Use white oak on the end grain.

Cool thought Ryan, but I doubt kerstin knows what that is.

Bing Images End Grain Floors

Porcelain tile that looks like wood is just that. It looks LIKE wood, not the SAME AS wood. Of course it will do as you stated, and resist water and dogs.It is colder, harder and that means on your back as well.

But a real wood floor can do that too. Not a flood of water, and not a pack of six dogs. A dog or two. Along with reasonable daily care. Millions of dogs reside in home with hardwood floors of all varieties..........sand on site, or pre finished.

Luxury vinyl plank......same thing. Can look LIKE wood. Just not the same as.

Cons:It is a trend that will be done in 5-10 years.

Cons-- hard on feet, backs cold to the touch unless heated and if you decide you hate it a bugger to remove IMO they only make sense in reallt humid climates.

Pros- can withstand almost anything but .

Pros- easy to care for, durable, water resistant, scratch proof

Cons- cold, hard, moderate possibility of it becoming a dated look

Look into engineered hardwood. They make it pretty damn durable these days, and while it won't withstand a flood it's pretty good with a few dogs and small spills. It may get a little wear but hardwood actually looks good with some character.

I have been contemplating the same thing. I love the idea of the wood-look tile for ease of cleaning up after the dogs. I am curious about the end-grain idea mentioned above. Is that more durable than engineered hardwood?

My neighbor went with the wood look tiles & I didn't love it - it didn't really look like wood. So I went with vinyl flooring as I've had water issues from my patio - it truly does look like wood - no one who has stayed there realized it was vinyl. It's completely waterproof & feels nice on my bare feet (not that it really gets cold in Santa Monica).

I prefer real wood floors with durable finishes

We put in wood look tiles in the bathroom and spare room but only because we have radiant floor heating and wood is an insulator. Tile is definitely hard on the feet but is something we just have to live with. I love the look of wood floors personally. There's a lot of very durable options out there but they will cost more.

As for trends, even though wood itself is timeless, the popular width, length, stain colour all change with time. Go with what you like.

Can anyone give examples of “durable finishes” for engineered hardwoods? I don’t think u can afford real hardwood flooring. Thanks!

It all depends on what kind of engineered hardwood and solid hardwood you're comparing. Engineered is not always cheaper

Go to a quality hardwood locale near you. Engineered hardwood IS pre finished finished and quality of that finish will vary with price and selection. Take a sample home with you. This is not an online selection or purchase in any best case scenario.

Agree with JAN MOYER. The best place to start is the local hardwood place. There is so many variables and they will be able to help you with that. Do you have any hardwood manufacturers near you?

Irish Wolfhound (200 lbs) and a Great Pry/Anatolian Shepard mix (115 lbs) in a very rural setting. They drag in leaves, burrs, and gravel in their paws. Porcelain plank is the only way to go. Just sayin.

Although porcelain planking has its place, it's not something that's EVER going to replace real hardwood, or even the engineered woods. It CAN be made to look like real wood, using tight grout joints and a lippage tuning system to make sure the tiles are perfectly flush to each other. I do a lot of lakeside summer homes, and for them, this product is a Godsend. You don't have to worry about tracking sand and whatnot into the house and scratching the floor all to hell. I had one customer two summers ago that had me install tile and travertine throughout their entire home-- over 3000 square feet-- because they had two Newfoundland Hounds, and they were tired of having the hardwood in their old home refinished every year. Those are just two examples of places where porcelain planking is a definite plus.

Two other things to think about, though. One of the biggest complaints I hear about tile is from people who have trouble walking or standing on hard surfaces. For those people, this flooring would be a definite no-no. Also, in the kitchen, glasses and plateware might not stand up to being dropped on tile as well as it would being dropped on real hardwood. Cost is a little more for the installation of the porcelain, but it's also a lot more maintenance free.

I am having a new house built in Florida and have decided to go with the porcelain wood look tile. I had porcelain tile in a previous home in Florida - 20 years ago. It was a travertine look tile. I guess some would say that tile shouldn’t try to look like something it’s not. Whatever. That same tile I just saw in a high end model home a few weeks ago. It didn’t go out of style.

