You have to decide on your floors. So, are you going to replace your current floor or are you moving into a new home?
Choose what you like, you have to live in it. Your future buyers may even dislike both.

What kind of climate is in the area? For warmer areas this is great because its also very cooling. If its just a fad in your area and will die down than maybe you should go with something that's more timeless.

We will probably be selling in the next couple years. We bought this house as a short sale and in need of a lot of repair. Our current floors are a mixture of tile, parquet and carpet. I love hardwood and I would like it through most of the house but I don't think I want it in the kitchen, laundry room or bathrooms. I would love to use this wood looking tile but I don't think it would look good up next to real hardwood floors so I thought about just running the wood look tiles through out.

Also, Im in Southern Indiana and it's cold here a lot.

You might ask your contractor about the possibility of using radiant heat beneath your floors if a cold feel is a concern. Also consider the slip factor in your tile selection since you must cope with snow and rain in your area. I am completely tiling my home, but I live in California where the cool surface will be more appreciated since we have more sunny, hot weather.

I love the look of the 1st pic - what is the name of this tile?

We are also planning to use wood-look tile since our dogs would ruin real wood. This looks best with the tightest grout lines possible. Grout shade should also disappear into tile color.

Jennifer:
I prefer wood also, especially when it's cold (I live in Canada) so....

I agree with not putting wood in the bathrooms or laundry rooms because of the moisture. But I just replaced all my tiled living room, kitchen and halls with a pewter maple and I love , love, love it. What a difference - especially in the kitchen - no more hard, cold floors. The flooring is now consistent and my 1000 sq. ft bungalow looks like it gained another 500 sq ft.

I used to be a Snaidero kitchen designer and recommended wood floors to all my clients, they have never regretted putting in the wood - in fact they love that it's so easy on the legs and feet. Easy to clean (no grout).

The wood would also help with resale.

Another option that is gaining ground in the real estate industry is luxury vinyl plank. Looks like wood, more cost effective and very durable. Don't let the word vinyl scare you off. It is an amazing product. Here are just couple of homes we have done.

Where is the parquet and where is the tile? If you are selling in the near future, those two floorings can be cleaned up. Maybe you should think of replacing the carpet with something like Mohawk Smart Strand, using the SmartSense padding. I have used this a number of times when other options just couldn’t work. Look at the warranty for this brand. Remember, you are not in this house for the long haul.

Hi---I love wood looking porcelain tile and think it's a wise choice for flooring throughout a home. If you're concerned about it being cold, then definitely install the radiant heating. Resale value is great, as it's virtually maintenance free---next best thing to natural stone. Hope this is helpful. Good Luck!
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I think you are correct about not putting wood look tile next to real wood flooring. Go for a more plain tile keeping in mind the color of the real wood floor. The wrong color would look bad.

I am only worried about the tile in relation to your location. If your house were in Florida or anywhere else in the south, southwest, or lower midwest I think you'd be fine. But hardwoods and engineered hardwoods are much more desirable for resale in northern states like my own (Ohio), and I would assume that Indiana is similar (?). I would never buy a house in my area with tile floors throughout, wood look or otherwise, even with radiant heating beneath. So since you are only staying for a couple of years and resale is an issue, check with local realtors to see whether the perceived popularity of wood look tile in your area is translating solidly into the real estate market. If so, then go for it if you like it. If not, then stay away. But don't put real wood and wood tile next to each other. Your instincts are right that it will diminish the realistic effect of the tile.

Thanks for all the great advise. This is a tough decision.!!

Ward designs, you asked about the tile in the first picture. If by first picture, you mean the one I posted, it's this http://www.lowes.com/pd_613223-66607-PORP6X24T_0__?productId=50244769&Ntt=wood+look+ceremic+tile&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dwood%2Blook%2Bceremic%2Btile&facetInfo=

If you decide to use the porcelain tiles then remove the parquet floor and run it throughout the house. People tend to favor carpet in bedrooms, so if that's where you have it, keep it.
As I mentioned before, there is little maintenance for this type of flooring. Never have to worry about it getting wet and warping, nor having to have it refinished---it's pet friendly, strong, and durable. Have Fun! :)

Jennifer, I was asking about the tile pics posted by DirectBuy of Fort Worth - the Daltile samples in the master bedroom photo. thx!

If you are planning on selling in two years, as your potential buyer I would prefer you put in a medium grade carpet and just have a lower sales price. After purchase, I would want to upgrade myself for my choice. In a cold climate I wouldn't want a tile floor without radiant heat beneath.

I wouldn't put tile throughout unless you lived in Florida. Tile is durable, but so is stone or concrete; and it walks and stands like stone or concrete.

Don't know if you remember my earlier comment where I replaced all my tile with wood, but I'll tell you one thing -- it was a lot of work and I did it myself because it would have cost over $5K and I wouldn't have had the money for the wood floor.
I will never buy a house with tile all over it again. Tile gets outdated with new colors, styles etc. So does carpet and yes, wooden floors too. However, carpet and wood are easy to replace -- not like tile.

