Living in an apartment after a lifetime of living in my own homes, I cringed at the flavorless decor.  These tiles were a wonderful option to create some style, without the threat of losing my deposit.  While, yes, they are plastic, they still give the impression of the real thing.  I'm not very exacting, nor do I have the patience to be so.  So the drop to four stars is due to my personal limitations/frustrations for something that is relatively easy to install.