Why Wood-Look Porcelain Works
By Bedrosians Tile & Stone | 7/17/2018
Love the look of real wood floors, but worry your room isn't appropriate for the material? One of the best alternatives is wood-look porcelain tile, as it can be used in any climate and any room, even water-prone areas like bathrooms, showers, laundry rooms and kitchens. Drawing inspiration from their real wood counterparts, wood-inspired porcelain tiles offer the natural beauty of hardwood, but with the enduring qualities of porcelain tile. Through advancements in digital imaging and high-tech manufacturing processes, this tile option replicates realistic textures and shading variations that make it nearly indistinguishable from real wood.
With close to 30 different varieties of wood-look porcelain in several sizes, colors, grains and textures in our product line up, Bedrosians Tile & Stone is excited to bring to you a new series called Antique.
Inspired by an antique wood table from a Franciscan monastery, our Antique wood-look porcelain collection updates vintage design with a contemporary feel. Offered in three colors and two sizes, Antique delivers a traditional and refined design.
8"x48" PLANKS
This size brings grandeur and expanse to your space.
24"x24" DIAGONAL SQUARES
These diagonal-patterned squares make large diamond shapes when set together, creating a parquet look.
DURABILITY - WOOD WITHOUT THE WORRY
Wood-look porcelain tiles are as close as you can get to scratch proof vs other flooring options. You won’t need to worry about your kids, pets or furniture scratching the floor. Tile doesn’t take on moisture like wood does. This means no warping, cracking, expanding, or staining either. Because it holds up in wet areas, feel free to use it the kitchen, bathroom and shower, laundry room and any other moisture-prone areas in your home.
Because of its extreme durability, wood-look porcelain is being used commercially where wood flooring was once thought to not be durable enough. Enjoy the look of a wood floor in the busiest restaurant, grocery store or building lobby.
LOW MAINTENANCE AND EASY CLEANING
Porcelain wood-look tile allows you to live life on your floors without the worry of damaging them. It is stain resistant and repels moisture for easy maintenance. Conversely, natural wood is prone to scratches, dents, warps and will need to be refinished over time. Using porcelain tile removes the time and worry needed to maintain real wood. Relax and let the kids and pets run free!
If you have a sun room or solarium, tile the floor with porcelain and fill it with plants without worry about spills, drips or moisture. And, unlike natural wood, porcelain is resistant to fading and sun damage, so your floor will retain its beauty for a lifetime.
VARIETY IN SIZE, COLOR, TEXTURE
Whether you are looking for a sleek dark finish, rustic whitewash or urban reclaimed looks, our products offer you the design freedom to use on floors, walls, counters, outdoor spaces and even your shower. You also have many sizes to choose from, from the small 6"x24" tile, which is perfect for creating herringbone patterns, to large format 8"x48" planks that bring grandeur and help expand the look of your space.
ONE COLOR - SEVERAL INTERPRETATIONS
A WOODEN RAINBOW OF COLOR OPTIONS
1) Crate in Colonial White 2) Tahoe in Frost 3) Antique in Clay 4) Arrowhead in Camel 5) Napa in Honey 6) Barrique in Brun 7) Forest in Walnut 8) European in Spanish Acacia 9) Always in Boat 10) Barrique in Noir
CREATE AN ORGANIC AESTHETIC
Even though wood-look tile can be hard to distinguish from the real thing, not everyone uses it simply as an alternative to natural wood. Choose it to instill the flavor of a wood-visual in a space and appreciate the authentic-looking replica and the hint of nature it inspires.
HELPS WITH HEATING AND COOLING
Wood-inspired porcelain offers a warm, comforting look to your decor, yet remains cool to the touch due to its porcelain composition. If you live in a colder climate, consider installing a floor warming system under your tile. This works especially well to create a spa-like feel in your bathroom. Just turn on the thermostat, and you'll experience a cozy, natural looking floor under your bare feet when stepping out of the shower.
VALUE DRIVEN
Porcelain tile is less expensive to produce than hardwood. Generally there is not much difference in cost between larger format tile planks and the smaller options. Unlike wood which is separated into species, porcelain tile is priced more consistently, regardless of the wood it replicates. Which means, you probably won’t pay much more for replicated Mahogany, Brazilian Walnut or Zebrawood than you would for knotty pine look-alikes. And you certainly save on the expense it takes to upkeep and maintain natural wood floors over the years, since there is never a need to sand and restain.
GROUT CHOICE AND INSTALLATION RECOMMENDATIONS
When choosing the grout color for your new wood-look porcelain, you need to consider a few things...
1) Mostly solid color tile. Pick the most consistent color in the tile and select a grout as close to that color as possible. With wood-look tile, you really don’t want your grout to steal the show, you want it to blend and disappear. A grout color that contrasts with the tile can detract from the continuous and organic feel that wood-look porcelain is trying to achieve.
2) Heavy variation tile. Match your grout to the darkest color in your wood-look tile. Over time, the grout will naturally darken with the wear and tear of everyday traffic. Darker grout tends to hide this. Plus it won’t draw attention to itself set against your tile.
When setting your tile, we recommend...
1) Mininum of 3/16" grout joint size. Since natural wood floors don’t have much of a joint, you don’t want your tile to either. The minimum recommended grout joint for any large format tiles (any one edge is greater than 15”) is 3/16”. All our wood-look tiles are considered large format. Smaller grout joints void any warranties. Without this size joint, the tile won’t be able to adjust to minuscule movements in the subfloor and you’ll end up with breakage, lippage, and an uneven surface.
1) Using a leveling system. Tile lippage is one of the worst things to happen to your floor. A slightly uneven floor or material problem can compromise the entire project if you’re not careful. One of the most common mistakes contractors and DIYers make is not using a tile leveling system to prevent tile lippage. Not only is the difference in height between the edges of the adjacent tiles aesthetically unappealing, but it can also turn into a tripping hazard. We recommend a tile leveling system to prevent tile lippage, especially when dealing with large format tiles.
Due to its design, a tile leveling system interlocks the tiles, ensuring that the surface remains smooth and flat while the thinset dries. The interlocking design not only minimizes the possibility of lippage, but it reduces or even eliminates settling from shrinkage. In addition to preventing lippage, a tile leveling system can also reduce the time of installation by almost eliminating the need to lift some of the tiles to add more thinset. Talk to any of our customer service representatives to choose the correct leveling system for your project. (Source: rubi.com)
With its beauty, durability, easy maintenance and variety, wood-look porcelain tile is perfect for your next project. Explore our huge selection of wood-inspired tile.
