What joint size is he doing? If it's 1/8th or less he may be using non-sanded grout. Non-sanded grout uses polymers to better attach to the tile. On polished tile that's not a problem. But a lot of the wood-look porcelain tile has a flat surface...just slightly rough to the touch. If that's what you have just know that cleaning the grout haze will be BRUTAL. Those polymers in the grout will keep the haze on the tile no matter how many times you clean them. I'm in the cleaning stage now on 1,000 sq ft and have mopped the tiles more than 15 times...still hazy. I've used water with an all purpose cleanser, multiple expensive cleaners designed specifically to remove grout haze and an 8:1 solution of white vinegar and water. They all worked about the same. Most of it came off after about 6 moppings but then progress was very, very slow. Until today that is. Read a post from someone that said a 1 to 1 or even 100% white vinegar solution is completely safe and much more effective. Tried it just now and the tiles are totally clean after 2 passes. Regarding sealing, most folks say dont seal wood look porcelain tiles because they are glazed and dont need it...to just seal the grout. But my tiles are a little duller than I would like so i've done some experimenting and found that some sealers will give you allow you to get the look you want: gloss, satin or flat. I really want satin and I want the tile sealed anyway because the slight roughness of the finish makes they WAY harder to sweep or vacuum. I'm going to try a few of them on spare tiles to make my final decision.

I want to apologize and thank all of you that commented to my design dilemma a few days ago. You answered the question I had asked. Your comments have been received and have opened up my eyes. Though I am making changes to my kitchen because I want it to look more upscale, I also want to recoup most of the cost of these changes when I sell in the future. As many mentioned, installing wood-like tile does not increase the value. This left me in a conundrum. My family are having respiratory issues associated with carpet and I have 3 little white furries who don't always hold their bladder. Hardwood isn't known for its waterproof qualities. So I decided to go the least expensive route that will get me the look and I can install it myself, vinyl plank tiles. This is only a band-aid and I plan on saving for those hardwood for the future. A few people mentioned that the tiles, cabinets, and counter actually work well together and are successful in the real estate market. Plus someone mentioned how expensive it was to get the cabinets professionally painted. Well after careful consideration, I've decided it would be in my best interest to work with what I got. Maybe add some hardware, a new paint color on the walls, new lighting, upgrade the look of my island, and possibly a more contemporary backsplash. It took me a few days to sit on the recommendations and they helped me tremendously. Thank-you

Why isn't the theme 'River"?

Several here will tell you not to use wood-look tile, but there are several tile brands that make a nice looking wood-look tile, but you need to look for the brands with longer tiles and with more variations in the printed pattern. The cheaper ones look ... cheap! The question is do you want tile or engineered wood? Who will be living in the house? Are you in a warm climate near the water, beach, etc? Lots of kids, pets or family members who are hard on floors? In a previous house I used wood-look tile in a guest house and it was the perfect flooring for that situation. The guest house was more of a recreation space for teens and workshop for my DH, so the tile flooring was hard wearing and something I never had to worry about. I'm in FL now where many houses have all tile floors and I don't love the overall look and feel. We built in 2021 and used engineered wood floors, but I did do a larger section in tile in our long back hallway where our dogs stay when we are out for a few hours. Had I not had the 3 dogs I would have also done this area in wood. Design the house to suit your family's needs. Stay away from grey!