Tile Shopping - The Update

So this is very delayed...sorry about that.  Wedding week kind of jumped up in between along with a little thing called my full-time job and Brandon's final CPA exam but I am finally getting around to the update on our tile shopping adventures. 

I think we are very close on choosing a final tile but we do want to check one or more places - just to make sure.

As a recap our kitchen floor has got to go.  It is cracked, dirty, and the grout has completely disappeared but more than all that - it is too slippery for our pups.  Yes, we are that couple that will replace their kitchen floors due to their dogs.  But to us, it could save us a lot on veterinary bills later on.  The Berners have furry paws for the snow which makes our kitchen floors very slippery and hard on their hips and other joints.  So we are looking for a darker tile that has some good texture to it that will give the pups traction.  You can read more about our decision to replace the kitchen floors here.

While perusing the magazines I fell in love with the slate look in a 12" X 24" brick pattern.  Hides the dirt and is great for the dogs.

You can get a small peek of the look below. (Plus I just love this kitchen).

So with this image in mind we headed out on our tile shopping mission with our first stop at the amazing Tile Shop.  Check out their selections online at the TileShop.com

They had a great selection and their staff was extremely helpful and informative without being pushy and salespersonish (that is a word).  We even learned that if we chose to tackle this project on our own (more on that later), ever Saturday they offer free classes on tiling.  So amazing.

After getting our bearings we immediately found what we were looking for.....

Love it!

Don't love the price at $7.99 a square foot.

Plus we learned from Jim our friendly Tile Shop employee that slate in fact did not hide the dirt so well but in fact, highlights it.  Meaning you would see lots and lots of large puppy prints all day long.  Also, since slate is a natural stone, each tile is not an even thickness which can also be hard on the pup's hips so.....we said our goodbyes to this beauty and kept browsing.

Next we found this perfect tile...... It has so much texture, it was perfect for the dogs!  Like absolutely perfect.  You couldn't slip if you doused it in water and tried tripping yourself.  We tested it.  The look was as sleek but it was practical.

but we were even more shocked to learn that this was in fact granite and started at $10.99 a square foot.  Granite on the counters - maybe,  but on the floor - just a bit too much for our small house.

We looked at some other porcelain and ceramic options which fit with our budget but could not find one that was the rest texture and color.  They were just too slippery.

I kind of became mesmerized with this little guy....

IT"S TILE!

and Bran hated it.  I tried convincing him that this could be a cool alternative for the kitchen and the traction was actually good but I was getting no where fast with him so I gave up.

So we moved on to the tile store DIRECTLY across the street.  We didn't think we would have much luck here since it looked, well, shabby.  

But looks can be deceiving.  Well it was shabby.  They did not have the glitz and glam and cleanliness that the Tile Shop had but they had a decent selection but even more than that - they just happened to have a tile that was perfect for us.

PERFECT!

It is a porcelain tile with lots of texture and several color options.  The price is more manageable at $4.50 a square foot.  But best part is, it comes in 12 x 24 size.  Yay!!

Now like I said, we are going to check a few more places (once Bran finishes his CPA - so so exciting) but in the meantime this tile is first on the list.

Do you have any suggestions for us?  A sweet look to consider?  A fun material?  Or perhaps a great store?

Let us know!