliant for use in commercial areas (kitchens, lobbys, etc) and for wheelchair use.

 

[mpraddict]

Ceramic tile can be slippery, but so can sealed concrete. Your tile should have both dry and wet C.O.F. listed.

Is that an AMD box I see on top of the tiles? I think I recognize you from moparts and the roadrunnernest.

 

[ct71rr]

Ceramic tile can be slippery, but so can sealed concrete. Your tile should have both dry and wet C.O.F. listed.

Is that an AMD box I see on top of the tiles? I think I recognize you from moparts and the roadrunnernest.

Yes, those are the quarters for my Road Runner. I'm on the nest and moparts from time to time.

I couldn't find any info on or in the boxes about the tiles. On Home Depots website, the manufacturer stated the COF is between .60 and .79. If the tiles are that slippery, I could always place one of those dry-mats under my wifes car.

 

[ilateapex]

I have ceramic in my garage and never had a problem with slipping until I pulled and engine and coolant and oil was on the floor. Then when wearing tennis shoes it was extremely dangerous. I when and put on my work boots with slip resistant soles and the problem went away. I now have a pair of slip on work shoes with oil resistant and slip resistant soles and am sure footed all the time.

Michael

 

[SeanM]

Can't wait to see the end result. I have thought about doing this in my garage but then remember the pain of cleaning the grout clean in my home kitchen and bathrooms.

 

[Jack Olsen]

There's nothing that is going to make the grouting process itself easy. My shoulders still remember it.

But the solution to stains is very simple: dark grout. I have the off-the-rack cheap grout (not the epoxy stuff), but I went with brown. Nothing shows.

And of course the tiles themselves clean up effortlessly. A paper towel takes care of grease, oil or transmission fluid.

 

[les_garten]

There's nothing that is going to make the grouting process itself easy. My shoulders still remember it.

But the solution to stains is very simple: dark grout. I have the off-the-rack cheap grout (not the epoxy stuff), but I went with brown. Nothing shows.



And of course the tiles themselves clean up effortlessly. A paper towel takes care of grease, oil or transmission fluid.

10-4.

There are 3 ways to do your grout.

1) Make it look like it is 30 years of dirt to begin with
2) Try Epoxy grout for 10x the price and 10x the install effort
3) Try a light grout and leverage your OCD into having something constuctive to do for the rest of your life, such as scrubbing and sealing grout, and freaking out when a drop of oil hits the floor.

When I was looking to tile my garage, I was persuing grout colors based on what my idea of pretty dirt was.

N.B. Thought I would post this here for anybody whois interested. This is THE Tile forum to look for info. His book Tile Your World is awesome.

http://www.johnbridge.com/

 

[ct71rr]

Thanks for the info Jack and les garten. I'm leaning toward a dark brown grout. Epoxy would be too expensive I think. Plus, I've never used it before. Is it that much harder to work than regular grout?

 

[Value]

In June 2007 I put down POR 15 Floor Armor. Needless to say I will need to replace this product with something else soon. DO I need to sand up the Floor Armor paint in order to put down tile?

How come you went with 12" tiles and not 18"? Anyone consider Slate or Rectified tile for the garage?

 

[Value]

Please don't take this the wrong way. Just giving some warning about your tile. I decided to use RaceDeck on my Garage. I was looking at some 12" Porcelin tiles as well. I've laid about 6000 sq ' of tile in my last house. Lots of tile, on walls, etc. I did a 2200 sq' Pool deck with the a similair tile to the one I am about to show you.

When I was looking for tiles in the Garage, I was looking for a lot of surfae texture and trying to find the roughest tile I could find that was close to 1.00/sq'. I did find some I was considering at Lowes.

The thing that threw me off on Tile in the garage was mainly how back breaking tile work is, and the slickness of the tile, cost also is always a consideration. IU have all the tools to do the tile work, but it's hard work. Cutting out a tile for repair work is childs play, nort worries there.

But my biggest concern was finding a surface texture that was rough enough.

The Tile I put around my pool is similiar to this one:

This tile is as rough as 40 grit sandpaper! It has significant raised texture. I can tell you when my feet are wet, it is slick and you can't walk very fast on it. I have a Dachshund, and he slips on it when he comes out of the pool, and he has hobnails built into his feet!

