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Original poster

Help me find a vinyl floor that isn't trying to be a wood/stone/swirly floor. Please!

41 replies

NotSoRampantRabbit · 20/04/2009 10:34

We have just redone our kitchen. It is a blissful haven of modern white units, white surfaces. white walls, white ceiling. I am 34 weeks pg - I need stuff to be white.

Plan is to put in a coloured glass splashback to tone down the surgical vibe.

We wanted to put in a block colour rubber floor, but budget won't stretch atm, so I need to find a vinyl/lino floor that is just a block colour (am thinking a darkish grey). Everything I've seen has swirls or is trying to be something it isn't (pretentious flooring)!

Any ideas oh wise ones?

OP posts:
JustCallMeGoat · 20/04/2009 10:35

there is a french company - name excapes me.

marmoleum do block (ish) colour now but expensive.

lalalonglegs · 20/04/2009 10:40

We were on a budget at our old house and went to Allied Carpets which had, at that time (about four years ago), lots of different vinyls pretty cheaply. We went for a plain metallic grey one with slightly raised circles on it that looked like more expensive rubber flooring. But they had plenty that were just plain colours without raised bits as well iirc.

Original poster
NotSoRampantRabbit · 20/04/2009 10:41

Thanks...

Looked at marmoleum - is still quite swirly. And expensive.

Surely I can't be the only person in the world who wants a simple floor that doesn't have delusions of grandeur!?

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Original poster
NotSoRampantRabbit · 20/04/2009 10:43

Thanks lala - will take a look at Allied website.

Yes the raised circle thing is what we wanted if we had the rubber floor, so don't mind a bit of texture just want plain colour rather than swirls etc.

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JustCallMeGoat · 20/04/2009 10:43

they do have some less swirly dark ones but you are right v. expensive. for some reason plain flooring is expensive. i too have a horror of pretendy flooring. can't find info on french company as the place i saw it no longer does it.

JustCallMeGoat · 20/04/2009 10:44

i find the raised circle stuff ends up quite grubby (or maybe it is just my housekeeping skills!)

crumpet · 20/04/2009 10:44

do you want a tiled effect? B&Q have some in a charcoal grey

seeker · 20/04/2009 10:44

My mum has black and white vinyl tiles ont eh floor of her white kitchen. Looks fab.

Just to warn you, though, in 8 months time you will be wishing it was a lovely swirly pattern to disguise the banana/weetabix/pasta sauce/yoghurt/orange juice/poster paint/playdo......

SaintGeorge · 20/04/2009 10:49

What sort of price per square metre are you looking for?

Different people have different ideas of what 'expensive' means

Original poster
NotSoRampantRabbit · 20/04/2009 10:50

Yes maybe raised circles not such a good idea - I know how appallingly bad I am at cleaning at the best of times - let alone with 3 year old and newborn spreading their detritus around.

Don't really want tiled look - I know it can look really lovely, but I had my heart set on a very plain, sort of industrial look.

How very dare french company close Goat.

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Original poster
NotSoRampantRabbit · 20/04/2009 10:52

StG

Well to put it in context, desired rubber floor is around £45-50 per sq metre.

That is too expensive!

I suppose anything up to around £20 would be more acceptable to DH's sickly wallet.

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Sorrento · 20/04/2009 10:55

I have Rhino flooring which is fantastic, we paid £550 including fitting for my huge kitchen/diner and it's guaranteed for 25 years. Ours looks like big slate tiles.

SaintGeorge · 20/04/2009 10:57

How about this?

Comes in at about £18 local to me (you have to search by postcode for your nearest supplier)

Original poster
NotSoRampantRabbit · 20/04/2009 11:05

StG - thank you!!!

That's it - that's our floor!

We looked at some samples by that company on Sat but didn't see that one.

The company are coming to measure and quote on Wednesday so will ask about that style - I'm sure they will be able to get it.

Thanks all for your help - once floor is in I will be able to give birth!

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EffieGadsby · 20/04/2009 11:06

I've been having the same problem - I thought it wouldn't be difficult to find a completely plain, dark grey, no swirl, no effects, no fuss piece of lino to stick on the kitchen floor. Surely there must be thousands of people who want this kind of thing? Good luck tracking something suitable down; we may yet resort to painting the kitchen floor instead.

SaintGeorge · 20/04/2009 11:07

No worries, glad to have helped

Original poster
NotSoRampantRabbit · 20/04/2009 11:12

I know Effie - am really surprised that there is not more choice in the plain/block colour department.

Gap in market I reckon.

Hope you find something you like.

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Original poster
NotSoRampantRabbit · 20/04/2009 11:18

Effie if you have more money to spend I just found this

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crumpet · 20/04/2009 11:22

saint georges' is the same colour as the B&Q flooring I mentioned, which at one time was £14 per square metre

frumpygrumpy · 20/04/2009 11:23

Marmoleum is traditional linoleum and comes in tiles or block. Tiles would be cheaper but you can get them all the same colour if you want. It has a 25year guarantee, stays stuck down as tight as a nuns whoo-haa and smells fab! It is a natural product not man made.

It also is quite amazing, years ago a cleaner spilled bleach on our bathroom floor and we had a circle of washed out colour. A few days passed and it dispersed into the tile and has totally disappeared.

crumpet · 20/04/2009 11:24

Ah, have just seen the no tiles post!

frumpygrumpy · 20/04/2009 11:24

Marmoleum really isn't swirly. It is if you put it in a children's ward or something then you can do all sorts of designs but you can just go plain.

frumpygrumpy · 20/04/2009 11:25

can get it in a roll too.......

PoorLittleEgg · 20/04/2009 11:27

Marmoleum have a range of plain non swirlyness here

frumpygrumpy · 20/04/2009 11:29

does this help? I'm going now!