Wood Look Tiles with Real Wood

4 years ago

Hey Guys! I have read many forums that advises NOT to mix wood look tiles with real wood. I just love the look and feel of real
Wood but I would like to update my kitchen which currently has tile. With a pool/3 kids and a big weimaraner, my husband wants to install the wood look tile. He wants to replace every floor that is open with tile and leave real wood throughout the closed rooms and our stairs. What do you think? Should we just do another traditional (non wood look) tile along the kitchen or would the wood look tile look ok since the other rooms that are closed off?

What about the foyer? If we added more engineered wood throughout that front space and tile only in kitchen, would that be too hard to maintain?

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Comments (4)

SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
First off, check to see if you can purchase more of the engineered hardwood. If your floor is older than 2 years, you probably won't find the product ever again. Let's assume that's the case and move on to the rest of the question.

Please DO NOT add wood-look tile to real wood. You can MIMIC the look of wood by using travertine-look porcelain tiles in the COLOUR you want. Striated travertine-look has the same 'grain' as wood. It comes in large format tiles (the same or LARGER than wood-look tiles) and it doesn't have to 'match' your wood it just has to compliment it.

As for replacing the 'open' spaces with tile (including the front area to the right of the picture #2) it is your call. Right now it looks broken up. If you are looking to add visual flow with the flooring, then removing the engineered hardwood in that area will work very well.

The next question becomes: what happens with the stairs if you remove the engineered wood from that space. Usually wood on stairs has something that it coordinates with. Right now that is the area to the right in pic#2. If you remove it, the stairs become a 'stand alone element'. This can be good or it can be very, very bad.

To leave the stairs in place with the wood, you are FORCED to work with their colouring. As a stand alone element you have to WANT that colour in your house. And I mean DESPERATE to keep the colour. Does the wood continue UPSTAIRS?
Erene Ortiz
Original Author
4 years ago
The wood does continue upstairs :( but we can no longer find the wood used. It’s discontinued.
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How old is the addition? Is it a plywood or concrete subfloor under the carpet? What area do you live in (cold northern or HOT southern)? The design rule of thumb is: if the floors are TOUCHING or are visible to on another (like through a 32" doorway/breeze way) then you do not want 'fake wood-look' product next to the real thing. People have done it...some have managed it (because they have a great eye for design) but most muddle it up. I like to see a travertine-look tile in complimentary colours (to the hardwood) used instead of wood-look tile when the floors are this close to one another. The porcelain travertine-look tiles come in EVERY colour in the rainbow (yes...I've seen purple). The striations in the travertine-look tiles is what keeps the THEME of the hardwood going without being a 'fake' look up against the real thing. When fake is next to or visible while standing on the real thing, it makes BOTH materials look cheap(er) and fake(r). That's the main reason behind the "do not mix" concept. Go ahead and google travertine porcelain tiles. You will be AMAZED at what you can have without dealing with 'fake' vs. 'natural' in your home.
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Olychick
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
If you like the color of the existing wood and really want tile, then you might be able to get away with a wood look tile in a very similar color by completely changing the pattern of the new wood look tile...maybe have it laid in a pattern similar to this?

Maybe add some detail to meld them together:
Or simply lay real hardwood with a tough finish on it and have it color matched to the existing stairs.
Annie
4 years ago
I have the same situation. What did you end up doing? I have considered putting a runner on my stairs to visually break up all the wood on the stairs, but I prefer cleaning a wood staircase.

Wood Look Tiles with Real Wood

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SJ McCarthy

Erene Ortiz
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Wood Look Tiles with Real Wood

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SJ McCarthy

Erene OrtizOriginal Author

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