I guess the question becomes, "Is it worth the 25 years of your wife complaining about cold feet that hurt a lot?"

The Coretec is going to be MUCH more comfortable over the long run. Both should offer 20-25 years of life. A porcelain tile should be much more expensive to install than a floating Coretec floor. Only if the CoreTec is a glue down version will the prices start coming in about the same.

I hate tile as well...so I know exactly what she is talking about. Other people who don't have body aches or sensitivities to "cold and hard" have a really hard time understanding the "pain" side of this equation. And believe me, it is PAINFUL to live on some of these floors - especially with a 25 year life span.

Good luck. Both products will get you the 20-25 year life span you are looking for.

The coretec is cheaper to install but more expensive to buy. It's about 4.50 a Sq ft whereas the porcelain is like 2.50-3.

@kingcobbtx7b - tile is JUST the start of your materials list. Don't forget thinset/mortar (another $1/sf). And the anti-fracture membrane (another $0.50/sf). And the grout (another $0.25/sf). Just those things alone = $4.75/sf. Now the floor prep for the tile = $1/sf. And the install (in my neck of the woods) = $6/sf. Ahhhhh. Now we are into the real money. By the time the tile is set and you pay all the bills, you are into the $10/sf area...and you haven't blinked.

I'm going to guess CoreTec costs $3/sf to install. That puts your job into the $7.50/sf range. If you add a little prep ($1/sf) you are still at $8.50/sf.

Tile is one of the most expensive installs (labor only) we have in the flooring industry. The actual tile (a box of porcelain) is pretty cheap, The rest is deathly expensive. If in doubt, do the math for the ENTIRE job - start to finish. Find out what the FINAL bill will be. Tile always comes out more expensive than a floating floor.

The store we are talking to has quoted us basically the same price for both installed and everything. Roughly $6 a square ft either way for material and install and everything. As I said the tile install and material is higher, but the coretec HD cost more itself.

They won't know the final tally until they get into your home and see the situation. I've never known a sales person to know everything about your home when they are standing in their shop. Have the person doing the quote come in and see what they are working with. The tile install does NOT include all the stuff that often needs to be done. I would be surprised if they did EVERYTHING needed and still offer the same price (they usually cut a corner somewhere if they do NOT increase the price of the quote). Good luck. CoreTec should be fine. It has less "preparation" than tile = few surprises on the final bill.

Yeah we are probably going with the coretec. I have read some things which worry me about the install, but we will hopefully be good.

Also reading reports of coretec scuffing and scratching easily which concerns me.

We just put in 1100 sq ft of porcelain wood look tile and I adore it more and more every day. We didn't really have a flooring budget, I just wanted to make the right decision and even though my heart wanted hardwood, I also wanted one flooring throughout including kitchen, bathrooms and Mudroom. It looks beautiful and is so easy to clean up and always looks perfect, lol. No scratches or watermarks. I'll post a picture in a bit after I get the kids off to school. We couldn't be happier with our decision.

Ok here we go. :) I'd like to preface that DH and I decided to do the install ourselves. It was our first attempt at tile, and these things are a beast to work with. They are 8x48 and like I said we love love them. I hope this helps you in your decision making

Kitchen:

As someone with lower back and knee issues I can attest to the pain of living on a tile floor. Right now we are renting a condo with tile floors throughout. I feel it every day. I can't stand in the kitchen for long periods of time anymore and even here in SW FL the floor is cold. Go with the Coretec.

Remember, happy wife, happy life.

Man that looks great! That is a lot better than the cheap Allure from HD and I liked it too. Vinyl plank is a breeze to clean up too, we used Fabuloso since it's pH neutral and mild no rinse that does not leave a film.

Hi @Season Contreras your wood look tile floor is so beautiful! May I ask what brand and color is that? And I love the color of the grout too, it works so well with the tile! Is that a 1/16 grout? Thank you!

I was so set on getting wood look tile until my friends told me to check on Luxury Vinyl, and after doing some reading here on GW, I am almost convinced to switch to LVP/LVT. BUT then I see @Season Contreras's beautiful tiles, I am not so sure again! I like the durability of the tiles and that we can drag furniture on it with no problem of scratching it or damaging it, but then I like the LVP for being warm and not so hard on foot.

We are doing about 1000 sqft for kitchen plus family room and entry way, (the rest of the house is carpet for bedrooms and a loft). We have two boys and a dog, a pool right outside the family room, got a big yard with lots of dirt, boys will probably bring some of that in all the time.... Houses in my neighborhood worth about a little over a mil (not ours because we bought it a fixer), they mostly are retired so no little kids running around so they mostly use hardwood or engineered wood. We are in our 40s and plan to retire in this house and not selling anytime soon.

What should I use, Wood look tiles or Luxury Vinyl? Thank you for your help!

Jackie Lin, curious what you ended up with? I am considering both as well. Both have positives and negatives.