Hardwood v. Lookalike Tile

By Kate Riley July 9, 2013

Question friends, what do you think of all the wood lookalike tile that’s available to homeowners now? As much as I adore and I mean adore true hardwood, I’m drawn to the idea of a lookalike tile products that are now available from several sources.

Lookalike wood tile caught my eye last year in a restaurant in Canada and I thought it was so cool I got down on my knees to caress that floor, no joke. I’ve seen it installed in restaurants in the Bay Area too which makes sense since it looks like reclaimed or hand scraped wood but has the benefit of repelling moisture while maintaining a great look, even with tons of traffic.

wood look porcelain tile

via

Like wood, you can install it in side by side plank formation or get creative with a herringbone pattern.

wood lookalike tile daltile

south cypress wood look tile

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dana frieling tile floors

via Make Them Wonder

And have you seen some of the barnwood and shapely options for floors and walls?

wood lookalike tile

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If you’ve ever wanted the warmth of wood in a bathroom but the practicality of tile, this product seems to be just the thing to get the best of both worlds.

ariana floor tile

via

Tile is cold and hard underfoot which is fine by me in summer but in winter not so much, so radiant heat is definitely a consideration (and additional expense). I love the fact that up close it looks pretty amazing, and when grout lines are tight or close to non-existent, the tile looks so much like the real thing.

hardwood lookalike tile floor

The idea of a surface that will take the wear and tear of foot traffic, pets, and kids has a lot of appeal. But there’s always that lingering question of how it will affect resale value and whether the product will stand the test of time.

I’m curious what you think. Is wood lookalike tile fakey faux or modern and fab? Have you installed a wood lookalike porcelain tile in your home? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

153 comments

  1. I really like it. In places like Arizona where the whole house in tiled, this would work wonderful. May be faux wood look but I think it is modern and fab!

  2. My husband and I have gone back and forth on this. I have seen it in a few houses and while it looks VERY nice, it still has the cold / very hard feeling of tile.

    Also, living in Florida we are already on a concrete slab, so in the winter (the days it does get cold), it gets really cold in the house, and with the tile it makes it worse.

    I think were going to stick with either a nice laminate or hardwood.

  3. I just put on an addition, I priced both options out. I was surprised how expensive the nice (like in your photos) wood grain tile is. And my installer balked at really tight grout lines, you have to have a perfectly level floor or install a perfectly level subfloor (more$$) I love the tile look, but ultimately decide on hardwood. I live in the Midwest so hardwood floors are practical, not too expensive and desirable for resale

  4. I’ve had it in my bathroom for 10 years because I wanted the wood look without the worry of moisture, etc. and it is the best thing ever! It looks the same as it did 10 years ago. Grout and all. I picked a grout that matched the color of the wood tile so it would stand out. I am now planning on doing my entire 1st floor including kitchen, living room, etc. because I don’t want to worry about cleaning it and scratches. I can bleach and not worry. Even debating about radiant floor heating but might not do it due to cost and will do an area rug instead that has built in heating.

  5. I remember the first time I saw it in person, I thought it was wood and had to bend down and tap on it to realize it was tile. I think it is a great look and very practical. It might be a great expense up front, but it would not have to be replaced or refinished, no scratches either. I like it!

  6. Initially I was very drawn to the wood look tile. They are surprisingly authentic looking and come in some wonderful shades of weathered wood, which I love. But the thought that keeps nagging at me is that it’s NOT authentic. It bothers me that it is tile that is made to look like something else. I’m weird that way, I want things to be authentic, REAL, in their original form…etc. Anything else just feels like a cheap copy to me, even if it looks good and isn’t cheap. I too am curious if it will stand the test of time or if it will be “out” in a couple of years.

    • Wow Tracy, your bathroom floors are GORGEOUS! Pinning!
      (and thanks for sharing the great contractor contact for Charlotte!)

  7. Oh my gosh, Kate! I can’t believe you posted about this. This is EXACTLY what my husband and I have been talking about doing throughout most of our downstairs (kitchen, entry, bath). I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea or not, as we are preparing to sell within a couple of years. I truly admire your taste, so this just confirms our decision!! Yay! ;)

  8. After putting wood flooring in our house about 5 years ago we have come to find out it was a mistake. We have pets and kids and they have destroyed the wood. We were told when we purchased it that it could be refinished….only to find recently that it can not. We have pretty much decided that we are going to rip up the wood and use the wood look tile. It will last with kids and pets and we won’t have to baby it. Although the wood is (well was) beautiful its just to practical long term for our active family.

  9. I can see the practicality for places like bathrooms, kitchens or basements where someone wants a wood look but moisture or other durability issues are a problem.
    But personally, I wouldn’t want it. I don’t mind tile that looks like stone but this is a little too faux for me.

  10. It does look gorgeous! My hubby works in the custom kitchen business and they are opening a new showroom. They put the wood look tile throughout and it looks stunning!! It will be so much easier to maintain with lots of traffic coming through.
    I wanted to do it in my bathrooms & kitchen but wasn’t sure how to do it. We want to put real hardwood in the living room and halls but could you do both? How should it meet up?? We just aren’t sure what to do.

  11. My sister installed faux wood tile in their entryway, dining room, kitchen and down the halls. It looks amazing. They have 2 boys and 2 bulldogs so its great for them. I don’t think it looks weird at all. I love it!

  12. I like this product, a lot. I’ve seen in it several applications and colorways and it always looks good. I think if you go with traditional planks, the product will have more staying power–the ‘shapely’ tiles, not so much.
    Lately, it seems a conversation is going on everywhere I ‘go’ [read]… “this is timeless, classic and will never look dated”–or, “is this a trend, how soon will this be dated?” Really, everything looks ‘dated’ eventually. Hardwoods are classic but color preferences change. Classic furniture gets freshen with on-trend upholstery. Classic tiles get produced, combined in ‘new’ colors…I think you choose what you love and know that in a few years, you’ll freshen up or replace. That’s what gives life to decorating! Can you image that for the next 25 years, people living in white and marble kitchens will feel no need to reno because their design is “classic”… doubtful :)

  13. I just finished a powder room remodel in a beach theme and used the white-washed look tiles. I LOVE IT! We have a large family, 20+, and it is perfect for the high traffic that room gets.

  14. My husband & I are contemplating flooring options right now as well. I think for me, it comes down to where you live & what type of house you have. We live in the Midwest, so we have very cold winters. Also, our house is a 1905 Foursquare. These two things make me strongly lean away from tile / vinyl / laminate look-alikes, and we will most likely go with a hardwood or engineered hardwood flooring. It just seems like the house will benefit from a more authentic look. Overall, I don’t think you can ever go wrong with a wood look for flooring, so do what you think will best suit your climate & house style!

