I agree. Matter of fact, nost companies that restore grout use steam to do their work. I'd just be careful as to how much moisture you put on the floor before sucking it back up if this is over plywood.

I hate to say this, but if you really want slip resistance, it's best to get a tile that's rated for slip resistance. There are plenty of tiles that are. Do you know what the slip resistance rating of it is? If it's a 24x24, it's definitely meant as a floor tile...I'd be surprised if it's really really slippery, but I guess it's possible. Hmmm now I've gone to the Tilecrest site, and the largest format I see of any of the tiles is 20x20...on the other hand, I don't see "alabaster" listed anywhere, so is it a new tile not on their site? Or do I have the wrong site entirely? Here is a link that might be useful: is this it?

I posted this in the Fooring forum as well. Thought I'd post here because I know you guys are more active. So a couple of years ago I was planning on selling my house. So to replace the old parquet in the entry I installed travertine colored 19" porcelain tiles diagonally. What I would have selected if I was keeping it is diagonal marble checkerboard black and white. So now that I'm keeping it I'm wondering if I can somehow paint or color every other square black. I figure if it doesn't come out right I will bust it up anyhow to put down some marble - albeit the large sizes are very hard to find. Any suggestions on what will hold up or what type of contractor to ask?

I have laid 5 tile floors and have lived with them for 57 years. When we're handling something that is super precious to us, we are naturally very careful with it. What you might break is an everyday drinking glass or two, easily replaced if even missed. Only tile breakage I ever had was when I got a new dishwasher put in. You can roll out a refrigerator and tile under it, but not so with a dishwasher, so the tile stopped where the dishwasher began. Only change I'd make is if I got a new dishwasher put in I'd insist they remove and reinstall using brown board, or at least thick cardboard to try to protect the edges of the tile. Since we lost our manufacturing to overseas, there definitely is a question about how good a glaze is, and don't assume if it's American-made (or if it cost more) it will be good. Those days are gone. So it's a good idea to do your homework and read a lot of customer ratings on tile before you purchase. You do want porcelain, as it's tougher than ceramic. I've been reading a lot of reviews on porcelain floor tile that is chipping along the edges though, a problem I never had with my older porcelain floors.