What is my kitchen floor made of?

[PinkCamelias]

I have no idea what it is, vinyl or laminate? How can I tell? I looked them up on Internet and I’m still not sure. I’m asking because I’d like to know what’s best to clean and maintain it. I attach the photos which show a lighter, not shiny strip under the cupboards and in the areas outside of main traffic. Does that mean that the floor was originally like that, lighter and matte? One photo shows a spot with presumably a top layer peeled off (there are no loose bits and nothing peels further when scratched).

It has some texture, it is not noisy when you walk in it, it’s neither cold nor warm. It does stain, and the stains can be washed off but it takes a couple of times.

Under the kickboards, does it go all the way under the units? If not, can you take a picture of how it looks from the side? If you run your fingers along the places where it looks like a new board, is it continuous or not (as in, does it feel like a whole sheet or like they are joins)?

No expert, but I would say if the edges where it's damaged are hard and inflexible it's laminate and if they are flexible it's vinyl. If it's not noisy there may be an underlay. I would assume the bit that has been under the cupboards was the original finish.

If the pattern wears off where it has been scrubbed to remove a stain, it is probably vinyl, or maybe laminate. You can leave an impression in vinyl with your fingernail. Laminate is very hard. In both cases the pattern just a photo of wood that has been printed on, so you will see it repeating, like wallpaper.

Actual wood, or veneer, will have a woodgrain that you can feel with your fingertips,and will be in "planks" about four inches wide. The joints between the planks, especially at the end, you will be able to feel with your fingertip or nail.

Thank you all! To reply, so it goes all the way under the skirting; I can feel the end of the plank before the next one, and it’s hard enough that I can’t press it either my fingernail. I thought it could be wood veneer because of the texture but this rubbed off spot makes me doubt that.

Just to throw an annoying extra possibility in, it could be LVP? We have this and it's more hardwearing than laminate but harder than traditional vinyl. It feels to the touch like plastic (if you scratch it gently with a fingernail) and it is textured like wood grain, not smooth. It looks a bit shiny in places where the texture is smooth. I understand LVP can vary based on the exact brand/finish but I think the feeling like plastic and being hard rather than soft are fairly universal.

Having said that, I am no help because I don't actually know what the advice is to clean it, this was never given to us. We have a robot vacuum/mop thing so it gets swept/vacuumed most days and the mop part of those robots is basically useless, but I do use a damp cloth in hot soapy water to spot clean if there is a mark or something stuck to it. It doesn't seem to stain easily or scratch, but unfortunately we have made a few deep scratches in it from DH dragging heavy bits of furniture without checking for bits of grit first (grr)

So it's in planks, that could be either wood or something like lvt. More likely the latter. if you have a doorway or somewhere you could see them from the side you would be able to know for sure.

So it's in planks, that could be either wood or something like lvt. More likely the latter. if you have a doorway or somewhere you could see them from the side you would be able to know for sure.

The blue part looks like maybe some kind of strong cleaning fluid was spilled there which has burned away part of the top layer.

@BertieBotts I don’t think I’ve ever seen LVP so I can’t say? Perhaps it is? I took another photo of a close up of the plank by the wall which is never walk on so presumably looks original.

As regards cleaning, I just want to know if I should use any product, or maybe there is something that will make it more uniform (make it all matte?). The previous owner left a bottle of wood restoring product which she used for this floor every now and then. I then assumed it was engineered wood and asked no more questions. Now I’m not sure. Does using wood products here make sense?

@CatherinedeBourgh there’s skirting everywhere but the entrance to the dining room where this floor meets the old floorboards. You can see a few mm of the edge:

That looks like varnished wood to me. (The top half of the photo?)

So the wood cleaning/conditioning stuff is probably what you want to be using. Perhaps they didn't apply the varnish all the way to the edges where the cabinets are.

Something like this kind of thing is great because it will replenish the seal (keeping it waterproof) while also cleaning dirt off.

https://www.tesco.com/shop/en-GB/products/261747926

Yes, the top half. Why wouldn’t they varnish the whole floor though? Anyway, if it’s wood, I will use the correct product (we have so far anyway, just in case). Thank you for the recommendation @BertieBotts. I’ll also check if there’s something I could use that would make it less shiny (perhaps the Tarkett restorer that was mentioned to us).

Looks like engineered wood flooring to me.

I think it's engineered wood too.

I've seen engineered wood floors discolour differently when there has been a mat on them, or when the light from a window falls differently on different bits. So it may not be that they only varnished some, but that the varnish has discoloured in places.

If you really really want to know you would have to sand/take a small notch off a bit that's under the cabinets, but probably not worth it.

Yes I don’t t think it’s worth checking to that extent. I suppose you’re all right and that’s indeed engineered wood. I’ll speak to a builder when I have one over for other works whether he can recommend something (re-varnishing?)

I have engineered wood which has lasted well for 12 years or so already and I have no plans to change it. I think mine has a matt varnish.

The care instructions said it could be sanded and re-finished (stain, varnish if wanted) a couple of times. It was a thicker top layer of wood than some others I looked at.

Could it be Karndean?

If it is engineered wood it will have around 4mm of the finishing wood on top. You can sand it so long as you don't go beyond that 4mm or so, and then refinish it however you want.

You can't necessarily refinish it without sanding (unless it's oiled and you are oiling it again) because most finishes will stop another finish from adhering.

I don't know if that specific cleaner is any good because I'm abroad, but that looks the most similar to what I used to use at our last flat.

I’m abroad too, @BertieBotts :) But incidentally I saw it yesterday on Amazon, along with a million other products (a bit overwhelming).

@CatherinedeBourgh that’s what I thought too when I realised it might be wood after all. I will ask the builder to confirm it and to tell me if it can be sanded. I will first try to wash it with a deep cleaning product and maybe just removing the buildup will help.

I also have waxed and oiled floors in the same house, and one room with varnish, so it’s a bit of a puzzle to solve when it comes to products and maintenance. Not that I am too bothered, but it has to be done sometimes…

What are the dimensions of the "planks?"

None of the ones I can see seem to have duplicates of exactly the same pattern, which you get on printed materials like laminate.

I am tending towards engineered, or possibly solid wood. Which are typically about 15mm thick, so there may be a step at the doorway.

Wood and laminate boards are not usually recommended in kitchens as it will swell or warp when wet.

@PigletJohn They are 16 cm wide and 185 cm long. I took a photo of the doorway to corridor, there’s a tiny step.

I was going to suggest this. We have some in our house. It is real, solid wood laminate layered onto interlocking boards. In the case of our system the oak is relatively thick so could be lightly sanded and oiled.