I finally decided to take the plunge and order a pile of Daltile Spark for our bathroom reno. I just received a call letting me know Daltile has a 12 week lead time on it right now, and of course the contractor is here and ready to go. Can anyone recommend something similar? I was looking at the beige toned colors: .http://presskit.daltile.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/dt_spark_web.jpg Also - is it possible that some places might carry stock in this tile?

Has anyone installed this wood look tile Cottage Collection - Cipresso? I'm thinking to use it for my kitchen. I didn't want to go too light, nor too dark because I wanted to still have a contrast with the base Cherry cabinets. These are the drawer fronts all in solid Cherry for the L-shaped cabinet layout, but I used a Spiced Walnut stain. My Uppers are antique white and one side of my room, the kitchen cabinets are all antique white where the fridge is located. My center island SW Seasalt which is the same color as my wall Choosing a black walnut counter for the center island that looks similar to the floor tile I chose My cabinets are Cherry stained in Walnut but my center island is painted SW Seasalt. My walls are SW Seasalt, the same color of my center island. I'm also choosing black walnut counter for my center island that seems to look the same color as the wood look tile I am thinking to choose. The rest of the cabinets countertops will be LG Hausy Minuet Quartz The below counters aren't my kitchen, just sharing a photo of the counter I found here on Houzz :)

Use grout that doesn't need sealing. It still gets dirty. It just doesn't soak in.

I'm assuming you mean stone-look vinyl products or are you thinking the 'faux stone' look that people use around a fireplace? When it comes to 'living' spaces, stone and tile look a bit odd when the rest of the house has hardwood. Remember that stone and tile (in cold climates) are reserved for bathrooms, kitchens, entranceways and mud rooms. Why? Because they can take quite a bit of water whereas wood and carpet cannot. So remember the 'look' you are creating if you are putting 'stone' in a living space where most people would EXPECT a warm floor (like wood or carpet). It is a weird concept for many people. It's like carpet in a bathroom (the Brits are famous for this BTW and it looks REALLY WEIRD to a N. American homeowner). If you are desperate for something 'other than wood', then there are a few other things out there for you. Stone-look and tile look are options. Then there is cork. A cork glue down floor (finished with polyurethane after installation) is water proof. A cork floating floor (click together) can be made water (and pet) resistant when finished with a polyurethane coating after installation. If resale is not a big deal (because you KNOW you will switch out the family room flooring for hardwood when you list) then go ahead with a sheet vinyl. Yes....sheet. Sheet products (such as real linoleum and vinyl) are the only water proof products worth looking at. Anything that clicks together (like vinyl plank) will hold the urine between the planks thereby holding the smell. If you want to go with the look of stone, brick or tile but do not WANT the real stuff, you might want to consider sheet vinyl for urine prone pups.