Wood floors vs. Ceramic "wood" look tiles

[Nonbryan 176]

I'm thinking about putting in wood floors or something like it in my house.  I ran in to my neighbor the other day and he said he put in the wood tiles and that they are cheaper and better.  Anyone have any experience or good insights on this topic?  As well, if you have a good installer, I would love the referral.  Thanks.

[LebongJames 1900]

We went with wood like tile because we have big dogs and at our last place with wood floors it got destroyed. I like the look but I like real wood more. 

[Stella Link 535]

If you go with tile that looks like wood, go to the tile stores versus Home Depot or Lowe's.  Better selection and the quality is definitely better. The tiles even feels like wood. 

I have French doors that have a tendency to leak....I'm replacing carpet with tile that looks like wood.  Even laminates that look like wood look great....have a neighbor that installed laminate flooring and it really looks and feels just like wood.  

[RowdyVic 106]

Go with the tile. Wood is more expensive and requires more maintenance. If the wood(real) isn't sealed well the moisture will cause it to start warping, shrinking, and expanding on ya. Especially in a pier/beam home! You will have to sand it, stain it, and seal it again. Pain in the ass..bud!

 

[Jkwellborn 7006]

Fuck real wood floors. Get the tile and some extra in case they break down the road.

[Catpfish 618]

Also go with the darkest grout you can.  I think it looks like shadowing and gives it more "depth" on the very thin grout lines...also hides dirt better

 

[Austinvines 318]

We re-tiled our downstairs last summer with the wood-like tile. Downstairs was a mix wood, 12" tile and carpet and we wanted a unified look. The house had wood in the kitchen when we moved in and it was damaged in the wet areas by the sink, dw, fridge and back door. We have a pool now and definitely wanted tile to not worry about wet kids or dogs going through the kitchen.

We went with a very dark tile and very dark grout. We originally we wanted a 42" plank but they were back-ordered so ended up with a 32" x 6" one. They look and feel great. Ours are just ceramic, but you can pay extra for one that has the same color all the way through. I guess in case they chip it won't show a white spot underneath? We have abused the tile by moving plenty of heavy and sharp footed furniture around and the tile stands up fine.

 If you have the means, solid wood floors that can be refinished time and time again will last as long as the house. You will pay a lot to have them and if you have wet areas, you will hate seeing the damage that will absolutely happen unless you are meticulous with spills, over-spray, etc. If you are just going to get an engineered wood floor installed that has limited abilitly to be refinished [think about refinishing those very popular hand scraped floors with all the character] you are better off going tile.

 

[deadshank 24654]

Are we talking ceramic wood-look vs. real wood floors on screeds or comparing ceramic wood-look to engineered wood or laminates?

I've seen plenty of CWL used and it looks pretty good and would be good for bathrooms, laundry / utility rooms and the like.  Sometimes it looks trendy and could potentially go out of favor and look dated.

Real wood floors on screeds are classics but can't be used in houses that aren't specifically built to receive them.