Source: Dumb Little Man
Choosing between tile vs hardwood is a decision every homeowner must make when considering their next remodel. And frankly, it’s a very hard decision to make.
The good news is that I’ll be providing insight here which I think can help you make the right choice.
I’d like to introduce myself before we get started. My name is Ray Hughey and I’ve been installing floor and tile for just over 10 years now. I run a Flooring & Tile business out of Plainfield, IL. I’ve seen it all when it comes to home remodeling, flooring, and tile!
Everything I’m going to about to tell you about tile vs hardwood comes from 10 years of experience in the business and I’ve said nothing but my honest opinions here.
With that being said, let’s get into it!
Which Is More Durable: Hardwood or Tile?
This is a question I get asked very often.
In most cases, tile is going to be more durable. Hardwood scratches much easier, is more susceptible to weather conditions, and is easily discolored by prolonged sun exposure.
Tile is a much harder surface than hardwood so it will be able to withstand much more wear and tear. That being said, it also has to be set right. If you don’t have enough mortar “coverage” on the back of the tile (a.k.a bare spots), then it can actually be much less durable than hardwood because it will be easier to break.
If you Look At The Bottom of The Tile You’ll See The ‘Contact Patch’ or ‘Mortar Coverage’
What Are Bare Spots And Why Are They Important
When laying tile, we want the mortar to spread evenly across the entire back of the tile. This ensures that a strong bond is formed between the tile and the surface we’re setting it on. Generally, we want 90% mortar coverage on the back of a tile.
So, say you only have 40-50 % coverage on a tile, if you dropped something heavy or set something heavy on the tile, that tile has a strong possibility of breaking because the bond between the tile and the surface is not strong enough.
Now, hardwood doesn’t raise off the floor, so it doesn’t have this problem. However, if we lay something heavy on a Hardwood floor it could leave indents over time if it is a softer wood.
How Does Water Affect Tile and Hardwood?
For tile, if there is a large amount of standing water left for a long time, it can possibly ruin the bond between the subfloor and the tile.
On the other hand, if hardwood is exposed to a large amount of moisture, it will warp and expand eventually. Over time, it will “buckle” if the water is not removed from it.
Longevity Over Time
With tile, the only longevity issue you’ll have to worry about is sealing the grout every few years which, for the most part, is inexpensive. The Flooring Girl created a nice intensive guide about why sealing grout is important and she even details how to do it yourself, be sure to read this resource!
Whereas with hardwood, its surface is easier to scratch. Simple things like having a rock in your shoe or even your dog’s nails can scratch the surface of hardwood really easily. So, hardwood floors will need to be refinished every few years.
When looking at the lifetime durability of these two materials, it’s cheaper to seal grout on tile every few years than it is to refinish hardwood floors. This means that hardwood can be more expensive to maintain in the long run.
So, Is Tile More Durable Than Hardwood?
Yes!
In general, porcelain and ceramic tiles tend to be more sturdy and durable than hardwood. However, to reiterate, they have to be set right because if they are set wrong, they are much easier to chip and/or break completely.
How Weather Conditions Affect Hardwood and Tile
When it comes to hardwood, all types of weather affect it — moisture, heat, and cold.
For example, if you look at houses in say Arizona (very hot climate), in most cases, you’re not going to find much hardwood flooring installed out there because of the climate.
If you live in an area where you get cold winters and a hot summer, you MUST leave an expansion joint around the perimeter of the hardwood installation. Otherwise, when it gets warm, hardwood floor will expand and buckle because it has nowhere to expand to.
Also, key areas to keep in mind that are not a good idea for hardwood floors would be front windows (depending on which way your house faces the sun), sliding glass doors (where sun penetrates), and/or any other areas where the Hardwood will be exposed to direct sunlight for long periods.
The reason why to not do this is that hardwood will discolor and fade when exposed to direct sunlight for a consistently long period. Direct sunlight ruins hardwood floors!
In short, hardwood is affected by the weather in many ways. It can discolor or warp if it gets too hot or is exposed to too much direct sunlight. Also, hardwood is not a good choice if you live in a very hot or very humid climate.
What About Tile?
Heat and cold do not really affect tile in any major way. For example, comparing it to hardwood, tile doesn’t buckle or warp. It isn’t affected by sunlight and doesn’t expand or contract. Seasonal weather changes will not have any effect on tile flooring installations.
Hands down, tile wins this category by far because it is not affected by weather at all. Tile can tolerate any conditions you throw at it.
Cleaning Tile Flooring Vs Cleaning Hardwood Flooring
One myth that needs debunking is: You should clean your tile with vinegar.
This IS NOT TRUE!
Once a year, you may be able to use a SMALL amount of vinegar. However, do not do this regularly.
Otherwise, you will break down the grout and/or discolor both the tile and the grout. This can become a big problem.
Why?
Because yes, you can touch the grout up. However, that can lead to its own set of issues. The grout will not be the same color as the rest of the grout that…
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