I love tile but I tend to break things in a hard sink. I think I should try a sink mat or grid or something. (I'm about to move into a tiled kitchen, but an ugly one.)

Dark grout so you can't tell if something bad happens, and you're set. :)

Really, the only problem I've ever had with tile is the repeated coffee carafe breakage, and that was mostly due to the cast iron sink. O yeah, your pie crust has lines on it. :)

I really especially love the water-stopping edge on a tile counter, which I have missed on every non-tile counter. I think you've convinced me to do tile next remodel. Except for the sink.

I just took out a tile counter in my kitchen. It wasn't because I disliked the functionality or the grout. It was because it was a hideous color.

I love the look of tile counters. I've also seen large scale hex counters (can't remember where) that look really interesting and have less grout.

It's the grout that is the problem with tile. Maybe the new epoxy grouts like Quartzlock2 would solve some of the issues like staining, porosity that encourages mold/mildew/bacteria growth, and just plain wearing away over time?

Here is a link that might be useful: Star Quartz

I love tile!!! Don't let people fool you about grout. Sanded grout, which is used with wider grout lines, is a pain, but properly installed regular grout is easy to clean. The problem is there are a lot of very poor installations out there. If you're going with tile, get a good tile setter. And don't set the tiles closer together than they're designed to fit. They won't go in evenly. You also need enough room between to get a quality grouting. Otherwise you'll just have tiny cracks between tiles that really are impossible to clean.

Also, make sure you can get all the trims you need. Nothing beats a good V-cap edge on a counter. Don't try to piece together an edge. A V-cap will keep the water in. Nothing beats a tile-in sink for function, either, though they're hard to find nowadays. You'll want quarter round tiles for edging the sink. There are some undermount sinks with sufficient flanges that they can be tiled in. A good tile setter can make any sink work. I just love the way a tile-in sink contains the water, because I splash. :)

I LOVE tile, and rejected granite and all manner of other surfaces for it. Tile is a lot warmer than stone, doesn't get thermal shock, and in many other ways is infinitely practical.

If you can find a really experienced tile setter, he'll also know how to create a small slope in your drainboard so that water rolls toward the sink. That's why they used all those small tiles in the old days. You don't notice the slope while working on it, but you do when the water slides away.

Tile is beautiful, complex, classic, creative, heat-proof, unscratchable, and period-appropriate to your house.

It is the grout that scares people. Plllog makes a strong case for expertly-set tile with unsanded grout. I've heard good things about expoxy grout. But bad past experiences with wide sanded grout do abound, and have left scars.

Marcolo has mentioned the idea of quartz counters with tile edging. I may not have that exactly right. I'm not sure if he's reached a conclusion.

Personally, I would have a section of board tiled with the tile and grout I was considering, set it on my counter, and live with it for some months. Make the grout prove to you that it is, indeed, easy to clean up and non-staining. This might also give you confidence in your choice of tile, grout, and tilesetter.

Also, in my experience the worst area for grotty grout is the wet zone right around the faucet, which is sometimes a pain to clean as well. If you could work a wall-mount faucet into your plans, that might be worth considering.

The small hex tiles are a lovely look, in my view.

Just want to correct something from above. Starquartz is a urethane based grout, ot epoxy. Not sure which is more stain resistant.

Johnliu makes another good point for a tile-in sink--a deck mounted faucet eliminates that grot worry.

We have tile countertops with light grey grout in our vacation home. We do lots of cooking and entertaining there and cleaning is way down on the list of activities. It works great for us - it is a small space so not having to provide trivets is a help and it allowed us to keep the original kitchen hand pump for show without some weird cutout for it(it is in the middle of the counter along the sink). We don't have any trouble keeping the grout clean and the tile is not even rectified. The grout lines are very thin however.

Skyedog, what... may I ask... is an "original kitchen hand pump"?? I'm curious!

