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has anyone used wood-like tile on their kitchen floors?

last month

I bought a condo with contractor grade ceramic floor kitchen tiles next to beautiful traditional 2.25" hardwood floors. I love the flow of wood throughout but my previous wood kitchen floors got pretty beat up. Has anyone used the wood look porcelain floor tiles and how do they look? I would love to see some real photos compared to ads or AI generated. Thanks everybody!


https://www.tileclub.com/products/solstrand-white-oak-porcelain-subway-tile-2x12


https://www.tileshop.com/products/playbrick-light-oak-porcelain-wall-and-floor-tile-2-x-12-in-485089

Comments (18)

  • last month

    No, because the tiles or lvp will not took real against the actual wood. There are many alternative tile designs to bring home and see how they feel next to your wood floors.

  • PRO
    last month

    No for two reasons , fake never looks good next to real and wood look tiles never fooled anyone and are now really not around much anymore. I would still do wood floors to match what you have and maybe a better finish on the new ones for the kitchen.

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    The current market doesn't use solid 2-1/4" wood flooring. Engineered 7" to 11" wide planks show off the structure of European Oak flat cut. That species group doesn't have open grain like red and white oaks from N America. Water based finishes don't yellow.

    Monarch Plank has examples. Wide plank engineered hardwood flooring in European Oak and Walnut

  • last month

    Wood-look tile will look terrible next to real wood, as will wood-look LVP.

    There are so many tile choices out there it's hard to say what would look good in your kitchen -- post some pics and we may be able to point you in teh right direction as to tile choice.

    Or, there's linoleum/marmoleum flooring; a lot of people like that in a kitchen, and it's not trying to be anything other than what it is like wood imposters are.

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    Using wood-look tile on floors is fine in certain locations ... BUT NEVER next to real wood floors!

    My previous house had a guest house that was mostly a "man-cave" and teen hangout. I used wood-look porcelain tile throughout and it was the right durable and carefree flooring for the way we used the space.

    I have had real wood floors in the kitchens of the 4 houses I have owned, with kids and dogs, and the real wood floors never got "beat up".

  • last month

    Agree, real wood to match what you currently have. Then you can use a nice runner for the high traffic area in the kitchen.

  • last month

    I agree that it's best to run the wood into the kitchen if possible. If you are really against that idea, choose a tile you really like that compliments your wood floors and the style of the condo. For something softer underfoot, look for an LVP that looks like tile.

  • last month

    Both have advantages and disadvantages. However, much more time is spent walking and standing in kitchens than other areas and there is a distinct comfort difference because the tile is much harder. That also means that when glass containers and dishes are accidentally dropped, they’re much likelier to explode on tile rather than simply break. Tile is also colder. If the kitchen is open to other rooms, one continuous wood surface will make the space look larger and smoother to navigate.

  • PRO
    last month

    Ideally, match what you have or go slightly wider, Showing a picture of what you have would help all of us help you. Add a couple of jpegs ( not scree shots ) to a comment box below.

  • PRO
    last month

    Don't put wood look tiles next to the hardwood. It just doesn't look good.

    As for wood look porcelain tiles, I have them throughout the first floor, except the master bedroom. I did it because of the pool. In and out two sliders, and I didn't want to have to worry about water dripping, etc. I wish I had never done it. I went with the light white/ soft taupe tones with Revere Pewter on the walls....lovely look. Except for the grout...what a nightmare. Even though the grout was touted as stain resistant, ugh! There is so much of it, I have to hire a heavy hitter floor washer to get it clean.

    In my other homes, hardwood ran all through the house, even the kitchen and bathrooms. Never, ever a problem. I, do have floors factory finished, and do think it is tougher.

  • PRO
    last month

    You can always tell a wood-look tile by the grout lines. Real wood doesn't need grout. Even LVP, which I'm not a fan of, doesn't have grout lines, and looks more realistic than tile.

  • last month

    While I love the limestone look of the porcelain we put in our kitchen, I will never use it in a kitchen again. I don't think the grout had fully cured before my then teen son shattered a full jar of salsa verde on it. It wasn't just a broken jar by the fridge it exploded into breakfast area and laundry room. I keep a anti-fatigue mat in front of fridge in hopes avoiding more exploding disaters. it's just a launching pad for pickle jars.

    Also trying to match wood from an adjoining room is near impossible. I would look for LVT in a stone look if you can't match your wood flooring.

  • last month

    ^^ That is great advice and great insight, @kathleen MK. And witty language! Love the, ”it’s just a launching pad for pickle jars.”


    I miss the linoleum in my previous place. So easy to stand and walk around on. And rarely did anything break, if dropped. And I was using a lot of glass in cookware, dishes, glasses, etc. I have tile in my current place. Not long after I moved here, I dropped a glass coffee/tea cup that I had probably owned for a decade, at least. It shattered into a gazillion pieces- and sounded like a missile had hit the kitchen.


  • last month

    Wood-look porcelain tiles are a fantastic, durable alternative for high-traffic zones like kitchens because they won't scratch or dent under heavy use. Just try to use a matching grout color with minimal joint spacing to get the most seamless, realistic layout.

    Violetta Valery thanked Zande Willson
  • last month

    Thanks for the photos suggestion - here are the two floors and a model thrown in.




  • last month

    The model is gorgeous.


    If you want a wood look, consider an LVP versus wood-look tile. I would pick up some of the tones in the adjacent wood flooring, in a herringbone pattern such as shown below (which is not at all in the range of color tones I am suggesting- but just to show the style.) And hopefully, it could be installed right over the existing tile.








  • last month

    This look:









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