I cant find a tile that grabs me. I might just continue my hardwood into the kitchen.

What granite product are you looking at? There are lots of porcelain tiles that mimic natural stone and their texture and slip rating would be better.

I dont know. I saw a picture of it on ebay and they are sending me a sample. He said it is commercial grade polished granite 12x24 tile that is non slip. He also said it can used outside or inside.

I'll bet this tile isn't rectified and may not be evenly gauged. (Research the terms.) Any "savings" will be eaten up by the cost of the stone setter. Yes, you need a stone setter for the install, not a "tile setter".

Oh boy!!! Thanks for the info!

No, a tile installer can handle this install. This isn't flag stone. Wouldn't matter if it is or isn't rectified or gauged. 12x24 and 1/2" thick is what you should receive.

chiflipper, the only time you will receive rectified products will be ceramic or porcelain. Natural stone is cut from a quarry, shipped to a manufacturer and cut exact by the manufacturer. Now there are some calibrations that could throw off the 'exact' cut but 90% of the time the stone is pretty square. Only when you work with tumbled or chiseled edged products do you worry more about size imperfections. In this case, open your grout joint a little wider to accommodate the difference.

Hardwood in the kitchen would be my advice. BTW granite tiles are usually very easy for tile setter to install

This is the description.

I am still considering hardwood. The only thing I was apprehensive about is that I like dark hardwood with white cabinets and my hardwood is Bruce in the color marsh so it is more of a medium tone.

Interesting. Do they provide a photo of the product as well? In all my years dealing with tile and natural stone I have never come across a polished surface tile/stone that is non slip, especially when wet. I'm not going to doubt a product that I haven't seen in person but sounds a little fishy. All of my natural stone products that come 12x24 or larger are a true 1/2" thickness. Seeing they are stating 3/8" causes me to question the quality of the product. I highly doubt it is commercial grade.

Cintar, while the issues I mentioned are more common in slate / bluestone / flagstone, I have seen some "too good to be true" granite / marble / limestone tiles with the same issues. (Auction of unclaimed sea container materials.) Just wanted to warn OP of possible problems before OP winds up with a less-than-hoped-for product.

Let me know what you think. I should receive a sample soon

Um...ok. It says "polished" yet it also advertised as non-slip....weird. Polished normally means SLIPPERY. So what's the catch? Does it have a treatment added to it? There are treatments out there that are applied AFTER the stone is installed. It can add traction, but I'm not "up" on stone treatment BEFORE it has been installed. Perhaps a stone expert can offer an opinion on that.

I think I know what this is. I wouldn't put it in my kitchen. it's too commercial looking. think, public walkway through buildings and such.

what look are you after?

My cabinets are white with cambria berwyn quartz counters. I bought polished chrome hardware and a polished chrome bridge faucet. Im pretty sure im going with handmade white subway backsplash with light grey grout. Im also having the stamped tin ceiling over my island. Im trying to pull the grey from the counter instead of the beige, that is why i was leaning towards a grey floor. I might just continue my current hardwood into the kitchen. I like this tile, but cant seem to find it. Ill attach a picture.

That looks like porcelain tile not granite. I would love to see the back of the tile when you receive it. We will know 100% when we do. Might be able to snag them on false advertisement as nothing about this is granite.

Cheepchinesecrapola. EBay no less. Jeesh. Go to a local flooring store with a clue willya?

Signs · More Info

Sophie, i have been to tile stores as well as home depot and lowes and im most likely going to buy at one of them. I just happened to see this on eBay and wanted opinions. The last picture of the tile in various sizes i posted is porcelain and i am hoping to find that one. CheapchinesecrPola is not what i want, believe me!

My friend has shiny black granite tile floors in the kitchen. They look great and don't seem too slippery, but she is constantly cleaning them on her hands and knees. They really show every little water spot.

dhadley444 - which ever store you decide to work with make sure the tile has a pei rating of 4 or 5, commercial grade. Pei rating is the strength/durability of the tile. If you were to drop a dish or cooking pan you are far less likely to chip the tile. Pei rating of 3 or less = trash.

Tile or hardwood! That is the design dilemma right now lol

that other tile pic above is black slate. probably gauged. that would be a better choice.

HD may carry this one. gauged black slate, MS international, 6x24. comes in other sizes.

I'd lay this on in a herringbone.

i have slate on my kitchen floor and love it. again, this is gauged. otherwise you'll get bumpy, uneven tiles.

I like that. I wonder if it comes in grey? MS International?

yes, and the gray tone is still the black slate. just different tones.

I just received the sample. He asked me if he could send a broken piece and i sgreed. The back picture is discolored because i got it a little wet on the edges washing the packing tape off

yep. plain old black granite. how does it feel?

It feels nice and heavier than i thought but im afraid to buy it.

