Engineered wood floor vs wood effect ceramic tiles

[EleMar]

We will be renovating our Victorian house in London this year. We'd love to go for engineered wood flooring (with UFH), but with one little one on the way we are considering whether there are other options. We've come across wood effect ceramic tiles (e.g. Porcelanosa brand) which look quite interesting (durable, easy to clean etc.). If you have gone for tiles, could you please share a photo? I'd love to see how they look like in a normal house / kitchen (the brand photos online make them look very realistic!)

Can't share a photo because we don't live there any more but we had them in our bathroom and I LOVED them. Will definitely consider them again I'd needed. Very attractive and real looking and I did not tire of them at all.

I would go with engineered wood. I have extensively researched all the expensive wood effect/fake options and to me they all look fake.

The only exception I’ve made is bathrooms.

Part of the issue is that when you see the tiles on a small scale they can look better, then they’re multiplied up for room size and the effect changes dramatically to artificial.

When I was researching, I read that engineered wood doesn’t work so well with underfloor heating (it doesn’t conduct the heat). I went with lvt in the end so can’t comment on the tiles sorry.

It’s no longer possible to post photos on Mumsnet.

I used these in my entrance and kitchen/diner, with underfloor heating - I absolutely love them. The tiles are large, around 60cm, and the best looking ones I saw. I have 3 kids and they’ve been quite forgiving in terms of cleaning! I used engineered wood flooring in the living area though, Staki brand I think (I have radiators there).

https://www.mandarinstone.com/product/jakob-ash-parquet-wood-effect-porcelain/

I'm thinking of wood effect ceramic for the kitchen so following with interest. We have this in our dining room:

Oops sorry forgot photo but then it wouldn't load for some reason

generally tiles are hard on the feet and legs, some are extremely slippery when wet (getting out of the tub or shower) there are textured tiles especially for wet area's though.
tiles are unforgiving to dropped items and can crack if canned good are dropped on them for instance.
temperature wise they are cold and depending on the house's heating the grout can come undone as the home naturally contracts and expands during summer heat and winter cold.
light colored grout gets filthy fast and is very difficult to keep clean if you choose a light grout color.
once you take into consideration installation they can be very expensive.
fine for wet rooms (bath/laundry and kitchens) but like i said with some reservation regarding slipping and cracked tiles.

I have to say my experience with tiles has been very good. Tiles are rated for hardness - you get the higher rating and they are super strong. I’ve never had a problem with them (for almost 2 decades I moved on average every 2 years - I’ve experienced a lot of different flooring!). Also with the underfloor heating they are fantastic in winter and the cooler touch is perfect in the warmer months. Although I’m London based so we’ve had some decent summers. Mine are not remotely slippery.
It is true they are unforgiving on dropped ceramics and glassware though.

I have them in the bathroom and conservatory. I love them. They look so good and are durable easy to maintain.

I think you can definitely tell that they're tiles though, even if you're not sure, the grout and temperature gives them away.

Following with interest…

I would love engineered wood too but with I’ve researched and it seems UFH isn’t as effective with wood as it is with tiles, taking much longer to heat up and then you can’t have the temp above a certain level and have to be careful of areas under rugs etc. I also don’t want to go for wood effect tiles only to hate it when it’s down!