Wood look Porcelain tile (and we are not talking Ceramic) prices have really come down over the last 18 months. Wood look Porcelain tile is a great way to get the look of wood but the durability of porcelain and in a bathroom it is a perfect choice.

However It is still a relatively new product into the market so prices for wood look tile are all over the place, from ours $2.20 Sq.Ft. to $30 Sq.Ft. and up (There is also ceramic, but let’s stick with the higher quality of porcelain). Arlene the Architect above in this discussion is estimating the cost at $10.00SF so you can see how much variation there is in the price of what is a manmade product.

New products can get a higher price to pay for the investment into new technology. Companies have to recover a lot of fixed cost investment fast. A lot of money is also being spent on creating the ‘Brand’, marketing in magazines and advertising to try and convince the consumer it is worth $30SF :) All this marketing has considerable cost and guess who has to pay for all that cost? You. The consumer, it is all built back into the product cost, it has to be. (I feel like one of those corporate whistle blowers and the execs are thinking "No! Don't tell them this... we had a plan and it was working").

We have a no frills marketing strategy, keeping our costs as low as possible while making the product quality as high as possible. I recommend getting samples and comparing. Our point is shop around. We want you to get the best value perhaps it is buying from us perhaps not. Price points on Porcelain wood look tile range significantly even for products that are made to the same specifications.

We have 24 Warehouse locations around the USA, so pick up is a good way to save on shipping. Shipping is pretty reasonable as well; 1,700SF to MS was $225.00.

A reasonable match to this product would be our Mahogany available in 6x24” for $2.20SF (prices valid until June 2015). Or available in a 6x36" Mahogany porcelain size for $2.95SF.

Final tips: #1. Get samples before you buy. It only costs $5.00 and then you can just check the color match is what you want before 1,000SF of Porcelain shows up. #2. Over order to account for cuts and waste by at least 15% you should only use up 10% but depends on the complexity of the design (a Herringbone install then bank on getting 20%+ extra). The other 5% save it. Anything needs to be replaced in the future you will be the only one in the world with the exact matching lot - it is like a can of paint. Porcelain comes in color lots.

Mahogany Wood Look Porcelain Tile 6x36" $2.95SF

Porcelain Wood Look Tile 6x24" $2.20SF

Hi The BuilderDepot,

So glad for your input as we, too, are building a house (on southern end of Chesapeake Bay). Three questions: (1) does sound carry between floors more with tile? If so, would more insulation mitigate? We will have a rental unit beneath us so want to limit complaints. (2) Does it make sense to use same color grout as wood to give true sense of wood? (3) What goes underneath the tile?

I'm bumping this thread because we are confronting the same question. We have about 300 square feet to re-do - kitchen and adjacent dining area. Currently the kitchen has wood-look laminate that's a couple years old (installed by prior owner), and the dining area has similarly new carpet that extends into the living room and the remainder of the main floor. We don't like the color of the existing laminate and we don't like carpet in a dining area, so we want to remove the floors in both of those rooms (retaining the carpet in the living room, etc.) and replace the flooring in the kitchen/dining area with a single surface (as those rooms are open to each other). The choice is between wood-look porcelain and wood-look laminate in a color that's more to our liking (which is probably something in the driftwood or aged wood family). If money were no object (or if I had the only vote), I would go with the tile. But, while the material cost of the tile and the laminate is very comparable - just over $2/sq. ft, the cost of installation is markedly higher for the tile; I assume because of the need for a backer layer. We were told it's probably a total cost of $4.50 - 5.00 for the laminate installed and $9-10.00 for the tile. Again, we have 300 sq. feet to re-floor. We are not going to be in the house forever - probably 5 years tops, so longevity is not an issue; however resale value is something to consider. I would spend the extra for the tile, but the more budget conscious other half would not. Plus, there is other work that has to be done to this house (when we purchase it in a couple months), such as repainting all the oak cabinets, built-in shelves and moldings, and replacing the laminate kitchen counters with granite, so we are already going to spend a bunch. We have a couple small dogs (see my profile pic), and occasionally a large dog who sometimes comes with my teenage kids. No small kids, however, who might crack their heads on the tiles.

#1. All great questions. There various are acoustical underlayment available you can buy that go between the subfloor reducing the decibels level. Some of them are in showrooms, I recall 15 years ago when they first came out with laminate flooring "in a big way", they had a golf ball attached to two samples one with the underlayment and one without, the difference was amazing.

#2. The grout choice is your call. I recommend getting a sample, or a couple and testing colors to see how things look. See this attached picture of our redwood natural they did not go with the same color and it looks awesome!

#3. Okay, for installation, I always recommend research, research, research, read from DIY how to install plank porcelain and HGTV take a look on YouTube - gaining knowledge is the key. But you want to hire a professional, get references, watch what is being done, mix the boxes, cut pieces to start you do not want a "line effect created"

Redwood Natural 6x24" Porcelain Tile (Rectified Edge) $2.20 aSquare Foot and 6x36" for $2.95 a Square Foot

DO NOT install like this, see the straight lines down the middle, this is terrible, WATCH your installer. This is a classic mistake seen it more times than I can count.

I think people who have had problems with laminate had it several years ago. The new laminates are much superior. I have it on my main floor at our cottage and it is indestructible and I get many compliments on it.

Lila, what brand do you have?

Hi wayno16,

I don't really like to sway people's decisions on products, especially if one of those products (laminate flooring) is something we do not sell. But having spent over a decade in the laminate flooring industry and helped run a factory I do have some knowledge in this field. It sounds to me if the plan is to move then focus on budget.

