Confused about Flooring choice for new kitchen

[Pennox]

I'm in the planning stages of a new kitchen.

What are my option for flooring? Aftrr years of cheap old laminate I assumed I'd have stone tiles but the kitchen designer is pushing amtico or karndean, which i know nothing about (is this LVT?). Is engineered wood still an option?

What are my options for a modern looking, easy maintenance kitchen floor?

We have ceramic tiles that look like wood. I love them.

We have this wood effect Amtico in the hall, kitchen and breakfast room. It was installed in 1995 (before we bought the house) and it still looks good. Not perfect but I think it’s impressive for flooring that’s been down 27 years, in a high traffic area. I just use standard floor cleaner on it. It’s not too cold in winter, and fairly forgiving when you drop crockery etc on it. I would definitely recommend it.

@Pennox

I have inherited 15y old laminate in the hosue at the moment and i have to say i despise it, am worried karndean/LVT will be too reminiscent of laminate?

What about real/hard wood?

I like the look of polished concrete but tbh i dont think it would go in a standard family house?

We were advised not to go with solid wood as it’s very unstable. Engineered planks are far more stable. They have a layer of real wood on a base which makes them very stable. Good quality planks cost as much as solid wood though - if not more.

Try Harvey Maria lvt. It's the same as amtico and karndean but cheaper. You do still need to use the authorised fitters though.

stone flooring is timeless, super durable and easy to clean- go for what you would like and not what the company is pushing :)

It's no cheaper than some of the Amtico and Karndean ranges, but there are some good designs - it doesn't all mimic wood or stone.

I love LVT floors. They're warm underfoot, softer than tiles and still look good. DH had it in his old flat and I didn't realise it was vinyl until we were talking about doing up our own kitchen. We have stone tiles at the moment and I really don't like them. If I walk into the kitchen barefoot or even with socks my feet are freezing all year round. Also if I drop anything on the floor it's guaranteed to smash.

This is really helpful, thank you. Please keep the feedback coming.

Company is pushing click Karndean. Pros and coms of click vs glued?

I like all the pros of LVT - warmth, dirable, low maintenance. I just to make sure i like the look and it doenst remind me of the crappy laminate down the line. I guess ill get samples in due course which will help.

What do you think of the large herringbone plank design? Has that been done to death?

This is mine - a mixture of light and dark wood so will be ok if trends change!

We're having Amtico installed throughout the whole of own downstairs (Featured Oak) - we've gone for UFH throughout as well. I did like the look of engineered wood, but it's easier to mark and less waterproof than LVT. I chose Amtico over Karndean as Kardean is a little to glossy for me. And then Amtico Hex in the bathrooms.

I was about to go for Karndean but it was the price that put me off. Engineered wood is much cheaper and does not require such a fussy preparation of the subfloor and specialist installers. I couldn't quite bring myself to spend more on plastic vs the real thing. If you order samples of Karndean you can really appreciate how thin it is, especially the cheaper range (Knight Tile). This is why it needs a specialist fitter and a subfloor which is as flat as a pancake. A bit overpriced IMO. Plus I had engineered wood in the kitchen previously and it was no issue. You just need to seal it properly.

I’ve been looking at this floor to replace the laminate in our kitchen: www.bambooflooringcompany.com/all-flooring/construction-type/strand-woven-flooring/solid-carbonised-strand-woven-90mm-parquet-block-bona-coated-bamboo-flooring.html

It’s strand woven bamboo, so v v durable and more stable than hardwoods so can be in a humid environment. A natural product, if you’re worried about “plasticky” look and feel.

I’ve taken a kitchen knife to the samples we have and it didn’t mark!

@squareofthehypotepotenuse

I’ve been looking at this floor to replace the laminate in our kitchen: www.bambooflooringcompany.com/all-flooring/construction-type/strand-woven-flooring/solid-carbonised-strand-woven-90mm-parquet-block-bona-coated-bamboo-flooring.html

It’s strand woven bamboo, so v v durable and more stable than hardwoods so can be in a humid environment. A natural product, if you’re worried about “plasticky” look and feel.

I’ve taken a kitchen knife to the samples we have and it didn’t mark!

That looks really good actually.

We have strand woven bamboo too. This one simplybamboo.co.uk/collections/strand-woven-series/products/medium-coffee-strand-uniclic-bamboo-flooring

We love it. It's been down for less than a year, so can't comment on durability long term, but it's been easy to look after so far. It's supposed to be okay to use in bathrooms, so shouldn't be a problem in a kitchen which is much less wet.

For all of the reasons outlined we’re going with LVT in either a stone/ concrete effect for our new extension kitchen/ diner. Originally looking at Amtico or Karndean but also found another type - Polyflor, gets good reviews and can purchase online for significantly cheaper than other options. Having difficulty finding a fitter experienced in LVT that isn’t selling a particular brand though.
I’ve read glue down is better for our needs than click especially if heavy furniture will be on it. This type of idea :
www.flooringsupplies.co.uk/product/16979/polyflor_camaro_burnished_concrete_2342_vinyl_flooring

I've got polyflor camaro in my kitchen: it'd been down 3 years when we moved in, so coming up to 8 years now and wearing fine.
I don't particularly like the colour so will be pleased to change it when we have the kitchen replaced later this year.

All these suggestions & comments very useful for me too as well as the OP :)

I had linoleum (marmoleum) in my last kitchen and I loved it. It is made from wood and linseed oil and can be sanded if it gets scratched. Hard wearing and warm
.