I have a tile like yours in my house in a 20", and coming out of the shower, if something wasn't on the floor, you are at SERIOUS risk of falling trying to move an inch. Coming out of the pool into the house, my feet had to be dry.

I understand that you own the tile now, and like I said, don't take this wrong, but I wouldn't have snagged that tile for garage duty. BUT, in my experience with tile, they are all varying degrees of SLICK! It was amazing how slick that Pool deck tile was.

I just recently had a tile fall in my house. I had some water came out on the floor from a clogged line under a freezer. Couple drops of water, and I'm flying. I had a buddy paralyzed from a fall in his house, which is really why I bring all this up. Falls on Tile are common, best to mitigate them as much possible.

Anyhow,good luck with your tile job. I would have liked to do mine in tile, just the Cost was significant(Thinset and grout ain't cheap). You're using Ditra, expensive stuff that. Also, I just wsn't up to the physical task! Laziness setting in. My wife would have balked at a Garage tile job, so if I requested her help, it would have been painful to endure! She's been There, Done That, Got the Tee Shirt, and Consulted a Divorce Lawyer!

My POR 15 top coat with lots of grit in it is way more slippery when wet than my travertine or slate. I ended up with some car mats. I too live in Florida and the hot wet tire caused the POR 15 to adhere to the rubber as the the tire cooled.

I have a 1200 SQ foot garage. Race Deck seems expensive for plastic tiles. I got a sample and they are just okay. Real tile is the way to go if you can afford it.

How much was that flagstone tile? What about real flagstone?

 

[FoMoJoe]

What happens when you put a jack under your car to lift your car? Does any pin point pressure from the floor jack wheels crack a tile? I like the look of tile in a garage, but it seams that with either putting a car on a jack stand, the jack itself, or even dropping a wrench could do some serious damage...? Is it tougher than I think?

 

[Value]

Thanks for the responses everyone! I was a little concerned with the slip factor using tiles but, these have a C.O.F. rating of .60 to .79. And, my wifes car will be the only one to be in and out of the garage (will be 3 car) during wet weather. I'm also going to put Ditra down. I was a little (actually a lot) surprised on how much it costs. I'll end up paying more for the Ditra than the tile. I'm going to need to save up for it. I have time to do so , I still need to start demo on existing garage, do the framing, etc... had a little issue with the building dept about the foundation I poured but, that is another story that I will post on my garage build thread

Why do you need Ditra? IF you floor is more than a year old wouldn't thinset with fiber added suffice? I thought Ditra was for new construction and putting tile over wood.

 

[AdamH]

In addition to FoMoJoe's questions, how does the jack, or other wheeled items move along the tile? Do you have to worry about one wheel sitting in the grout line and one on the tile making things uneven?

 

[Jack Olsen]

How much was that flagstone tile? What about real flagstone?

Anything that's not glazed is going to have a porous surface, pretty much. At that point, you might as well keep concrete, since it's going to absorb oil and other fluids and stain.

What happens when you put a jack under your car to lift your car? Does any pin point pressure from the floor jack wheels crack a tile? I like the look of tile in a garage, but it seams that with either putting a car on a jack stand, the jack itself, or even dropping a wrench could do some serious damage...? Is it tougher than I think?

If the tiles are properly installed for this application, nothing happens. It is tougher than people think, based on their exposure to bathroom tiles. Auto manufacturing plants and dealerships use tile all the time.

This is a 500# engine being rolled into place on top of a Sears floor jack:

If you chip a tile, it's easy to touch up. If you break one, it's easy to replace. (I've never had to replace one.)

 

[les_garten]

My POR 15 top coat with lots of grit in it is way more slippery when wet than my travertine or slate. I ended up with some car mats. I too live in Florida and the hot wet tire caused the POR 15 to adhere to the rubber as the the tire cooled.

I have a 1200 SQ foot garage. Race Deck seems expensive for plastic tiles. I got a sample and they are just okay. Real tile is the way to go if you can afford it.

How much was that flagstone tile? What about real flagstone?

I could have put Porcelin down for the cost of the RaceDeck. Materials would be about the same. Labor much more with the tile.

