cost differnace between ceramic tile vr engineered wood flooring for family room, kitchen and hallway. in gerenal.
Average ceramic tile is cheaper compared to an average engineered floor...but..tile is cold and hard so be aware of the qualities of each as they are very different.
The right way to do it would be to remove the flooring and lay down some hardi backer or some cement board. However - if your wood floor is very very flat, and you consider the areas where that wood floor + the thickness of your tile meets up with other floor surfaces (e.g. carpeting or door door thresholds), it might be the easiest thing to do. Tile is a lot of fun. Don't skimp on making the right cuts and be sure to use spacers. Depending on what kind of tile you use - go with a smaller (1/4 or less) spacer so you have less cleanup with your grout. [Edit - I definitely agree with Crazy Man below. The waterproofing layer is a definite! Make sure you give it adequate time to dry, and then make sure you let the mud (adhesive) dry completely before grouting.] You might also consider something other than ceramic tiles, although there are some newer styles that are quite nice. A sealed porcelain tile or slate looks so nice.
Let's take a slightly different view on this and move away from cost for a moment. Who lives in your house? If it's just you and/or a significant other, then a tile floor may well be the thing for you. If, however, you have young ones running around then you may want to reconsider your flooring choices. We had a small house in Pensacola, FL that we decided to tile. We bought some nice tiles on sale, installed them ourselves (saving a good amount of money) and then went on to dread every second of our decision! If you drop something on a tile floor, to include those things that are supposedly unbreakable you'll real quickly discover that there is no such thing! That includes body parts as tile floors tend to get slick as greased owl snot on glass when wet! Our new home we replaced the old vinyl flooring and carpet with engineered lumber that was being discontinued at the local Lowe's. Yes, we did have to drive to a couple of different stores to get the quantity we needed, but we were buying boxes for $5 each and each box was good for 16 sq. ft. each We also installed that floor ourselves and the final cost for about $400 to include the underlayment, glue, and tools needed to do the job for 1,000 square feet (great room, kitchen/breakfast nook, dining room, hallway and powder room). The cheapest tile floor right now is $1/sq. ft. and does not include installation. Might I add that if I decide I no longer like the floor, demolition is, without question, simpler and cheaper than tile! So, before worrying about price, talk to others who have installed both and get their opinions.
Wolf is pretty close. Depends on the type and quality of tile in costs. A good ceramic or porcelain can cost in the same price range as a cheaper engineered wood flooring.(not a laminate, an engineered wood as you say. Some people get them confused) Tile labor and installation materials cost so much more and you need almost no extra prep materials for wood. But on the flip side, a good tile and properly installed job out lasts the wood by many many years. In general you ll pay 8/12$ a s/f for labor, prep , materials and a tile.. An engineered wood you ll be paying closer to 6/7$ a s/f. Labor , wood and tile prices vary but that gets you a ballpark idea. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar. GL
