If you’re getting ready to replace the flooring in your home, you’ve probably come across tile that looks like wood.
I had my heart set on hardwood flooring when we started researching redoing our flooring. It’s classic, beautiful, and adds value to your home. The problem was, we have kids and pets galore, which doesn’t play very nicely with hardwood flooring.
That’s when we started looking into wooden tile. At first, I was resistant to the idea, as things that are “look-alike” don’t usually look as good as the real thing. Luckily, wooden tile CAN look as good as the real thing.
Despite this, I didn’t make my decision based off of the look. As I’m sure you know, hardwood flooring has more going for it than just how nice it looks. That’s why I wanted to talk to you guys about some of the pros and cons of using wooden tile versus real hardwood for your flooring.
Durability
Real hardwood flooring is going to be less durable than wood-looking tile. With hardwood, there is a need for refinishing and resanding, and even this isn’t always enough to get it looking the way it did the first week you had it installed.
With your tile flooring, you can bet it’s going to be longer-lasting than it’s counterpart, and the tile planks are much easier to replace.
Safety
This is where hardwood flooring is the clear winner. It’s much more likely that you can have a bad slip on tile flooring, especially when wet. This makes tile a questionable choice if the flooring in question is for senior citizens. The same could be said for small kids and pets, however, I don’t feel it poses a strong safety risk, and this shouldn’t be a complete deterrent from using wood-tiles.
Noise
Wood-tile is going to be quieter than hardwood flooring. Personally, I don’t mind having a loud floor. Although that would definitely be a pain if you’re trying to stay quiet when you get up in the middle of the night for a snack, it’s also a great way to alert you if you have a kiddo that is exploring their independence.
Cost
In my state (maybe it’s different elsewhere) hardwood flooring is more expensive to install. The price difference is not substantial enough that this needs to make or break your decision, but it’s a good thing to be aware of. Remember that flooring is only a piece of the cost, and it’s usually qiute expensive to have it installed. I still recommend having it professionally installed if possible, as this usually takes a very specific skill set to do well.
Value
Although wooden tile flooring is becoming to be seen as more of a luxury item, hardwood still beats it in home value. If you’re planning to sell within the next couple of years, this is a consideration you will want to make.
Both types of flooring are beautiful, so it’s unlikely you’ll regret whichever decision you make. Be strategic with the option you decide to go with, as different things will be best for different families.
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