Ceramic Tile Wear Ratings:
The current rating system for ceramic tile in place today is really the only reliable gauge for consumers to use in determining wear expectations for a particular tile choice. The Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI) has developed a rating scale that can effectively guide a consumer through the tile selection process in terms of dirability, wear, and abrasion. The PEI rating system is recommended by the American Society Testing Materials (ASTM).

The PEI Ratings and wear descriptions are as follows:

• PEI Class 1 Rating (No foot traffic) - Recommended for wall use in residential and commercial applications only.

• PEI Class 2 Rating (Light traffic) - Recommended for both wall use and bathroom floor applications only.

• PEI Class 3 Rating (Light to moderate traffic) - Recommended for countertops, walls and floors where normal foot traffic is expected.

• PEI Class 4 Rating (Moderate to heavy traffic) - Recommended for all residential applications as well as medium commercial and light institutional.

• PEI Class 5 Rating (Heavy to extra heavy traffic) - Recommended for all residential as well as heavy commercial and institutional applications.

THe lions' share of porcelain tiles available today will have a PEI rating of 5, which makes them the hardest wearing of any tile you could possibly choose, and the best choice in my opinion. Although this rating system is an important tool for consumers, it is only one of many factors to consider when making the right flooring choice, and since it only addresses wear issues, there are some other factors to consider ...

Determining Overall Tile Quality:
Tile is manufactured on different quality levels. Some of the cheap Big-Box-Retailer $0.69-$0.79 cent per foot close-out specials can be a risky selection at times because of this.

First, guage overall looks:

• does it look square ?

• does it look flat ?

• does it look straight ?

• does each tile look roughly the same as other tiles supposedly the same type ?

• if you look down its edge, does it look wavy or bowed ?

• is it the same measurement from edge to edge and corner to corner as other tiles ?

• it there a smooth transition from edge to face or does it look machined with raw or rough edge that may show up after installation and grouting ?

• does each tile have the same edge to face transition look? If not, then they may look slightly different and "off" a little after installation

  and grouting.

These attributes can affect how easy a tile is to install, how wide the grout joints will have to be to maintain squareness in the installation process, ca affect height of the tile installation from tile to tile and may cause excessive lippage, and affect the overall looks of the installation from an aesthetic point of view.

Ensure the same Manufactured-Runs / Dye-Lots:
Another consideration is the manufactured-run-number or dye-lots. You will want to have all the tile/boxes from the same manufactured-run or...

Ceramic Tile Wear Ratings:
The current rating system for ceramic tile in place today is really the only reliable gauge for consumers to use in determining wear expectations for a particular tile choice. The Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI) has developed a rating scale that can effectively guide a consumer through the tile selection process in terms of dirability, wear, and abrasion. The PEI rating system is recommended by the American Society Testing Materials (ASTM).

The PEI Ratings and wear descriptions are as follows:

• PEI Class 1 Rating (No foot traffic) - Recommended for wall use in residential and commercial applications only.

• PEI Class 2 Rating (Light traffic) - Recommended for both wall use and bathroom floor applications only.

• PEI Class 3 Rating (Light to moderate traffic) - Recommended for countertops, walls and floors where normal foot traffic is expected.

• PEI Class 4 Rating (Moderate to heavy traffic) - Recommended for all residential applications as well as medium commercial and light institutional.

• PEI Class 5 Rating (Heavy to extra heavy traffic) - Recommended for all residential as well as heavy commercial and institutional applications.

THe lions' share of porcelain tiles available today will have a PEI rating of 5, which makes them the hardest wearing of any tile you could possibly choose, and the best choice in my opinion. Although this rating system is an important tool for consumers, it is only one of many factors to consider when making the right flooring choice, and since it only addresses wear issues, there are some other factors to consider ...

Determining Overall Tile Quality:
Tile is manufactured on different quality levels. Some of the cheap Big-Box-Retailer $0.69-$0.79 cent per foot close-out specials can be a risky selection at times because of this.

First, guage overall looks:

• does it look square ?

• does it look flat ?

• does it look straight ?

• does each tile look roughly the same as other tiles supposedly the same type ?

• if you look down its edge, does it look wavy or bowed ?

• is it the same measurement from edge to edge and corner to corner as other tiles ?

• it there a smooth transition from edge to face or does it look machined with raw or rough edge that may show up after installation and grouting ?

• does each tile have the same edge to face transition look? If not, then they may look slightly different and "off" a little after installation

  and grouting.

These attributes can affect how easy a tile is to install, how wide the grout joints will have to be to maintain squareness in the installation process, ca affect height of the tile installation from tile to tile and may cause excessive lippage, and affect the overall looks of the installation from an aesthetic point of view.

Ensure the same Manufactured-Runs / Dye-Lots:
Another consideration is the manufactured-run-number or dye-lots. You will want to have all the tile/boxes from the same manufactured-run or...

