ᐅ We can’t find the right tile.

Hello,
I can hardly believe it myself, but we have been looking for tiles for the entire house for over six months and still cannot decide on one. I should mention that we have been building our small garden house since 2018, and almost everything has gone wrong. The house was originally supposed to be finished by summer/autumn 2019, but since then we have had the following issues:
- half a meter of water in the basement due to a window well being incorrectly connected
- Porotherm plan bricks installed incorrectly
- flat roof poorly constructed
- building height exceeded because the basement was raised 50cm (20 inches) too little
- construction company went bankrupt and no longer exists; legal action would have been pointless
- a second loan was necessary
- a year ago, a company installed the screed on the ground floor 8mm (0.3 inches) too high

All defects could be fixed, though some require considerable effort (e.g., re-excavating and re-flaming the basement).

For all these reasons, I’m genuinely afraid of choosing the “wrong” tiles, which would not be reversible. Maybe some can understand why this decision is so difficult for us.

We have considered everything. Originally, we wanted natural stone but couldn’t find a suitable one (light colors were too sensitive to acid, and we didn’t want to go too dark). Wood, laminate, vinyl, and cork are too delicate for us. Color-wise, we were leaning towards light gray or beige.

Since we’ve already ordered a kitchen, we are tied to the kitchen color, which is Schüller Shell White, and that often doesn’t work well with beige tiles. Now we are thinking about wood-look tiles, some of which even feel almost like real wood. We are leaning towards a light gray option that also has subtle blue tones. The tile should make a statement, but still feel cozy and, of course, be something we will like for a long time or forever.

Would you install something like this for the long term? As for color, we will coordinate the countertop later, but in the living area, we are thinking of natural shades like cognac, gray, and beige.

Both of us like such a flooring, but we are unsure if one might get tired of it after some time.

Thanks for reading and sorry for the long explanation.

These would be wood-look tiles that we like....

Laurasstern111 schrieb:

Maybe some of you can understand why this decision is so difficult here.

Not really.

Laurasstern111 schrieb:

Originally, we wanted natural stone but couldn’t find a suitable one (light colors were too sensitive to acids, and we don’t want to go too dark. Wood, laminate, vinyl, and cork are too delicate for us. In terms of color, we were aiming for light gray or beige.

“Too delicate” is very relative. I would never choose tiles again, but only wood.
You’ve already looked at everything—from super durable plastic flooring (which can’t be damaged even in commercial spaces) to wood. So from €4.99/sqm to €150/sqm. Tiles (which type? Porcelain, earthenware, or something else?) can also be very sensitive if something drops and chips the edges. Or shiny surfaces get scratched.

Laurasstern111 schrieb:

Since we have already ordered a kitchen, we are tied to the kitchen color, which is Schüller shell white and often doesn’t work with beige tiles.

You can take a piece of the kitchen cabinet door to a tile specialist store or a hardware store. Then you’ll find matching tiles. Whether they cost €7.99/sqm or €98/sqm is another matter.

Laurasstern111 schrieb:

Now we are thinking about wood-look tiles, as there are some that almost feel like wood.

No, they don’t. They may look somewhat like wood, but they still feel like hard, cold, lifeless stone. No comparison to real wood.

Laurasstern111 schrieb:

These would be the wood-look tiles that we would like....

Very busy pattern. I personally find that very tiring when you have to look at the floor 24/7/365. In my opinion, a rather off-putting floor.

Laurasstern111 schrieb:

For all these reasons, I’m really worried that we might choose the "wrong" tiles.

Laurasstern111 schrieb:

Maybe some can understand why this decision is so difficult here.

Hmm… I don’t quite get that. Someone who has had so much bad luck would probably have changed their perspective on what is important and what really matters.
… and there are many ways to reach the goal – the main thing is to stay healthy. The foundation has to be right.

Laurasstern111 schrieb:

We are thinking more along the lines of a light gray option that also has soft blue tones. The tile should make an impression but still feel cozy and, of course, remain appealing for a long time / always...

Laurasstern111 schrieb:

Cognac, gray, beige...

Reading this, I just thought: that’s way too colorful.
Now, looking at the pictures: I would classify that as not timeless. It could easily become outdated. Also, it’s too busy. Furniture in a family home is naturally already busy, so I would recommend aiming for more calmness and neutrality.

nordanney schrieb:

Actually, no.

More than relatively sensitive means too sensitive. I would never choose tiles again, only wood.

Why do you prefer wood? Regarding underfloor heating, tiles are said to have many advantages in terms of heat conduction and storage.

You guys have really looked at everything – from extremely durable plastic flooring (which hardly gets damaged even in commercial buildings) to wood. So from €4.99/sqm (about $5.40/sqft) up to €150/sqm (about $16.20/sqft). Tiles (which type? Porcelain, earthenware, or something else?) can also be very sensitive if something falls and chips the edges. Or glossy tiles can scratch.

Porcelain tiles with a matte finish.

You can take a piece of a kitchen cabinet front and go to a tile specialty store or home improvement center. Then you find the matching tiles. Whether they cost €7.99/sqm (about $8.60/sqft) or €98/sqm (about $10.60/sqft) is another question.

We did that. The tile looks completely different everywhere...

No, they don’t exist. They may look somewhat like wood, but they still feel like hard, cold, lifeless stone. No comparison to wood.

Extremely busy pattern. I find it very tiring to look at such flooring 24/7/365. In my opinion, a deterrent floor.

Thanks for your feedback – that concern is exactly what we have as well.

Laurasstern111 schrieb:

Thank you for your assessment – we share that concern as well.

If you asked me about flooring, I would always say "wood." Just not in the bathroom – but definitely in the kitchen.
Durable in the sense that it’s a natural floor that gains character and a lived-in feel from scratches and dents (if you get any). If you choose a hard wood like oak, it won’t show much wear, even with pets like large dogs.
Maintenance involves vacuuming and, every few months, cleaning with a damp mop and a care product. Every few years (if needed), you reapply oil. That’s it. It was a popular flooring choice centuries ago and remains timeless today.