Tile with protected imitation grout line

A tile that may be used as a covering on a floor， wall， or other surface comprises a top section， a protective section， and a core layer， and an exposed portion formed along at least one of its sides and structured to represent an imitation but highly realistic looking grout line. In a preferred embodiment， the top section comprises a wear layer， a decorative layer and a polyvinyl chloride layer， and the core layer comprises a densified foam material. The protective section is disposed between the top section and the core layer， and preferably comprises both a protective layer and another decorative layer. The exposed portion structured to represent an imitation grout line is formed within the protective section and is resistant to staining. In some embodiments， the exposed portion is also formed across a middle section of the tile， and may further include an interconnecting mechanism to facilitate installation.