LifeProof Porcelain Tile | Home Flooring Pros

Could LifeProof tile be the right choice for your home? Let’s have a look at this floor product in greater detail in our 2023 report.

WHAT IS LIFEPROOF PORCELAIN TILE

LifeProof tile is part of the Home Depot LifeProof flooring range which also includes LifeProof pet proof carpet and LifeProof vinyl plank flooring. LifeProof tile is a slip resistant, waterproof, stain proof and budget friendly range of glazed porcelain tiles, most of which is produced as wood-look plank tiles.

At the time of writing LifeProof tiles are priced between $1.99 and $3.22 per sq/ft.

SPECS, STYLES AND OPTIONS

This made-for-the-market floor tile is right on trend, with a somewhat small but perfectly formed collection of 11 different tile visuals, the majority of which are wood look porcelain tile planks.

Whilst that may seem to not offer much choice, actually the collection covers all the main bases in terms of color – ranging from light tan, through different gray tones, to warm and deep browns.

There are also different options in shape and sizes, making the collection quite a bit more interesting than most other brands of faux wood tiles.

It’s not all simple wood look tile. There are three stone look options: a rather gorgeous creamy beige Limestone look slab, measuring 12” x 24”, a smart gray Quartzite, and an 18” square tile that replicates the clear white and delicate veining of Carrara marble.

Of the LifeProof porcelain tiles with wood look visuals, there are 9 different color options, all available in 6” x 24” planks.  And most of the visuals have a matching bullnose trim available.

But what sets LifeProof apart from many other faux wood porcelain tile brands is that well as standard planks, three of the wood look visuals are also available in fashionable parquet style floor patterns: standard hexagon, linear hexagon and weave.

The stone look LifeProof tiles are also available in mosaic versions including, hexagon, square and herringbone.

You can then pair these parquet / mosaic patterns with the matching planks or tiles to create interesting flooring designs; for example pairing a plank on the bathroom floor with the parquet version in the shower stall.

As with all porcelain tiles, all of the LifeProof porcelain tiles are waterproof, stain proof and scratch resistant. And because they are textured to feel like authentic wood or stone, LifeProof porcelain tile also offers greater slip resistance than regular smooth tiles.

LifeProof porcelain tile has been evaluated as suitable for heavy residential or light commercial use, and can be installed in all rooms in your home – both on the floor and the wall. LifeProof porcelain tile is also frost resistant, so you can install it outdoors on your patio too!

Finally, unlike rigid core planks, this LifeProof product line is a porcelain tile and so it needs to be installed with the correct adhesive and finished with suitable grout to ensure best performance.

PROS & CONS

The advantages of LifeProof porcelain tiles are:

• decent quality, competitively priced porcelain tiles
• waterproof, stain and scratch resistant and durable
• very good slip resistance due to integrated textured surface
• decent range of designs, both wood look and stone look
• interesting parquet/ mosaic tiles options
• can be installed in all rooms of the home, on, below and above grade
• can be installed over radiant heating
• can be installed outside on the patio

The disadvantages of LifeProof porcelain tiles are:

• only available at The Home Depot
• you need to factor in grout, adhesive and sealant into the cost
• for best results, professional experience installer recommended

INSTALLATION

Like all porcelain tiles, LifeProof porcelain tiles are installed using adhesive and grout. There are detailed installation instructions available towards the bottom right on the product information pages on The Home Depot.

LifeProof porcelain tiles can be installed in any room of your home, including the basement and bathroom. They can be installed on floors and walls; and they can be installed outside on the patio or in a sunroom. The average cost to tile a small bathroom floor will be higher than tiling a larger, simpler room.

LifeProof porcelain tiles can be installed over radiant heating, provided the specified guidelines are followed. Here’s more information about radiant floor heating cost.

Wherever you install it, LifeProof porcelain tiles must be installed onto a structurally sound subfloor. The subfloor needs to be clean, dry, not oily and even. Uneven and very flexible subfloors will result in cracks and poor finish.

If needed, LifeProof porcelain tile can be cut using appropriate tile cutting tools; if you are not a proficient DIY enthusiast, it is recommended that you get an experienced professional tile installer.

Bear in mind with installation, that depending on which grout you use, you may also need to apply a grout sealant to ensure that the grout stays stain-free.

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

There’s a reason why porcelain flooring has been the go-to choice for bathrooms and kitchens for decades: it is one of the easiest types of flooring to keep clean. And so definitely a great choice for these areas of the home that are more prone to spills and mess.

Assuming you have correctly sealed your grout (see installation details above) your LifeProof porcelain tiles will not need much care, but cleaning regularly will keep them looking great for longer.

A weekly or twice weekly light sweep or vacuum (using a vacuum head that is suitable for hard flooring surfaces) should be followed by a mop using clear water and a pH neutral cleaner.

Even with a grout sealant and regular cleaning, the grout between your LifeProof tiles is bound to darken and lose its original color over time. Thankfully, there is a great way to clean grout tile flooring that will help restore your grout to its former glory! This is likely the only long-term maintenance job you’ll need to do.

PRICES AND OPTIONS

LifeProof porcelain tile are available exclusively from The Home Depot. The standard wood look plank and stone look tiles cost $1.99 – $3.29 per square foot. The parquet style wood look mosaic tiles cost $10.20 – $14.50 per square foot.

Whilst the mosaic/ parquet tiles are little pricey, the standard planks are pretty competitively priced; here’s a look at some other brands for price comparison:

CONSUMER REVIEWS

The overwhelming majority of customer reviews for LifeProof porcelain tile are positive! Customers like the authentic look of the tiles – often saying that the tiles look very realistic – and customers were happy with the slip resistant texture.

However, some customers felt that the texture made it difficult for the grout haze to be cleaned off the tile during installation; and that they found some boxes with inconsistent colors.

Also, customers are advised to check the product out in real life, as the colors online were not always representative.

Here is a selection of typical Lifeproof porcelain tile reviews:

“It looks just like real wood! We used it in our whole house!” – DP

“The slip resistance is great – we used in our bathroom and now we’re thinking of putting it in our laundry room too.” – Jenny

“Several friends have thought it was actual wood! Brilliant!” – Greg

“I liked the tile, but found it difficult to clean up the dried up extra grout because it stuck in the “faux” grain.” – AJ

“It didn’t look like the color on the website – it was much more yellow in tone than I wanted.” – Susie

Have you installed LifeProof tile? Please leave your reviews below.

About the Author: Greca Fotopoulos

Greca is the lead style writer at Home Flooring Pros (more), with a BA in Technical Art, she’s focused on flooring trends, flooring ideas, and flooring brand reviews.

“There’s nothing more satisfying than creating a home that you love. The hardest thing about this job is trying not to covet all the great floors I get to review; if I could remodel my home every month, I would!”