rubber vs vinyl flooring

[redundant]

hello, i am going dizzy and blurry eyed from too much google research so hoping mumsnet can help. I need new flooring for a kitchen diner and love rubber flooring but am now bit concerned about maintenance and also fading, as it will have bifold doors onto the garden at one end.

So then I looked at www.colourflooring.co.uk for vinyl sheets - but now see some people saying that's not very durable (and it doesn't sound very durable on the FAQs). Help! Any suggestions or experiences?

I don't like laminate, can't afford engineered wood, don't like (and can't afford) Karndean, don't want stone tiles, and just want something soft, warm, durable, and ideally one smooth sheet of a nice colour. Is that too much to ask :)

I used to have rubber in the bathroom and vinyl in the kitchen. I always regretted that I didn't have rubber everywhere. It is lovely underfoot and almost self-cleaning as all the dust bunnies are 'rubbed' to the edges where you can pick 'em up. The vinyl showed up every spill and stain and was a nightmare to clean. Next time I will have rubber everywhere I possibly can.

thanks swampster. Someone on here said that it didn't cope well with oil/greasy spills which worried me as our 2 year old chucks food everywhere! Anyone else?

Can you not afford engineered wood? Or solid wood? Mine is about £25 a metre, which is roughly comparable to the solid coloured vinyl. I love wood. I got a load second hand, so it was super cheap, but will need sanding. Urgh. But cheap!

Redundant, I have rubber in my bathroom and I use a metalised polish which seals and protects it. I love it

I had rubber flooring and amtico in my last place. Loved both and would happily have done the whole of my new place in rubber if it wasn't so pricy. Not sure about grease on the rubber as wasn't in a kitchen but the amtico was and it kept very clean after years of abuse. Great range of colours too.

Mefisto and Mrs BennetsElders - can you tell us the make of rubber flooring your used?

rubber floor company I can't remember the supplier we bought them from but this was the style we used - square tiles with studs.

Kimpton Flooring Company.
Have a look at their clearance section....I managed to find the exact shade of blue I needed and it was so much cheaper than everywhere else.
The advice I was given via telephone was brilliant and I fitted the floor myself ( gives self yet another pat on the back).
To give an idea of costing its a small bathroom, I was quoted £355 to supply and fit by a local company, using Kimpton and fitting it myself the total cost was £126 including adhesive and delivery.

Mine is a smooth finish 50cmx50cm tile.

MrsB that supplier looks brilliant. You are now inspiring me to have a go at some new flooring myself!

Go for it Mefisto. I just took my time, made templates out of paper for the shaping and tried really hard not to get adhesive anywhere else. DH didn't believe I had done it and I had to get the screwed up bits of template out of the bin as proof.

:)

I had samples from the colourful flooring co but settled on this plain black vinyl www.vinylflooringshop.co.uk/forbo-novilon-sarlon-uni-plain-black/10084/

It looks fab and they sent me a free sample. My fitter says it is a commercial grade and LOOKS as if it will last for ages.

yes - that is my other option! They do a taupe colour which is a bit similar to the one from colour flooring i was looking at. I was a geek and compared the technical specs of them as best I could and they appear to be very similar, almost identical but the Novilon is cheaper.

I just got a sample of Forbo Novilon Sarlon Uni - in the pale grey colour - and it looks and feels fabulous. Seems much better quality than any others I've seen. I feel almost evangelical about it!

Kensal did you go to Burts as above? And is that the pearl grey? I'm just a bit worried about whether it needs specialist fitting and care, so I might chicken out and go with the vinyl.

No, I got it from Meadee Flooring (only because they're in Reading and q. close to London) but after MUCH research, I decided that this vinyl flooring looks like it would be tougher than any other I had seen (in a nice plain colour). I use my kitchen commercially so it has to be tough.

.. so no, I don't think it needs specialist care but I am getting it fitted by a pro, but only because the space is quite large and quite tricky... and because I need to get back to work asap.. oh, and yep, pearl grey.

I've got vinyl floor down in my kitchen - bought from The Colour Flooring Company - www.colourflooring.co.uk. They changed their product, so it's now thicker with a higher scratch resistance and there's a 10 year guarantee.
I've had it down for nearly a year - during the hot summer of 2013 - no fading at all and I have no blinds to block out the sun.
I clean it with just hot water. Comes up perfect every time.

I've heard it's also used for commercial use - Selfridges are one of their big customers.

I also got rubber floor from kimpton. The bloke there was really nice. It's in our bathrooms, though my DB and mum both have it in their kitchens. It comes in 2 thicknesses, the thinner is easier to fit. You need to seal it, and redo it occasionally. I use the amitco dressing from
John Lewis. A little goes a loooong way.

Sorry, forgot to say, the colours are very different IRL compared to in your computer screen. Kimpton will send you samples for no charge.

Can anyone tell us - do rubber floors attract the dust and dirt more?

Do you have to clean them more than tiled floors, for example?

Trying to decide for our kitchen.

Thanks!