  15. Love hearing all the opinions on this. A house we were interested in two house hunts ago had faux bamboo porcelain tile and hardwood and we just loved it. The bamboo-look tiles come in a variety of grey tones, so they look like a stained wood but you can tell it’s a little too perfect to be wood. It’s a very interesting look and what we plan to go with when we remodel our kitchen and replace the floors in our entryway. Sleek and modern without feeling cold. Google “porcelain bamboo tile” to see it.

  16. Although I think ‘Ceramic Hardwood’ tile has it’s place, I think it will go the way of laminate hardwood products – out the door! Anything made to look like something else always goes out of trend the fastest. What about using slate flooring in your mud room or high traffic hallway? A natural durable stone, that is always a classic choice. (The dark charcoal gray color slate, not multi-colored slate of the 70’s.)

  17. I am loving the wood-look tiles. My brother and sister-in-law are in the middle of a kitchen remodel and are using these. I can’t wait to see them in action! We have a powder room I’d like to make over soon and I’ve been eyeing those tiles. They are a bit pricey, but I would be willing to splurge there :)

  18. I work as a commercial interior designer and it seems like every rep that comes in is adding more and more wood ceramic tile looks to their line to keep up with the growing demand. I find that the ceramic tile is too stiff and cold — it is very visually appealing but doesn’t feel like wood underfoot. I would recommend considering a vinyl wood look plank. This is not your mother’s Pergo, it’s a 1/8″ vinyl good. Armstrong even makes a peel and stick (to each other) floating product that we have used in on-campus apartments for work.

  19. I am so glad you addressed this topic as I too have questions! The wood floors in my kitchen/entry/hall have not worn well at all. The faux wood tile would seem to give me the look I want without the upkeep. I am over the whole traditionalist mentality and “faux” doesn’t really bother me and I am not planning to sell my house so I am the one who has to live with it. Will I walk into my kitchen and wonder why I followed a passing fad that was expensive and I can’t change like wall color? Looking forward to hearing what others think.

  20. We installed it in our basement and now I’m wondering why we didn’t do it in our kitchen/dining area, as well. We were able to get a tile wood look a like the same tone as our wood floor, so it’s seemless. My MIL didn’t believe me when I told her it was tile. :)

    We use small spacers. I wished we had either gotten smaller spacers or find a way to use no spacers (not sure how that works with tile). Also, we thought the grout was a perfect match when looking at the color on the box. However we discovered grout dries lighter. So if you want to minimize the grout lines, go darker than you think.

    But I love it, and am thinking of doing a herringbone pattern in our master batch. :)

  21. My parents just installed it (they live in So. Cal.) and they love it. Two things were important for them in their decision making: they have big dogs, so it has to be durable and they have to be able to maintain the floor easily. The idea of being able to use a steam mop to keep it clean is the most appealing thing to me. I can’t wait to see how it looks!

    • I agree Kim, it seems so ideal with pets, there’s a relaxation with the product, with wood there’s the worry of scratches over time.
      Thanks for sharing!

  22. We’ve used the faux ceramic tile (that’s made of the same stuff as the wood grain) in a laundry room, just to see (and because we wanted to do it ourselves and it seemed fairly easy compared to laying regular tile). That product has worked very well and I don’t think you’d know it wasn’t tile. But, it’s my laundry room so I’m not that sensitive about it. We did do grout lines.

    I’ve seen the faux wood in restaurants and it does look fabulous. My contractor turned his nose up a little when I mentioned it – but my money is on it sticking around (so to speak!). I have an all tile house now (real tile) and I have to say I miss the softness of the hardwood for my feet. Not sure you’d get that softness with the new stuff. Maybe try it somewhere smaller like a laundry room before you go “whole hog”?

  23. I’ve gotta say, I’ve been pretty impressed with how these tiles have evolved over time – many options look pretty darn close to real wood! Although I prefer real wood in our general living space (living rooms, bedrooms) I do intend to use this tile when we refinish our basement and laundry area, since those areas are more prone to getting moist.

  24. I installed ceramic wood tile in a previous home. Kitchen and family room. This was an addition and remodel and it was laid on concrete slab. This was about 8 years ago and at that time price-wise the engineered laminate still looked cheap and actual hardwoods in the kitchen were not in vogue yet. Plus we entertain and I cook a lot. The wipe up of water in the kitchen every ten seconds were not appealing. I live in Texas and found the floor cooler in the summer and had no winter problems at all. We just got used to slippers and still did not find it too cold in bare feet. Plus we had new windows and insulation so even with a couple of serious winter events of snow and ice I never felt like the floor was keeping the house cool. We sold that house in two weeks and I was in it again two years ago and those floors are still there and look great and that house is a rental now.

  25. We used wood look tile in the master bedroom, great room/dining area following water damage. I was looking for an excuse to get rid of the carpet and did not want to take care of hardwood. I was not happy with the contractor recommended by our insurance company. The installation could have been better. That said, I love the look and it is so easy to care for. Here is a link for a blog post I did regarding the wood look tile. http://myrabluker.blogspot.com/search/label/Home

  26. I am not a current practicing designer but have my bachelors in design and stopped working to raise 4 kids and I was taught and developed quite an option about things that are trying to be something that they are not. I believe that you can come up with a great design using materials that are true to themselves that being said I LOVE this product. I would however embrace that fact that it is tile and let it we so I love that you know that it is tile but has such warmth with the color and textures this is right up there with stamped concrete. I think that it is modern and fab!

  27. I look forward to reading everyone’s thoughts about this as my husband and I are currently weighing these two options for our home right now.

    It seems a no brainer to me- most people wouldn’t ever realize it wasn’t real wood unless they touched it, it has much higher durability and less maintenance, and in some cases it is half the price of wood floors!

    I’ve been scouting out local hardware stores and there are some really beautiful options for wood tile, some that even have hand scraped texture!

  28. I had faux wood porcelain tile installed in my bathroom in January. I love it so much, it’s dreamy to look at and not cold to the touch the way ceramic is. Wouldn’t hesitate to put it elsewhere in my home – especially my kitchen that’s next on the list.
    But for now, back to preparing my hallway parquet for it’s re-sanding/varnishing.. Any tips Kate??!! :)

  29. We just installed the wood-look tile in our kitchen, entryway and eat-in area of the kitchen about 500 sq feet and it looks amazing! We replaced 12×12 ceramic tile with 6×24 planks set in a random wood floor style with the 1/16″ grout lines and it looks incredible. I highly recommend it! This past weekend my husband was replacing the dishwasher inlet valve, when he turned the water back on it popped off and flooded the kitchen floor. All I can say is I’m so glad I didn’t put down new hardwood!!! We just cleaned it up with our wet vac and all is well!

    • That is exactly why I’m drawn to it too Patty, we have real hardwood in our kitchen and while it looks great, that is the reality – water damage. We once had our dishwasher do the same thing and I went through a dozen bath towels to mop up as quickly as possible but if it had sat any longer, would have ruined the wood.

