Flooring recommendations

[Samcotton85]

Hi guys,

We purchased some engineered wood flooring for our kitchen diner and it has lasted about 3 years. Terrible quality. Clearly Chinese rubbish. My husband is wanting to install LVT but I don't think it looks as good as real wood. We have been told about a range called The Family Floor which is engineered wood flooring but with a wear layer as durable as LVT. It is also non toxic so good for our children to play on. Has anyone had any experience with this range? If not, what other floors do you recommend for a kitchen (water contact) and dining area? Obviously carpet is a big no no!

We have ceramic. Has worked well for us and is easy to clean. We have underfloor heating so it makes sense. LVT from Karndean or Amtico looks like realistic wood to me!

I have read in other forums that Amtico's quality has gone down hill in recent years. Also we are conscious of using plastic and trying to go eco-friendly so a wood floor (or ceramic) is our preference. Thanks for replying, ceramic is a good option, actually. Do you have underfloor heating with yours?

Quickstep do engineered wood flooring that is waterproof.
https://www.quick-step.co.uk/en-gb/hardwood?page=1&page_size=15&view_size=15

Karndean is a great brand for LVT. We have it in ours and people keep complementing us on our "real hardwood floor" much to my amusement

@Samcotton85 No. it hasn’t. We have two Amtico floors - 25 years apart. Both bought by us. No difference in quality but they do more choices now and different systems. You have to compare like with like.

LVT in my kitchen. It’s really really easy to put down as it’s non glue. It looks great and super easy to clean. I had tiles before and they look grubby.

A lot of wood flooring is not recommended for wet areas. Water will get in and expand it and it will buckle.

I would use tiles or LVT or laminate. You can get laminate which actually looks pretty much like wood and its hard to tell the difference.

@sbplanet there's no information about Quick-Step being sustainable and FSC certified though?

I have seen all the floors on Natura Flooring's website are all FSC and PEFC™ certified and have various other certifications that show they are conscious about the planet. https://naturaflooring.co.uk/pages/certifications

I don't want to be installing anything from China either as this doesn't last long in our experience. Natura is all Italian made, and they source their materials from Europe from what it says on their website. I will be phoning them later for more clarification on this though.

We have had Laminate and it is terrible with water. LVT is good, but again, it is plastic, and we are wanting to minimise the use of plastics.

But LVT is very unsustainable and we are trying to minimise plastics as much as possible. We have even replaced the fake grass with real grass when we purchased the property last year 😅

Another vote for Karndean. We’ve had it for eight years. Heavy traffic area. Still looks fab. Easy to clean. If it’s got a scratch or something I can kind of buff it away and it disappears. Also has a 25 year guarantee.

AI says
"No, Quick-Step flooring is not typically FSC certified but is instead PEFC certified for its wood content, meaning the wood in their products comes from sustainably managed forests or controlled sources, ensuring it's not linked to deforestation. While both PEFC and FSC are trusted certificates for sustainable sourcing, Quick-Step specifically highlights its use of PEFC-certified wood for its laminate and hardwood flooring.

Key Points:
PEFC vs. FSC:
Both PEFC and FSC are international organizations that certify that wood comes from responsibly managed forests.

Quick-Step's Certification:
Quick-Step uses PEFC-certified wood for its laminate and hardwood floors.

Sustainable Sourcing:
The PEFC label ensures that the wood used is from sustainably managed forests, helping to protect primeval forests and prevent illegal logging.

Beyond Wood:
For their laminate products, Quick-Step also holds the EU Ecolabel for meeting high environmental standards throughout the product's lifecycle, and some collections, like Capture, are Cradle-to-Cradle Certified at the Material Health level. "

Where was your engineered wood from? I like the engineered wood effect, but want to buy a quality product so am concerned to hear about your 3 year expiry date!

Thanks

John Lewis. I've contacted multiple UK retailers and they all tell me their products are all imported from China. I'll never buy cheap again. It's such an inconvenience having to lift up and replace flooring. Luckily my hubby is in the trade so he makes it a lot less stressful for us.

How is Karndean LVT that lasts people 10 plus years (and comes with a lifetime guarantee!) less sustainable that an engineered wood floor you are having to replace after 3 years?

I'm also looking to put down LVT so interested in recomendations. I am looking at Karndean or Moduleo at the moment.

We hae ceramic tiling that looks like wood floor. You genuinely can’t tell until you touch it. Looks great and no worries with scratches, stains or water spills…

Could you share the brand if you know it?