Are granite kitchen tiles slippy?

trumpton

We are thinking of re-doing the kitchen floor with granite tiles. The ones we are looking at have a very shiny finish. The only thing that puts me off is the thought that they might be slippy (even when they aren't wet) and may be cold underfoot.

Anyone got any experience of them?

Alan_M_2

Any polished surface will be slippery, particualrly so when wet.

Honed is more suitable if you're particularly bothered about slip resistance, but even honed, when wet is very slippery.

LEJC

We have slate tiles,not granite,and because of the slightly uneven texture of them have never found them slippy...however...um yes they are very cold...but very hard wearing and easy to clean.
We laid the tiles and then coated them with a slate sealant which gives a slight shine to them,this needs to be recoated possibly every 2 years or so but other than that they still look as good as when we laid them 6 years ago

Edinburghlass_2

I have ceramic tiles in the kitchen and in the winter jump from rug to rug as they are freezing so make sure you buy some washable rugs

pinkteapot

First of all, I assume they are actually being sold as floor tiles and not just wall tiles?

Secondly, when looking for floor tiles, I always put the shop sample on the floor and try sliding my foot on it with just a sock on. No matter how nice your tiles look, it's just not worth it if you have to walk gingerly over them for fear of slipping.

One other consideration with shiny tiles is keeping them clean. They look fab when perfectly clean, not so much after someone's traipsed across them in bare feet.

You could get underfloor heating if concerned about the warmth?

trumpton

Thanks for the advice everyone. They have some nice granite tiles at 50% off in Wickes at the moment, works out at £33 a metre. I had a look today and they are lovely but look like they could be very slippy. I might try the slate ones instead. Thanks all.