I would recommend a really good underlayment with laminate flooring. Retailers get you in the showroom with a 6mm price and try to sell you a 12mm product. Without a good underlayment you will get a distinct Clickity Clack noise when walked on.

Then when potential buyers come for a look inside your home. They will be a bit turned off by the noise. So while budget is the key, the cheaper the laminate the less noise reduction it will offer. A really good underlayment can fix a lot of that, but you'll pay for it.

To get the price down on laminate you would have to go with a 6mm thick product and then a really good acoustical underlayment. But even with that it will be tough with a thin laminate.

I think you just have to do the math and see where it takes you.

Any questions, please email us.

Thank you

The Builder Depot.

Thank you Builder Depot. I will definitely do the math, and try to figure out if there really is a significant cost difference, installation included, between the porcelain tiles and a high-quality laminate that is installed properly (with the right underlayment). I really love the porcelain wood-grain tiles, and have wanted to put them in one of my past houses or the office I remodeled, but have not done so yet. I was hoping this might be the time, but in the interest of domestic harmony, I won't do so if the cost difference is significant.

Porcelain tiles would be a great look and would look nice in years to come even with hard use. I am not a laminate fan unless you are looking for a short term solution with little investment. Tile will Cost significantly more for the materials and also for installation.

It's great you are doing research, many people leave out this step.

Definitely the "wood look" tile floors - Pergo WILL scratch. I have dogs - ack hard on your things. Don't know if anyone has mentioned, but tile floors can be heated - it's super cozy. Hope this helps. Caryl H.

I'm wondering what decision you made because we are currently having the same debate. But my concern with the wood-look tile is how difficult the demo process will be if/when we or future owners want to change it? Also, what state does it leave the surface in for replacement flooring after all that tile is torn out? For these reasons, I am leaning against it... but still considering all options.

You can get all sorts of wood look Tile floors you just need to check the rating. A $0.99 Ceramic Wood Look Tile in a darker color, I can almost bet will chip and come off with the dogs.

A porcelain, commercial rated full bodied porcelain is almost irrelevant as you cannot see the scratch easily as full bodied will mean the color of the top coat will go through the entire tile.

I do not have an actual answer. Just pointing out that nearly every flooring material has to be rated. Think of floors in malls or in a retail store and the amount of traffic they undergo that is significantly more than a household (regular household). But commercial floors cost more as they have thicker coatings on them to keep them looking nice for decades.

In the end, as with most things. Research. Check ratings. Then you will probably see ultimately you get what you pay for.

It is a great discussion. Hopefully helps a lot of people in their floor covering research.

Thank you

The Builder Depot.

Amanda, I posted on this thread over a year ago when I was confronting the same dilemma - wood-like porcelain tiles vs. laminate. We went with laminate because, although material costs were similar, the installation cost is so much greater for porcelain, largely because of the need to prep a sub-floor. We went with a pretty high-end laminate that replicates barn wood, and it looks great. It's the first compliment every visitor to our house makes. They think it's actually wood. We have 3 dogs and there is no apparent dog-created wear after a year. Hopefully I will succeed in attaching a photo.

mdkam I love your floors. Can I ask what brand you went with?

Juniper Lark, I think thebuilderdepot can help you. I got very informative answers to my questions ... for which I failed to say "thank you" because I immediately went to work on readying a home for sale. Anyhow, thebuilderdepot, can you help? And thank you for your great input.

mdkam

great floor on your post of July 19th 2016. Could you tell me what kind and what color, please? Thank you

i am trying to make the same decision after a water from a plumbing leak buckled my engineered hardwood floors-an option between laminate and solid hardwoods. had the vinyl plank hardwood look floors in a house years ago and loved them! indestructible, easy care, water and pet proof, warmer than tile and cheaper to install--had forgotten how much i liked them! think i am going to go with the vinyl again after all!

i'm trying to make the same decision. my son is in a heavy wheelchair and we are finally building the addition we need so badly. there is a lot of square footage-kitchen, family room, laundry room. All high traffic areas with a lot of water in use. I planned to do wood-look porcelain but my contractor is trying to sway me towards a wood -look laminate like the new timbercore by lucida. he claims its scratch proof and a lot warmer and that installation is a lot less expensive.

I need to decide asap. Please help!

I need advice on replacing an entire bottom floor of laminate. I also have a laundry room and half bath that connects to the area I need to replace. I have been looking at porcelain tile that looks like wood and due to high cost I was referred to using WPC vinyl flooring. I was concerned about using this in a bathroom. I know it is waterproof but I was thinking it may not look good in the bathroom since it is supposed to look like wood. what do you think? I really like the look of porcelain but it is pricey.

Folks, I'm no expert but I do know this: Tile of any kind is hard on our joints (have had it in two homes, have hated it when I was young and middle-aged) and we can get sick of it when grout gets dirty and cracks are unseemly.

Meanwhile, fake wood fails to hold up in the long run. I've seen high end and low end in homes an--egads!--if the floors are used, they look abused. Plus, the chemicals used in manufacturing and installing them are, well, questionable.

I would suggest going with--are you ready for this?--a natural product like good old-fashioned linoleum. Today's linoleum isn't our grandma's linoleum. I would have done so on the first floor of our huge MCM house, had we stayed there longer. And if I can't paint the original wood floors of our Victorian replacement house, I hope to use linoleum, adding seagrass rugs where needed. There are gorgeous linoleum options these days and the good news? If and when we tire of it, paint the sucker.

The stuff is easy on our joints, green (not that I'm a die-hard greenie, but hey, the product is renewable), long-lasting, and semi-easy on the wallet.

And, no, I don't sell floor coverings. I sell nothing at all.

They now have waterproof laminate flooring which is pretty indestructible. its a great option for living rooms