Duraceramic is fine, but most times is grouted with a product sold for it.

Now epoxy grout with ceramic tile never needs to be repaired and is simple to clean. At least that is my experience with it.

Bill_Vincent who posts here may have some input.

Duraceramic is actually a vinyl tile, and although I've heard of people "grouting" it with epoxy, I question the intelligence of that. Maybe it's just an old dog new tricks thing. One way or the other, I don't know that much about vinyl tiles, so I can't really comment with any kind of authority about it, except to say that no way would I install vinyl tile in my own bathroom. Sheet vinyl, yes, but not vinyl tile.

I think we are going to put ceramic tile in the bathrooms, and take a chance on Duroceramic in the kitchen and sunroom. I don't want to be repairing ceramic tile in the kitchen and sunroom. I have spoken with people who have it, and they seem to like it a lot. Thanks for the help!
Dee

We are thinking about getting Duraceramic in our kitchen/dining areas too. Does anyone here have them? I'd love to hear more...

Does anyone have a link for Duraceramic? I'm looking for an alternative to ceramic in the kitchen.
Thanks

I know 2 people who have had duraceramic for 2 years (one grouted, the other not grouted) they love it! I have 16 boxes sitting in a spare bedroom waiting to be installed between hunting trips into the woods. Anyone with helpful installation tips, they would be appreciated.

Congoleum.com Then click on Duraceramic

My Duraceramic is down and it looks great! I put it only in the kitchen. I didn't do it in the sunroom. I had the Duraceramic grouted, and like the look. I chose a pattern that looks more like real ceramic than vinyl. Some patterns are better than others for the real ceramic look. Anyway, I don't have any regrets.

How are these holding up for you naxosmom? I'm thinking of putting them in my playroom. I've been looking for another alternative to hard tile (not good for the kiddos) and carpet. Any input from anyone is welcomed!

Babs,
The Duraceramic looks great! I had mine grouted. I know people always say that you can tell Duraceramic from real tile, but so many people have come to my house and said, "I thought you weren't going to put real ceramic in your kitchen!"

I chose fired white...it is white with splotches of grey. My kitchen doesn't have a lot of natural light, so I needed something to brighten up the kitchen. The white/grey is NOT as stark white as the congoleum site makes it out to be.

The Duraceramic is not slick like linoleum, but more like the real tumbled ceramic tile. I like this because you never feel as if you are going to slip. The downside to that is that I have found it a little difficult to sweep because particles stick to it.

Now this may not be a big problem for you. We live out in the country, have horses, etc. We aren't completely moved in the house yet, so I don't have shoe racks yet and all that. The bits of hay and grass my teens traipse in seem to resist being swept up easily. The other thing is I chose white/grey. You notice particles more. I knew that would be a problem, but I like a light kitchen.

I got out the vacuum and it took care of everything and anything on the Duraceramic. I need to buy some kind of vacuum broom. That should do the trick. Anyone have suggestions for a vacuum type broom?

The Duraceramic is not cold like ceramic tile, and definitely not hard on my feet. I am glad that I decided on the Duraceramic. Some people think it feels cold, but I don't think it does.

There were some colors of Duraceramic that I had thought about going with instead of the white/grey. But the splotches reminded more of when you spill a few splashes of cola and don't wipe it up. I thought those splotches would drive me crazy. The white with grey splotches look more like the splotches on real tile than the beige Duraceramic. But maybe once it is all down, it would look fine. I am not the best at figuring out what something is going to look like from a small sample.

It is very easy to clean, too. Everything wipes right up.
My real tile in the bathroom is suppose to be non-slip, but it is really slick next to the Duraceramic.

Hope that helps! Ask any other questions!
Dee

So, it has been 3/4 of a year since the last post. How is the duraceramic holding up? We are considering it for out kitchen and wondering how it handles chairs scooting around and dropped silverware. Any feedback would be great!

bump

Hi!
I just got a message letting me know someone posted here.

Durability is terrific with the Duraceramic. I have dropped a zillion things on it. No problems whatsoever.

Fired white probably wasn't the best color to choose. I needed something light to brighten up my kitchen though. The floor is easy to mop, but to get it "really" clean I have to scrub it. I think this is because of the texture. Dirt can get embedded in there. The floor looks fine, and no one else thinks it is dirty. But to keep that really white look---regular mopping doesn't do it. I like a spotlessly clean kitchen though.

I was using the cleaning stuff the floor place sold to us, but it was really expensive. I just mix ammonia with water and use that. The ammonia does a better job of cleaning than the store's stuff. The grout has stayed in perfect condition!

