I have rectified porcelain tile and we used epoxy grout. The tile withstands anything and we are always running in from outside/the pool. We have three small dogs, one is a senior who has very frequent accidents and two grandkids. It holds up to everything. And yes... you can go as small as 1/16th on the grout line.

Rectified tile is not for the DIYer in my experience unless they are very talented. It is very unforgiving to less than a perfect tile setter.

When we were building this house I had a room torn out because of a carpy job with rectified tile. I would not hesitate to use it, just make sure you have a talented tile setter.

Remodelfla, do you happen to have pictures that show the grout lines?

red lover, that's a good point. DH and I were not planning to tackle this as a DIY. DH says he's too old to be on his knees for hours. I will definitely look at getting someone with experience and talent. Do you have pics of your re-tile?

Kathe

Same experience as remodelfla. It's so easy to keep clean, and with the right tile, you won't even see the dirt.

It is difficult to pick a tile. We went countless times to tile stores and ended up picking something entirely different than what I expected. Our quartz is quiet so we went with a little more pattern in the floor. We have 18 x 18 Daltile laid in a running bond pattern. What countertop are you getting?

Mine is a little hard to see. They are recitified but installed almost butted up to each other. They had these little beveled edges since the tile was a wood look porcelain. We wanted to use a darker grout for asthetic and durability reasons so the lines stick out more.

I've never heard of rectified tile, but it sounds great. Does it usually run more than regular tile? Is it fairly common or hard to find?

I ended up using laminate that LOOKED like slate tile. (DuPont Real Touch from Home Depot). Everyone that has been in my new kitchen has thought it was the "real deal" and was very surprised to find out it was laminate. Don't give up on laminate until you check out the ones that look like tile! I know that in addition to DuPont, Shaw also makes tile-looking laminate.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

Yea...typically rectified tile is more expensive then other tile. It's a more tedious manufacturing process therefore increasing costs.

We put in encaustic tile in our back hallway and it is rectified. It has a unsanded light grey grout and it does not show dirt at all. We installed it ourselves and I didn't think it was that difficult, just time consuming. It was much easier to work with than the handmade tile we used in our backsplash. It's a high traffic location that gets alot of salt and sand and so far the grout lines have held up beautifully.

That being said, I don't know that I would disregard hardwood floors so quickly. I just had four teenage boys slog their way thru our kitchen for lunch, which is not unusual and we drop ice cubes, drip from the dishwasher, etc. We have a dog and lets not forget all the salt and sand coming in the house. This is my second kitchen with oak floors and it looks great, is easy to clean and soft to stand on.

Another option would be to just put VCT tile down which would be inexpensive and durable and easy to take out if you changed your mind when you redid your family room. There would be almost no floor height buildup which would be nice since your cabs are already in.

Try to keep an open mind and good luck with whatever you decide.

As I understand it, rectified tile is tile that's cut with a very straight edge.

My contractor started installing it in my kitchen today. I noticed that some tiles "lip" up or down a bit compared to the tile next to it. In other words, the edge of each tile is not completely level to the tile next to it. I think that using a long level while installing the tiles would help to ensure height consistency. Am I too picky?

We have little grandchildren and I worry they could stub their bare feet on these lips. Will the grout eliminate this?

The floor is only 1/2 tiled. Should I say something about this to my contractor?

Here's the thread about rectified tile and lipping that you should read.

Here is a link that might be useful: rectified tiles and lipping.

I have rectified tile and my tile setter had a great reputation, but our room was very large (3 rooms in an open plan, actually) and there are places where there is a "lip". Not a toe stubber, but I know its there. This type of tile is nice, but you need to have someone very experienced to lay it. NOT a DIY project. BUT, not always that expensive - mine wasn't but I shopped around I think it was $4/something a sq ft. Got it from Best Tile.

Rectified tile is quite common particularly in porcelain tile. Just look at the edge, if it is nice and square (from top to bottom) it is rectified. Rectified tile is cut on all 4 sides to make the square edge perfect, regular tile has a molded edge. You can use smaller grout lines because rectified tiles are quite square and you are not using the grout to compensate for tiles that are not square.

It is hard to lay because the height's have to be perfect since there is no taper from the body to the edge. You need a top quality tile setter who is really anal to lay it well.

I lay my own tile and I struggled last summer when I did a small bathroom and ended up with a couple places of lippage that I don't like. I did another small bathroom last month and did a better job but it took me a really long time and I need use a lot more boards and levels to make sure I was keeping my tiles even. I pulled up more rectified tiles (when the mortar was wet) in a 6'X6' bathroom and releveled them then I normally do in an entire kitchen and entry way with unrectified tile.

Berardmr - perfect is hard to do but a quality tile setter will control their lippage. Laying regular tile is very doable for a DIYer and most contractors but rectified takes alot more skill, patience and attention to the detail. If you are not happy with it now, I don't think you will be much happier with it when it is grouted although it helps a little.

Kathec - Have you looked at some of the vinyl tiles like Congoluem Dura Ceramic or Adura by Mannington? They were pretty impressive and a durable alternatives if you want something softer than ceramic tile. I considered both before settling on Marmoleum Click since I really wanted to float the floor over my cement slab. I am starting to lay my Click this weekend so I have no idea how it will hold up under my two rowdy dogs but my rowdy children are adults now!