Karndean Flooring? Pros & Cons please

[Stillamum3]

Karndean flooring is a new "thing" to me. I'm considering it for my kitchen, rather than ceramic tiles. Could anyone with experience of it tell me whether it's good, bad or indifferent please?

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Hi there everyone! This thread is a little old now, and any links may be out of date - but once you've read what everyone has to say, you can take a look at Karndean flooring on the John Lewis website. MNHQ.

Newsflash - most of us live in average houses, paid for with average salaries and aren't ever likely to be featured in glossy magazines. Over priced tiles might be expected in 'expensive' houses, but they are not going to do anything to enhance the value of a more modest property.

Karndean looks good, wears well, is warm underfoot, forgiving of the occasional dropped piece of china.

I'll bear that in mind.

wowfudge sounds great! We're weighing up a painted DIY kitchen (in-frame shaker with wood carcasses) vs a 1909 kitchen. The only thing (literally only) putting us off the former is the extra faff involved in creating a Butler's pantry (with a cold slab in) when 1909 do one off-the-shelf (at considerable cost mind you).

I actually have a pantry next to the kitchen so didn't need to create one with units. As long the door sizes you need are available, an existing unit can be adapted by DIY to the size you are after. You could try one of the pantry units they do in another range and just buy the doors separately.

Oh no are we all
Supposed to be creating show homes for magazines? I thought we were creating nice homes for our families to live in and not destroy 😆

Our Karndean has been down for 8 years now and is still great. It gets steam mopped monthly and has only ever had the proper stuff (lacquer?) once a year tops...
it is a tile effect one in kitchen:conservatory. Warm underfoot and more forgiving for children slipping or plates being dropped than tiles.

wowfudge good tip- thanks! M0ther yes of course we are!!! How did you not know this?!?

m0therofdragons I decided after a couple of years to try my steam mop as kids, dogs and cats were making it a nightmare to keep clean. I use it at least weekly through out the ground floor, have done for 5 years and so far have had no issues. I just make sure I keep it moving and don't rest it on one spot too long as I think it's the heat that might be the issue. It probably invalidates the warranty or something but it's a floor and I need to clean it so that's what I do.

We put down mid range karndean in our old house. It was down 6 years, looked great, even with toddlers, dog etc. New house we've just put down moduleo, it's a newer brand of LVT and we're very pleased with the look and feel. Hopefully it'll wear just as well. Both times we went for stick down, not click together. The fitters said we had definitely made the right choice and that's what they'd recommend. The only poor online reviews I could find on moduleo seemed to be about the click together one.

Yes, you do have to have it laid properly. My parents have it throughout their downstairs and it has "blown" ad a result of damp getting through the sub floor (don't ask me the details, just that a ridge developed in the middle of their lounge floor). As it was installed by an approved installer, its been a relatively easy process to get them back - although they're having to have it taken up and re-laid. You wouldn't necessarily get that continuity of service / guarantees with other products / companies.

Personally, I think it looks and feels very different to solid hard wood floors (which I prefer) but my parents love it.

I am weighing up between Karndean and Amtico. Both are available quite cheaply online, but can I then get an approved fitter and be covered by their guarantee?

@AyeAyeFishyPie the only time you'll get a guarantee is if you buy through an approved amtico or karndean retailer that has their own fitters do the work for you.

Newsflash - most of us live in average houses, paid for with average salaries and aren't ever likely to be featured in glossy magazines. Over priced tiles might be expected in 'expensive' houses, but they are not going to do anything to enhance the value of a more modest property.

^👌** exactly this. People live by their means. I like the flooring. I had it in my previous flat and it looked good and was practical. Easy to clean and maintain.

I have just put down Karndean tiles myself in my downstairs loo. I got them free from family so wasn't bothered about a guarantee. It really isn't that hard to do at all. The tiles snap when you score them so they are easy to cut - the hardest part is measuring the size to cut the dam things to!

Yes, I thought it didn't look that difficult and if you plan the job well and know about buildings, I don't see any reason why you can't do as good a job as a "fitter". I doubt it would be as quick, but it's not rocket science. Screeding could be done by any competent builder if needed.

I would highly recommend Karndean flooring. We needed an overhall of the whole house. There are a lot of similar LVT products but this one of the ones with the highest quality. The great things about it is, its easy to maintain, just use a mop, no need for the deep clean.

Its also tough and durable so lasts well in large footfall areas like the hallway. If you're looking to change your wooden floor then this is a great choice too as it can be designed exactly like wood.

In the unlikely point of damage it's possible to just change a plank or a tile rather than the whole floor so saves you money in the long run.

We're based in Glasgow so went for the a compant we know well. We chose the floor from there and they fitted it no hassle. I can't recommend Allfloors enough:

allfloorsglasgow.co.uk/

They do jobs outside the Glasgow area so please get in touch with them if you're needing advice on your Karndean flooring.