As far as chairs go....no problems at all, but I did put felt bottoms on the legs of the chairs just to be on the safe side.

Hope that helps!
Dee

Thanks Dee...was wondering if you have made sure the ammonia is o.k. to use. I have been reading the flooring posts a lot and have read that ammonia will strip the finish after a while.

How has your floor held up? We are thinking of getting it in our kitchen. We have a 2 and 3 year old and a 100 pound dog. One store told us that it would be great and the other said no way with 2 kids and a dog. What do you think?
Thanks!

What is the point, really? How does this stuff improve on the real thing?

Real ceramic is not expensive, its low maintenence, and if properly supported can last a lifetime. Offers about a million more choices in terms of color, patern, finish, etc.

Ceramic tile cheap? Not around here! Labor alone is $5.50 per square foot! The price quoted to me for installation of the Duraceramic tile was $1.50 per square foot!

I have been comparing the real ceramic tile and at the Duraceramic for our remodeling project. The Duraceramic is a composite, 80% crushed limestone, mixed with vinylso it isnÂt exactly vinyl, doesn't look or sound like laminate. I donÂt understand why people call it vinyl. It isnÂt.

The installation is a lot easier since it glues down over wood underlayment and you can choose to use the self-sealing grout. This is quicker and less expensive than the durarock (concrete board) and thinset necessary for ceramic tile. If you use the glue that Congoleum makes for it, it shouldn't come up and they guarantee it. The grout that is used with it is premixed with many colors to choose from and ready to go. The saleslady said that one of the pluses about premixed grout is you are not using water with chlorine to mix your own which often changes the color. If I understood them correctly, if all Congoleum products are used for installation, the warranty is for a lifetime.

I've seen a patch of it laid down at the decorating store and it sure looks like the real thing to me! The Earthpath line that I am leaning toward looks indistinguishable from ceramic tile, texture feels like the textured ceramic samples, BUT itÂs warm to touch, doesnÂt crack, doesn't look or feel like vinyl, very easy maintenance, and supposed to last a lifetime. While looking at it in the Decorating Shoppe, I put an Earthpath tile down on the floor and a ceramic tile of the same texture and color side by side and couldn't tell the difference in looks or feel, so I am leaning toward the Duraceramic or maybe the Durastone.

I think I will have a floor that everyone else will think is the textured ceramic --- and without all the headaches of ceramic  no cold/hard floor and it doesn't crack if you drop something on it. Both my husband (part-time contractor) and I are sold on the stuff. He likes the easy installation. I havenÂt chosen color yet, but when I choose and get it laid down, I will try to remember to come back to this website and tell you how it looks and feels in my kitchen.

I'd sure be interested in a follow up on how this product is working out for everyone. We are thinking of installing it in our kitchen/laundry room area and would like some idea of how it holds up. Thanks!

Duraceramic is a terrible product. We have only had ours for 3 months and have 27 damaged tiles in our kitchen and pantry. We are in a huge fight with the flooring store. We were NEVER told that this is a VINYL PRODUCT!!! Do not be fooled!!!!!

Just wondering if anyone has any pictures of Duraceramic that they would like to share (if you could include the color name when posting too, please)? I'd also be interested in hearing if anyone chose to edge-to-edge or nongrout installation. Thanks in advance.

I found a website with Duraceramic photos. www.internetfloors.com

There you will find several tile options, one being Duraceramic. All are similar because the installation process have "glue" listed. Click on Congoleum listed under vinyl and tile and then on a brand such as "roman elegance" and then click on an actual tile and scroll down a bit where you can see a floor layout.

This site has good pricing. I recently had Empire Today to install laminate wood flooring in my living room. The sales rep informed me and my husband that they were the only company that carried the type of floor that I picked. He said maybe a contractor could purchase it but no one here locally. Empire subcontracted out the labor to "Carlos flooring" and I was disappointed because I wasn't informed that another flooring company would actually be doing the labor. A box of wood laminate was left behind with the manufacturer's label attached so I googled it and found the above mentioned website. Turns out, I can buy the floor myself and for A LOT less. I could have saved a thousand dollars. I love the floor but I wish that I had been informed up front of the actual brand name instead of the "American Dream" brand that Empire called it. I would have researched and realized that I was being lied to.

Hi:

We've got duraceramic in our new kitchen, and we really like it. Two kids and a dog, and haven't found any problems yet (only put it in in May, however).

