Best kitchen flooring for not showing marks/muck

[Snowgirl1]

I'm planning a new kitchen. The flooring we have in the kitchen at the moment is laminate. It seems to show dark marks very easily and always looks grubby (to me). Any suggestions on what type of flooring is easiest to keep clean/not show marks/muck? I'm thinking of plan white, high gloss cabinets. Undecided on worktops. I was thinking of rubber for the floor - plain, contemporary, warm, but I have a feeling it's expensive and shows marks easily. Any suggestions for something contemporary but good for hiding muck????

[Dragonwoman]

Karndean in slate colour. Dark gray with a slate effect. Shows nothing!

[JSolo]

I think tiling is probably your best option, simply because it isn't at all absorbent and is quite literally wipe clean.

When we moved into our property our kitchen had linoleum and within no time at all my son and husband had it looking appalling, trapsing through in their golf shoes and trainers. We had tiles laid probably around ten years ago now and they're much better. I can even tell them to clean up after themselves now as it only takes a kitchen wipe to get rid of the mud they track in!! :D

[Feilefoo]

I agree that tile is easiest. If you want something a little different but still tough, what about brick?

[NotGoodNotBad]

We have slate-coloured vinyl tiles. I don't recommend vinyl tiles particularly, but the colour doesn't show anything! On the rare occasions I clean it, I'm shocked at how much dirt comes off.

[MousyMouse]

we have marble effect vinyl tiles (amtico I think). they show nothing, are easy to keep clean, easy to take off and put down again in case you need to access below the floor.

[wendybird77]

I've just put honed limestone in - it already looks scruffy and dirty so hides my slatternly ways and will last forever. I'm slightly in love with it. I was afraid it would be cold, but so far it is much better than the porcelain tiles that were there before.

[wendybird77]

I've just put honed limestone in - it already looks scruffy and dirty so hides my slatternly ways and will last forever. I'm slightly in love with it. I was afraid it would be cold, but so far it is much better than the porcelain tiles that were there before. Not very contemporary though.

[gemma4d]

I have marmoleum in a sort of off-white with grey - similar to marble, I suppose, but a bit swirlier. It's good at not showing dirt, which is good as I have lots!

[timidviper]

I have Karndean in a light oak and it hides a remarkable amount

[tibni]

I put a beige rubber flooring down in the bathroom and cloakroom a few years back and don't rate it at all. I did buy the care kits (which are time consuming) but even so the floor soon looked marked. I have replaced the cloakroom with Kardean which I am delighted with and am looking forward to changing the bathroom too.

Kitchens need to be much harder wearing than bathrooms so I would caution against rubber. I went for the flat finish as I had heard the raised coverings were dust traps and harder to clean.

[Snowgirl1]

Thanks everyone. tibni don't like the sound of rubber for the kitchen based on wiath you said.

What's Kardean? It looks like lineolium in the pictures I've googled.

[Snowgirl1]

notgood I think you're right that slate colour is the way forward, now just got to decide whether it's tiles, lineolium, marmoleum, or kardean (whatever that is!)

wendybird honed limestone sounds lovely - but also sounds out of my price range!

[Bartlebee]

We have recently had Karndean in a limestone colour.

It was quite expensive (£2.5k) but is a bloody marvel - 2 dogs, several kids romp over it with dirty wet feet every day and it looks pristine.

[maishoffwcingras]

we have slate tiles, which look lovely and mask the dirt well, HOWEVER I would not recommend them to anyone because they have bumps & grooves that the dirt gets trapped in, so you can't just give it a quick mop, you need a scrubbing brush which I never do

but smooth slate tyles would be fine, as would a slate effect thing. Real slate is cold on your feet too

[wendybird77]

For the honed limestone I paid £35 plus vat per meter, which is about what you are going to pay for good laminate / lino from what I've seen on here. Slate I saw for £18 or so per sq meter - but was too dark for our north facing kitchen. It isn't smooth, so dirt is going to get trapped, but it is masked. Just steam clean it to kill off any germs and for me it is good enough slattern.

[Pagwatch]

My kitchen is being put in over the next few weeks. I have chosen slate for the kitchen and limestone for the hallway.
I am going to steam clean it. Plus underfloor heating so it won't be cold.

It was def the best option with kids and dogs and it sits well with a very modern kitchen

[Pagwatch]

this one. Can you tell I am getting over excited my ceilings are being ripped out at the mo...

[Pagwatch]

Sorry
I killed the thread with my ridiculous 'ooooh I have never had a new kitchen before' hysteria.

[shufflebum]

I hate our slate tiles! They never look clean, would love to change them.

[Snowgirl1]

Pagwatch you didn't kill the thread and new kitchens are exciting (in my book at least). The Fired Earth slate looks lovely. I think I might have to go for a totally smooth slate (if she a thing exists?) as I know I'll get fixed on grim getting in all the groves (mainly because I'm a lazy slattern and I won't clean it much so will know the grim is lurking there!).

Hmmm, I'm just thinking about the grout between the tiles and how grubby that could get and thinking tiles may not be for me...

[Snowgirl1]

I've gone from rubber to slate tiles and now I'm thinking that something like a vinyl that is in a dark grey granite colour (not as in vinyl pretending to be tiles), but with a sparkle to it might be a good option. I could get it in a big roll, so no gaps between tiles to collect grim; it wouldn't be cold underfoot; and it wouldn't be too expensive so I could replace it when it got scruffy.

Something like this sparkly vinyl, but in more of a dark grey instead of black What do you think? I'm sooo not normally into anything sparkly, but might be a bit of fun on the kitchen floor?

[JonesH]

I would also recommend Marmoleum Flooring has a long life durability, and also comes in a huuuuge range of colours and styles, can just google image it for examples. Would look great in the bathroom.