Tile vs. Wood: Which flooring should you choose?

Choosing flooring is a difficult decision as the quality and durability of your flooring is particularly important where there is high traffic. If you choose the wrong flooring, water, weathering, sunlight and simply walking can put your flooring at risk of damage. Trying to decide between wood or tile for your flooring? What if you didn’t have to choose? When it comes to comparing the performance of wood and tile, tile comes out on top as the more durable and therefore timeless option. 

That being said, the experts at our tile stores in Omaha understand wood is still often preferred for its appearance. The wood-look gives your home a natural, cozy feel no matter your home’s style or aesthetic. If you’re one of those that like wood flooring, get the best of both worlds by opting for tile that looks like wood flooring. Here’s what makes tile the superior choice:

Durability

Wood floors are sensitive to sunlight. Prolonged sun exposure can leave your wood flooring looking dull and discolored, unlike tile, which is sun resistant. Tile is also weather resistant, while wood flooring is susceptible to damage at the hands of extreme hot and cold temperatures. 

Wood flooring scratches easier and is more slippery than tile, as well. That being said, if you have a home where kids and pets are constantly running around, tile is the safer choice to avoid damage or accidents.

Affordability and ease of maintenance

Because tile is the more durable choice, it requires less time and money to maintain. Not only is it less likely to be damaged and require repair, but it doesn’t have to be refinished regularly as wood does. However, tile grout needs to be resealed, but this task is far easier and cheaper than refinishing wood. Overall, tile flooring is going to maintain its quality and appearance over time far better than wood will.

Design variety

Tile is very versatile. It can be produced in all different shapes, sizes, colors and textures, while with wood, what you see is what you get. There is not nearly as much design variety as compared to tile. In fact, tile can even imitate other materials like wood. So if wood is the look you want, you can get just that but with the quality of tile, instead.

Overall, if you’re looking for superior function, durability and design, tile is the choice for you. Not only will tile hold up and look stunning in your home, it will require less maintenance saving you time and money in the long run. The good news: if you favor the appearance of wood but want the durability of tile, choosing tile that looks like wood flooring from our tile stores Omaha is the perfect solution. Here are a few tile materials that commonly imitate wood:

• Porcelain

• Ceramic

• Marble

• Granite

At our tile stores Omaha, we have a wide variety of flooring materials to choose from, including some tile that looks like wood flooring. That way, you don’t have to choose between the two - you can get the superior durability of tile with the wood appearance that you wish for. Contact GMS Werks today or visit our Tile Showroom for everything from porcelain to granite.