  30. I work in a hospital and they have started laying the hardwood tile in rooms. I like it in the hospital because it’s warmer (aesthetically) than cold, white tile but I don’t think I would want to see it in my home. I’m sure some of the reason is because I see it for 12 hours and equate it with sickness and death.

  31. I like it. I really do. We are moving to one of those tile-only areas and I think it would look amazing… But then I think about faux wood laminate countertops, faux wood car paneling, and wood paneled basements. Yeah, it might look amazing now, but I doubt it will stand the test of time. That said, I love the look of the herringbone pattern you showed above.

  32. Such beautiful option to hardwood. My Dad bought a house with this type of floor. I could never convince him it was tile and not wood. Guess it fooled him! Love your blog!

  33. That Moroccan pattern is to die for! I’m also in-love with that herringbone pattern right now, it’s so chic. I think I could go for the faux wood in a kitchen or bathroom where water damage would be a concern, the rest of the house I’m on the fence about. Maybe it’s just the thought of having fake wood that’s hanging me up, I’m not sure. But I would be willing to consider it if the quality felt similar to that of hard wood.

  34. I have it throughout my entire downstairs and I absolutely love it! The dirtier the grout gets, the better it looks since the darker grout just makes it blend more with the dark wood tile. Wood isn’t an option for us with a new puppy, three boys and a pool. I also like that my open floorplan doesn’t look choppy with more than one flooring. I live in a hot climate so I love the coolness of tile. I would go with radiant heat if I lived someone cooler though. I can’t think of any drawbacks. I suppose if I lived in a historic home it would not feel authentic, but in a new home I don’t see the problem.

  35. I guess I’m on the “it’s nice, but it’s not the real thing” team.
    The pros would be durability certainly, but I think I would miss the “patina” that comes with hardwood.
    I also associate tiles with coldness and hardness -great for kitchens and bathrooms but not other rooms.
    I would recommend it for commercial applications however.

  36. I am a HUGE fan of this product although I have never used it in my house. I think it is a great alternative, especially for laundry rooms and bathrooms! Oh and to have it throughout the house with radiant heat is just a dream come true!

  37. I’m from New England, so I put hardwood in my newly built house in the Southwest. Big mistake! Here in the Southwest, tile is the way to go, but I just don’t like the look of it in a formal living area. This is the perfect compromise. I imagine it’d e good for any house, though, that has kids and pets! Thanks for the sources.

  38. We hard the all original hardwoods in our entire house, but recently while rebuilding our home and adding on an indoor laundry room we decided to go with wood look tile for the space. Our new laundry room also doubles as our entry point to and from the garage and is a little mudroom area and also entry point into our home and exit to our backyard.

    We moved back in our home a few weeks ago and I’m so happy we went with tile for that area! So happy, you can see images on my blog of the space.

    As for an entire house in wood look tile……I think it would depend on the climate & lots of foot traffic etc.

  39. We bought a house with this type of tile in the entry and kitchen. I love it in those places, but probably would not use it in others (possible exception: a family room and bathroom) because though it is pretty great-looking, it still lacks some of the warmth of real wood. I also would lay it in a more interesting way; ours is laid in a typical tile pattern and so you are more aware that it is tile. I love the herringbone example in your post, for example, and the minimal grout lines. Bottom line? For places where you want extra durability, it’s a good option, I think.

  40. I plan on installing the wood-look tile in the next house we buy (other than the bedrooms – my husband insists on carpet for bedrooms). Our current house is mostly tile floors and I’ve gotten used to it and like how practical it is. I really do love actual hardwoods, but we have two crazy dogs and are about to have a little one, so I feel like tile is really the way to go! In regards to how cold tile can be – just wear some warm socks!

  41. CT above recommended Armstrong’s vinyl wood planks. We’ve had mixed results with this. Because the overlaps are sticky, you can reposition if you make a mistake (although the adhesive is very strong), but it is a bit tricky to keep from getting gaps. It’s a floating floor, so if you want to get rid of the whole thing in the future, it’s easy to pull up. It’s good to use over surfaces that are not level, which we have in our funky old house. It scratches more easily than I thought it would, but I do have a lot of rough boys. You can’t do anything about damage since it can’t be refinished. Theoretically you are supposed to be able to take up damaged planks and replace them, but did I mention the adhesive is very strong? The darker colors especially show up scratches since the underlying material is white. It looks great for months (no one could tell it wasn’t real wood at first, even a building contractor), but then dulls quickly. It was an affordable option for us at the time, but we eventually plan to replace it with real hardwood. We wouldn’t do tile because it would be too cold in our mountain climate. Our slate bathrooms are bad enough.

  42. My in-laws did the ceramic tile wood tiles in a pickled look some years ago. They had the 2 boys, several dogs running around, firewood dropped in front of 2 fireplaces and they love it. It is grouted very close together. I know they would have enjoyed the warm radiant floors in the bedrooms and bathrooms but I never heard it until later. I did Armstrong Laminate 12mm, I think it was exotic walnut. This floor did not hold up well and at this was just me (middle-aged woman) and one small dog and one cat. I had to keep several wood shades of brown crayons for chip repairs. Very annoying.

  43. I fell in love with this product several years ago when I first laid my eyes upon it. When we bought our current home 2.5 years ago, it was in the back of my mind to use it eventually. I have a question, however. My husband isn’t a fan of painted furniture or cabinetry, unfortunately. Therefore there will be no painted cabinetry in my kitchen’s future. Would this product be too much “wood” with stained cabinetry?

  44. I love the look of it for a room that needs the practicality of it, like a bathroom or a mudroom. I don’t think I would love it as much in the main area of my home, but the radiant heat would probably make a big difference in swaying my opinion AND if there were no grout lines to try and keep clean.

  45. I currently have 38 boxes of “wood” tile in my basement, waiting to be installed! Hardwood floors aren’t very practical in a basement, so wood tile seemed to be just the ticket. I can’t wait to see how they turn out – I think it’s going to look amazing!

  46. I see the benefits in certain rooms and if alot of pets. Yet, I still think going from the Faux Hardwood tile to real wood would be odd. I did see tile wood once in person. I thought it was wood, then realized it was tile and thought “interesting but odd”. So I can’t quite get with the whole idea. I think it would look somewhat “faddish” and also cause some concern for resale. We lived in a home with hardwood in every room but the master bath. The wood floors in my girls bathrooms were never an issue. The house was 12 years old at purchase and the baths had not one issue. Now the kitchen/LR floors were bad–that was due to windows around the perimeter, poly pealing up–hmm? (The cherry cabinets were a mess on the side that faced the sun also.) I have to say WOOD floors are TIMELESS and never a question afterward if you made the right choice!

  47. My husband just installed the wood look alike tile in our hall bathroom, and I love it! It’s gorgeous. We plan to install it in our master bathroom as well…and thinking about putting it in the kitchen too.