The Racedeck is as mentioned expensive for a piece of plastic, but it looks well engineered, is easy to put down, and you can take it up, repair it, and it has a great warranty form a long standing company. Each tile I'm sure is 3 cents of fancy plastic.

 

[les_garten]

What happens when you put a jack under your car to lift your car? Does any pin point pressure from the floor jack wheels crack a tile? I like the look of tile in a garage, but it seams that with either putting a car on a jack stand, the jack itself, or even dropping a wrench could do some serious damage...? Is it tougher than I think?

Porcelin tile if layed properly is very hard to break. It is pretty easy to repair.

 

[ct71rr]

...How come you went with 12" tiles and not 18"? Anyone consider Slate or Rectified tile for the garage?

I went with these tiles because of their price. IMO they were a great deal plus, free shipping and $100 coupon I found online.

Why do you need Ditra? IF you floor is more than a year old wouldn't thinset with fiber added suffice? I thought Ditra was for new construction and putting tile over wood.

I'm going to be pouring the floor for the additon to the existing floor. I wanted to limit cracks that may appear where they meet and to limit cracks in the floor in general. Also, I believe it will help with any moisture issues that may arise.


Jack, you don't place anything under your jack stands to protect the tile? How does the tile hold up?

 

[slickgt1]

Nice with the tiles. I just did my garage with porcelain as well. This is not slippery. I hosed the entire garage, and no way will I slip on it. Maybe if a pipe is on the floor and i step on that, but that can happen anywhere.

As far as grout. I did epoxy grout on mine. Already had an oil spill. It does not penetrate the epoxy grout. Wiped it off, and all good.

Oh and I fixed the pitch at the same time. Now all the water goes to the middle and out the door. Mud job while laying tile is not that bad.

 

[les_garten]

I went with these tiles because of their price. IMO they were a great deal plus, free shipping and $100 coupon I found online.



I'm going to be pouring the floor for the additon to the existing floor. I wanted to limit cracks that may appear where they meet and to limit cracks in the floor in general. Also, I believe it will help with any moisture issues that may arise.


Jack, you don't place anything under your jack stands to protect the tile? How does the tile hold up?

I would opt for 12" over other sizes except smaller ones in a garage. The 12" tiles are going to lie flatter on a floor that may not be prefectly flat. This will help keep you from having pressure points that you could get under larger tiles. Not sure I'm making that clear here.

But when I was shopping for tiles, I only wanted 12" for the garage. I didn't look at anything larger. Smaller is ok, but the larger the tile, the flatter your surface should be. 1" or 2" Tiles you can put on damn near anything!

 

[Jack Olsen]

I don't put anything under the jack stands or jacks. In that last picture with the engine rolling in, you can see the car is raised up on jack stands.

12" tiles will be more forgiving than 18" tiles when it comes to bridging irregularities, like Les says. 6" tiles would be even better, in some ways -- but would be more labor-intensive both for the installation and the grouting.

 

[ct71rr]

...As far as grout. I did epoxy grout on mine. Already had an oil spill. It does not penetrate the epoxy grout. Wiped it off, and all good...

Was it any harder using the epoxy grout vs. regular grout?

I don't put anything under the jack stands or jacks. In that last picture with the engine rolling in, you can see the car is raised up on jack stands...

I saw that. I was asking because people have posted that it is best to protect the tile from the feet (point loads) of the jack stands. I see from your pics that it is not needed. That is a sweet Porsche!

 

[slickgt1]

The only thing with epoxy grout, is that when you work your way out of the garage, you need to make sure to stay off the floor, all of it till next day. Epoxy creates this transparent film when you wash it off the tile? If you step on the tile before it dries, you might take off the dust from your shoes and glue it to the tile. Other than that, same thing as regular grout. Much more expensive, but trust me, it is worth every penny. Wear gloves when working with it. It is epoxy, and feels like glue on your hands.

 

[Value]

I would opt for 12" over other sizes except smaller ones in a garage. The 12" tiles are going to lie flatter on a floor that may not be prefectly flat. This will help keep you from having pressure points that you could get under larger tiles. Not sure I'm making that clear here.

But when I was shopping for tiles, I only wanted 12" for the garage. I didn't look at anything larger. Smaller is ok, but the larger the tile, the flatter your surface should be. 1" or 2" Tiles you can put on damn near anything!

