Faux Wood tile

Have you noticed a tile that resembles the look and feel of wood planks? Usually its a dark brown color, made to mimic walnut wood flooring. In the right applications, it looks quite nice.

Where to use it depends on whether the room is light or dark, earth tones, small or large and most importantly, a high traffic area? With regards to the lighting, if you get alot of light, than you can see the details of the tile. This can be good or bad, depending on the quality of the tile. Poor light hides alot of sins when it comes to less than fantastic materials. If you use this tile in a large room, you run the risk of more noticeable wear patterns.

I have seen the wear patterns in this tile (courtesy of a restuarant in the City) and its not pretty. The fax wood grain flattens, the color fades and a faint reddish/pink color begins to show in the worn areas.

Unlike real wood, this tile cannot be sanded and refinished. It would have to be replaced. Thus if its a small room, you can be more successful in mixing and matching new tiles (if not replacing most of them). A larger room and you just have a larger challenge. Why? Because the dye lot for each batch of tile will have some variation, leaving you with a tile that is either darker or lighter than the original. Thus replacing a few will show a contrast (possibly subtle) to the surrounding tiles.

I applaud the idea of making a faux wood tile and saving some trees. Just keep in mind where the tile will be placed and how it will look in five years.

Big or Little?

Lately, we have Clients requesting large tiles be installed when remodeling their bathrooms. Why? Minimal grout lines. Some clients don't want to see alot of lines in their shower/bathroom walls. They would rather focus on the pattern or look of the tile. Some Clients don't want the cleaning required on grout lines.  Less lines equals lower maintenance for them.

There is a fix to the cleaning problem of grout lines. Granted, it will not eliminate the need to clean a shower. But if you use a grout epoxy in the shower area, it will clean more easily and quickly than regular grout. But its expensive, as much as 3x a regular box of grout. Also, the labor to install is more since it takes more time to apply than regular grout. Yet it pays for itself in the long term.