Ceramic Tile Wear Ratings:
The current rating system for ceramic tile in place today is really the only reliable gauge for consumers to use in determining wear expectations for a particular tile choice. The Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI) has developed a rating scale that can effectively guide a consumer through the tile selection process in terms of dirability, wear, and abrasion. The PEI rating system is recommended by the American Society Testing Materials (ASTM).

The PEI Ratings and wear descriptions are as follows:

• PEI Class 1 Rating (No foot traffic) - Recommended for wall use in residential and commercial applications only.

• PEI Class 2 Rating (Light traffic) - Recommended for both wall use and bathroom floor applications only.

• PEI Class 3 Rating (Light to moderate traffic) - Recommended for countertops, walls and floors where normal foot traffic is expected.

• PEI Class 4 Rating (Moderate to heavy traffic) - Recommended for all residential applications as well as medium commercial and light institutional.

• PEI Class 5 Rating (Heavy to extra heavy traffic) - Recommended for all residential as well as heavy commercial and institutional applications.

THe lions' share of porcelain tiles available today will have a PEI rating of 5, which makes them the hardest wearing of any tile you could possibly choose, and the best choice in my opinion. Although this rating system is an important tool for consumers, it is only one of many factors to consider when making the right flooring choice, and since it only addresses wear issues, there are some other factors to consider ...

Determining Overall Tile Quality:
Tile is manufactured on different quality levels. Some of the cheap Big-Box-Retailer $0.69-$0.79 cent per foot close-out specials can be a risky selection at times because of this.

First, guage overall looks:

• does it look square ?

• does it look flat ?

• does it look straight ?

• does each tile look roughly the same as other tiles supposedly the same type ?

• if you look down its edge, does it look wavy or bowed ?

• is it the same measurement from edge to edge and corner to corner as other tiles ?

• it there a smooth transition from edge to face or does it look machined with raw or rough edge that may show up after installation and grouting ?

• does each tile have the same edge to face transition look? If not, then they may look slightly different and "off" a little after installation

  and grouting.

These attributes can affect how easy a tile is to install, how wide the grout joints will have to be to maintain squareness in the installation process, ca affect height of the tile installation from tile to tile and may cause excessive lippage, and affect the overall looks of the installation from an aesthetic point of view.

Ensure the same Manufactured-Runs / Dye-Lots:
Another consideration is the manufactured-run-number or dye-lots. You will want to have all the tile/boxes from the same manufactured-run or...

There are some vinyl tiles out there which look quite realistic indeed. You might want to check out the Web sites for Metroflor, Amtico, and Karndean, all at the obvious URLs. You also might consider Congoleum's DuraCeramic (if you haven't already)

Vinyl works great - we have a tile-look sheet vinyl because my DH didn't want cold tile floors in our bathrooms.

About chipping/breaking though...first...I'm no tile "expert". Just a mom. But I did alot of research on this issue 9 yrs ago. Ceramic tile is classified, with PEI ratings, 1-5, with 5 (five) being the most durable. This will make a huge difference in how the tile withstands items being dropped on it. Class 4 and 5 tiles are normally used for commercial applications because of their durability. You can get more information on this over in a tile site such as the John Bridge forum or just google something like "PEI ratings ceramic tile". We've had a class 5 tile in our kitchen now for 8 yrs. Just today my DH dropped a glass pickle jar on it. The pickle jar broke, but the tile was fine. Believe me, with 2 teenagers it has been seriously tested. We have one teeny chip on the edge of one tile from the metal tip on the bottom of a chair leg (which we didn't realize was metal when we used it that day - we put felt pads on those chairs pronto!)

If the store won't tell you what the PEI rating is for their tiles, walk away. Normally it will also be printed on the side of the tile box. If your tile is chipping and cracking that much, it probably has a PEI rating of 1 or 2.

If a porcelain tile floor is properly supported and installed over a crack suppression membrane like Shlutter Ditra, you can literally drop a hammer on it without it cracking.

I know, because I've done it. More than once. I'm a bit of a klutz.

Don't just go to a big box store, visit some flooring stores that specialize in tile. There are some excellent wood look porcelains hitting the market, especially if you want one that looks like it was painted, with a wood grain texture but solid color.

(I just had to change the subject of posting line!)

But seriously, folks -- does the size of the tile affect its durability? e.g. is a 12x12 more likely to break than a 6x6?

My understanding-- could be wrong-- is that the grout lines allow a bit of flex, so the smaller the tile, the less prone to cracking, etc.

BUT larger tiles are almost always realitively thicker, too.

If your floor meets the deflection requirements and a crack suppression membrane is used, cracking etc. won't be a problem.

Your understanding is wrong.. Flex is what kills any tile installation. tiles and grout.

DuraCeramic, is what you described you need.