Thank you Sosio for your comment on Chinese tile - the price is appealing but I am afraid of the quality. Italian or Spaniard porcelain tile is the way to go.

Not all Chinese tile is horrible, it depends on the factory it comes from. Check the print. Is it clear? or blurry? Ask the supplier if it Is ROTO print or HD Print? HD Print usually is clearer and has more colors making a better print. Also check if the tile has a bow. Always check these things before install and save yourself time and money. Cracked tile has usually been installed wrong. Make sure your sub floor is strong and does not flex when you step on it. Cheap tiles come from everywhere! Installing a product you have not looked over or are not happy with is considered acceptance and most companies will not help you out on the cost of repairs. Always, Always inspect your product before you install. If you are not happy most will happily let you return.

@sosio very true... and so annoying to see the wavy tile run throughout the house. Also, the Chinese tiles are not properly cut, size/dimension for each tile is different.

I too need help! I went to a specialty tile store and specifically asked for porcelain floor tile for my kitchen. After being directed to a display, I selected their Spanish tile from Cerpa (Alamo Ivory), which happened to be on sale. I asked (twice) what the rating was, and was told "we don't use ratings, but everything we carry is a 4 or 5." Great! Or so I thought. The tile have been delivered and the box says it's a quality grade 1! And it's designed for walls!!! We're furious! My contractor, who is anxious to move on to another job, said it would probably be fine because we had a thermal floor put down. The cement floor will bind strongly to the tile. We think we're going to have lots of problems in the not-so-distant future. Does anyone out there have any experience with thermal flooring and tile? Thank you!

I'm a Realtor and I do all my own renovations including plumbing and electric (former Engineer). There is a huge difference in tile quality and I see it all the time. One of my clients invited me over to her Singer Island condo after she completed renovations. She selected shiny white rectified porcelain tile. When she opened the door, I could not believe my eyes. Each tile was full of ripples! It looked horrible, but I didn't say anything negative and I have no idea where it was manufactured. I just bought a beach townhouse and will probably use the same Italian rectified tile that I used in my most recent renovation of this Jupiter, FL Townhouse for Sale or Lease. I bought it from Padrone in W. Palm Beach and it was $3.99/sf for the material. It was mud set with zero grout lines and looks perfect. All in, it was $9.00/sf (I sub out tile work).

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Hi

I am trying to buy some tiles for my kitchen. The first question is: Do I have to get porcelain or is ceramic good enough for a family kitchen?

second questions: some online shops well known among my wealthy friends that only would buy expensive things are priced from £50 per metre square upwards...another online shops offers tiles that look quite nice for£10 per metre square (those in specific are ceramic) and £25 per metre square very similar looking tiles but porcelain.. How can price vary so much? Thank you for your adivce

Hi Elena, I'm not a professional but my past experiences are , porcelain all the way it doesn't chip as easy or crack as easy as ceramic also if it does chip its the same color through out, as for price it can vary low to high just try to avoid Chinese tile its cheaper but far less quality.. good luck!!...Tony

Hi Elena,

Sosio is correct that porcelain is stronger and tougher than ceramic, (less porous with a lower absorption rate is one thing that makes it stronger). However, it is not necessarily the same color all the way through (known in the industry as through-body color). Traditionally that was the case, but now many porcelains are printed on top to mimic wood or fabric. Ask at the tile shop if the porcelain you're looking at is through-body or not.

Also, ceramic is just as good as porcelain in certain applications. So for instance, if you're considering between porcelain and ceramic for a backsplash, you can easily go with a less expensive ceramic. A backsplash does not take as much abuse as a floor does. A floor tile has to stand up to weight, shoes walking across with soles that can scratch the tile and different items (such as the garbage bin) being dragged across the floor.

Lastly, in some cases it's the same tile being sold at 2 vastly different prices. This is true for a brick and mortar showroom as well as online. Do your due diligence and research the line and exactly what is included in the price. Is freight included in one price and not the other? How much is freight?

Hope this helps.

Good luck!

~Julia