With the advent of digital imaging and ink-jet printing, it is now much more affordable to purchase tiles with a printed pattern.
The wood grain look is amongst the most popular looks for tiles currently. I think this wood grain look tiles are here to stay. It has been popular now for a few years and more and more new styles are being brought out.
Tips for Selecting Floor Tiles
Tiles are not like hardwood floor that is always classic. Many people update their homes frequently so changing their tiles is part of their routine.
If you are not wanting to frequently replace tiles, you don’t have to. Pick a style that you really love and a grout color that you really love too.
Changing your grout color is a big deal – it is not like painting over a color on your walls. Many homeowners think it is a quick and simple job but it will be laborious and expensive if you hire it out.
You need to pick a color and style you will be happy with. Some people like texture and pattern. Some people like very plain and simple. Whatever you like you can find. The styles are truly endless.
Color
Tiles have a fashion of their own. Unlike wood floors that remain classic, tile style change every 5 years or so. It doesn’t mean you have to keep up with the latest trends but you surely can. The biggest change is the color of tiles.
As I write this in 2014, the popular color now is grey. The range in gray is from very dark charcoal to a very light almost white. They can be long and thin like wood floorboards or more square like classic tiles. They can be a very dark grey with a very light grout or they could be textured grey tiles to mimic tiles. These are all trendy styles right now. When you think of grey wood floors, they are much less common than honey stained wood floors. Wood look tiles and wood floors have trends of their own.
There are so many interesting wood floors you can recreate with tiles.
Fossilized Wood Floor Tiles
You can have a fossilized wood floor. This Spanish ceramic tile design that is growing in popularity. Sometimes people will do this fossilized tile on their floors and walls in the same room to create an elegant look. This is a warm look that with real wood is a process is most often do with bamboo flooring.
Traditional and Modern Takes On Wood Floors
Because tiles are so diverse, when mimicking a wood floor, you can stay with long and thin floor tiles like common wood floors. You can also have a wide plank wood floor look.
If you want a more artistic floor, you can have a variety of different colors of tiles looking like each “floorboard” is a different color stain. You can make your floor look like a traditional wood floor or you can be creative and modern with your design. You can play with different colors, patinas and finishes for your wood look tiles. Very dark walnut is popular as a style for wood look tiles.
Reclaimed Wood Floors
Reclaimed wood floors are many homeowners’ dream but so expensive. Today, there are many tiles that mimic reclaimed wood. You no longer have to search for 100 year old wood from an old farmhouse. And the fun thing about making a tiled floor that mimics old reclaimed wood is you choose the dimensions of your “floorboards”. You choose the “stain”. You can really make it look exactly like you want. You can make your floor look like different species of wood.
Going with the reclaimed wood look, some homeowners are even opting for a weathered wood tile floor. This makes the floor look very old and as if it has been exposed to the elements for a long time. If you like old and reclaimed wood, you can also get tiles to mimic petrified wood.
Final Thoughts
Similar to wood floors, nowadays you can recreate your favorite wood floor using ceramic or porcelain tiles. From herringbone to parquet to reclaimed wood to classic wood floors – tiles can do it all! No need for refinishing, sanding, staining, special cleaning schedules, etc. Wet mopping is all you need to do. Unlike real wood floors, wood look tiles are cost effective because there is no long-term maintenance. This is the appeal that is making wood look tiles so incredibly popular.