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Old 12-16-2010, 08:11 PM
Capt Steve Capt Steve is offline
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When we built our home 5 years ago we went with 20" Italian porcelain tile in the kitchen, dining room and entry way. It has a fairly smooth surface which makes it easy to keep clean (vs a textured surface that traps and holds onto the dirt - my bride explained that one to me). The grout is fairly dark but is very easy to clean. Just buy a strong acid based cleaner, use generously and lightly brush with an old toothbrush, comes out like new in just a few minutes. I don't think the tile is any slicker than wood or vinyl but whatever drops on it will break. As far as repairing future damage we were left with a dozen extra tiles and a bag of the original grout. Replacing and matching should be no big deal.

We deliberately did not put tile throughout the house as many of our neighbors did. The echo from an all tile house has to be heard to be believed and is very hard on aging joints. I bought a large gel mat for the kitchen and placed it between the island and the sink. If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen do yourself a favor and invest in one (about $100 at Costco), your back, knees and ankles with thank you. We carpeted the bedrooms and living room with a good quality Stainmaster and spent extra for the top of the line pad (highly recommended). Nearly 5 years later both the tile and the carpet look good and keep us comfortable winter or summer. YMMV
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