Do you love the look of hardwood flooring but aren’t sure whether the real thing is the right fit for your custom home? There are lots of other options, such as LVP and laminate. In recent years though, wood-look tile flooring has become a popular choice for people that are looking for an alternative to real hardwood. Like any flooring option, there are advantages and disadvantages to wood-look tile. Our custom home builders broke down all the pros and cons to help you decide whether this is the right flooring choice for your custom home!
Pros of Wood-Look Tile Flooring
More Durable
The biggest advantage wood-look tile has over real hardwood is durability. Tile is much harder to stain, scratch, and gouge than hardwood. Tile is also water-resistant, meaning you can run wood-look tile into bathrooms and kitchens without worrying about warping like you would have to with hardwood. Of course, unlike real hardwood, if you do end up with scratches and chips on your wood-look flooring it’s not as easy to refinish.
Cost-Effective
Real hardwood can be quite pricey, which is why many people seek alternatives. Tile is more budget-friendly than real hardwood, so if you’re looking for ways to cut back on your custom home using wood-look tile is a great option.
Easy Maintenance
Real hardwood requires some maintenance and special cleaning supplies. With wood-look tile flooring maintenance and cleaning is a breeze. You won’t need to invest in any special supplies or tools, you can simply sweep and mop the floor like any other tile.
Cons of Wood-Look Tile Flooring
Cold and Hard
A big reason people love real hardwood is that it’s softer underfoot and has warmth to it. Unfortunately, wood-look tile is still tile at the end of the day. It is much harder and colder, which can be a problem during Canada’s cold winters. Older people or those with young kids may also dislike the hardness of tile.
Looks
Wood-look tile does mimic the look of hardwood, but most tiles don’t actually end up looking like the real thing. In fact, if you really want to get a tile that looks like real hardwood it may end up costing more than the real thing. You also have to consider grout lines, which can easily get dirty. Wood-look tile flooring has tons of benefits, but at the end of the day it’s still tile and it won’t look exactly like real hardwood.
Difficult Installation
Installing wood-look tile is definitely not a DIY project. Installation can be tricky, especially when you have to account for things such as grout lines, lippage, and more. Laying out wood-look tile should be left to professionals if you want it to even remotely look like the real thing.
