Wood-Look Tile in Los Angeles, CA

Tile that looks like hardwood, compared with the real thing

Wood-look porcelain tile is printed with a high-resolution wood image and pressed with texture that follows the grain. Good planks repeat their pattern rarely, so a floor doesn’t show the same knot every few feet. Here is how it stacks up against the other plank floors on the showroom floor.

For the full comparison, read wood-look tile vs. hardwood for LA homes, or explore real wood on the hardwood flooring page.

Where a waterproof wood-look floor makes the most sense

• Kitchens: a dishwasher leak or a dropped pot of pasta water is a non-event on porcelain.
• Bathrooms: plank tile runs from the vanity area right into a curbless shower, set vertically on the walls if you want.
• Rentals and multifamily units: porcelain survives tenant turnover without sanding or refinishing, which is why a Google reviewer’s 4-plex used long-plank wood-look tile floors.
• Indoor-outdoor rooms: with an exterior-rated version, the same look can continue onto a covered patio through a slider.
• Homes with big dogs: claws that would scratch oak barely mark a porcelain glaze.

Signs a floor should switch to porcelain planks

Most requests for plank tile start with a floor that failed. The causes are familiar in Los Angeles houses, many of them built on concrete slabs:

• Oak or laminate cupped beside the dishwasher or refrigerator after a slow leak.
• A slab leak that soaked carpet pad and left the floor smelling damp.
• Laminate seams swollen at the slider where sprinklers or pool water track in.
• Pet scratches through the finish of a hardwood floor in the busiest room.
• Sun-faded vinyl near a west-facing door in a hot inland valley.

Laying tile flooring in the same rooms is generally cosmetic and needs no building permit, though a condo association may set sound rules for hard floors and an electric radiant mat needs its own permitted circuit. Tile setters work under the CSLB C-54 classification and flooring contractors under C-15; confirm the license on the CSLB lookup before the old floor comes up.

Long plank tile sizes and the subfloor they need

Plank tile flooring comes in widths from about 6 to 10 inches and lengths from 24 to 48 inches and longer. The longer the plank, the more convincing the wood look, and the more the floor underneath matters.

• Flatness: ANSI A108.02 calls for substrates under tile with any side 15 inches or longer to vary no more than 1/8 inch in 10 feet. Most slabs and wood subfloors need some leveling to meet that.
• Stiffness on wood floors: a bouncy raised floor cracks grout and tile, so joists and sheathing may need reinforcing or a suitable underlayment before tiling.
• Slab cracks: an uncoupling membrane over a concrete slab helps keep hairline cracks in the slab from telegraphing through the tile.
• Warpage: long porcelain planks can have a slight crown or bow, which is why offset limits exist (see below).

What grout width and layout suit plank tile?

Rectified planks, which are cut to precise dimensions after firing, are commonly set with joints around 1/16 to 1/8 inch, and the ANSI installation standard says joints should never be narrower than 1/16 inch. A grout that matches the darker tones in the grain makes the joints recede, so the floor reads as boards rather than tile.

Layout is where wood-look tile often goes wrong. The classic hardwood 50% offset, with each plank’s end at the middle of its neighbor, makes any bow in a long plank show as lippage. For tile with a side longer than 18 inches, ANSI A108.02 limits running-bond offsets to 33% unless the tile maker states otherwise. A random offset of 20 to 33% looks more like real flooring anyway. Herringbone is another option and suits shorter planks.

Wood tile installation, step by step from the showroom

1. 1

   Compare planks in person

   Lay several boxes’ worth of planks side by side to see how much the pattern varies, and compare against hardwood and vinyl samples nearby.

2. 2

   Measure the rooms

   Include closets, hallways and where the floor meets other surfaces. Note doors that may need trimming.

3. 3

   Decide the run direction

   Planks usually run along the longest wall or toward the main window. Decide once for the whole floor if it continues room to room.

4. 4

   Choose grout and transitions

   Pick a grout that blends with the grain and the thresholds or reducers where tile meets carpet or wood.

5. 5

   Order with overage

   Long planks produce more waste at walls; order extra and keep spares from the same lot.

6. 6

   Prep and install

   Substrate leveling comes first, then setting. The tile installation page explains prep, cure times and what to expect.

Cost factors for long plank porcelain floors

• Plank length: 48-inch and longer planks cost more and need more prep than 24- or 36-inch sizes.
• Leveling: self-leveling underlayment over an uneven slab can be a significant share of the job.
• Removal: tearing out old tile, glued-down vinyl or carpet tack strip adds labor.
• Pattern: herringbone needs more cuts and waste than a straight run.
• Room count and transitions: many small rooms and doorways mean more cuts than one open area.
• Baseboards and doors: baseboards may need resetting and doors trimming for the new floor height.

Why choose Adcom for wood-look tile in Los Angeles?

• All plank floors in one place. Hardwood, waterproof vinyl, laminate and wood-look porcelain are all part of the showroom’s flooring and tile selection.
• Proven in multifamily use. A Google reviewer described long-plank wood-look tile running through a 4-plex.
• Matched to cabinets and counters. See the floor color next to the kitchen it will sit under.
• Installation on request. Have the tile you buy installed, or supply your own setter.

Living with a porcelain plank floor

Porcelain needs no sealing; the grout may, depending on type. Sweep or vacuum grit, then damp-mop with a neutral cleaner. In a Valley summer a tile floor stays pleasantly cool, and in winter an area rug or slippers fixes the chill. Electric radiant floor heat can go under tile, but it needs a dedicated circuit installed by a licensed electrician. If you want the same plank look in stone instead of porcelain, compare it with natural stone tile, and see porcelain vs. ceramic vs. stone for the material details.

Plank tile suits a lot of the region. Newer family homes in Santa Clarita often pick it for kitchens and family rooms, Burbank owners use it in rental units and converted garages, and investors across Los Angeles choose it for apartments; the rental renovation page covers that kind of project.