All manufactured tiles have specific manufacturer install instructions that must be followed for proper service and performance. Standard 12" vinyl tile squares are often accompanied by instructions specifying: "Clean, Apply Sealer #___ and Apply ___ vinyl Floor Wax upon completion". DuraCeramic calls for either Congoleum DS-200 seam sealer [if no open joint] or their own proprietary grout [if a more traditional grouted-ceramic look is desired]. The problem with limestone based vinyl tiles is that if the specified seam sealer isn't used and heavy amounts of water are frequently washed or spilled over the floor [think: near kitchen sinks or bathtubs] these tiles may swell]. That's precisely the purpose of the seam sealer. If you or the installer think that you are going to create your own application specifications; you're on your own! It's well worth the extra effort and expense to either follow all instructions on your own or oversee the job making sure that the tradesmen are following "All Manufacturers Installation Specifications" and that your contract reads as such. Congoleum's seam sealer is an excellent product and is not "Difficult To Apply". If you're worried about chipping I'd recommend that you put a small throw-away area rug near the kitchen sink/dishwasher where items are often dropped. As for "Chipping"; as previously mentioned, everything chips and scratches. Practice on your own or hire a good repair specialist. Your local tile shop should know of a few. DuraCeramic often involves buying a bottle of Congoleum's DS-200 Seam Sealer [it won't keep for more than a year or so], seal the scratch and carefully roll any raised edges back down with a solid implement. Once the edges are flush with the existing surface, drool a very small/uniform line of the DS-200 into the crack area and let it dry for at least 8 hours without disruption. You may need a small nail or other pointed object in order to leave a uniform line over the crack without excessively overspreading the area with the DS-200. In the case of chipped areas, try to find and save the chipped piece and set it back with the sealer. In a worst case scenario, you could pulverize a small amount of the flooring [small scrap from the original installation is handy for this sampling], mix it with the DS-200 and fill the affected area with this; it may require 2 such applications for a level fill. Keep in mind that with scratch and small spot fills you will be leaving a "Lumpy"-looking line, bubble or spot of fill that will look as if it's raised above the surface of the floor. Leave this alone to dry; it will dry DOWN to the surface of the tile. This is only good for small spots. Large areas require the entire tile to be removed and replaced. Using a heat gun to "relax" the tile and adhesive will make removal easier where full tile removal is necessary. Heat the tile, cut an "X" in the middle and pull and scrape from the middle of the bad tile outward. Use additional heat as you go and avoid excessive heating of adjacent tiles since the surface veneer may delaminate and melt if heated too much. Let the entire area cool to room temperature before attempting to set a new tile in place. Don't try to begin at an edge or you'll risk chipping the good adjacent tiles. Make sure that your installer leaves you with 3+ full tiles upon completion at any tile installation.

I am remodelling my kitchen and foyer and am considering duraceramic. I like the way it looks and feels and have concerns about the cost of tile as well as the chipping and cracking that I've read about. I've read previous posts on this sight but nothing more recently than Dec. 06. Has anyone had experience with this product grouted?

Okay-- here's the thing-- I've had people ask about taking it even another step further, and replacing the grout with epoxy grout. I'll tell you the same thing I told them. You will NOT stop movement where it's occurring. You can only take it into account. Most grout already contains some kind of acrylic polymer, so it's a dead issue, but just for the sake of argument, let me follow this where you were taking it (assuming you're looking to make the joints harder and tougher to crack). If you accept the given that I put forth, that you're not going to stop movement, then you'll understand when I say that movement, just like electricity or water, will find the path of least resistance. Right now, that's the grout joint. Now, the only way to make the grout joint hard enough where it won't crack is to make it harder than the tile. But if you do that, guess what's gonna crack NOW? Remember-- you won't stop the movement. You need to find the source of the problem and fix it, or it'll keep coming back, and sooner or later, it's going to start getting worse.

Wow, this also happened to me. It was my bathroom floor which was mercifully small. Fortunately (or maybe not) it was my brother-in-law's work, a great guy who was just helping me out. :( He finished the job and left for home, on the other side of Calif. I was just cleaning up and noticed chunks of grout would pop out and/or turn back to sand. The tile store said it was because my grout was old and it would have to come out and be regrouted. As I was on hands and knees removing grout, entire tiles began to lift off. So, not just the grout was bad, but he had screwed up simply laying the tile. It was a total Charlie Foxtrot. At the time I was undone by this, the last in a series of well-intentioned blunders that made my poor bathroom a disaster. I paid a guy to redo the entire floor with new tile. The bathroom and I recovered. Hopefully you and your floor will too.