  48. MODERN AND FAB!! I used a similar tile in my hall bathroom and honestly…I wish I had it throughout the house. Its substantial, sturdy and so pretty. I get so many compliments. I love my real hardwood floors, don’t get me wrong, but once you add in the scratches from my two dogs and the CONSTANT upkeep to keep them shiny and pretty, my tile outshines them by a mile. Plus, I used a weathered gray look (nothing like my chocolately-mahogony wood floors), so the looks are different and they compliment (rather than compete with) each other. It can be so tastefully done and I fully expect it to be a “selling point” rather than a “deterrent” when we go to sell our house. Just my opinion, of course! :)

  49. I think real wood is the way to go if you have the means, but when questions like kids, pets, pricing, and others come up faux tiles can make a home look nice and can be very practical.

  50. Wow, these look fabulous!! I’m so impressed at how much they look like wood. My only issue would be the “feel” of it (as some others have noted) since it is tile. In commercial spaces, bathrooms and even kitchens, I’m sure it’s great, because you expect tile/ceramic feel in those places, but throughout a house? I’m not sure I’d be happy walking barefoot on it all the time!

  51. I like hardwood tile. It seems like a very practical solution for some spaces. But it looks bad next to real wood floors. Wood floors butted up next to it seems to bring out the “faux” aspect of it.

  52. I’ve been struggling with this very question as I want to replace carpeting in my living room. I’m leaning towards hardwood, but faux hardwood tile might be beautiful in our sun room. I’ve appreciated this post and all the comments. Thanks!

  53. We purchased a home in South Florida that was an “as is” home. We are planning on gutting the kitchen, & both baths. Plus it has beautiful (insert sarcasm) white ceramic tile dated from the 80’s. We have already decided to go with this look. Living in Florida with a pool, dogs, and remodeling foot traffic all equal perfect arguments for this look! We will be here for a long time and I don’t see a problem at all with the longevity of this product! Now if we could just get the project started!

  54. I love the authenticity, warmth and resale value of real hardwoods. There just is something you can’t fake. But after having dealt with both a broken valve in the kitchen and a very leaky washer, I think the look-a-like tile is definitely something to be considered in any areas where water and/or moisture may be a factor. You never know when you’re going to come home to an inch of water in your kitchen. For any other areas of the house, I’d go with the real wood.

  55. I re-did my powder room floor in “wood” tiles. It looks beautiful. I’m not usually into faux anything but I convinced myself that I wasn’t trying to fool anyone, just install a tile floor that was an homage to hardwood. Haha, whatever, I have to say the tile is much nicer, richer looking than a laminate.
    I’ve had guests, in astonishment, get down on their knees to give it a good feel too.

  56. We just installed 1100 square feet of this “tile” wood for the entire downstairs of our house. We ABSOLTELY love it! It has a woodgrain texture to it. We went with the dark grout that matches the wood. When we tell people it is tile, they literally bend down and touch it! We live 1 hr. East of San Franscisco and it is great for the summers and the traffic of having a pool. It is super easy to clean. We just went through our first winter with it and it didn’t make the house any colder in my opinion. I always wear socks in the winter anyway. It also made the rainy days a breeze with the mud and water being tracked in. Our friends got hardwood installed the same time my husband was installing our tile and they are constantly worried something is going to scratch the floor. They don’t allow high heels past the front door. Personally I don’t want a house where I can’t enjoy company stopping by without policing what kind of shoes they are wearing. I can send you pictures of ours if you would like. We paid $2.56/sq foot for the tile plus the morter and grout at Home Depot. We used a 10% off Lowe’s coupon (Home depot accepts them) and our total was around $3500 for 1200 sq ft (we bought extra). My husband installed it himself over the course of 3 months. We had 1/16 grout lines and it is beautiful.

  57. I like it! Doesn’t work for us in Iowa (where what tile we DO have, even with a cork underlay I was guaranteed would keep the tile room temp…is FREEZING). But especially with very little grout, the end effect is awesome! I can’t use it on floors, but I love the idea of it as a backsplash!

  58. One more thing….about the grout. We cound never find a grout that dried as dark as we wanted, so before we sealed it, I got some wood stain and put it in a syringe and went down each and every grout line to stain the grout. It turned out perfect! There was something about our water that wasn’t allowing the grout to dry the true color. It wasn’t a hard job in staining the grout, just long because we had so much (1100 sq. ft.). I would do it again in a hot second!

    • Cindy that was an ingenious solution for your grout!
      I’m so SO grateful to all of you for your insight, this is so valuable in making the decision since there is an adjacent living room too.

  59. I have seen it in person and it’s really stunning, I think that just like any other new product you have to think carefully about whether it fits with your goals and use it judiciously. I LOVE the idea of putting it in hospitals in place of industrial looking linoleum or plain tiles, but then of course it will be come associated with “hospital floor” and be less appealing in the home.

    I feel like it runs the risk of being fakey-fake and potentially cheesy if you did a whole house or whole floor of a house, but for a kitchen or bathroom it’s genius. In my last home we replaced low quality carpet with high quality stone-look ceramic tile. It was a single story condo and we had already put dark wood laminate in the bedrooms so we did the entire public space in cream travertine-style tile but picked a coordinating warmer brown for the kitchen and bathroom. If the wood-look had been available at the time I’m sure we would have strongly considered it!

    A friend recently re-did his bathroom with the wood-look tile in the shower enclosure and it makes it look like a Scandinavian sauna room. I love the comment about using the white-washed look for a beachy feel in a bathroom too.

  60. We had ceramic tile in our entry way and hall while our kids were small and it was wonderful. Easy to clean and no worries about mud or dampness or scratches. However, when the kids were grown and we decided we wanted hardwood, tearing up the tile was a nightmare. The hammers and chisels needed to crack and pull up the tile made a mess of walls and baseboards, and took days of non-stop pounding and dust. So, go for tile, but only if you’re going to keep it for the long haul.

  61. Hi KAte! I am floor-hunting too for my new kitchen, and the only reason I passed up the ceramic look-alikes were the fact that it was colder on the feet! Plus of course the danger of it breaking if you drop of something heavy on it, other than that, it looks great, pretty affordable and great for high traffic! Good luck!

  62. Living in an apartment style condominium as we do, our flooring options are limited. Hardwood floors tend to transmit noise more than tile and are, as a result, hard to get approval for. Additionally, we are not thrilled with the existing baseboard heaters as they must be installed under windows, making for inefficient heating in our long living/dining/kitchen space. These tiles – together with radiant heat – seem to offer a good solution to all of these challenges.

  63. Awesome, awesome comments, everyone. Thanks to all who have it and are weighing in. I have two active boys and a large dog, and we live in Texas, and I love the look of hardwood. Maybe this is the answer to all my problems in life?!

