Darzy- I agree on all points. We have pets. I will be anxious to get some feedback from a few list installatin.

We are using the farmhouse plank tiles in a current project (in the bathroom) and it looks terrific. Everyone has commented on how much they love it. Its a light grey with a beautiful grain, so it gives a very warm appearance. Not cold at all. I will post an image for you next week when it should all be complete.

Vincent Longo Custom Builders- would you use the tile in primary living space other than bath?

Fake anything is the first thing to look "dated" and "ugly". Wood is beautiful and has appropriate uses, Tile can be beautiful in ways wood can't begin to be. Why make one stoop to do what the other does so well.

I am just finishing our first 4 condos out of 54 in a new senior community! The location is in the mountains in Southern India! I'm so tempted to use wood lookalike tiles! I did like the conversation here, will at least try them in the living room if not a whole condo! It's so new that the tile distributors are not confident in recommending them! I'll wait for my interior designers advice too! Cost vice it is the same as vetrified tiles anyway!

Gantt's...I know what you mean about fake as I remember the faux bricks. So, if wood isn't an option, do you think travertine is a good option? If you couldn't do hardwood, and hate carpet, what type of flooring would you recommend? I don't like grout lines so was thinking a rectified tile with minimal grout.

My parents added the wood style tile to their home and it looked fabulous. The durability is great when you have pets who's claws scratch wood floor. Much quieter and prettier than laminate. I would use it. I especially like the new rough wood tiles. I have hardwood and the care is tough with dogs. Luckily I used distressed wood.

We just had porcelain wood-look tiles installed in our new kitchen and plan on tiling the whole downstairs with them soon. We absolutely love it. It's gorgeous (we got a walnut stain color). We live in the South though so coldness isn't a deal-breaker for us. Cold floors are a good thing down here when it's 100 degrees outside!

Got some good answers- we have dogs- and most likely always will- that was my fear of the true hardwoods. Meeting with flooring guy on Wednesday will let you know what I decide to do with pics.

Ended up going with real... My flooring guy who put in all the floors in my current home didn't think I would be happy with tile.

Here's the thing. When I look at the porcelain wood-look tiles in photos from the manufacturers, they look wonderful and just like wood floors. But when I look at photos of them installed in people's homes, I can always see the grout lines--either because they are too thick or too light and contrasting with the tile color--and I never think they look "real". I've since found out that some of the photos from the manufacturers air brush out the grout lines. And much may depend on the skill of the tile installer--their ability to make the thinnest possible grout lines and find a matching grout color. So I would be hesitant to install the wood-look tile, regardless of how good the tiles themselves look, unless I saw it installed in someone's house by the same tile installer I planned to use and loved the look of it, even with the grout lines.

I definitely would not put it up against real wood, and if real wood is an option I would always choose the real thing. But I think the wood look tiles may work in some climates and for some purposes, but I'd proceed with caution about the grout lines and installation.

feeny, I agree on the grout line problem. There is now rectified tile that butts up right next to each other and supposedly the grout lines are almost nil - 1/16th of an inch. I would not want grout lines in wood look tile either. I'm going to definitely make sure this is the case before I install. I also think how long you plan to live in your house is a factor.

In case anyone is reading this thinking they want a "wood vibe" but not necessarily something that is mimicking hardwood floors (and I am also imagining this in a discrete area like a bathroom), we used this dailtile porcelain tile called bamboo forest in our bathroom and chose a matching grout. I liked it because it gave a similar feeling to a wood floor without looking like it was trying to be a wood floor, if that makes sense. The grout lines in these photos are more visible than ours - I chose a grout that was almost identical to the darkest tone of the tile and you can barely see it.
http://products.daltile.com/series.cfm?series=377

Sam- do you have hardwoods elsewhere?

Yes. This tile was used just in a guest bath.

i don't have any personal experience with faux wood, but i do with authentic. we live on a farm and have 7 medium sized dogs inside the house, on the floors. Floors on second floor are wide plank pine with hand forged nails anchoring them. Dog toenails have totally scratched the floor....and it looks good here. maybe it wouldn't look good to you, or in your environment .... but here, on the farm, it's authentic and good. Generally speaking, lifestyle-wise,i always prefer things to be as they seem. if i want something to look like wood....well, i'll get wood. but, to-each'iz-own, eh?