The photo posted above (on the ad) vs what you got are totally different products. The product you received looks like absolute black granite. If the 350sf of this product is marked at $444.60 -- It's a steal of a deal.

The picture is darker than in person. I like it a lot but have some questions like the pei rating. I know it's a great price because i have been searching and pricing tile. I know nothing about tile, that is why i asked on here. Would you recommend that i buy it?

is shipping included in this great price?? tile is heavy and expensive to ship.

and why is what he sent you different from the other photo? is this the non slip thing? looks like regular black granite. spill water on it and run your finger across it. does it slide?

Shipping is not included but it is less than a 2 hr drive to pick it up so if i decide to buy it, we can get it.

i actually put water on it, placed the sample on the floor and tried to slide my foot on it. It wasnt any slippier than my current floor. It really is grey, for some reason the picture looks darker than it is. It does seem thicker than the picture though.

Put your dial calipers on it. If it actually is 12x24 and is 3/8", it's junk. The COF of polished granite is about a 1-2, meaning ice rink slippery. Showing one thing and sending something else, and murdering you when you show up in person isn't how you need to spend your weekend. Spend it going to a real tile store in person.

BTW, wipe it down with some acetone and see what happens.

Good point Sophie. It is only 117 miles away and i was just asking my husband if we should go and get it. He isnt enthused . I have to measure it. This picture shows a more accurate color

i wiped acetone on it and nothing happened. I measured and it is just shy of 1/2 inch.

well, that isn't absolute black. I've seen that color way back when it used to be popular. I don't know what you're paying per sq ft, but I can tell you I sure wouldn't drive 117 miles for it! even if it was free!

I mean, if you really love it, fine. it's nothing to leave earth for and it certainly isn't 'wow' material.

3/8" is "just shy" of 1/2". By 1/8". No wsy would I pick that up on a local Freecycle, much less drive anywhere for it.

In not going to buy it. It is a great price for a reason (444.00 for 350 sq ft) and as everyone has pointed out, it might not be legitimate. I have been dealing with arley tile co. Which is nearby, ill go there again and also to home depot to see what they have in new. I have about 15 samples from build.com and i just havent found "the one."

that's less than .90 a sq ft?? no way. where these eBay sellers get you (and how they escape paying taxes) is offer the product for a low price and then scalp you on shipping. they don't have to pay the taxes on the shipping costs . They tell you 400 for shipping, they pay 200 and pocket the rest, free and clear.

I looked at this guys ad. doesn't say anything about local pickup. just mentions freight shipping. something is hinky.

try tilebar.com and discount tile store for other things.

You mentioned extending your hardwoods into the kitchen. That's a great idea. Did you abandon it?

Leelee, that is still a good option. If my kitchen was open concept i definitely would extend them. My hold up is that my floors are medium color oak and with white cabinets i prefer dark hardwood. Also i wanted to pull grey out of my countertop instead of beige tones. If i dont find a tile that i like and is feasible i will extend it. Another question: if I decide to extend my hardwood, would it look weird to get the same color hardwood but do it in a Chevron design?

This is a picture of my grandson's playroom showing my current hardwood floors next to white

Extend the hardwood. In the same color and straight lay that exists. You are trying too hard to make your floors a focal point when they have zero reason to be. Spend your effort in the vertical items in the room that your eyes naturally go to first. Unless you live in a giant house with lots and lots of negative space, a herringbone completely overpowers a small space.

I have a polished black granite tile floor in the kitchen. The floor is only slippery if it gets wet. Use a steamer with plain water to clean it , however. Anything else will streak it (I learned the hard way)

I love the shine on your floor beverlynn. Im afraid of slippery floors because of my grandsons & my mother in law is with us. I saw a 12x24 grey porcelain tile that i like. It is either that or extend my hardwood. I agree with Sophie about the focal point of my kitchen, i want it to be my quartz counters.

Keep in mind a couple of things: if you have a basement or crawl space foundation, I'd go with hardwood as it is more forgiving on your joints and back (I always wear supportive shoes when working in the kitchen-I'm on a slab foundation). It is beautiful, but unforgiving if you drop anything glass on it! Glass will go everywhere! My kitchen was done when I bought the house six years ago. Since it's on a slab, I wished the previous owner had put radiant heat under the tile to keep it warm during the winter months-although the winter season is short here. Follow your mind and heart and go with what you love!

Thank you so much. We currently have a basement but when we do this addition onto our existing kitchen that section will only be a crawlspace. I am definitely considering radiant heat, especially if I go with tile. The more I think about it, I am probably going to continue with my hardwood floor. The only other question I have a concerning this kitchen is whether to spend the extra extra $15 to $1800.00 for full overlay vs Standard overlay cabinets. I prefer full overlay but as you know when remodeling, things add up quickly!!!