When It Comes To Your Kitchen, The Real Deal Isn’t Always Best
When It Comes To Your Kitchen, The Real Deal Isn’t Always Best
A kitchen design with a floor made of varnished wood can look fantastically warm and welcoming as well as making the room appear larger. However, the downside with wood is that it’s not really practical in an area where there’s the chance of water being spilled and in a room that will get a lot of traffic (and most of that involving muddy feet).
One way you can have the beautiful wood effect in your kitchen and not have to worry about wear and tear is by laying wood-effect tiles instead.
These come in two sturdy and hard-wearing materials in particular – ceramic and porcelain. And because these are tiles they’re easy to replace if the worst happens ie a pot or heavy object lands on them and causes a crack (it’s certainly a lot easier than having to locate a matching wooden plank to replace the existing one, not to mention the cost of a joiner).
Reasons why you should opt for wood-effect tiles over the real deal
- Tiles are far harder wearing than wood itself. For instance heavy footfall will wear away wood over time and planks can splinter, crack or warp if they get soaked (a burst pipe or an overturned dog’s water bowl aren’t unheard of in kitchens)
- Wood is easily dented by high-heeled shoes and can cause anti-social noise problems with neighbours if you’ve people living below (in countries such as Ireland wooden floors are banned in tenement buildings for this very reason)
- Tiles tend to be non-porous and water can simply be wiped off with a sponge or mop
- Porcelain or ceramic tiles won’t scratch or get marked easily (an important point if you happen to have a dog with sharp claws in the house)
- Unlike real wood, tiles won’t fade over time if placed in a sunny conservatory or another area of your home that gets a lot of light
- Putting down porcelain or ceramic wood-effect tiles means you can still have electric underfloor heating (this isn’t possible with real wood)
- Tiles are easier to lay than wood and less expensive to buy
- There’s a huge variety of wood-effect tiles to choose from in a range of different woods from red cherry to dark mahogany, pale cedar or warm walnut
- Tiles are much easier to keep clean than wood. Muddy footprints or oil marks can simply be wiped clean with a cloth whereas oil would stain wood and prove impossible to remove completely
- When it comes to regular maintenance tiles are by far the preferred option. In order to keep looking good wood has to be waxed, polished and sanded which can prove a very time-consuming and costly chore
Here at My Beautiful Kitchen we’ve laid a number of wood-effect porcelain or ceramic tiles over the years – and not just in kitchens. The tiles work equally well in bathrooms – or any room in the house come to that – thanks to their non-porous nature. If you’re curious about how they would look in your home we will happily provide samples for you to take a look at, as well as advice on styles to match your existing kitchen cabinets and worktops.
Just give us a call and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.