ᐅ Not all tiles are the same. Susceptibility to staining!?

Hello everyone,

As the topic suggests, in our current rental apartment we have medium-light gray tiles in the bathroom and kitchen, which I would describe as extremely prone to staining. There are spots (from body lotions or something similar) that don’t come off even with cleaning agents (like general-purpose cleaners or alcohol). Also, any water spots or similar marks are immediately visible.

How have you dealt with the issue of “stain sensitivity” with your tiles in the bathroom and kitchen? Was it perhaps not that important to you? If it was, how did you test it?

Thanks again.
ludwig88sta

Kitchen natural stone is much more delicate than tile. However, it is far more beautiful, even with individual spots that blend into the texture and are not noticeable.

Gray tiles are truly delicate. The bathrooms are fitted with them, and our tiles already had spots from the heat during installation, which are acceptable according to standards. Eventually, you stop paying attention to them.

For the new kitchen, I had tile samples sent to me. I then treated the tiles with typical everyday kitchen stains (mustard, jam, cucumber slice, beetroot, red wine, soy sauce, etc.), left them for 2 weeks in the heating room, and then cleaned them with a regular mop. The tile from which all stains were easily removed became the final choice.

How much did the natural stone cost per square meter?

Is the natural stone also installed in tile form?

One advantage is that if it cracks, no white shows underneath because the stone has 100% the same color throughout. Unlike standard tiles, which are only colored on the surface and reveal a lighter base color if damaged.

@Fummelbrett! can we generally say that more expensive tiles handle stains better or not? How many tile patterns did you test?

ludwig88sta schrieb:

@Fummelbrett! is it safe to say that more expensive tiles handle stains better or not? How many tile patterns did you test?

I tested with 4 different tiles. In the end, I chose matte porcelain stoneware with a concrete look. It costs 20€/sqm (about $22/sqft). Slip resistance was also important; it’s nice if the tiles are easy to clean, but that doesn’t help if you end up getting an unpleasant introduction to the floor while carrying a mop or a hot pot of soup ^^
I tested tiles ranging from 15 to 30€/sqm (about $16–33/sqft). With this porcelain stoneware, you don’t even notice if a small chip occurs. Although the notorious chipping of corners has never happened here; even the old tiles from 1970 only have cracks (the old kitchen looks especially bad though; the beige tiles by the sink and stove are so worn down that they have turned brown ).

Tiles come in different quality levels. For residential areas, always choose solid-colored tiles, as this prevents issues if something gets dropped. Prices start at about 30 €/m2 (approximately 2.8 $/ft2) and go up to 60 €/m2 (approximately 5.6 $/ft2). For the natural stone, we paid 35 € per m2 (approximately 3.3 $/ft2), excluding installation.