Highly polished porcelain kitchen tiles?

[Fluffycloudland77]

How bad can it be? Surely a quick vacuum and a going over with the ecloth mop and they'll be good as new.

Yes?

[HermioneWeasley]

No. Had them in my old house. Anything you drop on them shatters into a million pieces. They are cold and hard underfoot. Never again!

[Fluffycloudland77]

Ok, apart from that I can wear slippers brilliant?.

Nice looking and easy to mop?.

I've already ruled out;

Vinyl. Have that now, dents everytime you drop something on it and it's a pain to mop because it's non slip so the dirt gets in the textured bit.

Ceramic tiles. Too delicate.

Cork. Too 1970's and dh would never like it.

Karndean/Amtico. Too much like laminate. Hate laminate.

Real wood. Not practical.

Granite/marble. Stains if you drop strong coloured food on it.

There must be an ideal kitchen floor. One that's all shiny and swishy and modern.

[movingonup2015]

my sister owns a tile shop, I insisted I wanted polished porcelain tiles she refused to let me have them because I would break my neck! I love them but they are just so impractical especially when it comes to kids (well I don't have any, that was my argument but it still didn't wash!) and you'd be forever trying to keep them clean.

My friend also has them in her new build and her child is forever slipping about the place on them...

you can get non slip shiny (ish) tiles but they wont be as shiny as polished porcelain and they aren't available in lots of colours and not particularly cheap either but if you are still interested ill find out the details of what they are called if you like?

[Lelivre]

I had bamboo for ten yrs in a previous home and it held up well. It's much better than wood and renewable/eco friendly.

[HermioneWeasley]

I found my formerly white tiles always looked a bit grubby, but I did have them in hallway so high traffic areas.

I love my amtico tiles - look like slate but much more practical.

Have you considered engineered wood?

[Fluffycloudland77]

Ok, I can see that promising to always wear slippers, dine off plastic picnic plates and buying a roomba for a twice daily clean is not swaying anyone.

Dh won't countenance bamboo, I've already tried for that in the hall.

Engineered wood, I don't know, wouldn't it get damaged by water?.

I REALLY want tiles. Partly so the cat has something cool to lie on in the summer.

Moving Yes, I'd like the details of semi shiney tiles. Your sister is a meanie though, obviously not having kids means we get to have impractical flooring and furniture that will never be used a trampoline.

But polished just looks so good.

[Losingmyreligion]

I have them (not by choice). They show up EVERY SINGLE spec. Hoover/mop and they look beautiful. For minutes. If you never use your kitchen or are happy to hoover and mop every day, go for it.

[Fluffycloudland77]

What colour are they? we went to a home to pick up an eBay thing and they had beautiful sparkly white polished tiles.

They seemed to be very well off though so perhaps she had a cleaner.

[sacbina]

what size floor area do you have?

We used to have black polished porcelain tiles, but floor area was only 15 sqm. I swept daily but only mopped once a week, they would just look uniformly grubby

we now have huge dark charcoal ceramic tiles. don't require any more or less cleaning, just an enormous area now

buy one tile, stick it on the floor and see how much dirt it attracts and whether it bothers you

we do have bamboo in the hallway and I love it. 10 years old and looks as good as new. would of had it in the kitchen but it didn't go with the kitchen units we were recycling

our cat loves the tiles in summer to cool down but also in the winter with ufh

[Hoviscats]

Totally going against everyone else above but we have polished porcelain cream tiles. I love them. Easy to clean and I don't find them high maintenance. But then I also have wooden work tops and they still look great 3 years on as well!

Oh and I do have young DC...

[Hoviscats]

Forgot to add that we have got underfloor heating. Would be too cold underfoot in winter otherwise!

[sacbina]

Oh and I never fell over on it and somehow never dropped anything

I would have them again we just couldn't afford it with the bigger extension

[pootlebug]

Our kitchen tiles are these in the cement grey www.tilestyle.ie/offers/tiles/product/2404-cemento-lappato-60x60.html?path=629&lang=en
They are more matt than shiny and with grey grout don't show the muck too badly at all….our floor gets mopped weekly with spills wiped up and a bit of hoovering in-between times

[Fluffycloudland77]

It's only 10sq m. I could buy one tile and see what it looks like.

I can just buy a robo vacuum in aldi. They always end up in the sale because no one wants them.

[Bostonpj]

We have limestone tiles. They've been in a week. I'm stressed already that they'll be stained and horrible in a year but they're so pretty!

[cuntyMcCunterson]

I have creamy coloured highly polished/shiney tiles in every room downstairs bar livingroom and they're fab. There's only DH and I but they don't get particularly marked or dirty! We don't wear shoes past the front door and I never wear slippers or socks in the house and I don't find them cold.
I hoover twice a week and mop once a week and the look spotless all the time! I love them and would get them again if we move.

[cuntyMcCunterson]

These are ours. Love them!

[Fluffycloudland77]

That's pretty much what I want cunty. There 30x60 aren't they?.

Cleaning isn't a problem in the summer but the cats a bit of dirt fiend in the winter.

[sacbina]

then you need a Turtle Mat.

[Fluffycloudland77]

I have two. In the same room as his cat flap and I put his food on them so he HAS to stay on them a few minutes. Doesnt seem to work on cats.

Animals a total dirt magnet.

Maybe I should just have a dirt and oxblood floor like in the olden days.

[cuntyMcCunterson]

Yes that's them. Get yourself some of these floor will always be gleaming

[Fluffycloudland77]

Stylish and practical.

[QforCucumber]

fluffy the showhome for our house had those sparkly ones in white, and a neighbour got them in black - I really want them for my kitchen, they were from a company called ctd (ceramic tile distribution or something) they're beautiful but apparently a bit of a death trap if they're wet

[movingonup2015]

ok so the semi polished she deals with are by RAK ceramics - they do an online brochure. I just did a search on ebay for semi polished floor tiles - there are a few non slip ones going on there but I couldn't comment on the quality.