I just found this article from Houzz on this very same subject. Interesting read and now, for me, I'm convinced wood look porcelain tile is the way to go. I think most of the NO way is our aversion to "fake" anything, but read through the comments.
https://www.houzz.com/magazine/top-tile-trends-from-the-coverings-2013-show-the-wood-look-stsetivw-vs~10849071

I have it in my bedroom and hallways and plan on doing the whole hous. I live in Florida and heat is not an issue. Bottom line it is not real wood and nothing can replace that. It is cold and hard on the feet but it does not bother me, I just wear socks around the house. I love it and got it because I had laminate prior to this but with a shit tzu that pee on command. She gets scare of thunder and lighting which is very common here so for me it was a no brainer. I went through Porcelanosa and their Parker wood look tiles are spectacular.

We just updated a bath & installed them. 1 month in we love them. Laid them ourselves & was easier than tile because of ease of no pattern.

Wood porcelain tiles are a great alternative these days. A lot have already mentioned the pros above - almost scratch proof, water resistant, easy to clean and maintain, and requires no regular sealing. It does save money in the long run. As another poster mentioned as well, the rectified tiles can be installed with minimal grout space, upto 1/16th inch. There are a few on this site that come with textures that also make them great to install in wet spaces - http://tiledaily.com/category/porcelain/wood-porcelain/

I have not seen them installed, but my basement floor will need replacing and they would be a good fit, but my concern is the equal lengths. My real hardwood floors are different length planks.

I think the tile manufacturers should consider that aspect, but will a long length of tile crack?

We opted for a high end vinyl wood looking plank. I didn't want the coldness of ceramic tile and I hated the thought of grout lines. I wasn't totally convinced on them but now I love them! We do have wood elsewhere that was refinished about 6 months ago and it's covered in scratches from our dogs. Plus our newest rescue dog was using this room to pee in. It's easy to clean up and looks great. I know many are against a vinyl like I originally was, but it is another option.

Kittt29, would you mind sharing what brand you went with in vinyl plank? We rescue dogs and cats and I am wanting something waterproof as well as good looking.

Sure Lisa, we used Mannington and I believe the line was called Adura. We're still pleased with it! Thanks for your rescue work!

I'm 51 years old and have never had anything in my kitchens other than carpet. I taught my dogs not to go into the kitchen and I cleaned the carpets frequently. In December, I opened my fridge and out fell an entire fruit bowl, juice, seeds, everywhere. I decided it's time for something different. I'm not a fan of the look of tile, hate the grout lines to clean and to look at...but all of my friends that have wood floors say they can warp, scratch, and dull easily. So, I decided to have the ceramic wood look tiles installed. I love the tile! It is gorgeous. Unfortunately, my installer was horrible. instead of the 1/16" promised with coordinating grout, he went with 1/4" and it's light. I'm trying to see if there is anyway to remove the existing grout without ruining the tiles? Any suggestions?

To the last poster; it is possible to stain grout to a darker shade. Other than that it would need to be scraped out and redone which is very labour intensive.

To the point about random lengths (which is common with hardwood to make it appear more like an old school hardwood floor) the challenges with tile are the difficulties of manufacturing, transporting/packaging and also installing ... most tile installers can cope happily with tiles up to 24" ... when you get much longer than that you need more specialized equipment if you need to rip the tiles (ie. cut along their length for example when running parallel with the wall and a whole width is too much). We have a tile cutter that can do up to 42" length but that was one pricey tool. Wet tile saws for doing the massive tiles that are on the market now are extremely expensive and not very mobile for taking on to job sites. Not to say it isn't possible but I would hazard a guess that it would not be cost effective for most.

@hoffycom who makes those floors! I love them. How thick was your grout?

gantts: you mean like porcelain tile that is not a solid glazed color but mimics stone? Ha! Like vinyl (fake wood planks) or aluminum (fake wrought iron) fencing? Or how about thise fake quartz countertops? Authentic has it's place but some people prefer -GASP!- practicality over aesthetics. I would NEVER put wood floors in a kitchen or bathroom... wood and water don't mix which is why these are perfect for those places.

