For a short time in high school I actually owned a car that had an artificial wood grain on the side of it (and yes, it was a station wagon). Metal masquerading as wood on the side of a car was not a good idea then, and it is certainly not a good idea now! However, in home building, masquerading one material for another is not necessarily a bad idea.
As you select floor and wall tiles for your new home, you will inevitably come across porcelain tiles designed to look like wood planked flooring. Depending on the application, using these tiles instead of real wood can be a very good design decision.
On first blush this may seem strange. While I do not recommend this sort of tile for all applications, there are some situations where it may be a perfect solution.
Case in point are the exterior porches for a custom home we are about to begin building in Odessa. The design of this home is that of a traditional farmhouse, which means there will be large open porches on both the front and rear of the home.
When it comes to choosing the decking material for the porches, we have numerous choices. For the most authentic look and feel, we could install real wood planks over floor joists. The problem with this approach is that real wood requires a tremendous amount of maintenance, which our homeowner does not want. An alternative would be to use composite decking, but our homeowner does not like the look of this product. Other options might include pavers, or standard tile.
In this case, wood grained tile might be a great choice. It has the illusion of wood, and the practicality and durability of tile. It looks like the real thing and feels natural under foot. Most importantly, they are virtually maintenance-free and easy to clean.
For our project in Odessa, this wood grained tile best meets the needs of our homeowner and may be something for you to consider on your new custom home.
