to be a vinyl floor snob

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

Pls help, I have to lay a new lounge floor (on top of a concrete floor), I previously had laminate. However I find laminate easily scratchable and slippy. Carpet right sell wood effect vinyl flooring which is quite robust but I worry people will view it as tacky. Any one had it and can let me know how they view it?

We have amtico in our hall and I really like it - it is easy to clean and warmer on the feet than wood/tiles. It is a herringbone/wood effect design and several people have commented on how realistic it is - we inheirited it when we bought the house and I didn’t notice it was vinyl when we viewed the house! I have no intention of replacing it any time soon.

LVT shouldn't lift if properly fitted.

Vinyl is fine for any room, and a good quality flooring will not scratch or wear. My carpets are ten years old and definitely showing their age, the vinyl flooring has still got several years left in it. The only warning I'd give is not to get it from Carpetright, they're known as Carpetwrong for good reason.

I have top of the range Karndean and I bloody love it. Thick, doesn’t scratch, easy to clean, no dents, looks very good indeed. I doubt anyone could tell without a really close inspection that it wasn’t wood. Also it’s got a surface too it to so it’s not smooth like regular laminate. We ordered a few extra planks when it got fitted as if you do end up with a bit damaged it’s possible for a specialist/ fitter to pop it out and replace.

We have wood effect vinyl strips in the kitchen, loooks lovely, is non slip and easy to clean. The rest of downstairs are vinyl tiles (Housing Association property) and although they might not look the best, they are easy to clean. We had carpets, but with cats and kids even using a Vax on them never got them quite clean. I look in the mop bucket some days and am so glad they're vinyl, just thinking of all that dirt on the carpet makes me feel queasy

@falsepriest

In my old house the previous owners had done the (large) hall in what I thought was vinyl. Looked quite cheap and fake because it was such a large expanse. But then I found an invoice for it tucked into some paperwork they’d left us and it turned out to be proper wood flooring. So my point is often people can’t tell the difference anyway, but more importantly anyone who would judge you for your choice has no business being a guest in your home anyway. Choose what you like.

Have a look at marmoleon as well. Naturally antiseptic and warmer than vinyl, easy to keep clean and looks great.

marmoleum!

We have vinyl in the kitchen and downstairs toilet. People tend to assume it's tiles unless they actually pause to think about it.

The previous owner was a laminate fan. Some was half decent. Some was cheap and very nasty. The laminate in the lounge was stripped out pronto, partly because the spotlights reflected off it and were horrendously dazzling (the spotlights were also quick to go). The kitchen laminate wasn't grippy enough and when DS1 started crawling, he'd often hit a damp patch and go splat on the floor.

The vinyl is aging much better as the laminate tends to wear if the joints aren't perfect.

We have karndean throughout our lower floor and it looks nice (I think!!) And is easy to clean and doesn't scratch as much as wood

OHh just googled kardean...essentially a good equality LVT- anyone know if they require an underlay?

I think it's like everything. Good quality vinyl is fine, cheap vinyl is not. Same for laminate, wood, tiles, etc.

at falsepriest

We’ve got the cushioned, vinyl, wood effect stuff in the kitchen, utility room but decided against having it in the living room. Not because I thought it would look dreadful but I like cosy carpet.
It really is very durable and non slip because the modern more expensive stuff is so much better than the old or thin types. I think that makes sense

We have a heavy Tarkett vinyl (lino) in our hall and kitchen. Lots of people think it's real wood or Karndean. Bought at Carpetright. Nothing wrong with the product, but I wouldn't use Carpetright fitters again. It really does need to be skilfully laid to look good. Also has taken up red dye from an Indian cotton rug which we can't get up. My fault for not checking colourfastness. I would have it again over solid floor. Mum has Karndean in her kitchen and it's really scruffy after 8 years. Was pushed hard when the houses here were built 4-5 years ago and lots of people are having problems with it now. Tarkett was 1/3 the price.

@falsepriest you're hilarious!

Op I have hard floors everywhere as they're so much easier to clean. Vinyl is really great for that but does look a bit cheap. I think you need to weigh up priorities really. How soon are you likely to sell? Resale might not be an issue for years and in the meantime you could have a really practical floor.

@falsepriest

[Inflates lungs] IT'S THE VINYL COUNTDOOOOOOOOOWN!

[distant sound of howling dogs and shattering glass]

My old neighbour had wood effect vinyl and to be honest, I assumed it was laminate until she said. I wish I'd put it in my kitchen, rather than the tile effect one I went for.

Karndean is amazing. But expensive

I like vinyl flooring but I would probably choose a pattern other than wood effect because I personally haven't seen one that seems like wood (happy to be corrected).

I'm currently lusting after some of these patterns www.atrafloor.com/.

I had really cheap vinyl tiles in a hallway and people often thought they were real wood, although the light wasn't great. If you go for something better quality and have it fitted professionally it should look very good. If you can't afford something like Karndean have a look at luxury vinyl tiles that click together.

falsepriest.

We've just had Karndean laid in our bathroom - it's amazing. Looks good and feels warmer than tiles.
You need to have a completely smooth floor to lay it on, otherwise any really tiny lumps will show through. As we had old wooden floorboards in poor condition, we laid thin sheets of plywood over the top. Then the man who installed it put a light feather scree where the plywood sheets joined, to ensure an extremely smooth surface.
If you go for luxury vinyl, make sure you get it fitted by someone who knows what they are doing.

Ooooh go for Dalsouple

I know, maybe not in a sitting room. Unless you are extremely avant-garde

I’m a snob and I have laminate the whole way through my downstairs. You can get some lovely ones that look much better than cheap, noisy laminate x

You want Kardean or Quickstep, we use it in our commercial premises. Long lasting and very easy to maintain.

falsepriest 😁😁😁😁

We have it and i hate it and find it very tacky but it's a means to an end and is easy to clean.

falsepriest just brilliant