Homes with wood and carpeted floors are easier to sell. Talk to a realtor about resale improvements before you make any decisions -- you'd be surprised what they have to offer.

a lot of tile will probably hurt resale in that area.

I live in MN and hate very much cold tile. Regardless, I would have only carpet in bedrooms. Leave tile to the baths, entries and halls. Wood looking tile seems the worst to me. Either it is tile or it is wood.

Thanks again for all your advise. A few of you have confirmed my concern so I am going to stick with real hardwood next to a lighter tile in the bathrooms and laundry. I also forgot to mention that it is two story and already has hardwood upstairs. It currently has the black and white checkered tile in the laundry room that I hate and Im totally dreading ripping it out. I totally get that it would be a pain for someone else to have to remove tile that they didn't like throughout the house. You have made me see the light :)

Ward Designs, could you please provide a link, or tell us the brand name of the pewter maple wood flooring that you used? Also, did you have to glue or nail it down, or was it a "click-lock" product? Thanks!

3" solid maple, nailed. The color I created myself and I can't remember the name of the hardwood supplier. I looked for my receipt but couldn't find it. Sorry! However, you can go to any flooring place and get them to mix a stain for you.

Hey Jennifer - I know you made the right decision - good luck with your renos. Hope you let us see the final results (before/after)..

Ok, let's play with the laundry room now. Black and white tile is pretty timeless and classic. Is it in good shape?

Click on to see full floor!

Resale is important but only one issue. If you really need this type of flooring then proceed by all means. Think about how you live rather than what the people in your area do. Perhaps you should put hardwood floors in your LR and DR, and the tile type in others such as the entry, kitchen or mud room. No one wants to Iive in a house where everyone is doing the same thing. You wouldn't want to wear the same outfit as your neighbor if you were at a party together, right?

Yes, the black and white tile in the laundry room is in excellent shape but I just can't bring myself to like it. Also, the laundry room is right next to the kitchen and I don't want two different tiles next to each other. I'll post some pictures when I get off work.

I'm sure you will feel the value of solid hardwood once it is in and finished. In cold climates nothing sells better/faster/for more money than solid hardwood. The only way tile works in cold climates = in-floor radiant heating. Once you factor in the extra cost of product and installation for the radiant heating you have just purchased and installed a beautiful solid hardwood.

I've had many clients in Canada regret their in-floor heated tile/concrete floors. They changed their floors in less than 7 years because of the "hardness" issues and the excessive echo.

What about continuing the hardwood into the kitchen?

Personally I would say check with a realtor before you start pulling flooring and adding your choices...
I agree that wood-look tile plank and real wood flooring are difficult to pull off side by side...

We have luxury vinyl plank flooring in our FL home--looks great, wears great, and don't have to worry about getting floors wet coming in from the pool...
We are having our master bath redone and for continuity we are taking out the flooring in master suite and going with same new version of LVT--we can't get any more of what is in the bathroom.
If we could we would use it w/o a doubt---
I am all for using continuous flooring where possible--
I would be afraid to use wood in kitchen or bath however--
too many spills or water damage

SOME LVT are very realistic--some have high price point and some you can get at discount if you know your flooring footage.
It wears better than laminates and doesn't click...

Dependes on location and the needs of homeowners. Where I live I wouldn't want wood, tile works best for durability and cleaning.

You said the laundry room was next to the kitchen - is there a door to the room? Have you decided to go with wood in the kitchen? Wood transition to tile is fine, and it's obvious that a laundry room should have tile instead of wood because of the moisture.

If you've decided to tile the kitchen, then I would definitely tile the laundry room in the same tile as the kitchen for continuity. If the kitchen will have wooden floors I see no problem with the checkered tile -- in fact I kind of like it. Look at the inspiration photos from pcmom - those laundry rooms look great.

We redid a guest bath last February in a bleached, beach-woody-look porcelain tile, 6 x 12s, on both the floor and half way up the walls behind the glass shower. We sold our house the day before it went on the market in April, above asking price. Our buyers told us one of the things they loved most was the flooring and walls in the guest bath. So I'd say if resale is a concern, not to worry! And if a buyer doesn't like it, they can always get around to changing it. Far more important to give an overall look of a well-tended, up to date house than to try to predict what someone else will go for. Just has to look great, even if not to the buyers' personal taste.

Okay I am posting several photos of the current floors and the flow. The light colored tile is in the entryway and the parquet is in the dinning room, kitchen and one of the living rooms. You can see in a couple of the kitchen photos the checkered tile in the laundry.

Sorry if the photos post twice. I'm posting from my cellphone

Im thinking now, tile in the hall, kitchen and laundry and hardwood in the other rooms. Every time I go to the dang home improvement store I start changing my mind. This is why Im not a designer.

I really love the way the tile looks, (in your picture) and it's great for people who have children and pets!

Just to confuse you more. If you can match it, I would continue the black and white tile into the kitchen, since your kitchen is black and white.

Having seen your layout I totally agree with tile in the hall/entry and laundry room.

In my opinion - hardwood in the kitchen and a tile that complements or matches (in color), the hall/entry and laundry room would look better and help resale. That's a lot of tile,

If you do go with the tile, have a heating system put in the kitchen area.