How to Achieve the Perfect Wood-Look Tile

One of our clients recently asked to replace all of her flooring with wood-look tile. While sourcing, I was floored (ha! pun.) by how far ceramic and porcelain tile has come over the past few years. I also couldn’t help but notice the many ways that installation really affects its appeal. 

The most common problems with porcelain wood tile point to installation issues, so hiring a trusted tile installer is key to the project’s success. Luckily, we have a great team of contractors that we trust to get the installation job done right. But if you’re thinking about using wood tile in your home, these are our top insider tips for making sure the installation goes smoothly.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty (sorry about that one, now I’m just getting carried away) of how to properly install grout with wood-look tile, we’re first going to touch a little bit on what NOT to do.

What to Avoid When Installing Wood-Look Tile

DO

Randomize the tile pattern

Select longer planks

Low-contrast grout

Thin grout lines

DON’T

Consistent tile pattern

Short plank lengths

High contrast grout

Thick grout line

Selecting the perfect plank

Keep this in mind when searching for your wood-look tile: the shorter the plank, the smaller the impact.

Shorter planks are a quick giveaway to the wood-like effect, making it harder to trick the mind’s eye into thinking the tile is actually wood. We recommend looking for a plank size at least 48” inches in length to achieve the best look.

Another thing to consider when shopping around is the tile’s texture and pattern repeat. Not all wood look tiles are created equal. Wood-look tile comes in a lot of variations - the amount of faces the tile has will effect how randomized the pattern appears. If you don’t already know, “faces” refer to how many different patterns are printed on the tile before it repeats. Ideally, you should find a tile that has around 40 faces to prevent the pattern from looking too artificial, and make sure your installer is spreading out and randomizing the tiles.Some (usually cheaper) tiles only have a pattern repeat about every 1-3 tiles. This means you won’t get the variation of knots, grains, or veining the same as you would with natural wood flooring. The best tiles will have a pattern repeat of every 7-10 tiles.

We work with account managers at trade wholesalers who have access to all the fine details such as the porcelain wood tile pattern repeat. However, as a consumer, you may have a difficult time accessing this type of info. We recommend working with a trade professional to help source these types of products as we can help guide through the overwhelming amount of options and take you along with us to browse a large array of products exclusive to the trade.

Don’t let grout ruin the effect

When it comes to wood-look tile, you should avoid high-contrast grout at all costs.

The ultimate goal of wood-look tile is to achieve a wood-like effect. Well, thick grout lines are a dead giveaway (and, quite frankly, a bit of an eyesore) to that desired goal, making it harder to trick the mind’s eye into thinking the tile is actually wood.

Whatever you do, don’t make this a repeat mistake.

If there’s one thing you want a lack of consistency of when it comes to your wood-look tile, it is the pattern!

GROUT LINES

DON’T: THICK GROUT LINES

DO: THIN GROUT LINES

Wood-look tile always looks the most impressive when it looks seamless, and the best way to give it that seamless effect is by keeping the grout lines as thin as possible. Ideally, the grout joints should be 1/8” or 3/16” to achieve the best result.

2. TILE-GROUT CONTRAST

DON’T: HIGH-CONTRAST GROUT

DO: LOW CONTRAST GROUT

In order to achieve a natural looking wood you need to match the grout color as closely to the tile’s wood tone as possible. This is especially true if your contractor isn’t skilled enough to install the tile with minimal grout spacing, as mentioned in our first point.

3. PLANK LENGTH

DON’T: SHORT PLANKS

DO: LONGER PLANKS

Shorter planks are a quick give away to the wood-like effect, making it harder to trick the mind’s eye into thinking the tile is actually wood. When shopping for your wood-look tile, we recommend choosing a plank that is at least 48” inches in length for the best look.

4. PATTERN

DON’T: CONTINUOUS OR CONSISTENT WOOD PATTERN

DO: RANDOMIZE THE TILE PATTERN

Wood-look tile comes in a lot of variations - the amount of faces the tile has will effect how randomized the pattern appears. If you don’t already know, “faces” refer to how many different patterns are printed on the tile before it repeats. Ideally, you should find a tile that has around 40 faces to prevent the pattern from looking too artificial, and make sure your installer is spreading out and randomizing the tiles.

DO’s

Randomize the tile pattern

Select longer planks

Low-contrast grout

Thin grout lines