Hi,
I am considering having ceramic tiles put down ( with underfloor heating ). This is probably a really silly question but what happens if you drop something on it? Do they break easily? They are going to be in the living room,dining room and hallway to start with, the kitchens got quarry tiles already. I would really like white tiles ( I've really lost it this time) and bigger ones about 2'x2'. Does anyone know where I might get them? Also how slippery are they and can I get nonslip?

Any help would be great

Debbie

Hi Debbie
we have ceramic tiles in the kitchen and the bathroom. They can be pretty cold underfoot so the under floor heating is probably a good idea .
I do have little broken corners etc on mine due to the kids dropping things . The bathroom ones are fine , just the kitchen ones . You know how clumsy kids can be with dropping things :(
I have white in both rooms too and find the kitchen especially gets filthy and has to be washed constantly because of the boys walking in and out of the garden and with Gus too . Bit off putting having a dirty looking floor in the kitchen
Must admit I have found laminate flooring a godsend with my lot - easy to look after and keep clean and I dont have to worry about spills or muddy dog prints etc like with a carpet
Lel

Hi Debbie,

I have had tiles in my kitchen . bathroom, En suite etc in every house I have owned. Never had a problem with the and the don't expand with water like the laminate does.

Laminate is fine as long as you never wet the stuff ot it expands like a sponge.

If you pick the right colour of tiles ( quarry fits the bill) you will have no problem.

The generally only break if the floor was not level in the first place or if they are too thin..

Never had a broken tile ever..

Hope this helps

Pam

I've had ceramic tiles in my kitchen for over 3 years now, after going through 3 different types of flooring in 2 years, and haven't had any problems with them, despite have 3 dogs running in and out all day long.
The tiles haven't broken yet but anything you drop on them will.
We had something put underneath that reflects the heat and don't find them cold at all.

Ingrid

Why not go for slate tiles, they are textured so not slippery like ceramics. Brilliant with underfloor heating as being stone they retain the heat. Very easy to keep clean, mine get swept often but only need the occasional mop over.

Sandra

Ok thanks for your replies.
Perhapes I'll go for slate or at least cream marble types tiles as I can see that a white floor will always look dirty.
Do slate tiles have to be sealed etc? And is that something that you do once or every so often?
Who did you get to fit all yours and how long before you can walk on them?

Debbie

We have quarry tiles on our kitchen floor (octaganals and small squares) and they have been down for about 18 years and we chipped the first one a few weeks ago when we were redoing the ktichen and the club hammer fell on the corner of one. Barely shows and I have kept the bi for when I get around to getting some superglue so I can put it back.

They never feel particularly cold even in the winter (although I never walk around bare foot then) and are easy to clean. As someone has already said, anything dropped on them does tend to break but it does teach you not to be so clumsy :)

Christine

After all sorts of problems with cats, carpets and fleas (just don't even ask :( :( - I can still itch just thinking about it all!) we have done away with carpet completely! Upstairs we have varnished the floor boards (which had all been replaced anyway) and downstairs, we have the ceramic slate-style tiles throughout. They are fantastically easy to clean and we have'nt found them cold - we have a rug in front of the fire which just breaks it up that bit.

The only problem we have found with them is that when the dogs come in with wet feet, they skid - and when you hve 4 aussies & 2 labs all trying to come in at the same time, there are some pile-ups in the kitchen as they come round the corner :D

Purdey does find them a trial though first thing in the morning, now that her back legs are beginning to go on her - we've found that pad wax helps a bit, and have a large piece of vet bed for her to stand on as she climbs out of her bed!

Hi, I've got ceramic tiles in every one of my ground floor rooms (including living room and hallway). We haven't had them down a year yet, but with three young (clumsy) boys and one large very hairy dog, I do have some chipped already. However when my son dropped a very large marmite jar on one tile it still didn't break, only chipped. I find with my situation it is very high maintenance (dog brings in half the garden, although she doesn't shed hair), but saying that it is much more hygenic than carpet and you don't really have to worry if the dog is soaking wet - no carpets to drip on or make smelly. We wanted a fairly smooth texture so it did not hurt the childrens feet, but ours are not too slippery when wet. My sons say they preferred the carpet to play/lay on, but now when I see how dirty my floor does get, I realise what my carpets must have been like!! I was lucky with getting my tiles - got the whole lot, plus grout, glue etc off of ebay (over 50 square metres), but I think there are several places you can get them on the internet or from Tiles'r'us, etc. I do not have underfloor heating (and have yet to experience winter!), but Saffy loves laying on the cool tiles in this hot weather.

HTH

Fiona and Saffy

Yes slate tiles do need to be sealed, once when laid and again every 18 months or so. Very easy to do if you use the correct sealer. Also if they chip it worn't show like on a smooth ceramic. If you would like to e.mail me privately I will tell you where to get them and send you a brochure, I work for a company that sells them so can't promote this on the list. My work e.mail address is in my profile.

Regards
Sandra