Thanks. Just back from spring break visit w/family, so just now catching up on your comments. Seems conflicting info w/grout. Set closely to limit grout, but someone else here says dont' set too closely, or will not be put in evenly? Any other advice - close, or not close.
Yes, we are considering larger hex to limit some grout, but not super large. Thinking the 2 inch instead of 1 inch.'
I didn't know the edging helps limit water splashing. Nice advantage.
Good advice about faucet placement to limit grout around faucet.Does that add lots to cost to have wall mount faucet? Current plumbing is not wall mount. We are keeping sink in same area, so plumbing not changing, but would have to change to accomodate wall mount, I guess.
Also, what would I be looking for with a tile-in sink? Is that what it would be called, or do various types allow for tile-in? I know I want a double bowl sink. I see lots of vintage and vintage looking sinks that are single bowl, but know I prefer double.
You've helped me feel more comfortable going w/tile. Oh, and will definitely have baking area be something other than tile, probably wood. Not sure about rest of countertop. Thinking wood, but could do rest tile.

laurielou, closely set tile is a good thing, minimizing grout lines, except, as plllog says, you shouldn't "force" a particular tile to be set closer than its manufacturer recommends. Rectified tile, which is cut after it is fired, gives perfectly clean straight lines and can usually be set very close together. Most tile has variations or "wavines" along the edges, and if you set those too close, you end up with blobs alternating with too-skinny bits of grout. So just make sure you pick a tile and grout width that go together.

I think johnliu's suggestion is great. It's very common here for people to snag samples of marble or granite and try to abuse them with lemon wedges, ketchup and oil to see how they hold up. Strongly suggest you do exactly the same with tile. Maybe even try a couple of different grouts. Or try different grout sealers on one part of your sample board to compare.

You could also consider trying out my idea. I want to try a sample board myself but too many other emergency house projects got in the way. Basically, I am thinking of using the dark Art Deco edging around the sink and counter edge, where quartz countertops tend to chip anyway, but then use slabs of Caesarstone where the field tile would normally be. This minimizes grout lines, and there are several flavors of Caesarstone that look very much like 1920s terrazzo to me, so I think they would fit.

A tile-in sink is called exactly that. For example, the Kohler Dickenson is a tile-in apron front.

If you want cast iron that's not apron front, you may have to dig around a bit. There are also stainless steel tile-in sinks.

Our sink (Kohler Cape Dory cast iron single bowl undermount) comes in a tile-in version, as do several of the other Kohler cast iron sinks---I think they are designed to be tiled in flush with the counter. They're listed specifically as "tile-in" and have slightly different model numbers.

We looked pretty seriously at tile in what sounds like the same pattern you're considering (2" hex tile with a black edge), but decided against it for two reasons---first, the grout, as everyone notes---not sure if this is a founded concern with the new epoxy grouts but we couldn't find anyone locally who'd done it with the hex tile we wanted, and didn't want to be guinea pigs. (We live in an area where some kitchens have their original hex counters, and our friends who own houses with those are not fans---I ooh and ahh over their counters, which look lovely to me, and they say "want 'em??") If you do get it, use 1/16" spacing with gray grout for sure---mimimizes grout lines and gets you the period look that I imagine you're after.

The second reason, which may not be a concern for you, is that we plan to sell in about six years, and I was concerned that even if our tile counter was the best ever, it might be viewed as a liability by a prospective buyer who didn't know or believe that epoxy grout or thin grout lines or what have you would be better than regular grout. So we went the soapstone route, which is pretty ubiquitous in our area so hopefully will be seen as an asset (though who knows!)

Where we are, the costs of having good rectified tile and a professional tilesetter brought the cost of tile up to the same as stone in our area which was also a consideration for us, so that may also be something to consider. (We're in the SF Bay Area, though, so our labor costs are higher here---you might do better locally.)

We also have a wall-mount faucet; running the plumbing wasn't hugely costly but wasn't cheap either---$500 or so, I think, though that included materials. (We actually already had one but ran new copper pipes.) Might be less if you only have to change the pipes from the floor up.

I love tile counters also, but DH hates them. :(

Kohler Executve Chef is a tile-in, double bowl (60/40) sink. I used in my last 2 remodels.

Thanks. We are in upstate NY area, so costs should be less than SF Bay area. We don't plan on moving in near future, so future owner not as much concern. Still thinking tile for sink counter top, and then other countertop wood (about 40 inches to other side of stove, and then about 40 inches in a separate prep area. So, again, not a full commitment to tile, but could have the look for one wall of kitchen.
Will definitely make sure tile is "rectified."
At this point, not really feeling strongly about apron front or non-apron front for tile-in sink. Just know from having double bowls in all apartments and now one deep single bowl in our house, that the way I clean, cook and do dishes, I prefer double bowl.