Hi, it obviously depends on your personal taste, but for me, if you want the wood effect you should put down real timber. That looks warmer than the concrete type tiles (and it's what I have in my kitchen), but concrete looks very smart and modern.

My personal preference would be wood, because I like the natural warmth it brings. But as other above has correctly pointed out, it comes down to personal preference, colours of walls , furnishings and to what extent you want a "modern / contemporary industrial look"

If you go for a full industrial look, concrete floor with stainless steel appliances look great too.

If you do go wood-look tiles, I suggest going the largest possible size you can afford, offset to about 25-30% each. Look for rectified edges for a "seamless" for a look as close to natural as possible.

I can understand the difficulty in making this choice.... I was originally going all timber look tiles for our new build but then saw some gorgeous concrete look tiles that had a warm appeal to them too and now I don't know what to do ! Through the addition of other colours, textures, surfaces, materials, furnishings and accessories, I'm sure your home will look beautiful with whatever you decide. Try to find some inspiration photos of the total look you are going for and that might help to steer you more towards one than the other.

My experience with timber floors has been that when I've accidentally dropped a plate or a glass on the floor , the item doesn't always break.

Ive also noticed that the timber floor feels softer underfoot in comparison to tiles and is a warmer surface to walk on during the winter months .

Timber

We put timber look tiles in our large foyer and laundry, we think they look great. Friends have commented - they love the timber floors!! I would have opted for hardwood timber floors, however, we are can flood easily so tiles were the best option.

Depends on whether I have a concrete slab or piers for for foundations. . Slab I would go polished concrete and piers I would go real wood.

If you are considering the concrete look Polished Concrete is seamless and does not have joins that you would have with tiles. You can choose from a High Polished Gloss effect or a Semi Gloss to Matte finish. The seamless look would also make the space appear bigger and more open

The first photo is High Gloss and the second is a Matte Finish

Polished Concrete - Galaxy Concrete Polishing & Grinding Melbourne

If you're going for the industrial look then concrete tiles would be the way to go.

We have wood look tiles in our bathroom and are delighted with them but we have real wood on joists in our kitchen/living and are extremely happy with that decision.

We bought our house in Sept 2017 and due to previous water issues (not found until after we moved in) we replaced our bamboo flooring (except for bathrooms and laundry) with timber look tiles and love them. They are matte finish but work so well in our house.

Nik Star can you remember where you saw the concrete look tiles and what they were called?

Personally, I don't like materials pretending to be other materials, so I have a fairly intense dislike of things like "faux wood" ceramic tiles...…...I don't know - there is just something inherently dishonest about that whole concept that rubs me up the wrong way. I don't like vinyl that looks like wood or stone, or cladding that looks like brick etc. I think truth in materials is always the best way to go. Unashamed concrete would be a better choice, I feel.

Concrete is definitely more industrial and more durable. It is very low maintenance and you wouldn't necessarily worry about any scratches/ dents caused by drops etc. Like Daniel Lindahl mentioned its best to keep an eye of the cheaper materials as they do tend to wear out much quicker. You can also opt for a glossy finish or a matt sealer depending on your design concept.

Either way, concrete and timber compliment each other well if applied on floors, walls and joinery.

Below is a past project with our X-Bond seamless surface applied with both concrete and timber finishes.

-SS team.

Timber is the way to go, I agree with Suzie, gives a warm, welcoming feel to home. Concrete to industrial and cold.

I will be the loan naysayer and go:

Vinyl Plank timber pattern tiles.

I did these in my kitchen and they helped make the room. Used Karndean, but any European brand should be fine (avoid American and assume they are using American or worse if they don't say the country of origin).

http://www.karndean.com/en-au/floors/landing-pages/new-looselay-longboard?gclid=CjwKCAjwspHaBRBFEiwA0eM3kQ7eEFPH5FlK2IwV3o7ZsbbmJ19srG0OM_tWK5dhPMNyDdwxGPUr4BoCoYcQAvD_BwE

Caveats:

Ground must be FLAT. 100% flat, ruler FLAT. If not you will have to level. If flat, you can lay them yourself. Our floor had to be levelled and it was tough. still got a few high patches and gaps because of that. However I have done it on a concrete surface myself since and it's beautiful.

Benefits:

Nice and soft on the foot. (less ankle pain)

single tile replacement.

Looks fantastic.

No PVC glue fume issues and fairly resilient. Do be wary though of metal chair legs scraping the floor.

Waterproof! when installed right with no gaps! (why I would choose them in a kitchen over timber or Eeek carpet!.... Yes previous owner installed shagpile carpet in the kitchen).

Concrete floors hit your brief for modern, contemporary industrial style. Teamed with warm natural wood furnishings or cabinetry etc. you will achieve the look you want.

Hi,

I thought I'd put my bit in this as I have natural jarrah floorboards in my home for 5 years. They are in all the living areas, and have had them repolished twice. They start off looking very beautiful until you entertain or have children. I have no pets but since having a kid scraping things along the floor, riding the indoor bike (which was never going to happen), moving furniture and entertaining it all became scratched, dull and rubber marks throughout. It then looks dirty even if you scrub it.

It all depends if you have the same issues as I have, but would go timberlook vinyl...they are quite advanced these days than what they used to be.

good luck.

I renovated my kitchen and living room (semi-open plan). Underneath a manky old carpet in the living area I found beautiful matai floorboards. Matai is a NZ native tree, now protected. So it was a no-brainer to get that sanded. I opted for semi-gloss water-based polyurethane as a finish, as it's non-yellowing and biodegradable. The kitchen posed a greater problem. In the end (because of budget considerations, and also wanting a softer feel for my arthritic joints), I chose a thick, soft vinyl that looks like slate. Now I have the best of both worlds; the look of aged wood floors, plus the comfort and smart look of the vinyl. We have a Weimaraner dog, and boy – her claws are wicked on floors. We're also rural, so a fair bit of the countryside makes its way into our house. I've elected to see the scratches she makes on the wood as adding character. So far the vinyl has been impervious to her claws. I decided against the timber look vinyl as it really doesn't look that much like real wood. I have it in one bathroom (not my choice) and it squeaks!

I would go with real timber or the concrete tiles. Personally not a fan of 'timber' tiles, fake timber always looks cheap in my opinion. Concrete will look really nice and modern. Good luck