Tile has several ratings. Glazed products perform according to the hardness of their glaze. This hardness is determined by the manufacturer and rated using a PEI scale (Porcelain Enamel Institute). This PEI rating will determine the proper usage of each product. PEI I Tiles suitable for interior wall application. PEI II Tiles suitable for residential bathrooms where softer footwear is worn. PEI III Tiles suited to general residential traffic, except kitchens, entrance halls, and other areas subjected to continuous heavy use. PEI IV Tiles suited for all residential and light to medium commercial areas. PEI V+ Tiles suitable for heavy traffic and wet areas where safety and maximum performance are a major concern such as exterior hallways, food service, salad bars, building entrances, around swimming pools or shopping centers. If you are going to have clients walking on the tile, I think the tile would have to be at least PEI IV. In addition, tile has a coefficient of friction for both wet and dry. The tile I have in my bathroom is porcelain with a PEI IV rating and coefficient of friction > .6. The tile has three benefits. It is not slippery, it does not show water spots, and, because the design has marble-like veining, it does a terrific job of hiding dirt.

I know this thread is a bit old but I wanted to chime in as people are continuing to debate and google-search the decision between wood floor and wood-look tile. I am a Realtor and I don't think this is necessarily "just a trend." Wood-look tile is continuing to change dramatically and can be quite impressive! I often see investor-flipped, new-construction, or standard pre-owned homes/condo's with updates, etc. In the past year, I have seen a big increase in wood-look tile. Sometimes it looks good, other times, just okay. When it is of lower quality, you may as well just do a cheaper tile. I absolutely think laminate is on the out, unless you are getting a higher quality. If you go cheap, it looks cheap and feels cheap. Families today often want updates, nice finishes/fixtures, and the idea of also having something that looks great, but also durable, is a big plus! So, I would say, go ahead and do wood-look tile, BUT, do it right! Invest in the higher quality product and be sure to take in consideration the grout color. A lighter color looks more obvious AND you have to seal it to help keep it clean. A medium-darker color is less obvious and easier to keep looking good year around. I am in the Fort Worth, TX area.

We are interested in using hardwood tile in an enclosed area....the bathroom hallway (linen and vanity area). The option is hardwood flooring as in the rest of the apartment (except WC) or use the same tile as in the WC (husband's preference 12 x 24 Iris Nickel Stroke). My compromise would be hardwood look tile in the linen/vanity area. Our floors in the rest of the apartment will be Somerset Character collection, Hickory Ember 5" EP51HEE (it's more gray than brown, which we prefer). Can anyone point me to porcelain wood look tile that would resemble the grey/brown Hickory Ember flooring? I've tossed out all of my samples since none worked.

The best DESIGN option = same tile throughout. The sad thing is the tile may no longer be available. Now you are into some weird design elements that no one explained at the time you installed the wood-look tile. In essence you have "wet" areas that are covered in "wood". You are now looking at having to put traditional looking tile or stone in the living areas normally reserved for wood. This is Bass Akwards in the eyes of many (myself included). Personally, being a cork flooring expert, I would replace carpet with cork floating flooring. It is soft and quiet and is NOT wood looking. But I know cork and I know how to live with its eccentricities. I'm 1% of the population. The other 99% can't handle cork. In an ideal world, you would have used a stone look tile in the kitchen areas and a wood-look tile for the rest of the house because that's traditionally where you would put wood. I would check to see if you can find the original wood-look tile. Be aware you will have issues with colour - assuming you can find the same product. Photos of what you are dealing with could help us.