I happen to like the wood look tile - the floor above is beautiful. I don’t want real or engineered wood. I’ve had wood in my S Carolina home. It was beautiful, but difficult to maintain.

Porcelain wood look tile is the best of both worlds - the beauty of wood, with the low maintenance of tile :-) i never found tile to be hard on my feet, but if it seems hard to you, just use rugs?

We are building a rustic/industrial farmhouse to have one level living with bamboo floors to handled the pack of 4 dogs and a simple pallet. So the bathroom floor's tone is a near-match for the bamboo flooring, and the showers are the same tile in weathered grey.

One dinner party, one pair of stilettos, one time, and your wood floor is toast.

Lynda-- not sure where you are, but if you're anywhere near Tampa, I've got a name for you and this guy is a maestro with porcelain plank tile. Let me know.

Carla-- ESPECIALLY with dogs, bamboo isn't the greatest idea. Atleast with regular hardwood, once they scratch it all up, it can be sanded and refinished. Bamboo-- once the finish is trashed, it's time for new flooring. It can not be refinished.

Bill:

Apparently this guy didn't get the memo.

Bill -- Not all bamboo flooring is made the same... Did a LOT of research and went with:
https://www.ambientbp.com/products/carbonized-antiqued-barn-wide-plank-java-bamboo-floor

We chose an "already distressed" wide plank with hand-scraped finish that has color throughout. No need to refinish.

Yeah, just let a high ambient humidity or a water spill get on that glued together grass, and you will see why it has the terrible rep in the industry that it does. It ain’t suitable for more than half the country. Like the ones with a concrete slab and high swings in humidity.

Sophie, I'm thinking that a restaurant (read: daily spills and cleaning, and routine health inspections) focuses on installing flooring that is durable, easy to clean, and attractive -- hence why Elevation Burger has install these bamboo floors in every location (from Maine to Texas) for the past decade (despite your assertion it's an "unstable material").

http://elevationburger.com/philosophy/

http://www.pigtrip.net/review-b-EB.htm

I'll say again: Not all bamboo flooring is made the same. Do your research.

Glued together grass:) For sure, nobody is going to be walking on a 40 year old bamboo floor. The green wash movement seems to mostly ignore cumulative effects over time, ROI. Put yourself a maple floor down and calculate the carbon footprint and ROI. I'm pretty sure cheap Red Maple would put bamboo to shame.

The porcelains that are being produced currently have all the characteristics of wood but are not wood - that in and of itself is the advantage of the product. Texture, shading and grain on the latest porcelains have taken this maintenance free product to an entirely new level. Go with the porcelain - you will not be disappointed.

Lynda-- both are the very same tile, and although I can't remember the name of it, I know it was purchased at Lowes. Take the picture with you and check their flooring department, and I'm sure you'll find it.

As for always going with porcelain over real hardwood, I'll reiterate-- there are those who have a tough time standing and walking on hard surfaces, and for those people, hardwood would be the better option.

I'd like some scientific research on the differences between standing on hardwood and tile.

Joe, I can't give you that. All I know is there are people, mostly elderly, who have a tough time standing on hard surfaces.. It's been discussed, mostly in the kitchens forum, since way back into the Gardenweb days.

See I don't get this whole "standing on tile is more painful" thing. I could see if someone was actually STANDING for hours and hours on end but for the average homeowner? I don't think the few hours you might spend in the kitchen will really do much damage or be anymore painful on tile v wood.

I did a sewing job wearing wooden clogs in a warehouse with a concrete floor for a day when I was in my 20's, and by the end of that 11-12 hour day my back hurt from my neck to my hips. I think it's more about the subfloor than the actual flooring material. Working over a slab is no joke, you have to have a good mat or good shoes or both.

Melissa, just because you or I don't experience it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I've heard this from many different people in many different places, so I know it's not BS.

Rachelleny, what vinyl floor did you install? It looks great, we are looking for vinyl flooring or our first floor. Thanks!