general flooring & ceramic vs porcelain

[Luv2Roam]

I am seeking opinions from those who have ceramic and/or porcelain tile in thier homes.

As with typical FL housing, we have a flat cement slab house.
I want to replace the flooring for the:
Living room
Dining room
Kitchen
Laundry area
front entry

No kids -- except two large black labs. And we will always have dogs.
DH sees no reason to have new carpet installed, as no matter what it will not look good in 5 years. The dogs always to make a carpet look old, faster. Thye don't do anything they shouldn't. But large dogs are hard on carpet. Not to mention our walk path patterns, etc.
Due to the dogs, hardwood is out. And I don't think that is a great choice for a laundry area and kitchen anyway. (We could go with two flooring types. But one would make it simplied and a better visual flow, I think.)

I am not a ceramic tile/porcelain person. If we go this route I am using a darker grout and the thinnest grout line I can.

With ceramic or porcelain tiles I am wondering about:
* The ease of cleaning floor tiles
* Slippery when wet?
* Breaking, cracking, chipping
* Furniture weight on tiles

The store I was at today said porcelain tiles are more durable than ceramic tiles.
And if porcelain chips or breaks, white shows through. Whereas with ceramic tile the red clay color shows. (Not even really sure how much this matters if a tile is broken or not anyway.)
Just as an example -- could a heavy entertainment center break, crack or split any tile?

Opinions? Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[Pugdog007]

I think you have that backwards - if ceramic chips white shows through. Porcelain is colored all the way through... which is why it is typically more expensive. It is more durable. I have porcelain in my kitchen & laundry room; ceramic in my bathrooms.

I have hardwood everywhere else in my downstairs (including my MBR). With 5 dogs, I've not had any problems with my hardwood. They still look new after 3-4 years.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Are your dogs little dogs? (Little to me.... One lab is 113 pounds. The other is 80+.) I have 200 pounds of dog in my house.
What do you use to clean your flooring. Special mops? Steamer?

 

[Pugdog007]

Are your dogs little dogs? (Little to me.... One lab is 113 pounds. The other is 80+.) I have 200 pounds of dog in my house.
What do you use to clean your flooring. Special mops? Steamer?

Yeah they're all small. 4 pugs + 1 yorkie. I use a Hoover floormate and the occasional damp mop. Very low maintenance. The porcelain tile in my kitchen is all different colors - black, brown, yellow, a red/clay color, with black grout. Perfect for hiding any dirt the paws bring in!