Do your clients really not care? Natural stone has a higher perceived intrinsic value in my experience. There are trade offs. Many natural stones do require maintenance. They are also usually set with a tighter grout joint which is a nicer look and dirty grout is what I tend to see that most people find annoying. If a tile is more appropriate for a particular project I reccommend a porcelain tile because the color goes all the way through the tile and when those inevitable chips happen they won't be as visible. The price is usually the same as for ceramic tile.classicraft@comcast.net
The trade offs are the main reason they don't care which one I use. I was thinking more about whether the tile tends to crack or not because I have seen cracked ceramic tiles but not cracked stone very often. I hadnt thought about chipping though so thanks for the advice about porcelian.
be aware some natural stones require sealing and maintenance and/or may not be appropriate for every application (such as wet environments). And there's safety considerations, for instance, does the material get slippery when wet?
To classicraft; Reguarding porcelain tile. I recently had it installed in my bathroom because it was the color I wanted, but it cost three times as much as ceramic and the color did not go through to the back as you claim. I was informed that is not always the case, but I had no choice.
Posts: 1 | Location: Litle Falls, Mn. | Registered: 04 May 2005
Something that you may also need to consider on this subject, that doesn't seem to have been mentioned is that some stone (like slate) MAY oxidize! The colors MAY change over time and that may affect the satisfaction of your customer; perhaps it is a question for your customer. (I say this, it is something that a flooring expert pointed out to me as well.)
What rooms are we talking about? The laminates come in a tile-look these days. I am planning to put it throughout my great room area - den, eating space, kitchen, bathroom. They have some that look like SLATE, TRAVERTINE, SANDSTONE... I understand that we will need to put down a plastic liner for water protection, & also that we'll need to USE GLUE to assist in the water proofing. With my family, I intend to fully water proof THROUGHOUT, not just in the kitchen& bathroom.
You might concider laminate. It's very popular because of its durability & comfort - verses ceramic... It would allow you to maintain a consistancy. Even if they're afraid of it in the bathroom, the rest could all be the same laminate, anywhere there isn't carpet.
