Dark or light, matte or glossy, smooth or embossed – which wood-effect porcelain tiles should you buy today so that they won’t go out of style tomorrow? How to use it in the interior and what to combine it with?
Wood-look porcelain tiles in the interior: what colors, shades, and textures are in fashion? How to choose and combine? Can it be used for anything other than flooring? We’ll tell you everything in the article. And we’ll share interesting ideas from designers’ projects.
Why porcelain tiles
The advantages of wood are obvious. This is an environmentally friendly, natural material. This floor is pleasant to the touch and always remains warm. It looks elegant, “expensive” and stylish, and will not go out of style. But there are also disadvantages. Wood is a rather capricious material; it needs constant care. It does not like high humidity and sudden temperature changes. It can be easily scratched or damaged by sharp, hard objects. Finally, wood floors are expensive. In some cases, these nuances may outweigh the pros. There is an alternative. Floor tiles or wood-look porcelain tiles are one of them.
Advantages
- Unpretentiousness. It is not afraid of water, humidity, sudden changes in air temperature, and other surprises.
- Strength. Once and for all. This is about porcelain stoneware coating. It will not swell, will not dry out, and cracks will not form between the tiles over time. The floor will not start to creak. You can move even heavy furniture on it without fear – it won’t get scratched. Theoretically, porcelain tiles can be broken. But to do this, you need to drop something really heavy on it from a great height.
- Easy to care for. This floor can be washed with any cleaning products; it is not at all necessary to select soft, gentle household chemicals. And even if you wring out the rag poorly and a puddle forms on the surface, the tile will not notice it.
- Big choice. The range of tiles in size, color, and texture today is huge. You can find an imitation of almost any breed: from simple to exotic.
- Safe composition. Ceramic granite is considered an environmentally friendly coating. It consists of sand, mica, clay, feldspar and granite chips.
- Manufacturers produce products at different prices.
But it would be wrong to talk only about the advantages.
Flaws
- Labor-intensive installation process. It will be difficult to cope with this task on your own, without experience and skills. You will also need special tools, including a tile cutter. Typically, laying porcelain tiles is entrusted to professionals. And this is additional expenses.
- This is a cold coating. Imagine walking barefoot on bare rocks. You will feel approximately the same if you walk on porcelain stoneware without shoes. Especially if we are talking about the first floor of a private house or an apartment on the first floor. It is better to provide a heated floor system under the ceramic coating in advance.
- Hard and slippery. For a home where small children or elderly relatives live, it is better to choose a matte or structured, non-slip coating with a pronounced relief. It will be safer this way.
Types of wood-look porcelain tiles
According to the type of processing of the front side of the tile, there can be:
- Polished. That is, smooth and shiny.
- Satin. With an unobtrusive, barely noticeable shine.
- Structured. With a pronounced relief that imitates real wood.
- Matte. No shine at all, the surface is slightly rough.
Based on shape and design, wood-look porcelain tiles can be divided into the following groups:
- Classic natural wood. These are tiles in the form of large boards, imitating valuable species: oak, ash, beech, cedar, maple, Siberian larch and others. Solid wood flooring is the hallmark of classical and neoclassical interiors. Although, in general, this finish can be considered universal. It will be appropriate in almost any interior style and will not lose its relevance.
- Boards. This group includes porcelain tiles that imitate fairly large, rough, relief boards, usually from less valuable species: pine, spruce. Sometimes chips, chips, and large knots are specially drawn on the front side of such a coating. The boards are produced in natural colors or with an imitation “painted” surface. In the second case, they often create the effect of wear and aging. This type of finish is less versatile. It is suitable for rustic styles, interiors in the spirit of a Russian log house, French chalet, and Provence, for American country. And also for Scandinavian style, eco- and modern interiors.
- Parquet. Flooring with parquet is another enduring trend. In recent years, with growing interest in retro-style interiors, parquet has become even more popular. It is not surprising that many porcelain stoneware manufacturers have caught on to this trend and included ceramic parquet collections in their lines. These are smaller dies, natural in color, often imitating valuable rocks. There are several ways to lay them: “herringbone”, “braid”, “checkers” and others.
