Wood Effect Porcelain tiles? Or Wood flooring?

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Wood effect tiles seem to be getting better and better with the designs now looking very realistic. What would you choose for an open plan Kitchen/Family Room; Wood effect porcelain tiles, or Real/Engineered wood flooring?

Featured Answer

Victoria

9 years ago

I'm having wood effect porcelain throughout the house. Don't want to have to look after wood.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (16)

Tom Flanagan
9 years ago
I'll always go for the real thing - it's wood flooring for me!
User
9 years ago
I have wood but I occasionally wish I had porcelain tiles, not only are they so realistic but they are much cheaper and so easy to clean!
Related Discussions
Where to buy indoor/outdoor porcelain wood effect floor tiles
Q
Comments (3)
Good evening Iveta, even we are not based on your area we would love to help find you a solution for your extension and outdoor space. There are multiple options for what you need but first of all there are a few questions to ask. 1. What are you hoping to install the tiles on externally? 2. Do you need a grip finish (advisable with children or if there is chance for build up on the tiles) 3. Are you looking for a 10mm internal and 20mm external tile? I think we have a 300x1200 20mm plank available to us with a 10mm internal option which isn't currently on our website. We would be more than happy to send you samples down to have a look at and offer further advise on your installation. Please take a look at the link here to a few of our wood effect tile collections. http://www.casaceramica.co.uk/style/wood/ You can contact us through the site and we'll offer up further suggestions and answer any questions you may have. We will look forward to hearing from you.
...See More
kitchen flooring - grey tile or wood effect tile
Q
Comments (7)
The tiles were lifting by the patio doors, so they lifted 2 rows and then realised they couldn't get the same shade of tile. We also then found out they had laid ceramic rather than porcelain, so other houses had reported lots of chips in the tile - so they agreed to take up several houses floors!
...See More
Has anyone used porcelain wood effect tiles in the shower?
Q
Comments (6)
Hi Suzanne, yes, I have done this, but sadly can’t find a photograph of it! it was in a new build in a long narrow room where the shower was at the end so I tiled the whole floor including the shower try and carried the tiles up the back wall of the shower, it worked really well as the ’planks’ added visual width to the room.
...See More
Grout colour for wood effect porcelain tiles
Q
Comments (6)
I think it all depends on the look that you are going for - with these tiles, I too would be tempted to colour match as closely as you could, however it also depends on the style and wider context of the house. I have a Victorian house and old battered boards in our living room - they have gaps between the boards which effectively almost look black. When we did wood effect tiles in our en-suite, I bought similar coloured tiles and then used a dark anthracite grout to get the same effect as the living room. However the tiles you have chosen are a different style - they’re a lovely fresh contemporary wood effect compared to my old battered boards, so a more neutral colour that blends in would look fab!
...See More
PRO
IT Tiles
9 years ago
We are biased here but the standard of wood effect porcelain is incredible now (at the right end of the market). If you have underfloor heating then I'd say definitely go for porcelain, also for maintenance and hygiene reasons.The real thing also has many positives though so it's all about where your priorities lie.
house mad
8 years ago
im thinking of them at min
PRO
First Floors
8 years ago
Porcelain can be very cold underfoot, especially in winter, so we tend to find that real wood is a much more popular option for customers.
PRO
TimberZone Design Ltd
8 years ago
100% Wood Flooring. You can change the colour if you like after few years and it will be brand new again.
PRO
Porcelanosa Leeds Designer
8 years ago
It has to be porcelain wood effect. So many different colours and prints now.
tamp75
8 years ago
Depends on where you're using it. We've just had wood effect tiles put on our bathroom floor (& Prob good for a kitchen) but wouldn't use them throughout a living area. Underfloor heating is a must with tiles. Another thing to consider is the acoustics - lots of echo with lots of tiling, wood absorbs sound better.
PRO
Casa Ceramica Tile Company
8 years ago
I think it does come down to personal preference, some people just don't like the fact that the tile is pretending to be wood but as others have said tiles work brilliantly with underfloor heating. There are wood effect porcelains available now where you literally can't tell the difference and providing they are installed correctly they will outlast the wood by far, a good quality tile will not scratch or wear and cleaning is easy without worrying about damaging the floor. We have a great selection for you to get some inspiration from Wood effect porcelain please do let us know if we can be of further help.
PRO
Woodpecker Flooring
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Hi Christopher, we think there's nothing quite like having that natural look and feel beneath your feet. Engineered wood flooring is great for underfloor heating and can add real value to the home.
PRO
Inhouse Designs
7 years ago
Porcelain tiles would be practical in the kitchen area but not great on comfort for the living area. Underfloor heating is a must with porcelain tiles. Have you looked at wood effect Amtico. This gives the best of both worlds- fantastically realistic wood effect, easy to clean and maintain and softer than porcelain which will provide better comfort and acoustics.
Lily F
7 years ago
i'd go for the engineered wood if you have radiators, and the wood-effect tiles if you have underfloor heating.
PRO
The Tile People Ltd
7 years ago
This is a question i get asked all the time. We sell miles of Wood Effect Porcelain Tiles for anything from a small cloakroom floor to huge living spaces. Like someone said Porcelain is Cold to touch where as the real thing, not as much. Most of the Builds we supply it to are installing Water underfloor heating throughout the areas its being fixed to so you avoid this problem.

With the phenomenal technology being used to create these tiles they are now available in Lengths of up to 1700, they are looking more and more authentic. With hundreds of factories around the globe all giving it their best shot there really are some true stunners that not only fool the eye but the touch too.

The positives of Porcelain really outweigh the negatives, no warping, no swelling, no staining or scratching. We once had a customer that replaced her traditional wood with porcelain because it was so much easy to look after and she didn't need to worry about her cleaner using the wrong product and staining it. Be careful with Amtico as they are not all UV protected and can fade.

Take a look at our http://www.houzz.co.uk/projects/2107824/wood-effect-tiles-dolphin-wood for just a small insight into how Porcelain effect tiles can really transform any area of the home.

Hope this helps.
PRO
Floors of Stone
7 years ago
For a kitchen, we'd recommend wood effect porcelain - it's much easier in terms of up keep, it's waterproof so doesn't matter if you spill things on it, can be easily cleaned, it's really hard-wearing so great if you have a busy household and you can use it with underfloor heating if you're worried about it being cold.

We've had a customer use real wood in their hallway which has lead straight through to their kitchen, where they've use our Aged Oak Porcelain and you could barely tell which was the real wood!

There has been huge improvements in technology and design, so with our range you get lots of different patterns, with knot and grain detail, as well as a textured surface, which truly make the tiles look like real wood.
PRO
Wood4Floors
7 years ago
I would recommend wood flooring.