Benefits of Ceramic Tile in Kitchens

A properly installed tile floor offers several advantages for kitchen use:  It is attractive, low maintenance, water resistant, and offers superior durability.  However, it has a hard surface that will shatter dropped glassware and cause feet to ache.  Shiny tiles are generally too slippery in the kitchen; look for matte finishes or choose small tiles (the extra grout lines will provide more traction).

A tile floor needs frequent sweeping and damp-mopping so that it won;t scratch, and grout lines will darken no matter how often you clean.  Unglazed quarry and terra cotta tiles look beautiful in the kitchen, but they must be thoroughly sealed for kitchen use, and even then they will stain and darken with age.

A tile floor is also cold and will make it difficult to keep the kitchen cozy.  Consider installing radiant floor heating, which works very well under tile.  

Mosaic stone tiles can be used on an entire kitchen floor or just along the edge.  Stone is a durable and beautiful choice for kitchen flooring, but it needs to be sealed to resist stains.

Tile is installed on a solid, water-resistant underlayment - typically plywood topped with cement backer-board.  Some installers still use a thick bed of Portland cement atop a base of exterior-grade plywood, a traditional practice that works extremely well when properly executed.  -Source