Karndean, Amtico or engineered wood

[chartreuse]

I have brain freeze trying to make this decision so I'd love to hear your experience please!

Space is our hallway, kitchen and tv room, 66 m sq. We don't have a back door so this is a heavy traffic area.

I'm going for a pale oak, French oak in Karndean. The Karndean quote is more expensive than the wood, it seems counterintuitive to spend more on fake wood than the real thing.

Benefits of vinyl are that it's more hard wearing, easier to clean, no worry about leaks in the kitchen which we've experienced before.

Drawback is that it's not actually wood.

I have had my heart set on pale herringbone parquet for years. Whichever I choose will cost €8-10k so we'll be living with it for a long time.

I have engineered wood in my kitchen with no issues at all. It was the click and lock type of board and every piece we put a line of good quality waterproof glue in the joint first. It's been down for 3 years and still looks as good as new. I spent a few weeks getting sample pieces and testing their durability by dragging chair legs across them etc to see how easily they scratched so I could get one that wouldn't mark too badly. The only issue I have had with it is I got one that isn't completely smooth (has the groove marks of real wood) and it's a pain if stuff gets stuck in the grooves.

I do like karndean etc but you have to latex the floor first to get it completely smooth and this costs as much as the flooring itself. Plus it can get scratches too and I've heard it tends to fade in the sunlight.

Nothing helpful to say but reading with interest as I have the exact same dilemma.

I also want pale wood parquet.

We've gone for karndean in our kitchen / breakfast room. We have wooden floorboards elsewhere in the hall and playroom and they are trashed and need sanding, which is a pain of a job. I was too nervous to have wood in the kitchen as well as we are a careless family, it's a heavy traffic area, and I thought it would mark too easily and require upkeep. The reviews for karndean are nearly always positive, which is what convinced me in the end.

It's not been fitted yet so not sure what it looks like - this is what I'm most nervous about. We're having classic oak in herringbone.

I have Luvanto in my house.
I went to a local flooring supplier & fitters on our industrial estate & they ordered from Luvanto.

I had the floor screeded by them, else the flooring wont be right, then they layed the LVT. Preparation is key.

It looks beautiful.

I had white LVT, but I have linked the one you like.

Its very similar to Karndean.

://www.luvanto.com/shop/country-oak-parquet-flooring/

www.luvanto.com/shop/country-oak-parquet-flooring/

I have several areas of Amtico and would warn you that anything too pale shows the dirt much more. I have a mid-ish oak and a pale greyish one. Mid coloured much more forgiving.

We have the karndean lime washed oak. I really like it. It's a good neutral colour, and everyone comments on it. It's on our ground floor, so high traffic, but it's in perfect condition.

We have a darker walnut colour on a different floor, and while I love the colour, it always looks in need of a mop and any dents (from badly thought out dining chair legs) are obvious to me (but no-one else).

Thanks everyone for your experiences, after a week of staring at samples we've decided to go for wood. The cost is the same, which in itself seems crazy, and I just think the wood is the better choice for us.

Now I have to decide between solid, engineered or reclaimed!! This renovation business is exhausting!

We looked at Kardean but opted for engineered bamboo. Looks gorgeous and appears to be scratch resistant so far. It's in the kitchen / playroom/ front hall