How do you clean out raw egg, sauce, raw meat juices, etc that have accidentally dropped to the floor and now are sitting between the wood planks? With tile you mop it up but i can't imagine dousing the wood planks with a disinfecting cleaner as that will surely damage the wood and still not get in between the planks.

monika2024, I have had wood floors in kitchen, eating area and family room for about 20+ years(refinished once). They look like new. No problem with spills, clean it right away. We are in cold winter climate and I can go barefoot. Also easy on the feet and legs when cooking.

Just had these installed! Love them.

I'm ok with porcelains that imitate stone. They feel like stone, sound like stone, and they look like stone. Would I use porcelains that look like wood in my home? Probably not. I would most likely stay with a stone looking porcelain in high traffic and wet areas and real wood or engineered wood for the rest of the house. However, I have used wood looking porcelains in commercial or hospitality interiors when the space had a theme that strongly needed the look of a wood flooring.

We are considering replacing our engineered hardwood floor in the kitchen because we've had issues with water damage. I've reviewed many types of tile, and don't care for them, especially the faux wood ones. Now looking at stone options. Tile just doesn't have enough depth and texture.

I did some in my family room. Love it, I have two dogs and the old carpet was a mess, when I finish I will post some pictures.

I recently purchased a midrise condo in Houston and installed wood look porcelains planks through the whole place - 2500 sq ft. (minus the bathrooms which i did in white carrera look porcelain. All of the comments ive read about it looking "cheap" or "feaux" wood like youre trying to fool somone is nonsense. It is what it is - just another design/texture/color palette on tile. I agree, there are some out there that DO look very "animated" and low quality, but you just have to be diligent on what you choose. The price range for the condos in my building are minimum $650k up to $2 million and this type of flooring is in demand. There is just no functional benefit to wood in any kind of a humid climate other than the novelty of saying "its wood". When I bought my condo (8 year old unit), real solid wood was installed and i ripped every last bit out. In most midrise/highrise buildings there are specifications on sound barriers and installation, so "real" wood floors are usually installed on 2x4 screeds adhered with tar layer for sound proofing and moisture control. I personally cannot stand the way real wood feels installed on the concrete floor as opposed to the tile. The wood felt hollow over screeds like you were walking on a box (kind of like the tap on laminate but deeper click). Also it cause height problems as the wood install required another 1.5-2". The tile, however, feels like you are walking on the structure the way it was meant to feel (12 inch concrete slab), and I prefer this. Also, Ive see comments "in defense" of the porcelain wood planks in regards to the grout line - saying that you can butt them right up to each other or do a 1/16" joint with rectified tiles. I am telling you from experience, that this is rarely (if ever) true - even using a rectified tile when you are using planks over 15" long. The reality is that all tiles (even porcelain are clay), and when you have a long plank, every tile is going to inherently have a certain amount of warpage. NO tile manufacturer that ive seen warrants installing tiles of this length on a 1/16" staggered joint because of lippage. I installed mind on 1/8" joint, looks great, smooth, and functional. No trying to fool anyone like its real wood - it is overall the best looking flooring for my particular style and best decision I made on this facelift.

Marc Marc can you post pics?

We are building a house with 14 feet ceilings and a big open great room. I'm considering wood look tile, but am worried about sound quality in the room. Does anyone have tile with tall ceilings? Do you have an echo in the room?

Clanglois1, I had wood look porcelain tile installed throughout my house in June and we have very high ceilings in most of the house. We have a few rugs here and there, but not many. It doesn't sound hollow or echo in here. We absolutely love everything about the tile. It is gorgeous and is a breeze to clean, not to mention tough as nails. I've attached a picture, although it's not a great one and it doesn't show how high our ceilings are, but they are about twenty feet high in here. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Holly, your floors are beautiful! Thank you so, so much for the info and pic!!!

