If I get shiny porcelain tiles through most of the ground floor will I regret it?

[MyPod]

Will they be permanently smeary?

Will one of them crack immediately and we will have to put up with it because its too expensive to replace?

Will I be either cold or bankrupt from the underfloor heating costs?

We used to have carpet but it always looked filthy, we now have laminate which is and looks cheap and has bits chipped out if it. DH really wants shiny tiles and technically its his turn to choose. We have to pick something and we both like the shiny tiles. Woman in tile shop said don't get ceramic in such a big area in case they crack. The only ceramic sample we have has cracked. I have 3 dcs under 10 and I don't want them to break the floor their necks on a slippery floor.

[bibbitybobbityhat]

Yes.

[overmydeadbody]

Do you have a link to the tiles? Why do they crack easily?

[WhereTheWildThingsWere]

I wouldn't do it in the UK because I think it will be freezing.

I wouldn't worry about cracking/slipping etc, it is common practice in Oz, Turkey and Greece and I'm sure lots of other places too (I just happen to have seen it there).

What about real wood or cork tiles?

[MyPod]

Ceramic cracks easier than porcelain because its more porous and not as dense, apparently.

I like real wood but DH not so keen and there is no way I am going to be able to sell cork tiles to him. He gets his interior design ideas from episodes of cribs. I'm more country life. There are people all over the world walking about on tiles and not falling over so I shall stop worrying about that. I do worry about being cold and having to actually polish them.

[MyPod]

bibbity can you expand? What will be my biggest regret?

[WhereTheWildThingsWere]

Hmm cribs is all US and hot and housekeepers and come to think of it houses that people rarely actually live in.

I think it will be unbelievably cold in the winter unless you cover it all with big shaggy rugs.

[RedRubyBlue]

I am currently replacing the tiles in my kitchen as they are bloody freezing in winter and yes they do look smeary.

If you do have your heart set on them then buy a few replacements if you do get cracks.

[AgentProvocateur]

Yes, you will regret it. Everything you drop will smash (bottles of chilli sauce, expensive perfume - sob!) and the glass will travel further than you thought possible. They'll be freezing cold, and slippery when wet. They will crack when your DC throws his schoolbag down, and even if you have spares, you'll never get round to replacing the cracked ones.

Finally, when you want rid of them, everyone will tell you that they're almost impossible to lift and it will be really tricky to lay another kind of floor on top.

Can you tell how unhappy I am with mine?

[MyPod]

"even if you have spares, you'll never get round to replacing the cracked ones."

How well you know me .

Well what should I get? Wood? Amtico?

[FoxyRoxy]

We have marble and tile flooring though our whole house, but we live in a hot climate. In the uk I'd say unless you were getting underfloor heating not to do it as it'll be freezing in colder months.

What about laminate?

[Mandy2003]

Yes, yes and yes I would say. Would be lovely in a hot climate I imagine.

[MyPod]

We would get underfloor heating if we get tiles but then there is the additional expense of running it.

I don't want laminate because it will be in the kitchen and bathroom as well as the hallway and 'study' and I don't want to be precious about people getting it wet. We have engineered wood in the kitchen and its split around the back door where it has been wet and its generally very worn out. We have a mix of carpet, laminate and engineered wood at the moment and I dislike them all individually and I dislike the bittyness of having so many different floors. What I want is tiles that aren't cold or hard .

[BoffinMum]

Why not get Junkers wood flooring? Much better in UK than tiles.

[BoffinMum]

Stone floors with underfloor heating look more stylish IMO

[PelvicFloorOfAAAAARGHSteel]

I hate the tiled floors in our kitchen and bathroom, they're cold, slippery, everything breaks and I have better things to do with my life than scrub the grout (which is a total dirt magnet).

I want something which has no grout, cracks or holes which are impossible to clean. If it doesn't look hideous that will be a bonus.

[DooinMeCleanin]

I have plain black shiny tiles in my kitchen and bathroom. They are the bain of my life. I hate them. They never, ever, ever look clean. Ever.

You have to use special no streak cleaner on them, which still streaks and god forbid you measure it slightly wrong and use too much cleaner, you might as well just not bother mopping. Once they dry streaky you can dry mop with a clean mop to remove the streaks but the very second someone so much as puts a toe on them there will be footprints all over them.

[bibbitybobbityhat]

I just like wooden floors. Can't help it. If I had an unlimited budget, my ground floor rooms would all be wood floors, stairs and upper floors carpeted.

[RachelHRD]

We have Karndean throughout downstairs and in wet rooms and I'm really pleased with it. Very practical - hardwearing, not cold underfoot, easy to clean and looks great. We have pitch pine downstairs and it looks good, has a wood grain texture and looks more like oak IMO.

[patiencenotmyvirtue]

Step away from the shiny porcelain tiles.

In one rental we had, they were in the vast hall, dining area and kitchen. They were white and looked filthy as soon as I hung up up the mop.

In another rental the tiles were dark, slightly uneven in texture to look like stone. Fabulous. didn't show the dirt at all
I've never thought about the cold factor underfoot, but there was no underfloor heating and Melbourne winters get pretty chilly.

In our newly-bought house there's a mix of carpet, which is excellent for absorbing the sandy dog paw marks, and hardwood in the kitchen and family room. Nice to look at, but needs constant sweeping.

When we get rid of the tired carpet, I'll be campaigning for more.

[hester]

I wouldn't consider this, tbh. I think shiny tiles throughout can look great in a hot climate. Not what I'd fancy for cold winter evenings.

I think you can't beat wooden flooring with big cosy rugs.

[valiumredhead]

The slightest drop of water and you will be skidding all over the place!

I have stone tiles in the kitchen and hall and they are freezing so you will need underfloor heating or big rugs.

[Ixia]

We have matt porcelain in the kitchen. They are easy to clean, don't look smeary and are v. robust - we've dropped the iron on them and knocked over wooden stools, no chips yet, but the iron is knackered! They are bloody freezing though, but so is the whole house, so we're used to it.

Step away from gloss porcelain though. Our tile supplier advised against them if you have small children or pets - they are lethal when wet. A friend has just injured herself on hers and my mil who is disabled is terrified of visiting the other daughter in law as she finds her tiles so slippery.

[Ixia]

My Mum has just had wood look Karndean put down in her lounge, I was a bit in a snobby way at the idea of it. But it looks fab, isn't cold or noisy. Mum even bought a rug, so DD had somewhere to sit to play, but she's happy to sit on the Karndean. Also it's cut down on dust hugely.

[HSMM]

We love our tiles downstairs, but they do crack and they are slippery and you can't drop anything, because it will break. I don't like our cheap laminate upstairs, but I love the really good wooden floor we have in our conservatory.