Here's a few pictures during renovations:

As these are during renovation pictures, the grout looks white - that's just because of the drywall dust (blush). It's actually a reddish color. The design is Earthern Green.

Oddly enough, when we had it installed, they told us they almost never install darker floors - most people go with the light colors.

I put duraceramic tile (roman elegance) nongrouted in my kitchen, bathrooms, porch and laundry room in April 2007. I love the look. But, the sealer (DS200 Duracermic joint sealer) has started to crack. As I started to reseal the floor I have noticed that I have 3 chipped tiles in the kitchen, already.
The tiles looks nice but not to sure how well they are going to stand up.

DuraCeramic by Congoleum is a good product and growing in popularity. DuraCeramic is a vinyl tile though its content includes limestone, the above poster is correct, the limestone content is around 80%. The tiles are approximately 1/8" thick with a clear wear-surface film and are 15-1/2" square.

The vinyl may be slightly warmer to the feel than ceramic tile but that depends on the installations subsurface. DuraCeramic tile over a concrete substrate isn't likely to be much warmer than ceramic tile if it contains 80% limestone. Think about it!

DuraCeramic offers more flexibility for installation over a substrate that would not support a ceramic tile installation. This means DuraCeramic isn't as sensitive to deflection in a floor as ceramic and stone tile is.

DuraCeramic can be installed with or without an open grout line and in less time than ceramic tile. If the grout line is open then the Congoleum grout is required, regular ceramic tile grout CAN NOT be substituted. If the DuraCeramic is installed without an open grout line then a seam sealer is required. If grout or seam sealer is not used the DuraCeramic adhesive is subject to moisture from above and in time the edges could fail and become loose.

DuraCeramic uses a contact adhesive and is installer-friendly which makes it a good DIY product. It also still requires its own underlayment to be installed properly.

DuraCeramic in all cases offers a suitable coefficient of friction for bathrooms and kitchens but could never be considered slip-proof.

The cost of DuraCeramic over concrete is slightly less than ceramic tile but over a wood structure requiring a special application of its own underlayment the cost is about the same as ceramic tile, with some reservations.

DuraCeramic certainly has a faux look and if that doesn't bother you it is a fair product but I don't see how it could be considered a "lifetime" product. It will scratch and gouge under certain circumstances where ceramic tile would not. It will not shatter under circumstances of impacts where ceramic tile would, and it cannot crack.

Anyone that has had a bad experience with real ceramic tile and has had the grout cracking and crumbling has then experienced an installation error. Properly installed ceramic tile and grout will not crack or crumble.

DuraCeramic grout is made of a vinyl base also and does offer some flexibility but it IS NOT stain-proof by any stretch of the salesmans imagination.

I have heard of no complaints about Congoleums DuraCeramic since it came on the scene. Above negative comments I think must be about the Nafco DuraStone product where complaints and failures prevail.

DuraCeramic is in no way as good as old fashion ceramic tile as far as durability and longevity but it will be a long lasting product I'm sure. Keep in mind, ceramic tile has been in service for centuries DuraCeramic has not. The very small cost differance and the faux appearance makes it a close call as to which one to choose.

DuraCeramic will never offer the charm of real tile.

Nafco's similar product is PermaStone. DuraStone is the original(we learned not to do that) from Congo.

Thanks sholland for posting the pictures. My husband and I are really leaning toward putting Duraceramic in our kitchen. Me, I like the old world look of Italy, so I'm choosing to install it without grout. I really would like to hear from someone who has installed their floor without the grout.

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I love DuraCeramic. I have it in the kitchen, dining room, hallway, and the two room bath. It was very easy to install. My 11 yr.old grandson helped us, and it was a fun project for him. I do recommend the roller though, the instructions say to use it and I got excited and did the hallway without it, rolling makes all the difference. I like the look of no grout too.
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Pattern is SandalStone Sage

I was wondering how much it costs to have the tile installed professionally over an existing floor and using grout lines. For example, if the tile costs $5 dollars per sqaure foot, how much should installation cost? Thanks.

I bought mine online @ capri carpet...even with shipping it beat the 5.00 a square ft. price.