- Mosaic. This group includes porcelain tiles in the form of honeycombs, miniature squares, and rectangles.
Examples of different types of wood-look porcelain tiles in the interior are shown in the photo below.
Trends: what will be fashionable in 2024
Next year we will see that the desire for naturalness and environmental friendliness in interiors has not only been preserved, but has also intensified.
Nature remains the main source of inspiration. Wood, stone, and natural fabrics are becoming signs of modern design. What should you pay attention to?
- Natural, natural colors and shades. One of the main trends of this and next year is the so-called “warm or soft minimalism.” It’s still minimalism, but more cozy and homely. Hence the pleasant, enveloping brown, sand, and beige shades. Including the floor.
- Porcelain tiles should imitate natural materials as faithfully as possible. Choose wood-look porcelain tile collections with texture and relief. It would be good if the tiles looked like wood not only externally, but also tactilely. Pay attention to ceramics with a matte, slightly rough surface. It is better to put the gloss aside.
- Since we strive to reproduce wood as faithfully as possible, it is worth thinking about the size of the porcelain stoneware slabs. For example, if they are made in the form of boards, then they must match them in size. Sometimes too short or wide dies immediately give away an imitation.
Wood-look porcelain tiles: combinations
Even though the color of natural wood harmoniously combines with many shades and materials, there are particularly successful solutions.
Combinations with light wood
- Light floor + light walls + light furniture. The walls can be white, beige, light gray, cream, or ivory. This combination always looks airy and light. Well suited for both small spaces and spacious rooms.
- Light floor + light walls + dark or contrasting pieces of furniture. The colors of the contrasting elements can be almost any. In this case, the floor and walls act as the basis, the canvas. And the main part is in the furnishings.
- Light floor + dark or colored walls + furniture in pastel or bright colors. For walls, you can use shades of gray, blue, green, black, terracotta, or dark brown. They can be both deep and dusty, and even slightly bleached. This option is more intimate, enveloping, and at the same time bold. It is suitable for spacious, bright rooms.
Combinations with dark coating
Let’s list some successful options.
- Dark floor + light walls. Classic solution. Against the background of white or light walls, a richly colored floor looks even richer and more impressive. Light shades will highlight the texture of the wood. Not only pure white is suitable, but also its shades, as well as pastel colors. The furniture can be white or the color of a lighter wood, and also have a contrasting color.
- Dark floor + dark or bright walls. The choice of those who are not afraid to experiment. And also those who love voluminous, enveloping spaces. For walls you can choose deep, complex shades of blue, green, dark gray, and brown. Brighter, more saturated shades are also suitable. For example, mustard. Furniture can either accent or support the overall palette.
Combinations with other materials
Such ceramics combine well with other natural materials or their imitation.
- Concrete. Concrete and wood are ideal neighbors. They complement each other perfectly. The first adds severity and brutality to the duet, the second softens and balances.
- Stone. For example, a good match would be porcelain tiles imitating natural marble. This is a rather contrasting, interesting combination that is built on opposites. Marble is cold, refined, sophisticated, and luxurious. Wood is warm, solid, and cozy.
- Dye. It is better to choose plain, matte coatings. Against their background, porcelain stoneware should stand out and play the role of an accent.
- Plain ceramic tiles. As in the case of paint, it acts as a background and sets off the wood.
What finish to choose and how to install: useful tips
- When choosing porcelain tiles, consider the size of the room. Large format tiles are suitable for any room, even small ones. But planks that are too small can look out of place in a small room, just as they do in large ones.
- Horizontal layout will visually make the room wider. Vertical, on the contrary, is higher.
- When choosing the color of the floor and walls, you can adhere to the following rule: the “temperature” should be the same. This means that not only the color itself is important, but also its undertone: warm or cold. Choose warm shades of walls for warm floors and vice versa.
- In one room you need to carefully combine several wood shades. It is better to avoid similar ones that differ by one tone – it will seem that they tried to guess the color, but did not quite succeed.
Not just on the floor
Today, porcelain stoneware is used not only for flooring. It is also well suited for wall decoration. And not only in the bathroom, where such a solution is already a classic. Ceramic tiles can be used to decorate an accent wall in the living room or part of it.
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