We just installed terra cotta (Mexican saltillo really) in our kitchen and I absolutely love the way they look. Really dramatic. You will hear dozens of naysayers because they are I suppose harder to keep clean and get chips and nicks. People will say get tile that looks like terra cotta instead of the real thing, but nothing looks like the real thing except the real thing.

I love every nick and chip. I love the unevenness of my floor. I love feeling it under my feet. I even have a tile with a dog print in it. But you have to be able to live with that look. No, not live with, you have to be able to love the look and feel. If the many imperfections will bother you, you should not do terra cotta. But I love it, and every single person who comes into my kitchen comments on how beautiful the floor is.

I have seen people say that they have trouble keeping terra cotta clean, but I have not had that experience yet. My terra cotta was factory sealed, and I will have to reseal it periodically, but so far, so good.

Great info on terra cotta from jeannie. My sister did a DIY Mexican saltillo floor and it took forever to lay the tile (so it was reasonably even) and then put the MANY coats of sealer and whatever else on it. But, it was gorgeous! If rustic is your look, it would be really nice.

That said, I have a color-body porcelain tile in my kitchen and I love it. It does not scratch, has not chipped (even though I've dropped plenty of things that shattered on it!) and is easy to keep clean. You can get lots of different looks in the porcelain too. My DH especially likes ours because he thinks it looks and feels like limestone underfoot. Daltile has a colorbody called Continental Slate and another called Terra Antica you might want to look at.

Hi thanks for the responses! It is a hard decision. I was looking at the new but "antiqued" parrefeuille tiles versus a porcelain colorbody tile called Rt 66 -- Los Angeles made by Emiliana. This seems to be a pretty common tile as it is sold by many outlets online. It is a warm grey/rust combination. I will check out the Daltile as well. Fortunately there are lots of good options.

We love the look of wood but have decided to go with some kind of tile for ease of upkeep.

I agree with Jeannie in that terra cotta makes for a beautiful floor with a very dramatic effect on the room. But if you're looking for ease of upkeep, real terracotta is NOT the way to go. There are many very good imitations, both in porcelain and conventional glazed ceramic tile, both of which would mean a minimum of upkeep. The tile in the following pic is one such imitation:

I had a slate looking full color body porcelain in my prior kitchen and entrance foyer and am repeating the theme in my new kitchen. This time I'm using American Olean High Ridge. I tend to like the clefted surface(to mimic real stone) and some color variation in the tile (can just be shades of the same color). My prior one was bullet proof and very easy to clean.

I heart slate!
My floor, natural multicolored slate...super easy to keep clean and, IMO, GORGEOUS!

Thanks everyone -- I appreciate seeing pictures. It seems that wood is used so often that there are relatively few pictures of kitchens with tile. Also, it seems difficult to envision how your entire kitchen will look from looking at a couple of tiles, even if you have them in your kitchen. Anyone ever order a whole box just to try them out and see how they look?

We installed a terracotta "lookalike" porcelain tile: Ceramiche Provenza's "Cotti dÂEremo" (Color: Calore). Ceramiche Provenza has a Web site where you can see pix of the tile installed.

We are crazy about it. It has so much variation in tone and texture. It doesn't look like saltillo, more like dirty, old terracotta pavers. We installed it in an interesting pattern using 12 x 12, 12 x 6, and 6 x 6 tiles, with a neutral gray grout.

The tile is the first thing people mention when they see our new kitchen, and it's always, "I LOVE YOUR FLOOR!", which is the reaction we'd hoped for.

Terracota tile porcelain Cotti D'eremo is a great looking porcelain floor for exterior and interior. Check this link with the product: http://www.casavivaconcepts.com/page4.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Cotti D'eremo

I just put in a porcelain tile that mimics a soft golden/orange/tan color terra cotta look. I guess it is supposed to look like old flooring from Crete. It is a bit lighter and less orange than true Saltillo. It is from the company Panaria Ceramica, the tile is called Le Crete, and the color I chose is called Tabaco. I also looked at the Cotti D'eremo, but it had a bit more tile-to-tile variation in color than I was looking for. My tile has color variation within one tile, but all of the tiles are in the same color. Sorry I don't know how to provide a link, but if you do a search you can find the Italian website for Panaria ceramica. This tile was inexpensive and available in multiple places locally (California). I wasn't willing to have to seal tile, so I didn't go with real terra cotta. Plus, the porcelain is tougher. I have gotten many compliments on my floor.

I have no problem keeping my real saltillo floors clean. However, I have a B**ch of a time keeping the super-wide grout lines clean. Grrrr......

I love rustic. I love unexpected juxtapositions in a kitchen, but the huge grout lines in my kitchen are by far the worst feature in my whole house. (Flooring was already there when we bought the house)

maydl, do you recall what color grout you used? i so appreciate your posted picture. how is your floor holding up? is there any texture to the tile?

maydl, I LOVE your kitchen. I am interested in anything you have to say about the floor. What color grout did you use? Is the floor easy to maintain? Is there any texture to the floor? Thanks.