found porcelain floor and wall tile but im not sure if i can use it in the shower,do i have to use ceramic tile
Try a sealant. We had to seal our stone tile as it was asorbing water. Since then, it has been great.
I completely agree w/ DIY Doc w/ 1 personal preferance..I like the larger tilesPorcelion or otherwise in a standerd size shower..But thats a personal choice 20 year installer GL
I tile every day of my life and the direct answer is YES, primarily given the size of the tile. Tile has grades of durability, usually 1 through 5. 5 being the better for flooring. Porcelain is clay, just a finer grade, and usually porcelain tile has it's color/pattern throughout the piece, not just glazed onto the surface. It's fired at a higher kiln temp, so has an added measure of strength from that. More important than the species, is the substrate, which should be concrete backer board, and the mortars should be exterior or poly blends for the conditions a shower endures. Grout lines can be 1/4, but I prefer 1/8 for walls, and again a poly blend grout. Sanded grout. Sealing after the fact,,,in my opinion,,,is a wasted step and expense, if you've used the proper substances to begin with, and would need regular RE-sealing. Vertical installs are best done with small tiles, 2/4/6 inches, often mesh backed, and the first/lowest course set first, allowed to dry/set, then proceed up. You have Gravity and Shear weight to consider. I prefer floor to ceiling install. The shower pan/basin is another consideration that involves tile size, given that the drain should often be slightly concave to allow run off, even a pre formed basin often is modestly graded toward the drain. Etc. Etc. Etc. without rambling on about my opinions of install methods. Steven Wolf Just my two sense
