Tile floors, polished concrete, or engineered timber flooring?

When it comes to designing the perfect interior space, you are faced with a multitude of flooring options. Three popular choices that come to mind are tiled floors, polished concrete, and engineered hardwood flooring. 

Each option has its own unique style and aesthetic appeal, making it crucial to understand their differences to make an informed decision. 

In this article, we compare these three flooring options, highlighting their design options, popularity, and pros and cons.

Floor tiles

Pauanui Vice

Tile flooring is the term used to describe hard-wearing flooring made up of multiple tiles, where the gaps are filled with grout. The tiles are commonly made of ceramic, a clay-based material, but are also made of porcelain, glass, and stone. 

Porcelain tiles are typically more durable and dense than non-porcelain but ceramic tiles come with more design variety. Popular types of stone tile include granite, marble, and slate, each with specific characteristics and appearance. Natural stone tiles are by far the most expensive tile option. 

Whether you prefer timeless elegance or a sleek modern look, there is a tile option to suit your taste. Floor tiles are durable and relatively easy to maintain because they resist stains, scratches, and moisture. This makes them suitable for high-traffic areas such as kitchens and bathrooms. 

One downside is that tiles can feel cold underfoot, especially in colder climates. To counter this, you will need to use proper insulation or underfloor heating. 

Polished concrete floors

Ruby Ridge House

Polished concrete is a concrete floor that is ground, honed, and polished. It is then refined with each cut to achieve the chosen appearance. This option has gained popularity in the past few decades due to its raw and industrial appearance. It can also be customised with different levels of sheen, from a dull matte finish to a high-gloss shine. 

Polished concrete is easy to clean, durable, and resistant to wear, making it a low-maintenance flooring choice. In some cases, you can even request aggregates, dyes, and scoring to create a decorative feature. 

The main drawback of polished concrete floors is the hard, cold feeling underfoot. This can be somewhat alleviated by underfloor insulation, heating, and area rugs.

Furthermore, polished concrete is limiting in terms of stylistic options. If you want to change your interior design at a later date, it can be difficult to alter the floor’s appearance. 

Engineered wood floors

The Heights

By combining a veneer of solid hardwood and a multi-layered core of stable timber, engineered hardwood floors are strong, authentic, and versatile. The core backing is made from multiple cross-directional layers of cost-effective timber that are glued and pressed together. 

Engineered hardwood floors have gained popularity in recent years because they offer the warmth of solid wood but with more durability, resistance to moisture, and stability. What’s more, engineered wood floors can be refinished several times, extending the floor’s lifespan and allowing you to change the finish along with your interior design tastes. 

Design options with wooden floors

The wide variety of wood species and finishes available is an advantage because you can find any style you like. You can also install the wood in certain ways to optimise visual appeal. For example, you may consider a parquet design where planks are laid in a striking geometric pattern. 

Alternatively, you may like to focus on the colour of your wood finish or the woodgrain. Each element offers an opportunity to add texture and layers to your interior space.

Colours

• Natural or golden 
• Charcoal or black
• Grey or beige
• Mid brown
• Dark brown 
• Blond or light

• Feature 
• Light feature
• Rustic
• Prime

Layout options

With wood flooring, you can also play around with the shapes and layout of each plank. For example, our floors come in the following specifications: 

• Standard plank (150-200mm)
• Wide plank (201-260mm)
• Narrow plank (less than 150mm)
• Herringbone 
• Chevron
• Mixed width plank
• Mosaic
  
  

Forté wood floors

Here at Forté, we take pride in streamlining the installation process and supplying high-quality prefinished flooring. While you still get the same authentic beauty of hardwood, you can avoid all the costly risks that are associated with site-finished floors. Our wood floors provide a reliable foundation for long-lasting, visually-appealing interiors. 

Benefits of our floors include: 

• Prefinished to reduce installation costs
• Naturally insulating qualities
• Engineered for maximum stability 
• Low in formaldehyde
• Designed for New Zealand climates
• Manufactured for high colour retention 
• Can be refinished several times 
• Sustainably sourced

With our nationwide network of approved craftsmen and glue-down installation, your new floor can be enjoyed for decades. If you want to know more about the benefits of engineered timber or discover our premium range, please contact our team or browse the full range at the link below. 

BROWSE OUR PREFINISHED TIMBER FLOORS