I have 2 very important questions:

1. I have POR 15 Floor Armor. It isn't peeling or chipped jut showing scratches. I have sanded and repaired all chips/peeling spots. The stuff is strong and only hot wet rubber which is allowed to cool on the surface causes problems. Can I save a lot of time and money and lay my new tile over the POR 15? MY hunch is that the POR 15 would hold the thinset just fine as it isn't rubber and will dry rock hard.

2. I found a Cheap 12" Ceramic tile in beige. Grade 3. Will Ceramic work for the garage or must it be porcelain? My budget is $1.50 a foot or less for tile

Thanks in advance

 

[les_garten]

I have 2 very important questions:

1. I have POR 15 Floor Armor. It isn't peeling or chipped jut showing scratches. I have sanded and repaired all chips/peeling spots. The stuff is strong and only hot wet rubber which is allowed to cool on the surface causes problems. Can I save a lot of time and money and lay my new tile over the POR 15? MY hunch is that the POR 15 would hold the thinset just fine as it isn't rubber and will dry rock hard.

2. I found a Cheap 12" Ceramic tile in beige. Grade 3. Will Ceramic work for the garage or must it be porcelain? My budget is $1.50 a foot or less for tile

Thanks in advance

You should post this question on Johnbridge.com

But I think this is what I will say about it.

Another reason why I didn't want to put down epoxy floors, is that if I had a problem and wanted to tile, I would have a mess on my hands.

You want your Thinset to get a good bond to the concrete under it. If you have epoxy down, this ain't gonna happen. I think that every person with any tile experience is going to tell you to grind that floor.

I would only put Porcelin in the garage. It is a LOT harder than Ceramic. If you aren't going to be doing much in the Garage, you could try Ceramic I suppose, but I wouldn't.

A buck fifty all in, may be a little tight. Find your tile, use an online thinset calculator and calculate out how much grout you'll use. You'll need a thinset with Latex modifications in it. If you have any cracks, they may need to be addressed by undermining the crack with a chisel and sealing with that Red Liquid membrane that is carried at HD. That membrane is kinda expensive.

I live in an area with a lot of tile places. So a trip around to them, will usually reveal a good deal on something they would like to clear out.

 

[Value]

You should post this question on Johnbridge.com

But I think this is what I will say about it.

Another reason why I didn't want to put down epoxy floors, is that if I had a problem and wanted to tile, I would have a mess on my hands.

You want your Thinset to get a good bond to the concrete under it. If you have epoxy down, this ain't gonna happen. I think that every person with any tile experience is going to tell you to grind that floor.

I would only put Porcelin in the garage. It is a LOT harder than Ceramic. If you aren't going to be doing much in the Garage, you could try Ceramic I suppose, but I wouldn't.

A buck fifty all in, may be a little tight. Find your tile, use an online thinset calculator and calculate out how much grout you'll use. You'll need a thinset with Latex modifications in it. If you have any cracks, they may need to be addressed by undermining the crack with a chisel and sealing with that Red Liquid membrane that is carried at HD. That membrane is kinda expensive.

I live in an area with a lot of tile places. So a trip around to them, will usually reveal a good deal on something they would like to clear out.

If I didn't have the POR15 to sand up/grind then tile would be the way to go for me. However, It will cost me $500-600 to hire somebody to get up that PO15. Then, I need to buy some membrane for the cuts in the slab and cracks.
Finally, Tile, Grout and labor. Total for me is probably $5,500.

Usually around Father's day Race Deck puts their plastic tile on sale. Can I get it for $2.50 or so per foot? I just have trouble with the concept of spending over $3,000 on a plastic floor. I would add the cheap soundblocker
(synthetic weed screen) underneath.

 

[les_garten]

If I didn't have the POR15 to sand up/grind then tile would be the way to go for me. However, It will cost me $500-600 to hire somebody to get up that PO15. Then, I need to buy some membrane for the cuts in the slab and cracks.
Finally, Tile, Grout and labor. Total for me is probably $5,500.

