I hate my LVT floor

[lightningatmidnight]

I had a medium oak Brampton Chase LVT floor installed two years ago on the premise that LVT would be long wearing and tough. I researched wear layers and it seemed to be a decent brand etc.

However it seems that just living our life in our living space causes minor to significant scratches every other week. It’s covered. Yesterday I dragged a cardboard box that was too heavy to lift through my house and it turned out there was a small piece of grit wedged in the cardboard and it’s left a shallow scratch the full length of the house. I’m gutted. Just constant little accidents that cause damage.

I thought it would be so much resistant to this sort of thing, and I have friends with dogs, renovations and kids whose Karndean that looks as good as they got it.

Also any advice on fixing this massive light scratch?

He actually recommends a top range cushioned vinyl - apparently the prep work is cheaper too. He also said avoid if you have a wooden floor rather than a solid concrete base to avoid it as when you replace LVT the uplift breaks the floor underneath. I have to admit I was quite jealous of all my friends karndean when it was new but not many look that good now.
If you want a more authentic look though, wood is the best but so pricy!

I hate my lvt too. The crap builders didn’t level out the kitchen floor properly and so it was laid on an uneven surface and the edges of the lvt tiles are starting to snap off. That is definitely not the LVT’s fault (Amtico). However before that even started to happen the scratching was appalling. Just normal pulling back and forwards of light dining chairs was scratching it like mad. I now have DC outgrown baby socks on the feet of the dining chairs. Plus loads of unexplained scratches, more each day it feels like.

I cannot wait to get rid of the fecking LVT.

We pull out chairs back and forth and there is no scratching at all. I moved the couch the other day and checked and nothing. Maybe some brands scratch easier 🤔

Less than two year old lvt here. Its disintegrating.
The planks move, the locking edges have ripped off.
Its bowed and buckled. Its a really really expensive mistake.
I have talked to both the fitters and the manufacturers, both of who blame each other. Im not going to get anywhere with a legal case because they'd continue to do this.
Brand "Quickstep" if anybody wants to avoid it specifically.

Or some furniture is heavier and has big metal studs or metal feet on the bottom !

You can get felt pads to stick to the bottom of furniture that makes them glide over wooden floors. Much easier to move it when you need to and no scratching.

That's a fair point 🤣

I have LVT tiles in my kitchen, glued down type though, there 5 yrs now and chosen because the previous sheet vinyl was always getting marked from gravel in runners. With this I can replace a tile easily if damaged but in those years there isn't a mark on it. I don't like hard tiles so was never going to tile. There is a slight pattern on mine though so not as easy to see a mark if there was one, a wood effect is probably less forgiving.

We have ‘Invictis’ LVT. Worked out a whooping £90 per SqM two years ago. It came with a 15 year warranty and meant to be ‘scratch resistant’ (which actually doesn’t mean anything). Originally I paid over the odds for it believing we’d be set with it. Oh how wrong, it’s about scratch resistant as my Granny’s royal dalton, really not fit for every day purpose. The warrantee is basically invalid if you don’t sweep (not vacuum) it everyday and remove any grit immediately. My 9 month old managed to cause a massive scratch from pushing her little toy box, another scratch from a friend putting down her handbag… I’m absolutely gutted as I feel scammed.

I had the same with Karndean, a never ending blame game, they refused to take any responsibility for what really looked like poor manufacturing.

Not sure what brand ours is but its LVT type flooring. When we moved in 4 years ago we went for understated cream'ish colour without any of the fake grout look or herringbone designs even though they had so much impact. We just felt the grout 'gaps' would make cleaning a PITA and the more intricate the design the more chance of issues.

Its worked out that way. The floor is wearing brilliantly and the spare tiles we have are sitting in the loft unused.

My partner wants to lift it all up again and spend thousands on a new herringbone design one.

Gutted to hear this! Our grown floor is laminate in the living and dining room and then tiles in the kitchen (big open plan space) and the laminate is not fairing well due to being cheap, laid on uneven wooden floors and in too large an open plan space. I was putting all my eggs in the basket of LVT. I like carpet but I don’t think it works well for the space (food dropping off the dining table and the transition into the kitchen) and I’m desperate for one flooring option for the entire open plan space. Tiles feel too cold for me for a living room.

We had Invictus put down just over a year ago and within a month or two it was full of scratches! Been so disappointed with it. We have felt etc on the bottom of all furniture but if the tiniest piece of grit gets between that and the floor it causes a scratch.

Ive only noticed less scratches appearing since we got the robot hoover and have it running every day!

LVT in our kitchen. Been down nearly 5 years. Not a mark on it. Wouldn’t have it through the downstairs tho. It’s too much of a “lino-y” feel to it

I got Amtico and I've never noticed any scratches.

Yes it’s rubbish. I have amtico and have felt pads on furniture but it just isn’t practical for day to day living and there are scratches. We didn’t pay for it as new build included it but once we decide it’s time for new flooring it’s being replaced by real wood (scratches are so easy to rectify and it still looks good) or tiles.

I have Pergo laminate flooring in my living room and dining room. It’s been down for 10 years and honestly looks like new and we’re not a particularly careful household. It wasn’t cheap but it’s lasted so well.

Our Amtico has been down throughout most of downstairs for about 4 years, not a careful household and we have multiple dogs - still looks like new. I love it.

Sorry to hear this, that sounds really, really frustrating.

I have to admit, I tend to only have 'real' materials for my flooring - real wood (usually proper planks rather than engineered), limestone, quarry tiles etc. Then I find any marks just give more character to the floor. But I also quite like a non-perfect looking floor, so probably not really the same thing.

Honestly we have Karndean and it's scratched to buggery by the dogs.

Thanks! I will look into it. Part of the problem is the space is too large now it’s open plan and anything that is ‘floating’ like click together laminate or LVT is going to buckle even if it’s properly levelled.

Yep, plastic floors scratch easily and look like shit once they are. I’d always recommend wood floorboards over any type of vinyl, you can sand/fill/repair/repaint.

I have commercial grade lvt on my kitchen floor. Practically indestructible although I do still try to treat it nicely.
Also agree with whoever said Karndean. I had it put in my bathroom about 20 years ago. Would love an excuse to change it but it still looks like new.

I love these threads they’re so useful. But I’m non the wiser what would last in my household. I think I need bombproof.

Not really related to scratches, but for some other comments on this thread, I think there needs to be a distinction made between "floating, click together LVT", which is basically crap and barely different to old style laminate, and the the proper good stuff which is "glue down LVT". Glue down will last properly without moving or warping. But it does mean the sub floor has to be properly prepped and as flat as possible - which is why it is more £££ for installation.

Absolutely. I cannot imagine to compare a click together version with what we have. It would just be expensive laminate. Ours took 2 days for someone to scree and then sand to make it perfect. Then another 2 days to glue each separate tile.

It hasnt even aged a day. We have felt pads on the feet of all furniture which we renew every 6 months but we also have 2 dogs running about on it. Its in our utility room too and that has golf clubs, dirty shoes etc in there sometimes. Not a mark on it.