  64. I love the herringbone pattern!! Such an interesting question about wood vs. wood tile. I love the look of the wood tile, and I think if wood wasn’t an option, I would consider the tile. However, I love it for bathrooms and laundry rooms – or maybe even a basement. I think my only sticking point is the sound of tile when you walk on it, and the fact that it’s cold vs. wood. But, this stuff definitely puts up a good argument, and I do love the look.

  65. I’ve seen some of this recently that was surprisingly nice! I’d be curious to see a cost comparison of the “wood” tile (+radiant heat because that’s a requirement for me) vs. real wood vs. other wood products or even cork.

  66. I actually really like the ideal of the look-alike tile. Sometimes I wonder if hardwood floors will ever go out of style (I feel like they did when carpets were big at one point).
    I think hardwoods (especially original) add value to a home, but eventually that may not always be the case. I may try it out with a small room like a bathroom or in the basement and see how we like it!

  67. I like the look of look alike tile, but I’d miss the ‘warmth’ of real wood. (And side note: next time you’re in Canada, you need to stop by ;) ) I think its a great product to use in entryways, mudrooms, wet areas… rooms where you would typically use tile. But using it en masse, say over a whole floor instead of hardwood, doesn’t feel like it would be as comfortable as hardwood or even laminate. I have tile in the kitchen and its not comfortable to stand on over long periods of time. I think this tile – or any tile – is best used for transition spaces or rooms where you won’t be standing a significant amount of time. Just my 2 cents!

  68. My husband installed Armstrong Alterna vinyl tile in our living room entrance, kitchen, laundry which is in our kitchen, and the entrance of our family April this year. We love it! It looks like tile, it is warm on the feet, comfortable to stand on, our dishes don’t break when dropped, easy to clean. We reviewed online comments from users and Consumer Reports sold us on this quality flooring product if anyone is interested. Just another option to check out.

  69. Well if you ever do tile in SLC hire my husband, he is the best! He will get your floors and glass tile super flat!! If you want proof/pictures, let me know!

  70. I’m not usually a fan of products that are made the look like the real thing, but I can see the practicality of tiles for bathrooms, entries or other areas where you don’t necessarily want real wood. My preference is to lay it in a herring bone pattern, rather than trying to copy hardwood in the plank pattern.

  71. I LOVE it!!! If you have a highly recommended professional install it, then I think it’s perfect!!

  72. We installed barn wood ceramic tiles in our home about three years ago. I chose these because of many of the reasons you suggested. Easy maintenance, great with kids and pets, great for our farm life with moisture and whatever else they drag in. Everyone who sees it thinks it is hardwood and they ALWAYS get down and feel it before they believe me. We matched the grout to the vintage wood and the seams disappear. I love everything about them. They are timeless and classic and I have to say I think they will improve resale value in any home. I would say to go with a lighter wood or a variegated pattern. Otherwise, you will constantly see dust in them and be annoyed. My final vote….DO IT! You won’t regret it.

  73. I love the idea of faux wood tile but you might regret it later. It’s faux after all. I recently got laminate floors which are beautiful and cheap but I wish I’d splurged for the real thing.

    Since you showed a like for herringbone, you might consider a gray herringbone tile instead. I saw this number on Pinterest today http://masontileandmarble.com.net-at-hand.com/bathroom-floor-2 Gorgeous!!

  74. We had this tile in our beach house and loved it! Ten years after building the home the tile still looked like new. Also, so easy to care for. We sold that home and bought a home in Va that had hardwood floors and I hated all the work to keep them looking nice. We had scratches and gouges in the hardwood that you don’t have to worry about with tile. The cost up front is more but they will never need refinishing and will last forever.

  75. We just finished remodelling our main floor — kitchen, living room, bath, office with a Dura plank product and we LOVE this! Hardwood was not practical with kids and a dog, plus I am not a fan of laminate flooring. Not to mention that our dishwasher just had a leaky hose and I am so glad our new flooring is water tight! Laminate would have been destroyed. I live in Canada also and according to all the flooring companies, this is being used a lot now.
    Good luck!

  76. We tiled our hallway in a dark ceramic scraped wood lookalike and it’s beautiful. Everyone thinks it’s real wood and it’s extremely durable just like a tile is. I can’t speak to resale value, but I’m in an area where that wouldn’t make or break a sale. We plan on tiling other rooms with it, and I’m looking to use other styles. The best part, it’s SO easy to keep clean. Highly recommended.

  77. Actually the first question one should ask is…………….is it green? when I remove it from my floors in five / ten years time how is it disposed of, can it be recycled or is landfill? is it far better to go faux and save a few tree’s my children’s children will appreciate? I know everyone does not like to address this and it is a bit of a kill joy but these question have to be asked now if we want a future for our children.

  78. thanks so much Kate !! I love the practicality of tile, and the prices of wood floor here is unbelievable. Hope i can install that in my new house :)
    with love from Indonesia

  79. We have an older house and most floors came with hard-wood which I love. Still, when rebuilding I for sure wanted a tile floor in the kitchen for cleaning reasons. Tiles are easy to clean, yes. In summer, with 30-40C outside, I like the cold feel. We did immediately install radiant heating which is a must in my opinion. I doubt it is such and extra cost, because we did not put up any radiators on the walls. Now I can walk around the house barefoot summer & winter.

    As for the fake-wood tiles, due to having the “real thing”, I decided against it. I’ve seen those tiles, considered them, but in the end I think the tiles should stay what they are. The feel of real hardwood is different and you can never get that with tiles I think. Plus, there are SO many pretty options in “regular” tiling, we eventually decided on a light, 60*60cm tile (Ragno Jazz) and I still love the look of it. (:

    I also wonder how much of a hype this wood-tile trend is, is it something that in 20 years will be something only grannies have?

  80. I think it would look great if it’s done well and especially with the thin grout lines, like you said. We’ve considered putting it in our front entry, but I wonder how it would look next to real hardwood in the rest of your home? If you need to replace all of the floors in the home you are buying, would you put hardwood in the rooms next to the ones with the ‘hardwood’ tiles? Just in a very different ‘finish’ so they wouldn’t compete? How would that work? I’d love some suggestions Kate. :)

  81. While I don’t like the idea of laminate that looks like wood, I DO like the idea of tile that looks like wood, particularly in bathrooms and kitchens, it offers more texture and feels a bit more authentic than laminate. It would definitely wear better in wet environments than real wood, but I am not sure I could embrace it in other living spaces, like you said it can be a bit cold and hard underfoot.

  82. I’ve never like the laminate flooring.. the one with the natural wood, it makes the place look more classy and elegant. I think the laminate flooring has and easier maintenance.. bu still :)

  83. What a great post!! A few months ago at a decorator’s show house I first saw the faux wood tile in a breakfast room, in a dark brown/charcoal gray plank. This was right up against real hard wood in a dark walnut stain and although the look was a bit different, it all blended and was gorgeous.

    We are in the early stages of an addition and will be replacing the flooring (old, messy looking slate) in the front hall and installing new floors in the enlarged kitchen and new breakfast room.

