Wood flooring vs Wood title flooring

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

We live on Long Island and plan on opening up our entry way, kitchen, living room and dining room which will total approximately 800 square feet. We are planning on putting in radiant heat as well. Some people are telling us that the wood tile looks "cold". Has anyone done tile for this size space? Will have 9 foot ceilings, white kitchen with a dark island. What are your thoughts? We are torn between the two because we worry about scratches and durability over the life of the floor as we have two very active kids.

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Comments (4)

gregmills_gw
6 years ago
If you decide to go tile now, and eventually go real wood, its going to be expensive, likewise if you go wood now, and tile later it too will be expensive.

Actually i think tile is going to be more expensive now anyways just because of all the prep that will have to be done.

anyways, tile will hold up to wear n tear better than a wood floor, but its also more brittle. but needless to say, i've seen both types of floors hold up well to your situation.

Wood is going to scratch no matter what, its going to come down to what you can live with and what you cant as far as wear n tear.

The nice thing about wood is, in 15 years when your ready to update the look of your house, changing the floor color to represent your new style is a hell of a lot easier than replacing 800 ft of tile. and cheaper.
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My Beautiful Floor .com
6 years ago
The kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in a home. While hardwood is always a beautiful choice, the question is can it stand up to the wear and tear of an active home -- scratches, spills, stains, scuff, dirt and more. That's where ceramic/porcelain tile has a big advantage. Aesthetically, you can't go wrong with ceramic wood looks with some some so realistic that they rival the beauty of natural hardwood. Plus, wood-look ceramic is one of the hottest home decorating trends right now. I love hardwood but I think that for an active household, particularly for a kitchen, I would opt for wood looks in porcelain. Look for textured surfaces to help with slip resistance.
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Just a fellow consumer here, but just went through this same evaluation a couple of months ago. Two kids (13 and 11) and a dog (1 year old lab). We have laminate in the family room and it's pretty bullet proof. But we were replacing everything else down stairs and went through the wood/laminate/tile evaluation. We eventually decided on Adura tile from Mannington for the kitchen and powder room (tile look not wood) and Mirage engineered wood in the foyer, living and dining rooms. Actually swayed back and forth between laminate and wood where we eventually installed the wood. In the end it came down to wanting real wood in those rooms and we'll just have to see how it goes. My wife and I were just talking about this and had a laugh that we should have gone laminate because when the wood was just installed I had what you would call "new car" syndrome. Don't skip on the floor, don't place that on the floor, and donÂt even breathe on the floor. The anxiety issue is passing with time and we're happy with the decision and the look and feel of wood. When we get scratches (not if) we'll deal with them. Unfortunately you can't run this through an analysis and come up with an exact answer. In the end if you really wanted wood the laminate will probably be a disappointment. But, if you can't deal with the anxiety (at least initially) of wood not wearing as well then laminate may be the better choice. Our dog romps more in the kitchen and family room so that won't be seeing wood floors. We're not the most indecisive people but this took a while to finally come to a decision. A rather long post without any real direction but your not alone. Dom
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Thank you everyone!! This is extremely helpful. You all had the same opinion. I really wanted to go with hard wood floors, to keep the cabin feel, and with all of you agreeing, I feel a lot better about my decision. It sounds like I should go for a lighter color wood for the floors. Now I need to choose the trim and baseboard. Would you keep that wood as well? Thanks again for all of your help! This is amazing!
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User
6 years ago
I only do wood but have slate in my kitchen/family/dining area. I love that I can be a little careless about what I'm dropping on the floor as I cook. The rest of my house except for one bathroom, has wood floor. Some of it is over 40 years old and I expect to outlast me.

The upsides of wood are more comfort under foot, the look of true wood and the potential to refinish as trends and tastes change. Downside are wear/scratching, maintenance and moisture/humidity sensitivity.

The positives and negatives of tile are almost completely reversed from wood. While some tile might look like wood at a glance and some fakes are better than others, it will never stand up to close scrutiny and it's harder to stand on for long periods. I either stand on a soft mat or wear slightly cushioned shoes while doing food prep. Tile will withstand water and spills better and is generally harder to scratch. If you tire of it, it's a big job to remove and replace.
vhehn
6 years ago
http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/4643977/m=23/pier-santa-monica-woodlook-tile-recommendation

Wood flooring vs Wood title flooring

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gregmills_gw

My Beautiful Floor .com

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vhehn

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