LVT click flooring vs Amtico

[Ketryne]

We’re in urgent need of a new kitchen floor after a leak and are keen to switch from tiles to LVT, but I had no idea how complicated it all is! I like the look of Amtico, which I know is all glued down, but one company has suggested a ‘click’ alternative which comes with its own underlay and simply clicks together like laminate. This is potentially cheaper and softer underfoot, but I wonder about how hard wearing it will be?

Has anyone who has got either of these floor types got any experience or advice that might help me decide?

Thanks very much!

I have all kinds of flooring in the past.None that were expensive sadly.I have found the kitchen floor has so much traffic and moisture.Buy the best you can afford. Something like amitico fitted by a professional fitter.I so regret having to compromise on kitchen flooring.The click flooring is a cheaper option, but will be high maintenance &;not look great for long!

Thank you, I think this is what I was concerned about myself too.

We have amtico. I would have loved wood or engineered wood but the space covered is pretty large and goes from hall to dining, kitchen, through to the snug and study. I didn't want wood in the kitchen in case of leaks so had to rule it out because I wanted the same flooring throughout.

I really like it. It's not wood so doesn't have the lovely ageing properties of wood and feels different under foot but it's a practical (and cheaper) alternative.

I had amtico fitted in my kitchen last year. It is more expensive than the click variety but does look good. It’s not perfect though-it’s already collecting dirt in the edges of each tile. I have laminate in our hallway and dining room and tbh, I can’t really tell the difference in quality; the LVT is just newer.

I am VERY interested in this discussion. I feel a bit bamboozled by the LVT thing and all the options - I can see that B&Q do LVT flooring, but is this not as good as the likes of Karndean and Amtico?

Yes I feel the same! I think the B&Q stuff is the click flooring and is essentially a new version of laminate, whereas Amtico has a special adhesive and is supposed to be higher quality/a better finish. But is it enough of a difference?! We’re likely to get a settlement from the insurance and as we had tiles before, they may not give us a large enough settlement for Amtico so I’m trying to work out if it’s worth us investing the difference.

All I know is I don’t want tiles again!

I have Amtico and hate it. Its so difficult to clean and looks shabby. Im taking it all up and tiling. I loved the tiles in my last house. Ultimately I think its down to preference.

We have click in our two new bathrooms and I wouldn't use it for heavy traffic.

Our kitchen is tile. It's still excellent and was put in in 1997. The terracotta colour is dated though!

Our conservatory is also tile. Fitted in 2004. Beautiful big cream and glossy. They cost a fortune to fit (mainly due to additional grouting needed to make the floor flat) but they are still absolutely amazing after all.these years.

Before the leak we had big cream tiles and I hated them with a passion. We have very young children and a dog. I couldn’t keep it clean for even an hour because it showed up everything, and I was constantly terrified about toddler falls and cracked heads. We had laminate in our old kitchen which was much softer and hid mess a lot more easily. I’m thinking a busy herringbone wood effect LVT will be better.

Very useful to know that click isn’t likely to be hard wearing enough.

I'm also reading with interest. We currently have laminate in hall/kitchen and it is not in a good state (thanks cats and kids). So I'm eyeing up something affordable, hard wearing and liquid resistant.

Wondering what you went for in the end?

I have 1/2 tile, 1/2 Amtico in my big kitchen/family room at the back of our house. I have just got the tiles removed by a handyman and am going to get the whole room replaced potentially by a lvt stone effect tile.
I am away to the click rather than glue down because it’ll be warmer as it’s got underlay and not straight onto concrete/screed floor. Amtico do a click version.
I’m surprised that folk are saying it won’t last in high traffic. What do you mean? What will it do? Break?
All advice appreciated.

I got let fitted in kitchen and dining room and love it because it’s easy to clean.

We replaced tiles with LVT in our kitchen. Half is Harvey Maria and half is possibly Amtico or another glue LVT. It is absolutely stunning, a year in looks like new and I'd be loathe to ever go back to tile in a kitchen. The guy who fitted it is some LVT fitting pro so not sure if that made a difference but we're really happy.
It was pretty expensive though, mind you I've not floored an area in a few years and everything has gone up but was about £2300 for about 4.5m x 3.5 m although there is a small island in the middle of that.

We went with amtico in the end. I spoke to a couple of different flooring companies and they said click is great in bathrooms but not reliable over larger high traffic areas and is highly likely to fail. I LOVE my Amtico - it’s so much warmer than the tiles were, even without underlay and feels softer underfoot. And it looks absolutely beautiful. We’ve only had it about 5 months so I’ve no idea how it will last but so far it feels like a good decision.

There was a post on here about a month ago from someone who had bought LVT and couldn't get anyone to fit it. We had Karndean and Amtico flooring fitted last year when we had a new bathroom and kitchen. Happy with both so far, have dropped a knife on the Amtico a couple of times and it hasn't left an indent (unlike the flooring we had before).

Amtico is way over priced for what it is. It is good quality but you are paying for the brand. Karndean and Lusso are just as good for LVT, but don’t come with the premium price tag.

The main advantage of click laminate is, it’s easier to replace if it is damaged or if you are refurbishing. It isn’t as good over high trafficked areas but to be honest, your average home isn’t ever classed as high trafficked. When flooring manufacturers use this terminology they mean more commercial settings but domestic re-sellers use it as a way to get you to spend more money.

The most important thing is the underlay, if that’s poor, the flooring won’t last. We bought a click laminate that was supposed to be robust and took the underlay they advised, it fell apart very quickly. We went back to the company who supplied it, but got an independent flooring guy to recommend a product. He suggested a click laminate with a built in underlay and it has been excellent.

With an LVT, your substrate is really important. You need a very smooth sub-floor and if there is any moisture in it or your damp proofing isn’t great, the tiles won’t last. You need to factor in the sub-floor to your costs. When laid properly, the sub floor preparation can be twice as expensive as the flooring.

Don't look for advice from a high street flooring company sales advisor, take advice from whoever is laying the floor. They know way more about what’s best. They will visit your home and be able to advise you properly.

I have Amtico, my second kitchen floor covered in it. I love it currently and have underfloor heating too. I agree it doesn’t age well and is a nightmare to keep clean after a few years but I’ll cross that bridge as and when ( or move).

We have Amtico Spacia (their cheapest range) in our new family room. Not been down a long time but very happy with it. It was expensive and I would look at Kardeen and other ranges too. We only chose Amtico cos it was displayed with big samples on a huge board so easier to look and compare rather than other smaller samples with other brands. And then we found the perfect shade in the Amtico Spacia range and couldn’t be bothered to look ant annything else after that.