Hard / wood floor advice for downstairs

[ElderMillennial]

Can I have advice / thoughts on flooring for downstairs please.

Planning hard floors as easier to keep clean than carpet but then may have rug in living room. I wanted the same floor all downstairs (living room, dining room, hall and kitchen) but DH thinks wood in kitchen is risky and likely to get ruined which is probably right.

Is wooden flooring the most hard wearing as compared to engineered wood or laminate? I've had laminate before but it got ruined easily when wet. Tiles are obviously waterproof but not v homely for living room and dining room.

Any advice place on what to go for?

Howden sells a laminate that looks great and is suitable for kitchens and bathrooms. I've used it in the last three houses I've flipped throughout the ground floor.
Wood can age well and get a patina - if you are looking for pristine you can sand it down again but seems a hassle when there are decent alternatives.

Have a look into bamboo flooring, it's more water resistant than wood.

I don't mind laminate if it would last but I have and I know others that have had laminate get ruined when wet.

I will look at bamboo

I’d tile the kitchen floor and match all the rest. Or if kitchen is first next to hallway match kitchen and hallway

I have oak Karndean in my kitchen. Looks great, doesn't look out of place with my actual oak worktops, no problem with it being wet and it is very easy.

Very happy with it.

We have engineered wood, I don't know if it's a quality issue or what but the kitchen has many dinks in it, where stuff has been dropped.
I'm not sure I'd have it again.

We have karndean in our kitchen, not wood effect, but that does look nice. It's not as cold as tiles and if one tile does get damaged it's very easy to replace a single one. I much prefer it to laminate.

We’ve got stuff like Karndean but a different brand (the name escapes me sorry) luxury vinyl tiles (LVT). It’s absolutely BRILLIANT. So low maintenance, looks like real wood and cleans so easily. Water is no problem. Not as cold as tiles. Was pricey but so worth it.

Yes, being warm underfoot was a big priority for me after having tiles before. It's perfect for that.

We only have hard floors. Large format stone tiles (800x800) in the kitchen, hallway, dining room and bathrooms and solid wood everywhere else with UFH throughout.

I love wooden floors but would never ever put them in a kitchen. The worst marks on a solid wood floor come from drops of water which are inevitable in the kitchen.

Personally I think it’s hard to find one type of flooring which works well for the whole ground floor. I really don’t like laminate or Karndean - people go on about how it looks like wood, yet it doesn’t feel like wood!

We’re in the process of building a new house and I’d also like the same floor throughout the ground floor. I’m thinking about polished concrete which gives a similar effect to stone tiles but with a seamless look.

I have never heard of karndean, aware of vinyl but hadn't considered it really

Yes tiles seem cold and hard so something in between might work

I also like the idea of matching kitchen and hall but DH isn't keen

Plus kitchen needs replacing and hasn't been done yet so not a good time to do kitchen floor whereas hall, living room and dining room floors have been taken up

Does karndeal go down in times or strips? I'm trying to picture it. It's not like Lino is it?

We have wooden floors in our kitchen and lounge (open plan) and the wooden floors are getting ruined in the kitchen!

If oil gets on them it stains for days and if you accidentally leave a wet patch it can sometimes leave a mark too.

We had our washing machine replaced and where they moved it out they left a dent in the floor so that's there forever.

We do have underfloor heating as well which has caused a few cracks in the wood because the the temp was too high! If we had our chance again we'd put tiles in the kitchen floor for sure.

@chloechloe

We only have hard floors. Large format stone tiles (800x800) in the kitchen, hallway, dining room and bathrooms and solid wood everywhere else with UFH throughout.

I love wooden floors but would never ever put them in a kitchen. The worst marks on a solid wood floor come from drops of water which are inevitable in the kitchen.

Personally I think it’s hard to find one type of flooring which works well for the whole ground floor. I really don’t like laminate or Karndean - people go on about how it looks like wood, yet it doesn’t feel like wood!

We’re in the process of building a new house and I’d also like the same floor throughout the ground floor. I’m thinking about polished concrete which gives a similar effect to stone tiles but with a seamless look.

Someone was saying on a thread the other day that polished concrete floors in her home destroyed her knees and hips.

We have engineered hardwood and I wish I had gone for a good quality laminate instead. It's dented quite easily and I don't think it looks any better than laminate

This is all very helpful. It's hard to know what to go for though!

After lots of research, we went for LVT with a solid core. We previously had laminate and found it cold plus it was lifting in places a few years after installation.
Solid wood wasn't an option because we have UFH and while engineered wood looks brilliant, it is high maintenance with young children. Can't be cleaned with water, prone to scratches and dents, stains easily too.
LVT or wood effect tiles were our 2 options and we wanted something that wasn't so hard underfoot which made us go for LVT. Our research told us it is extremely hard wearing, softer to the foot, completely waterproof and very low maintenance. It is being fitted next week and I can't wait!

Just ordered this for our kitchen/diner refurb

www.originaltimber.co.uk/nordiska/

Engineered can vary massively depending on the thickness of the wood top and on whether or not it has a lacquered or oiled finish.

We have engineered wood in our hallway/open plan extension/kitchen/diner and laminate in the living room.

I prefer the wooden engineered floor. Yes it has dings etc in it but I don’t mind. We are quick to wipe up spillages and it looks great. Feels nicer than the laminate under foot.

We have vinyl in the utility room and downstairs toilet because we knew that would have more water spillages etc.

It looks fine having different flooring in different places, very happy with it overall. The only thing I’d change is different flooring in the living room. We have rugs down as well.

We have good quality solid oak floors and yes whilst there are a few marks here and there on the whole it’s stood up really well to all that’s been thrown at it and the whole still looks good. We’ve had it down 10 years now and we keep intending to refresh it with a light sand and oil but never get around to it. No regrets on our choice and would have again .

We have good quality engineered oak in two rooms downstairs. You need to look for the thickest veneer you can get. Lacquered lasts longer than oiled in my view. We have it in 2 lounges. We have never had a moment’s problem. Both have rugs.

My kitchen and hall, utility and cloakroom are all ceramic large format. It’s a big space and has underfloor heating. I’m a huge fan of Porcelanosa. All of it has been down 11 years and no issues with any of it.

In my holiday house, I do have the lacquer coming off the engineered wood floor by the French windows. Getting it renovated next time I’m allowed to visit. It will stand a light sending and reapplication of lacquer.,

I wanted the same "wood" flooring throughout my downstairs - including hall, kitchen, utility and bathrooms etc so it had to be waterproof as well as hard wearing, which made me a bit nervous of expensive hardwood or even engineered. Went for a waterproof laminate in the end and am happy with it - looks more realistic than the cheaper laminates I'd seen and seems to have coped with the water splashes so far!

We have a solid real wood floor. It’s Jatoba, a Brazilian cherry. It gets darker the longer it’s down, as the sun makes it darken. It does get little scratches but they disappear quickly.
My parents have a solid Canadian oak floor which is still like new after 20 years.

I suppose part of the difficulty is it being more difficult to buy things like flooring at the moment as many if the ships are closed unless we can get something in Wickes or B&Q.

I have a good quality laminate throughout all of my downstairs. It’s from a brand called Elka and it’s made by the same people who make Quick Step. I had a similar one by the same brand in my last house through the whole of the downstairs including the kitchen and when we sold the house over two years later it still looked like new. We tended to hoover then steam mop so definitely was fine with water. The photos are taken in artificial light but it looks lighter in day light.