    My dilemma is which color of faux wood tile to choose… the rest of our house has hardwood throughout, in a honey-pine stain, and that is not going to change (I would prefer the darker walnut). The wood-look tile will be smack up against the real wood in several areas so I really need to get this one right. Any pointers? if anyone wants to email me directly I’d appreciate some pointers
    [email protected]

  84. I live in a century home (wonky floors) and run a private home daycare (lots of traffic, oozing children and toys toys toys). My entire house is done in the faux wood and I love it. As far as resale value, well there’s nothing like the real thing but, I do believe people are starting to embrace the idea AND they now make it look soooo good.

  85. Don’t forget about vinyl planks! We had them installed a few months ago and absolutely love it! No grout lines, waterproof, stands up to kids, pets, and notoriously shifty foundations in our area. We chose one that had distressing so you can feel the roughness and it doesn’t get cold like tile. Another great option for people on a budget!

  86. I love the look of wood look tile. We strongly considered it in our major remodel (still going on.) Some looks more authentic than others and you’ll be able to spot what you like right away. We ultimately decided to use real hard wood because the installation of the tile was going to cost so much. We were able to negotiate the tiles down to $3.50 a square foot, but underlayment and installation were going to triple that. We purchased real hardwood for $4.29 a square foot in wide hand scraped planks. Since it just takes felt underlayment and DH knows how to do it so the costs stop there. We were talking about a lot of square feet, so the price was a major consideration. Also, one thing we learned while shopping–to get that real hardwood look you need to use 1/16th inch grout lines with unsanded grout. If you are hiring the work done, this increases the cost since the larger grout spaces can help adjust a floor that gets slightly off square as the tiler works. There’s no room for imperfection with the smaller grout lines, but the smaller lines are essential to a real wood look.

    • Thanks Angela for the tips on installation, yes precision will be key and the labor increases the price, but we’re pretty good at tile work or we can help with the install to keep costs down. The home is split level so the tile would be in the entry, kitchen, breakfast nook and living room and we’d use hardwood in the family room and master bedroom on different levels…. I’m so thankful for all of this feedback!

  87. We currently live in CA and we love it! We installed in on our entire first floor and it looks amazing as well as stands up to a one and two year old who can drag and drop anything and I don’t have to worry. We love it so much that we are also using it in a house we are building in UT!

  88. My husband and I just built our dream home, so we have looked at all the options in depth. Wood look alike tile is gorgeous and practical. On the plus side: gorgeous, easy to maintain, can hide dirt (until you get to it), ultra-durable. On the negative side: can be cold (do instal radiant heating on a timer in bathrooms and areas you will walk around in bare feet … it’s pricier in the short run, but you will love it); the house echos if you have too much of it. Keep it classic. No patterns other than what you would do with a real wood floor. For resale value and comfort under your feet (tile can be hard on your feet and back when you stand on it for a long time (such as when making endless meals for the family), hardwood is still the way to go. It’s classic, never goes out of style, can be refinished, warm on the feet. My choice was to use it in our mudroom and bathrooms. Hardwood is throughout the rest of our home. (Our last home also had it and the floor is still looking good 16 years, three boys, and one active Australian Shepherd later. Good luck!

  89. I installed the wood look vinyl plank floating floor 4 years ago in my living room. It’s so great with my dogs that I also installed it in my kitchen, master bedroom and master bath. It is installed directly over a concrete slab. It is not horribly cold in the winter, it is holding up great so far, everyone that sees it thinks it’s real wood, and it is quiet. Best yet, I installed it all by myself. No special tools are required. My neighbors think it looks so great that two of them installed it too!

  90. We installed Cerim wood-look porcelain tile years ago in a master bath reno and it still looks fabulous! We used the ‘Ellinton’ color which looks great with the cherry furniture in the adjoining master bedroom.

  91. I sell real estate in Sacramento and came across this “faux wood” flooring about five years ago and was amazed and the quality of reproduction in texture, color and richness. When I saw it I knew they we on to something. Two years ago we installed it in our kitchen laundry area since we could only really have tile due to the issue of water. I love the look of hardwood floors in kitchens and baths but quite frankly have seen very few that hold up to exposure to water and time. Our floors have held up magnificently and people are shocked to find out it is ceramic tile, not wood. I now recommend this type of flooring to clients for its durability, cost and ease of installation. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE real hardwoods, but when wood is not a viable option it is good to know there is a great alternative that can provide the same warmth, look and feel. Plus, wood-tile has the added benefit of not having to refinish, worried about scuffs, or rough and tumble kids and pets. In addition, it does not have the limited life that come with laminate floorings. There is nothing more unattractive that walking into a home for sale and seeing faded laminate from windows and bad raised plastic floor joints that hold laminate floors down–and not to mention the clicking sound when you walk on them.

    Buyers notice these things and the response to the tile has been nothing but good. Good luck with your decision. Look forward to here more….

    Dawn in Sac

    • Thank you Dawn, we’re thinking about resale a few years down the road once the improvements are complete so that’s definitely an important issue!

  92. We installed “wood” porcelain tile in a covered patio/outdoor room and love it! It looks like hardwood, but can stand up to the outdoor elements. We have hardwood inside, and picked something in the same look, though a little lighter. They are not right next to each other, but you can see one room from the other and they do not look weird in the same line of sight. We opted for one that was fairly distressed, since we have a pool and didn’t want any slipping accidents, and it has been great. We are currently working on remodeling the rest of the back yard, and are actually carrying the tile out onto the patio to connect that spaces. People are always startled that it isn’t actual wood.

  93. Hi Kate, I agree with you about the lookalike wood tile. I love it! Our neighbors installed it throughout their whole house I believe. After seeing it, I noticed it in a restaurant also! I think it’s a smart idea because it’s more durable. Our neighbor mentioned that it’s more expensive but if you do it yourself, that is not an issue!

  94. We have real hardwood in our home along with carpet. A year ago we remodeled our master bath and opted for the wood tile and I couldn’t be more pleased with it. We even carried it over into our walk in shower. Our tile man cut it into tiny 2×2 squares and tiled the entire shower floor. On the main bathroom floor we did a simple side by side plank. We also opted for the radiant heat underneath. We live in Michigan and have some pretty cold winters so we were thrilled to be able to have the option of warming it up underfoot. We also turned it sideways and used it as our baseboard trim as opposed to a real wood baseboard trim. It really is a beautiful product.

  95. We’ve been looking at tile a lot lately as we’re having our front and back porches tiled with slate and porcelain. I had a chance to look at so, so many options and the wood look is gorgeous. Personally, I don’t think it would work in our space but I just love it.

  96. I have the wood plank ceramic tiles in my bathroom. It was a nightmare to lay down. In fact I had to scrap the project and start again. The floor must be absolutely level. No give whatsoever. The first planks I installed were 12 x 18. The longer and Skinner the tiles the harder it is. You need a special leveling wedge not those spacers to keep the tile level at both ends. It was one big mess. I am not new to installing tiles, I have done the entryway, kitchen, utility room and another bathroom.