We have 1000 sqft of 48" x 8" wood-look porcelain tiles installed in the main part of the house. We've had them for over a year. The rest of the house is real wood and carpet, so I can compare all 3. After initially installed, the tiles had major grout haze. Nothing would remove it, or make the tiles look less cloudy. So we put a layer of special "wet look" sealer over the tile. This sealer looked awesome the first few months. The tiles looked like a deep, rich brown and the grout lines were black and hardly noticeable. It was more of a "high gloss" finish. Less than 12 months later, the "5 year" sealer has wore off pretty unevenly. The living room (where it has area rugs) still looks new, while the entry, dining and kitchen look pretty faded again. Most of the tiles aren't perfectly flush with one another because they are very long, and if you have imperfect floors, there can be unevenness. The floors are somewhat cold, but the sealer made a difference with that so it doesn't feel very cold to the touch, more like walking on cold linoleum. We didn't put heat underneath because it was insanely expensive to heat 1000 sqft. Maybe because of this, or because the tiles are such a hard surface, I don't particularly like walking on them every day. Wood is just softer and warmer to the touch and I prefer that. If you like the feel of concrete floors, I think you may like the tile. If I had to do it over, I definitely would not install them again. We had real wood all throughout our last house, and although it was a pain because it scratched and dented easily, I still liked walking on it. If the tile scratches, you basically have to chisel the whole tile out, replace it, re-grout it and re-seal it, probably as difficult as fixing a wood floor. The only plus sides I would call out is that everyone thinks they are real wood. We've had 2 different wood floor professionals come to repair the real wood in our home, and they had no idea most of the house is tile. Not worrying about water puddles is nice too. Overall, I'd stick with real wood or bamboo for a larger area.

^Loren Mark-- your floors look great. What brand and color is this? TIA.

hoffycom I know your tile floor post/pic is older but I love your choice of wood look tile. Does anyone know of anything similar looking? Does the tile look to be rectified (less than 1/8")?

Okay, so probably a weird comment, but ever since we have had porcelain wood look tile laid, my feet are always REALLY sore, dry and feel almost raw.
I am a “bare-footer” in the house, and walk around quite a bit, but never had this problem with travertine.
I should mention that I am 53 and moderately arthritic all over, thinking my feet simply don’t like this tile, too little, too late”.

wood floor looking tile planks are the VERY BEST THING EVER...so modern and fresh looking..i think real wood is kind of dated. People are into reclaiming wood or not using wood at all. This trend is here to stay and will only get better. Forget about installing a wood floor...go faux stone tile or faux wood tile so you're house looks like it's part of this era. Let go of the past...let go of this overrated destructive fascination with wood....

We have a house in Houston, a lakehouse north of Austin, and just recently purchased a townhome in Colorado that we are renovating. Both Texas houses have real wood floors and they are a pain if you have large dogs, which we have always had and will always have. We have had floors in both Texas house redone twice. Another issue is anytime you have real wood floors in climates with extreme temperatures or high humidity, you end up with separation as the wood contracts and expands. We were advised against putting real hardwoods in Colorado as the houses there are built over crawl spaces thereby making the contracting and expanding even worse because of the extremes in temperatures. If you absolutely want wood, go with high quality engineered wood. We were going to do this, but then saw several homes (high end 2+ million dollar homes) that used the porcelain tile that looked like wood. We were sold! Looks great, indestructible, easy to clean, and no dog scratches. No more worrying about dirt and snow being drug in on wood floors. Just mop with water and vinegar. When we ever redo the floors in either Texas house, the wood floors will be removed and porcelain tile put in throughout. Best stuff since sliced bread.

We recently had to replace all flooring in house and chose the porcelain tile that looks like wood. We absolutely love our new floors.

We were concerned about the ”coldness” effect as well but its proving to be pleasant especially in the summer months. My only question, will the tile floors fade when a rug is placed like it does w/wood floors?

@Lori what brand/type of porcelain tile did you use? Do you have any pics?

Matthew—I dont have the paperwork to look it up right now. We got it from Arizona Tile in Albuquerque. I remember it was an Italian tile. Here is a pictures though the rug sort of hides a lot of it We’re not there now or I would take a closeup picture of it.

I just saw some beautiful wood look tile from Italy at an Arizona Tile in Californnia. I'm going back to look at it again tomorrow. Lori, it looks alot like yours.