Howdy!! We have Dura ceramic in our kitchen and getting it installed in both bathrooms this friday!! Were fairly pleased with the product. BUT we do have 2 cuts in the kitchen floor!! 1 was from a "sheba" canned cat food that fell from the counter. Put a noticeable nick in the floor. And not sure what the second one is from. The store we purchased it from is fixing free of charge (under warranty) I think our kitchen is 10 by 10, maybe a bit bigger and the ttl price including install and taxes was under $900.
Another slight negative may be the cleaning! I find it a bit harder to clean then say ceramic tile!! The texture is a bit rough and one really has to scrub when cleaning! And when I clean, i get down on my hands and knees and scrub!! Did it that way in the navy yrs ago, lol and have kept on doing it that way! Luckily we have a condo,and most of it is carpet!! But when I had a house with hard floors, i was on my knees,lol yep a little looney,lol but obviously if I'mpaying the product for my bathroom, I'm happy with it.

Regarding underlayment for Dura Ceramic

According to congoleumn.com what is reccomended is a birch plywood not luann. Please advise to other underlayment used for Dura Ceramic. I did not understand the "jargon" of specifications on the wood. I'm on a crawl and currently have 1/4 plywood subfloor.

Thanks!

bump for updated opinions please? I am looking for a stone paver look in my sunroom. Threshold heights on a triple french door will not permit me to do ceramic tile in that room (plus I don't think my back can take any more tile installations). Vinyl pavers look like possibly a good alternative. Would sheet vinyl be better though?

No, sheet vinyl would not be better IMO. If you're looking for a tile look, dura ceramic is the way to go. It looks very much like the real thing yet is softer and warmer. You can grout or skip the mess and seal with a special sealer and leave it ungrouted. It looks great either way.

Any recent opinions on Duraceramic? It sounds like it would shatter less, but cut more easily. I'm hoping it would be easier on old knees.

lyvia,
just like all products duraceramic has its good and bad points. it is warmer than ceramic, easier to install, and cheaper. It is softer to walk on and doesn't make the room echo as much. Drawbacks-- drop a knife and it will poke a hole in it and if the hole is not sealed the ware layer WILL start to peal. the hole is easily sealed with model glue or super glue.(if the hole is not very large) It will scratch if something gets under a chair leg or if something is dragged across it. It will not have the life span of ceramic and it doesn't have as many options for tile style and color. For the most part it is a great alternative to vinyl and ceramic. Ceramic tile is a forever product (if it is installed correctly). It will outlast almost every other product but it feels cold and will make a large room echo a little. if you drop a glass or plate on it, plan on buying a new one. You can put electric heat systems under ceramic but not under duraceramic. if you are looking for a "high end" look and resale value then ceramic is the only choice. Most people will get tired of the look of their floor before duraceramic will wear out. there has been some problems with the wear layer pealing but they are few. It is a vinyl composition base with sandstone embedded in the surface to give the look and texture of real stone. It has a 20 mil wear layer on top of that to make it easy to take care of. The grout (if you choose to go that way) doesn't stain like the old grouts use to. When it first came on the market I wasn't really sold on it, sales reps tend to hype new products without any real world trials, but after installing thousands of feet of it, I do think it stands up well.

My stores sell and install more Duraceramic in my part of the state than the rest of the competition put together. I feel it is beginning tp price itself out of the marketplace. It is now close to 70% of the cost of installing tile if you use the DuraGrout. It recently went through another 6% increase. its biggest issue is cuts from dropping product on it. you must use felt protectors with it. An average cost of Duraceramic today will be close to 5 bucks a sq ft. The adhesive will be 60 dollars for 200 sq ft and the grout another 60 bucks for 200 sq ft. Add it up and it will come to about 5.50 a sq ft plus another 2.50 a sq ft to install it with grout. This does not include floor prep. We are now at 8 dollars a sq ft vs I can sell you a ceramic tile floor with hardibacker for about 11 dollars a sq ft installed. Duraceramic has I would guess a 10 to 20 year life span on average vs ceramic has a 50 year life span on average. You do the math and Hey....we sell more Duraceramic 10 fold vs ceramic tile. Congo are starting to get unrealistic with their pricing. When I first started selling it 4 years ago, we could sell it for 2.99 sq ft. Now, we have to sell it for 4.29 minimum sq ft. and we buy it cheaper than anyone else around. Just getting pretty high priced. I am currently doing a sheet of LVT vs Congoleum Duraceramic so that my stores can begin persuading people to go LVT (Nafco). It is much cheaper as an overall package and I am stating to think it may out perform Duraceramic. Just my opinion from a retail ownership point of view. Good Luck All.

Duraceramic is fine.With the Dura Ceramic tiles, you also get a Lifelong Limited Warranty against fade, stain and wear out. So walking on the tiles won't mean that you have to walk on your tiptoes all the time.