The sheer stress of picking a floor

[Toastiesforever]

Why does every flooring shop have different opinions on what floor I should get based on my small list of requirements which are:

Waterproof
Extremely hard wearing with lots of traffic
Herringbone style

I feel like each shop i go into has an agenda to push a particular brand instead of just actually telling me the best type of flooring is X.

Ive been told Amteco/karndean floors are the best then the next shop tells me they have had 3 people come back with their floor being lifted

A vinyl click style is best then reviews say it split after weeks of use.

Laminate planks is the most hard wearing, oh it can scratch easily.

I honestly have no idea what to go for, its a large kitchen hall area and i need this floor to last the test of time.

Can anyone on here tell me what to buy 😂

We’ve had Amtico for nine years.

Maybe try to find some independent advice from a floor fitter/handy person etc or online reviews (take with a pinch of salt but look for trends in advicd) rather than take advice from the people selling.

I dont know about brands but I had vinyl floorboards and they spilt and cracked. My friend had the same and hers didnt??

I always go for laminate AC5 which is very scratch resistant. It still can scratch, I scratched my while hoovering yesterday - must have been a small stone but I generally dont have to worry about it.

I feel your pain, I am putting in a new kitchen and floors and I thought it would be an exciting project instead I was overwhelmed by choice and got very stressed.

Yes!!! I was initially excited but my spirit has been well and truly killed!

Ill have a look at that laminate level you suggested.

I have ordered a sample of this based on its description but who the hell knows

https://www.ukflooringdirect.co.uk/vinyl-flooring-life-classic-oak-herringbone-luxury-rigid-core-click

What about tile? I have porcelain tile in kitchen and hall and it’s fab.

porcelain all the way - cool in summer, warm if you have underfloor heating under it, robust as all heck

Guys i have tile and detest it, granted they were not fitted correctly so have all cracked, if you drop something on it it smashes into a million smithereens and in the winter if the kids shoes are wet they go flying 😅

We went through the same process last year….I hated it!
We’ve ended up with Karndean in our kitchen. Had it before for 14 years and it was fine. There’s lots of options for styles. We’ve chosen one that looks like grey planks and I love it!

@Toastiesforever

You’re right about the slipperiness.

I have laminate in my living room and I wouldn’t have that again. I’m saving for solid wood as it can be refinished when necessary.

I've got oak parquet it's a bit of a diva unless you keep on top of the finish. By that I mean refinish it 6 months before it actually needs it.

My Karndean tiles (the cheapest ones) have been down for almost 25 years and still look great except for patches where metal pins on DH's chair legs wore through the pattern.

I have invictus planks glued down. Have had water spills in noticed for days and it’s fine. I’ve had dogs runny poo over it and it cleaned up without trace. So pleased with it. It hasn’t lifted or moved. I’ve had it two years now and I wished I had done this years ago. Not cheap but so worth it

It is likley your first requirement is what is causing much of the issues with your recomendations. NO domestic flooring is actually waterPROOF just various levels of waterresistance,
in order of weateresistance.
cap and coved vinyl saftey flooring (the gritty vinyl you see in disabled toliets and hospitals)
Sheet vinyl (fully stuck down and edges siliconed)*
ceramic/porcalin tiles*
LVT (vinyl tiles/planks) though once water penatrates underneath can start to curl and crack.
Hardwood floor - water sitting for too long can cause swelling/rot but can be sanded and refinished
engineered wood flooring - same has hardwood but less chances of refinishing
laminate wood - stayaway

*depending on quality of material and fitting these 2 could be swapped around