    I ended up releveling the floor, bought 24×12 tiles, used the leveling wedge and finally it looks great. I spoke to a tile person, and he said I chose the hardest tiles to lay down. I must say it looks fantastic, but I would never want to try and do a big space DIY, I would hire someone.
    Oh I love the funky shaped tiles above, where can these be purchased? I have never seen them anywhere.

  97. I love the look, but it is COLD. My parents have it all through their house and it makes the whole house so cold. You have to wear socks all the time.

  98. The wood look tile was a great compromise at our house. We have had real wood floors for the past 8 or 9 years and they took a beating…..we don’t have pets or children at home but dropped keys, TV remotes and just plain old tracked in dirt took a toll on the look of the beautiful wood. We recently purchased an older home to remodel and began the debate of what flooring to install. My husband was adamant that he wanted the wood…..but I questioned the ability to keep it looking like new as this home has more indoor/outdoor traffic than our previous residence. About the time we needed to make our selection the longer 36inch planks became available with the hand scraped look. We made the choice to install this product in our entry, den and dining room…….I just love it. For us it is the best of both worlds, we have the dark rich color and grain pattern of the wood with a floor that is easy to keep and durable. It may not work for everyone and I appreciate the “real” vs “faux” debate….I usually stick to the “real” as well…………but at this time in our lives for this particular home….it’s a winner. The floors do have to be completely level, especially with the longer planks, but we were fortuante to find an excellent installer who did a wonderful job. I vote thumbs up!

  99. I’ve never heard of tile that looks like wood until now! Thanks for introducing me to a new product. It’s beautiful, and I would imagine it would be very easy to care for. I love the look with little to no grout line–I never would have thought that it wasn’t wood! Wouldn’t radiant heat underneath be wonderful?

  100. I fought long and hard to get tile that looked like wood installed in our kitchen. But because we were converting it back to a rental property the possibility of moving back into our house when we moved home was highly unlikely. So instead we used up the remaining engineered flooring we had. Now that we are moving home and back into our house! I told my husband I am ripping up the flooring and installing the tile that looks like wood. I have hardwood floors throughout all three stories of our house, but our main entrance into the house is off the kitchen and hardwood floors would just take a beating from the ice melt we use in the winter.

    Ps I know I have been on vacation for a while and haven’t caught up on all my blog reading, but are you moving to SLC (Salt Lake City)?

    Still loving your blog after all these years!!!

    • No not moving Jill, just investing! My sis lives there so we are looking at purchasing a house together – she’s the resident ! Real estate is SO much more affordable in SLC than where I live!

  101. I’d never heard of this before. It is gorgeous AND practical! We have neighbors who replaced wood flooring with ceramic tile in their large entry and adjoining office, bath, and kitchen (with radiant heat below). Because the tile picks up colors in the rest of their decor, it looks as good as or maybe better than the wood. Whodathunk?

    Thanks for the eye-opener on this “new thing,” as always. By the way, I love your writing style too, all the practical tips, and all the beautiful ideas. Even when I get busy and don’t have much time for blog reading, I always find myself coming back here. You have been a huge source of inspiration and help. Thank you! : )

  102. I have a love affair with wood!!! I too considered the wood look alike ~ but I am on my feet the 16 hours I am awake (I know, working on that with trying to learn how to relax) and my legs would be shot!! I’ve lived with tile in my last house and I just couldn’t do it again. ESPECIALLY in the kitchen were I am on my feet the most. I do think the look alike looks beautiful, but its not for me. I had engineered wood before and I would NEVER do that agin either. This time we went with thick real hickory. Even in the kitchen. BEST investment we EVER made. We got the character grade with knots and dings, and we have 2 dogs, 2 teenagers with tons of people in and out, and we live VERY HARD. Real wood ‘heals’ itself. REAL WOOD HANDS DOWN!!

  103. I am so excited to see this post, because I’m currently in the process of picking a wood-look tile for our basement remodel! We definitely wanted to go with tile in our basement – wood on a concrete basement floor is a no-no, and I’ve heard of lots of people who have problems with vinyl peeling up at the seams when installed on concrete. Wood-look tile was the perfect solution for us; it can stand up to a potentially moist basement floor and still have the warm look of wood!

    My husband was skeptical because most wood-look tile planks are wider and shorter than a normal hardwood plank and he thought it might look strange, but after visiting Disney World a couple months ago – we were both sold. Disney has installed wood-look tile in numerous places throughout the park (most notably in the new Fantasyland expansion) and not only did it look incredible, it easily stands up to hundreds of people walking over it every day. I almost went to Guest Relations to find out who the manufacturer was!

  104. I installed this in my 1st floor bath a year ago…dark Walnut “woos” tile, with creamy white vanity and white subway tile..very simple-My contractor didn’t like it, and many people thought it was a bad idea. (The one issue I had was with the grout lines-it should be laid with tight grout lines to make it look more realistic, and less “tile-ey”.)

    I love it (I knew I would)-everyone that sees the bathroom comments on the floor (all very positive!). I love real wood floors, but in certain applications, this tile is the way to go.

    I’ve also noticed many restaurants at the Jersey Shore using this flooring in their Post-Sandy renovations.

  105. My husband and I saw it in Home Depot and were amazed at how much it resembled wood. The gym where I work out had hardwood (I thought) in the dressing room. When I reached down to touch it to see if it was real, I found out it was tile! It fooled me!

  106. I love the ceramic wood-look tile. The warmth and richness of wood without all the scratches from dogs and kids. It might be a little colder (literally not hold heat as well) than wood, but I think that can be overcome by area rugs and draperies, among other textiles.

  107. So glad you posted this! We just installed “wood tiles” in our mudroom and love it so much we are installing it in our new master bathroom addition. We are heating the floor, so no cold feet for us! Needless to say we are loving this look of wood and the durability of tile.

  108. Great post and comments! We are building a home in a few years on a lot we recently purchased, and I’m already collecting great ideas for it. Your post and comments have definetly got the wheels turning here! We will have a walk out basement…..and this wood tile would be great for that area! I’ve also seen it out at stores and restaurants and think it is a very modern look. And thanks for the tip about the heated floors as well! I’ve just heard about you’re blog but will be continuing to keep up with it!

  109. A local Restaraunt has tile wood effect floor and even though I love it it is super slippery when wet!! I’ve seen many of the staff who serve outdoors come in and almost go over.

  110. I just started installing the vinyl that looks like wood and I really love how it looks and I especially like how super easy it was to install. http://jennnash.typepad.com/blog/2013/07/master-bath-progress-i-have-a-floor.html

    It’s easy on the feet and doesn’t require an underlayment or glue. I love those inspiration pictures you have too. I thought about getting the glue down version and laying it in a herringbone pattern, but I went with a regular straight install in the end for the easy and quick install. good luck with your choice!

