In the past, tile was only available in a square format, being commonly installed in bathrooms, entryways, and kitchens, as tile “had its place”. Nevertheless, today, there are so many different tile sizing options, and also colors, textures, and styles, including wood look tiles, that can be installed in every room in your home.
Wood Look Tile Options
The notable difference in wood look tile is that it’s designed in long rectangular strips, much like hardwood or floating laminate floors would be. The gaps between tiles are much smaller though, even though the usual tile installation methods are still applicable. But if you examine traditional hardwood flooring, there are noticeable lines running between floor boards, and this is what enables tile flooring to work perfectly too.
Wood looking tile is one of the better options, as porcelain tiles are designed to last a lifetime. Hardwood flooring can be high-maintenance, and can suffer from scratches and dings. Over time, you may have to sand and refinish your hardwood floors, but with wood look tiles, they’ll resist the scratches and dents.
How to Choose the Right Tile Sizing
Some tiles can be traditional square options, but there are rectangular wood look tiles, and smaller mosaic tiles. It can be tricky trying to pick out the right size of tiles for your room size.
If you have a smaller room, it can benefit from the larger-sized tiles of 18”, by making the room appear larger. Part of this is due to fewer grout lines.
You can use smaller mosaic tiles to add texture to the room. These tiles are a good option for any size of room, as they can make the flooring space flow well. They are also easier to fit around toilets, sinks, or shelving that has already been installed in a room.
For a long rectangular room, you can lay rectangular or plank tiles across the floor, rather than lengthwise. This makes the room look wider and bigger than it really is. If you wish to define certain parts of a space, such as in a great room with dining room and living room, you can add borders or edging with smaller tiles around your larger central tiles. You can also do these in similar colors which won’t affect the size of how your space looks.
Distressed Wood Look Planks
Another great option is to choose distressed-style wood look tile planks. These have your usual wood color base, but are often covered in splatters of color, such as turquoise blue over grey-brown wood. These can add some authenticity to an interior space that is country or vintage-style, to create a relaxing retreat in your home.
If you’ve been holding off on redoing the floors in your home because of past perceptions of boring square tiles, it’s time to visit Polaris to see the fabulous new tile sizing options to transform any type of room into wonderful living space.