Floor for kitchen/diner/play room

[Mutationstation]

We’re currently extending the kitchen to make room for a larger kitchen/dining area/and play space for our small child.

Ideally we’d like the same flooring throughout but struggling to think of which material to use as it needs to be suitable for the whole area and usage. The space will have under floor heating.

We were thinking initially wood effect porcelain tiles but maybe that’s too cold/hard for a small child to be playing on. Then we thought engineered wood but then that’s not ideal to be in the kitchen bit.

Anyone have any ideas of which material to go for or what worked/didn’t work in your own home?

Maybe we need two types of floor?

Thoughts very welcome!

We had some grey, shiny ceramic tiles for the whole area but then placed a nice modern rug over the area which would be used for play space (if we had young children LOL).

I have limed oak karndean throughout the downstairs with underfloor underneath it. Works well and v hard wearing/ doesn’t stain or mark. I’ve got wood effect grey porcelain tiles in a bathroom and they look lovely but they are cold. They also have a matte/ slightly rough finish so I think might stain in a kitchen or at least be hard to clean.

@illiterato

how long have you had yours?

is Karndean the one you can or can't use a steam mop on?

Does it actually look like wood?

(im looking for my kitchen), bathroom is tiled.

I have Kardean - been down years and has lasted with three kids and scooted and little cars etc and the dog.
You can steam mop it.

I found a commercial grade in with a twenty year guarantee. It’s warm and I still love it.

I like a kitchen extension, but I’d have to find another floor.

Tiles are too cold and things smash against them. How about cork tiles with two pot glossy finish. They are sofer, warm and you can have them refinished.
The oak sounds good. Look into bamboo. It looks great and can be refinished too.

@GoldilockMom

thank you for that.

do the extension! Surely it's a no brainer to just choose some new Karndean?

I was also going to say LVT, ceramic are cold unless underfloor heating and difficult to change, hard also for a child. We have LVT in our hallway and kitchen/lounge/diner and I'd never go back to tiles (except bathrooms)

Has anyone tried the new quickstep waterproof engineered wood flooring? It just came out a couple months ago. I saw it in a showroom and it looks lovely (like oiled wood) but wondering how it performs?

Agee tiles are too cold for the space -we had them in our old kitchen and it's so much nicer now.

This website is good for seeing what the floor might look like in the space - take a photo of the room and it drops the chosen floor in. I have the Castillo oak waterproof one - hasn't damaged so far and lots dropped on it. Not sure if you can steam mop it but normal mop is fine.

www.discountflooringdepot.co.uk/balterio-new-traditions-9mm-laminate-flooring-castello-oak-p1950

Defo LVT! We have one like karndean (a different brand but I can’t actually recall the name). Best furnishing decision we ever made.