  111. I was excited to see your post on wood look tile! I work for a tile distributor and have the fun job of selecting tile that we import and distribute. It’s so interesting to see the comments of homeowners. We too were initially skeptical of tile that looks like wood. In our territory real wood floor is very popular for the residential market. Commercially we have seen lots of interest – retail, car dealerships and the high end hotels have been using it for quite some time! You can not beat porcelain tile for durability!

    The tile industry has made dramatic advances in the last five years. Digital ink jet technology allowed factories to produce tile that looks exactly like stone. They quickly moved to replicating wood and it is amazing what is now coming out of the Italian factories. When we traveled to Cersaie last September the wood look DOMINATED the market with most factories presenting multiple wood look collections. The hottest selling trend in Europe is definitely wood look tile. So if you are considering using tile – shop around and you will be able to find the look that will work for your space. We have a awesome new one that arrives next week and I have 23 planks sitting outside my office to review! As a teaser – Italy is always designing and the newest idea is a mixed graphic concept (wood, concrete, stone) SUPER EXCITING!

  112. I’ll bet that there are great ‘reclaimed’ looking options that would make a cool paneled wall/backsplash options that would be very fun!!

  113. I have the exact one in the second picture! We installed it about 4 years ago throughout my living area and kitchen’s open floor plan. We absolutely LOVE everything about it! This was the best option for us because we live in a ranch so any hardwood was going to dull and wear out and need to refinished too often for us since the layout is pretty much one path.

    It’s also super easy to clean!!

    Our heating system is right below in the center of our home so it actually keeps our floors awesomely warm in the winter.

    Since ours, 3 of our friends have gotten it!

  114. Used this in a clients vacation home in Lake Tahoe and it is amazing…cannot tell the difference and will stand up to all those snow boots so much better than real wood

  115. We are getting wood looking ceramic tiled installed in most of the house next week. I am so excited to have it throughout the house with a 4 year old and 5 big dogs! Cost was cheaper than hardwood and the no maintenance and ease of clean up sold it for us.

  116. I love the look of the faux wood tiles I’ve seen and I love the list of advantages, but I personally can’t get over the old fashioned idea that things should look like what they are. I think I’d rather have tile that looks like tile or real hardwood.

  117. I loved reading this post shortly after we decided to use wood tile in our home. We had water damage and have to replace the kitchen and bathroom floors (they share a wall… the leak started in the bathroom)… and after talking to our clean up guy, he said tile is by far the best because of the water issue. So we are going for it and I couldn’t be more excited!

  118. I live in a loft condo in an old brick high school building. I’m on the ground floor and currently have hardwood floors that were installed on the concrete slab. I have a lot of cupping and buckling because of the moisture. I have been thinking about cork flooring as an alternative when my hardwoods get so bad that I have to replace them. However, you have opened my eyes to another option. Considering the absolute moisture impermiability of porcelain tile, it might be just the thing for my 1,000 sq ft loft. Since I live in Georgia, the coolness would be a plus in the summer, but I would probably want to have the floors heated for winter time. Considering that even without A/C in the hot, southern summers, my place already stays about 77-81 degrees, and will stay about 65 in the winter even without the furnace going, I will probably save enough on my electric bill to defray some of the costs!

  119. If you
    Live in a seaside place ( i do -toooons of sand and dust) in a 10-month summer country ( Greece)
    Have kids
    Have a (rather stupid) dog
    Love your house aesthetic but not so much its maintenance
    Keep your windows open 24/7
    THEN YES
    These tiles are perfect!
    Super easy to clean, in fact dirt and spills dont even show, cool on your feet in summer and for said dog (and far away from my all white sofa). I warm it up during winter with area rugs that I love.
    The installation price here is actually a lot cheaper than hardwood’s but I think that it pays off over time since no refinishing or special cleaning products are required.

  120. I fought long and hard to get wood look tile in our home! We used Interceramic’s Sunwood collection in Cowboy Brown in the 6×24 size. I can’t attest to durability yet as the floor was just grouted last week, but my tile guy was able to have very little leftovers after laying 2100sf. He did a random pattern and any cuts were utilized in other areas and it looks amazing. It was a bit expensive but real hardwoods and vinyl were not an option with a 150lb Great Dane and young son with lots of friends visiting. We live in South Texas so we don’t have to worry about under floor heating.

  121. We had the tile that looks like your second picture installed in the bedrooms in a second home in central FL. We were advised against using any laminate or real wood because of the humidity. I wanted something durable and easy to keep clean. And I wanted to make sure that we would not have any water damage. I do wish my installer had used thinner grout lines, but otherwise, we love it. Got it at Lowes. When we had a guest visit, he could not believe it was not real wood. He had to keep touching it. He now has decided to use it on a porch on a house he is building. It adds much more of a warmer look to the bedrooms than an 18×18 whitish typical square tile would, and suits the country where the house is located.

  122. We homeschool our 5 children so are at our house 7 days a week. We installed hardwood looking tile in our dining room and continued it down the hall. We’ve had nothing but compliments about it, and it is so durable. We installed it touching on all sides, so there is very little grout involved. We love it and would never go back to hardwood in a high traffic area again. Ours is still sold at Lowes and was so reasonably priced compared to hardwood. Because we live in the South, cold feet are not often a problem!

  123. Hi! We appreciate the mention in your blog and your post, “lookalike wood”, but I thought I would point out that our product is actually solid engineered wood! The tiles are actually real wood, not a porcelain or composite product. I can appreciate the functionality of faux wood products, but there is nothing remotely close to the actual real thing. All the best! Jamie

    • So great to know Jamie, thanks for the correction, must have not read that correctly, your wood shapes are gorgeous!

  124. Great post! I was gonna say that they were actually engineered wood but Jamie beat me to it. Anyway, keep up the great posts. Get a ton of DIY inspiration from here.

  125. Installing tile that looks like wood seems like it would be great for kitchens and bathrooms. Like you mentioned, tile is more water resistant than hardwood flooring and it is more durable, so you wouldn’t have to worry about scratching (especially if you have active dogs running around your home.)

  126. We’re installing some in our basement next week! Delivery is on its way. I like the texture. Plus, our basement unfortunately floods periodically. We had to rip out carpeting. The concrete floor could have been prettied up, but it’s still concrete. I wanted the space to feel cozy for a media room. Wood tile seemed the perfect solution.

  127. I should add, I wouldn’t put it on the main floors of our house. For resale, people expect real wood floors in our neighborhood.

  128. Has anyone used the wood tile extensively in their home in cold areas? We’re considering this for a home in Lake Tahoe and comfort during cold months is our only concern.

    • Hi Barbara, we just installed it in our Las Vegas fixer and we love it there in the desert. In Tahoe because of the snowy climate, I would definitely install radiant heat underneath !
      Kate

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