Usually around Father's day Race Deck puts their plastic tile on sale. Can I get it for $2.50 or so per foot? I just have trouble with the concept of spending over $3,000 on a plastic floor. I would add the cheap soundblocker
(synthetic weed screen) underneath.

There's no doubt they are makin' a killin' on that tile. But it does look like a good product.

What exactly happened to the finish you have down now?

One of the reasons I went Racedeck also was, if I had the epoxy down, every little scratch would bother me. The wife would *****, I would get irritated, etc. The racedeck, I am expecting to get scratched, scraped, and look a little buffed. No problem, that's what I expect it to do.

 

[Value]

I really appreciate this thread. After discussing the garage floor with my wife we (she) has decided that a 12 or 16" Porcelain Tile is the best choice for us.

We will keep using the BLT mats as they work well. I would rather spend $5500 on real porcelain tile on a diagonal than $2500 on plastic floating tiles. I will keep my eyes open for a good deal on 16" porcelain tile and my budget for those tiles will likey be more like $2-$2.25 per foot. I want tiles that have matching "cap tiles" with beveled edge like you see in bathroom tile.

 

[les_garten]

I really appreciate this thread. After discussing the garage floor with my wife we (she) has decided that a 12 or 16" Porcelain Tile is the best choice for us.

We will keep using the BLT mats as they work well. I would rather spend $5500 on real porcelain tile on a diagonal than $2500 on plastic floating tiles. I will keep my eyes open for a good deal on 16" porcelain tile and my budget for those tiles will likey be more like $2-$2.25 per foot. I want tiles that have matching "cap tiles" with beveled edge like you see in bathroom tile.

That will be a nice Floor. You can do 16" if you get a good thinset bed with no voids under the tile and have a pretty even floor. John Bridges book is worth 10x what he is asking for it in not making mistakes. It will put your brain in tile setting mode.

After reading that book, you'll eat thinset and **** Grout!

 

[ct71rr]

If I didn't have the POR15 to sand up/grind then tile would be the way to go for me. However, It will cost me $500-600 to hire somebody to get up that PO15...

I agree with Les Garten, the thinset will not bond properly to the POR15. Do you have access to a rental shop in your area. You could save a bunch of money grinding it yourself.

 

[PecosBill]

I've got 30 years in the tile business, so you can take my advice or not. Properly bedded porcelain tile is extremely tough. It can take any psi you're going to throw at it in a garage. Like I said though, the key is in the bedding. Porcelain is much denser than standard ceramic, so it is very important to use a high quality, highly modified thinset. I would recommend Mapei's Kerabond/Keralastic system. It is a two part powder/additive system, but it has much more adhesiveness than standard modified thinset. You want to make sure that you have complete coverage under the entire tile. Any corners without thinset under them will be the weak point when loaded. Make sure you used the correct notch, which depends on the size of the tile. For a 12x12, I would use a 3/8x3/8 square notch.

As to slab prep, I would recommend a light surface grind, which is possible with a 7" floor grinder with a double row diamond wheel. The are usually easily rented from rental yards, complete with vac system.

Another weak point is the cushion at the grout joint. I would recommend a rectified edge tile, which is a cut edge that has no roll-over. It is a square edge. This is the type of tile you see used in auto dealership showrooms. I would also recommend a 1/8" grout joint. Any tighter, and you will have to be pretty skilled to avoid lippage issues, any larger, and it's tough to grout without slightly washing out the joint and thus ending up with a less than flush joint.

As far as grouts, epoxy, without a doubt. Epoxy grouts have come a long way. The two I would recommend, especially to someone without a lot of epoxy grout experience are, Mapei's OptiColor, or Laticrete's SpectraLock. Both are cold water washable, and have longer pot and working lives than old school epoxies.

Take your time, think out your layout ahead of time, and have fun. It's going to be messy, your back and knees are going to be aching, and you will probably not want any children within earshot when you are grouting, but the end result will be well worth it.

 

[gesoffen]

To be fair, while epoxy grout is quite a bit more expensive (sure, maybe 10x the cost of the cheap stuff but only 3x-4x the cost of the better cement grouts), it is certainly not 10x the effort. The effort is equivalent as it requires the exact same steps as cement based grouts.

Of course the benefits are much better stain resistance, water proof (cement grouts are NOT water proof), and color matching for repairs.