I need help with my flooring!!! Cushioned vinyl or laminate??

[mazzamoo123]

Hi there, i’m stuck!

We’re about to renovate our house and will need new floors in the hallway, family kitchen and conservatory (which the kitchen opens onto).

The problem is, we’re on a tight budget and need about 80 sq metres of whatever we choose.

I definitely want something that looks like wood but engineered wood and amtico are out of our price range.

My parents have cushioned vinyl - on a roll. I never thought i’d consider it but with two small boys and a small budget, it might have to be an option! It is cosy (which we like) but would it put off potential buyers in the future and/or ruin the look of our new kitchen? I’m not convinced the cushioned element would be right for the hallway. This is the kind of thing i’m looking at www.factory-direct-flooring.co.uk/goliath-arcadia-middle-beige-vinyl-flooring

The other option is laminate but I really want it to look like wood! I’ve had a sample of this one and it looks ok and is fine for a kitchen but will it be cosy enough?? www.directwoodflooring.co.uk/villa-woodland-natural-oak-laminate-flooring.html

Would it be weird to have the laminate in the hallway and the cushioned vinyl in the kitchen/conservatory (if i could get a good colour match)??

Any advice would be so helpful!!

I think cushioned vinyl has come on so much in the last decade and if that’s what suits your budget go for it.
Laminate is expensive. The cost of the laminate, the underlay, theglue, the fitter..all adds up.

A friend did mine for something like £80 a day and it can be time consuming if doors have to come off etc

Don’t worry about what the next person might want, you’re the one living there.

I really keep an eye on getting water on it’s well...vinyl sounds a lot cheaper and easier to manage to be fair.

I just re-did the hallway floors with laminate and I could barely tell the difference from wood. They make them very well these days, the brand I went with was Kronos. My husband actually installed it himself and said it was much easier than expected. Half a day's of work, but you also need to buy the overlay, and fitting tools. Fitting tools was only like £20 pounds so not too crazy. Overlay was marginal as well. Vinyl will indeed be cheaper and easier to install though, but I think won't feel as much "wood" as compared to laminate.

Thanks everyone.

@angela71 which colour Kronos did you go for? There are so many brands and colours to choose from, i’m totally lost!!!

I went with Krono Vario Monaco Oak. Its a pretty standard wood colour, meaning its not too warm. There are most definitely cheaper laminate than Krono, but we went with Krono because of the reviews, and quite frankly I am expecting this to last hopefully until the next time we are forced to redecorate which is... I am hoping in over a decade... or two... ;P

The laminate has quick snap edges which means you can assemble them just like lego, without any visible gap between each piece. You also don't need to glue anything, except maybe the skirting.

That being said, our hallway was rectangular (straight lines only) with not many doors around, so it was an easy job. I could definitely see this being a much more difficult job if just say its a curved surface, or surfaces with lots of corners or doors. You can always get a professional to install for you.

Btw its not weird having 2 different textures from hallway to kitchen, I actually think its pretty common.

Oh also, if you do decide to DIY, we watched a couple of youtube videos on how to install laminate. They are all roughly the same but it really gives you a good idea of the task at hand. You also get to see how easy (or hard) it is before you invest in anything.

Thanks @angela71 - so helpful! I have looked yours up and it looks lovely! A similar colour to what i’m looking for. Would you say it looks like wood in the flesh? Thanks again for all your help!!

Its kind of muted light brown... natural wood colour, on the lighter side.

If you look at some of the online shops via google, they actually can send you samples for free (or a small fee). You can just order samples from a few different online shops if you want to be certain about your finishing choices. This is really the downfall of online shopping, can't really see what you're buying. The wood came out a very different colour than what it showed on our monitor... but luckily, it still looked great.

You might be better with the cushioned vinyl in the kitchen. I worked for a flooring contractor for a long time and we really advised against laminate in a kitchen.

Thanks @shoofly

I might do laminate in the hallway and cushioned vinyl in the kitchen... I just need to see if I can get a fairly good colour match!

We also have vinyl in the kitchen just fyi, the contractor said the same thing to us.

I am guessing its just easier and more hygienic to clean things off vinyl.

We’ve just had an oak effect cushioned vinyl laid in the kitchen/diner and through to the utility room and downstairs toilet. Even though it worked out dearer per sq m than cheaper laminate, it was far cheaper to have it fitted. Looks lovely and cleans like a dream and stains don’t show up that much on it. We’ve been really pleased with it.m

Amazing! Thanks @SluttyButty - which brand/colour is it? Would love to see a pic if you have one?? Do you think it would be strange to have it in a hallway?

Don’t judge me for going to carpetright We have had this put down, it really is non slip too.

www.carpetright.co.uk/vinyl/flair-593-camargue-vinyl-flooring