Google the tile stores in your area, and go look at the tiles in person.

^ its a little bit difficult to make time to go to many places in person unforch.

I do work in Manhattan though, so if anybody has any places to recommend here, that works too : )

I think we “talked” about this in another thread, how the concrete/cement tiles were just another simulation, not authentic.

I’m afraid the only thing that looks real is the real thing. You may do better with ceramic & glass as honest materials.

Myrica it’s literally all I’ve been talking about lol. But in this thread I’m not even only talking about stone look porcelain- I just mean porcelain in general.

I hear you on the ceramics and I still do sort of agree with you- any ceramic places you are particularly fond of?

Karen I will check them!

Which tiles have you sampled? Heath, Tabarka,Fireclay,Sonoma? & For those of us who love the imperfect tile, are you watching Jenny Komenda's remodel of her own kitchen on Instagram? https://www.instagram.com/p/B01fwgcD3lb/ She is using https://www.hctile.net/ Did a brief and useful instastory on her floor tile, detailing why this sort of imperfect look isn't for everyone. Are you still planning on Zellige in the space?

Holly: Mostly just wayfair options, so no none of those? But I will look tonight! Thank you !

and YES I am for the shower walls : D

I’ve gotten nice products from Emser. Every time I remodel a bathroom I start my search over going around to different tile stores, and then I usually end up going with Emser. I also got some nice shower floor tiles from QDI once but the next time I was there, didn’t see anything I liked. It is time consuming, so I always go to a whole bunch in one day earmarked just for tile hunting. Usually there’s a section of town that’s concentrated with all the big tile showrooms and I just hit them all in a dedicated few hours.

Try Country Tile at 15 E16 Street. You really need to look and feel tile in person.

45 W. 21st, NYC, is Tilebar Showroom. they have some cement look tiles, plus many others

Cascais

https://tilebar.com/collection/porcelain-tile/shop-by-look-porcelain/encaustic-tile.html

here's the link to their page w/their porcelain and cement look tiles. I've used the one in the Bella line, and they're very nice.

Yes there are cheap look alike tiles, like the ones on Wayfair!

this is one of the good italian porcelain one from my tile place

If you're looking for "concrete look" porcelain tile, Daltile's Quartto series is quite nice in both solid colors and patterns. Arizona Tile also makes a similar looking series called Cementine. They look good and they're inexpensive.

But tell us a bit more about the overall look you're after. Rustic? Modern? Something else? Might help us give you better recommendations if we have more input.

I like Nemo Tile, 48 East 21 Street, and Daltile, 49 East 21 Street, which is literally across the street from Nemo. Walker Zanger is one block over, on East 20 Street. Ann Sacks also has a showroom in Manhattan. My impression is that Ann Sacks and Walker Zanger are more expensive than Nemo and Daltile.

It’s helpful to have an idea of what you are looking for before you walk into these showrooms, if you are not going with a designer. Look at their websites and Houzz for ideas. I haven’t been to Ann Sacks, but I’ve been to the others, and the salespeople were very knowledgeable (and some told me they were interior designers).

Nemo Tile is my favorite. I used their tile for both my kitchen and bathroom renovation. Their website is easy to navigate too.

Artistic Tile has some nice porcelain.

Atlas Concorde has beautiful tile. The floor is an example.

Hi Corinne - this is one that looked interesting, Imola Ceramica ”Concrete Project”. You can usually track down a showroom instead of trying to analyze little samples in the mail. I did not see this one in person but if you are in NYC you may have better luck:

https://www.imolaceramica.com/media/depliant/DP%20CONCRETE%20PROJECT.pdf

take some time to travel to tile showrooms that have large sample boards or better, large samples installed on the floor. Look at the edges to make sure it’s not a photograph stuck on, and see that the edges are rectified, in case you want edges exposed (factory edge or bullnose). Let the sales people know you are not interested in simulacra.

You’ll find something but it may take a while.

We finally decided on a tile called “Gazzini Move” in beige, it’s porcelain/rectified and not trying to look like stone. It kinda/sorta has a surface texture like slate but not too offensive https://www.casaceramica.co.uk/range/gazzini-move/

It was one of the first tiles recommended for what I was asking for, but it still wasn’t as beautiful as real stone & I still looked for a long time before agreeing to it. It does not come in many shapes & sizes or trims or mosaics, but that was OK, we needed large format pieces that had to look good cut through and finished/bullnosed because we wanted to avoid metal trim edges. The tile store said they go through lots of Gazzini Move and always keep it in stock for the same reasons I was looking for.

We are in-progress, here is the Gazzini Move/ beige installed before grout, it’s the same color through the tile

The back wall of the bench/shelf was going to be a glass mosaic “accent” tile, but seeing the field tile up I think it can stand on its own without changing material in niches & alcoves

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