By Vienna Flores
I know how it goes. You?re looking to buy new flooring for your living room, dining room or bedroom and you want the best of the best. Hardwood floors come to mind. Even more, you love the hand scraped, aged look. It?s a contemporary design trend and it fits the style of your home. There?s just one problem: wildlife.
When you have kids or pets (or both) in your home, it?s risky business to invest in hardwood floors. Even the mightiest wood floors can succumb to daily wear-and-tear by paws and prints. Plus, they require more maintenance than tile, laminate or vinyl flooring, and when you?re already pressed for time, the last thing you want is another routine item on your to-do list.?
Fortunately, modern flooring has answers. One of my favorite current trends is porcelain tile floor with a hand scraped, hardwood look. Don?t be fooled: the only way you?ll know it?s tile is by feeling it underneath your feet. It?s an easy remedy for those who want that quality, authentic wood appearance but don?t want to worry about high resistance and scratches wearing out their floors. If there's a lot of movement happening in your home (which children and pets tend to bring), porcelain hand scraped tile is a great way to minimize damage to your floors. You'll also find more grays in hand scraped tile than you will in natural hardwood, and since gray will play a huge role in spring design trends, it'll allow you much more flexibility in creating a contemporary home design.
Like other tile, it requires much lower maintenance than wood floors. Keep in mind, though, that hardwood is softer on the feet. If you want an easier time walking through your house, ceramic floor may not be for you. Another thing to consider is foundation issues. Tile will move, shift and possibly break. If that's something you want to avoid or you're already facing foundation issues, look into vinyl or laminate floors with a wood look.?
I know how it goes. You?re looking to buy new flooring for your living room, dining room or bedroom and you want the best of the best. Hardwood floors come to mind. Even more, you love the hand scraped, aged look. It?s a contemporary design trend and it fits the style of your home. There?s just one problem: wildlife.
When you have kids or pets (or both) in your home, it?s risky business to invest in hardwood floors. Even the mightiest wood floors can succumb to daily wear-and-tear by paws and prints. Plus, they require more maintenance than tile, laminate or vinyl flooring, and when you?re already pressed for time, the last thing you want is another routine item on your to-do list.?
Fortunately, modern flooring has answers. One of my favorite current trends is porcelain tile floor with a hand scraped, hardwood look. Don?t be fooled: the only way you?ll know it?s tile is by feeling it underneath your feet. It?s an easy remedy for those who want that quality, authentic wood appearance but don?t want to worry about high resistance and scratches wearing out their floors. If there's a lot of movement happening in your home (which children and pets tend to bring), porcelain hand scraped tile is a great way to minimize damage to your floors. You'll also find more grays in hand scraped tile than you will in natural hardwood, and since gray will play a huge role in spring design trends, it'll allow you much more flexibility in creating a contemporary home design.
Like other tile, it requires much lower maintenance than wood floors. Keep in mind, though, that hardwood is softer on the feet. If you want an easier time walking through your house, ceramic floor may not be for you. Another thing to consider is foundation issues. Tile will move, shift and possibly break. If that's something you want to avoid or you're already facing foundation issues, look into vinyl or laminate floors with a wood look.?
Many brands are doing a great job at making wood look tile, like:
| Earthwerks Boardwalk in Atlantic City Why I love it: It?s all about gray, and gray is totally the new beige. The rustic-looking tile also mixes warm and cool colors - I love that kind of versatility. | Marazzi Taiga in Walnut Why I love it: The grayish brown color is light-hued, creating a weathered look that?s incredibly attractive. There?s something different about it. It?ll instantly make your floor stand out.? |
Both Atlantic City and Walnut come in 6'' X 24'' planks (another trend I love) which will ensure a contemporary, almost European look in your home.
For more hand scraped tile looks, check out our Pinterest page!
Vienna Flores is owner and design/project manager at Tukasa Creations. She has 10+ years of experience in the flooring industry. Ask her a question or send her feedback on Twitter.
For more hand scraped tile looks, check out our Pinterest page!
Vienna Flores is owner and design/project manager at Tukasa Creations. She has 10+ years of experience in the flooring industry. Ask her a question or send her feedback on Twitter.
