Tile Floor Higher Than Hardwood . This style is better served for use between two rooms than around a tile. Yes its quite common to see tile floors a bit higher then the surrounding floor levels. Tile To Hardwood Transition Strip from vintalicious.net Hardwood provides you with a softer, more resilient surface to stand on than most tile. For reference, the total thickness of the hardwood with the underlayment is 5/8″ or more exactly 15 mm. [see picture below] tile is a much harder surface than hardwood so it will be able to withstand much more wear and tear.