Laminate floor- ease my mind please!

[Agwen]

I'm planning my new kitchen, and have a teeny tiny budget. In an ideal world I'd like LVT flooring but with the cash I have it's going to have to be a laminate floor I think. I could possibly stretch to LVT if laminate will look just awful, but I have seen some that looks very similar to the LVT I'd like. The difference in price is about £175 and that would eat into my appliance budget pretty significantly so I really don't want to have to spend it if I don't have to. That's about 10% of my overall budget to give you an idea of how teeny my budget really is for a whole new rip-out-and-start-again kitchen.

But I don't want to spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar either!

Can someone tell me that laminate isn't as awful as it seems to be portrayed? Does anyone have something good to say about it? (Please please let there be something good about it)

I have laminate in my hallway, it was down when we bought the house so it's been down over 15 years and still going strong

My friend is a flooring fitter; he thinks LVT is massively overrated and will be out of fashion again in a few years. He fits both, but has high quality laminate down everywhere in his house and it looks brilliant. We actually switched to laminate instead of LVT for our house after seeing it and we’re so pleased with it.

Does it look good SheSaidNoFuckThat? I have some in my hallway that is a similar age to yours and it will be coming up as part of the kitchen refit as flooring goes straight through, it looks very obviously laminate (but is utterly knackered after having had a flood) and I hate it! Having said that, the one I have seen is textured and so might not be quite so laminatey.

Alternista that' promising! Any hints/tips on what to look for or good suppliers?

We've recently had our hall laminate replaced, it had been down for about 20 years and was really grotty. The new laminate has an underlay which has made a massive difference, it's warmer underfoot and I'm so happy with it, it looks great.

Most laminate is not suitable for kitchens, though durable and good looking in living areas.

woodlandwalker that's something to ponder, why isn't it good in kitchens?

Quickstep do one suitable for kitchens and bathrooms , they sell a few types in b&q on offer at the mo .eg we have the natural oak one it is a nice looking laminate bomb proof
://www.diy.com/departments/quick-step-aquanto-light-grey-laminate-flooring-1-84m-pack/1294390_BQ.prd

There are some really good laminates nowadays, it's not all the shiny orange laminate of yesteryear!

Go and have a really good look. Some wood effect ones have a raised grain that looks natural and warmer. We put a bathroom grade laminate from B&Q in our kitchen. Many years and about a million mops later it still looks good as new.