I'm having my kitchen remodeled. New cabinets and counter tops. I love the new tumbled stone with wide grout. I have picked out a PDA ceramic tile but everytime I tell anyone I'm putting tile on my counter tops they cringe!. I love the tile look but I don't want to spend my time scrubbing grout. I mentioned some of the new products that say "Guaranteed for 25 years not to stain" to our installer and he said he doesn't use them ;they're hard to clean up after the tile is installed. I have selected a granite top for my upper counter but think the rest of the kitchen would look great in the tile. HELP!!!

Just my 2 cents worth here. I have a dinning room table that has ceramic tile in it. It looks great, but it is a royal pain in the butt to keep clean. Although I love the look of my table I dont think I would ever buy one with tile again. Hope this helps.

I am not a professional by any stretch, and the "pros" may cringe, however, in my former house I replaced the formica countertops with WHITE tile and WHITE grout. After 20 years, the grout was as white as the day I installed it, and I NEVER scrubbed it.

My trick was two-fold. First, I mixed the grout with a latex additive instead of water. Then, after the grout had sufficient time to dry, I put the same latex in a squeeze bottle that one may use for catchup or mustard, cut off the tip, and for about two weeks I saturated the grout every day! You also might use latex sealer to get the same results (ask your tile supplier).

To further protect the grout next to the stove where there were bound to be splashes from cooking, I had two pieces of plexiglass cut to fit snug to the stove from the backsplash to the edge of the counter, about 12" wide. This way, the tile was protected, but the effect was not covered-up. Occasionally, I would use a bleach- based cleaner to clean-up stains such as blackberry juice, wine, etc. Unconventional, but it worked for me for 20 years without ever scrubbing. Good luck!

We have ceramic tile counter tops that are white. They're several years old now and have gotten harder to clean but I still love them. They are white so its easier to clean them. I just get out the clorox, pour it on and let it sit a while before I clean it off. My grouts white again. Greased Lightening will clean the grout as well but it leaves a film on the tile. Hope this helps. BTW If you like the tile, go for it. We love ours.

then get another installer who will install what YOU want.

it is your dime, you deserve to get what you want. The install probably doesnt have the expertice, experience, or a willingness to learn how to install it to satisfy his customer ... you.

tile is a fine choice.

use epoxy grout or keep it sealed periodically to prevent staining.


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