How Much Does It Cost to Install Wood Tile Flooring?

Average Cost to Install Wood Tile Flooring

Wood Tile Flooring Prices

Wood tile flooring material ranges from $2 to $8 per square foot for wood-look porcelain and $4 to $12 per square foot for wood-look ceramic. But be prepared to pay up to $20 per square foot for slip-resistant tiles and up to $25 per square foot for outdoor porcelain wood-look tiles.

Wood Tile Flooring Installation Cost

In general, floor installation costs between $3 and $15 per square foot for labor alone, depending on the contractor’s reputation and the cost of living in your area. However, most homeowners pay an average of $6 per square foot for ceramic or porcelain tile installation costs. 

Remember, though, that wood tile installation is a labor-intensive job, and many factors can influence the total cost of your specific project. 

Wood Tile Flooring Installation Cost by Material

Tile that looks like wood goes by many names, including wood-look tile, wood grain tile, and faux wood. These names refer to ceramic and porcelain wood tiles, which further separate into different styles based on their features. The prices to install several common types of wood tile, including both materials and labor, are detailed below.

Ceramic Wood Tile

The typical ceramic wood tile flooring installation cost ranges from $5 to $22 per square foot, including the price of materials and hiring a local ceramic tile contractor. On average, installing ceramic wood-look tile in a 300-foot space costs around $3,000. Ceramic tile is more porous than porcelain. It's also the easiest type of tile to cut, slightly reducing the installation cost.

Porcelain Wood Tile

Expect to pay between $7 and $27 for porcelain wood tile installation. Porcelain wood-look tile is a little more expensive than ceramic tile, and installation costs can also go a little higher. On average, you'll pay $4,500 to install porcelain wood-look tile in a 300-square-foot space. Porcelain tile is much more durable than ceramic because it's made from finer clay fired at higher temperatures. However, this makes it more challenging to cut.

Slip-Resistant Tile

The average cost to install slip-resistant wood tile ranges from $11 to $35 per square foot. Some tiles feature extra treatments that provide better traction for safer walking surfaces in your home. Such treatments can include an ingrained wood matte finish that mimics natural wood grain patterns.

Outdoor Wood Tile

Average installation costs for outdoor wood tile range from $13 to $40 per square foot, making this porcelain wood-look tile the most expensive option. These tiles are typically cut into rectangular planks and offer better durability in the face of rain and other elements.

Wood Tile Flooring Installation Costs Near You

Estimating your total wood tile flooring cost also means considering your local cost of living. More expensive metropolitan areas usually have higher labor costs, but if you live in a more remote area, you may also face higher prices for shipping supplies and have trouble finding a tile contractor near you. Labor costs generally increase if the contractor drives farther to get to the job site.

Wood Tile Flooring Installation Cost Factors

Beyond the basic wood tile cost and the price of local labor, you’ll need to consider other important cost factors, including the job size and tile design.

Job Size

The size of your project can impact your costs significantly. Smaller jobs, such as the floor in a half-bathroom, actually cost more per square foot than large jobs like a full kitchen and dining area. This is because of fixed costs for your local tile flooring installer, such as fuel and setup time.

The shape of your room can also affect the project total, especially if there are more linear feet of wall or door jambs involved. If you’re covering 300 square feet or more in large tiles with fewer of these obstacles, your cost per square foot will drop.

Tile Design

The layout you choose will influence the complexity of the job and the time it takes to complete. Installations with large tiles in a standard layout have the lowest cost, while diagonal designs can boost your cost by up to 20%.

Tile size is also a factor since smaller tiles take longer to install and require more spacers and grouting to cover the same amount of space. Mixing small and large tiles or adding a border of another tile type will increase your costs, as will fully custom designs that involve a lot of trimming.

Wood Tile vs. Hardwood Flooring

Wood tile isn’t actually wood. It’s a ceramic or porcelain tile designed to look like wood. Hardwood flooring, on the other hand, uses real wood of varying qualities. Installing hardwood flooring costs between $6 and $12 per square foot for lower- to moderate-quality flooring; higher-quality hardwood—like oak and walnut—fetches prices as high as $25 per square foot.

In general, the average cost of wood tile flooring is more expensive than hardwood flooring.

Pros and Cons of Wood Tile

If you’re undecided about whether wood-look tiles or actual wood flooring is better for your living space, take a look at the pros and cons of wood tiles:

Pros of Wood Tiles

• Design: You can get wood-look tiles that look like actual wood flooring, with wood tile being more flexible and available in custom colors you generally won't find in genuine wood floors.

• Durability: Tile is more scratch- and stain-resistant than hardwood floors.

• Longevity: You'll most likely pay more for wood-look ceramic or porcelain tiles, but these floors tend to outlast wood flooring and lower maintenance costs.

• Water-resistant: Wood flooring can't stand up to spills and leaks as well as tile floors. 

Cons of Wood Tiles

• Cost: While the highest-quality hardwood floors can be more expensive than the cost of wood tile floors, most wood tile installations are pricier than regular hardwood installs.

• Slippery: While wood-look tile may be water-resistant, it does get slippery when wet. If you have young children or older adults living at home, this could especially pose a safety hazard.

• Loud and cold: While visually pleasing, tile flooring can be louder and colder than hardwood flooring.

Cost to Install Wood Tile Flooring Yourself

Completing a tile flooring installation by yourself will save you labor costs, leaving you only with the material and equipment costs. The tile itself will cost you an average of $2 to $12 per square foot. You may also require other supplies to do the job.

Your existing floor or subfloor may require repairs to reach a suitable condition for tile installation. You’ll need to eliminate low spots with a self-leveling underlayment mix, which costs about $35 per bag. You’ll also need a primer-sealer to improve adhesion, which costs about $14 per quart, to cover up to 150 square feet. If you discover that you need to replace the entire subfloor but aren’t sure how, you’ll need to bring in a pro. Expect to pay about $600 for the cost to replace subflooring in a 300-square-foot room.

If you have a concrete subfloor in perfect condition, you won't need additional subflooring. In all other cases, a cement backer board (CBU) or uncoupling membrane is necessary to create a stable surface for the new tile. CBUs cost around $0.60 to $1.25 per square foot, while an uncoupling membrane runs approximately $1.35 to $2.15 per square foot.

Finally, you’ll need to grout and seal your tile floor. Expect the cost to repair tile grout to range from $10 to $65 per 25-pound bag of dry grout. The amount you need will depend on the size of your joints. Smaller tiles with larger joints require more grout. Expect to get 60 to 200 square feet out of one bag.

DIY vs. Hire a Wood Tile Flooring Installation Pro

Tiling is a labor-intensive project, and the cost to repair ceramic or porcelain tile ranges from $250 to $750. Installed poorly, a tile floor can become cracked or uneven. However, if you have the knowledge and tools necessary to complete the project, you’ll save more than 50% on costs without hiring a professional flooring contractor.

Be prepared to level your floor and make any needed repairs to its structure. You'll need to measure your space and lay out your tile accurately. You'll also need to install underlayment, transitions, grout, and sealer. If you have existing floors to remove before installing your new floor, you'll need to do so and dispose of them afterward.

While more costly, working with a certified tile installer has several advantages. These include the assurance of a quality installation and the time you'll save. If you have a complex layout in mind or your space has obstacles such as plumbing to work around, you may benefit from the expertise of a contractor.