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Thread: Kitchen flooring amtico or karndean ?

  1. #1

    Kitchen flooring amtico or karndean ?

    Morning all
    Just had our extension built so now looking to lay flooring
    In the kitchen diner area. I'm thinking amtico or jar dean but it's very
    Expensive at around £60 per sq' m fitted
    The mrs doesn't want tiles so it kind of narrows our options
    Anyone had Experiance or amtico or Karndean ?
    Cheers andy

  2. #2
    Craftsman
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    We have just had it laid in our kitchen and hall. What would you like to know?

  3. #3
    Master
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    Karndean, top of range, 5yrs ago. Laid by a qualified fitter on a mix of floorboards and concrete floors in a sun room, kitchen/diner and hallway. Still looks as good today as then. Had considered wood and engineered flooring but can't fault it so thoroughly recommended.

  4. #4
    Have a look at Polyfloor, a fraction of the price.

  5. #5
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    Karndean for us expensive but worth it.

  6. #6
    Another thumbs up for Karndean, very happy with ours.


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  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by barreti View Post
    We have just had it laid in our kitchen and hall. What would you like to know?
    What did you go for ? There seems to be different qualities and prices in each make ?

  8. #8
    Amtico is not worth the money imo. The show house we visited had Amtico in the hall and kitchen diner area. They had placed a smallish couch in the kitchen and you could see a lot of wear and scratches where the cleaners had moved the couch to clean behind it.

    In the end we chose Quick Step Exquisa and it has been very good.

    https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=qu...uGu5C01c3XbRM:

  9. #9
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by lenlec View Post
    What did you go for ? There seems to be different qualities and prices in each make ?
    IIRC it's all traffic related. Our fitter and the web confirmed the higher range Karndean was similarly rated to the lower Amtico and more than adequate for high traffic areas in a private residential property. We identified an indie fitter and bought the flooring etc via the web at his recommendation and because that was a fair bit cheaper than the local flooring shops would do it all for. Recall we ended up c£60psm which was c2x engineered flooring but there was no prospect of it warping in the sunlight, it's warmish to walk on, especially on the older wood floors, easy to vacuum/wash (using the karndean cleaning concentrate) and looks pretty good (your fitter should vary the pattern as there's a limited number of variations but again it's no biggie). You get what you pay for is probably a fair assessment of my research at the time. If only Eddie did flooring....

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mappa View Post
    Another thumbs up for Karndean, very happy with ours.


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    Agreed.

    Although we got the price right down by ordering it online. I then laid it myself, it's really not that difficult if the sub floor is good. I think we paid less than £30ms for 1000sqft.

    [edit] Here's a picture of one of the rooms nearly finished, looks good I think. The floor is Karndean 'Spring Oak'.
    Last edited by ArcofZen; 23rd May 2017 at 08:26. Reason: Added image

  11. #11
    There's some cheaper options about and like a previous comment,it's not that hard to do yourself


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  12. #12
    Master
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    We're about to go ahead with the cheaper of the two Amtico options. As long as it is fitted by an accredited fitter you get a 15 year warranty (lifetime on the more expensive range) and that's what has swung it for us. It's also made in the UK, which, IMO, is significant bonus.

  13. #13
    Master j0hnbarker's Avatar
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    I wouldn't touch Amtico ever, ever again.

    We went for three different styles from their Spacia range in our new build property. As most will be aware, sub-floor preparation is critical. Unfortunately, our house builder was running a tight schedule (aren't they always) and corners were cut. We had Amtico tiles that were not glued down properly at the edges of two of the three bathrooms as the sub-floor was not completely flat.

    The kitchen now has a perceptible ripple running perpendicular to the broken bond tiles. We had it assessed by another fitter who felt it was due to inadequate care taken in filling the joins in the ply sub-floor.

    The living room also has perceptible bubbles and ripples due to the house settling slightly. There is also a 6mm gap around the edge of one wall due to the above.

    You might say what's this got to do with Amtico? It was the builder or the fitter's fault. Yes, that's partially true and I was refunded all the costs of the flooring plus compensation for my time and distress caused. However, when I raised the matter with Amtico in an attempt to bring to their attention that one of their accredited fitters had done such a poor job, they absolutely were not interested one bit. Don't count on that '10 year warranty' or whatever it is they offer as being particularly meaningful if my experience of their after sales is anything to go by.

    I would avoid this type of flooring like the plague. It's just too dependent on the sub-floor being laid, and remaining, 100% true for it to be worth it.

    Next time I will tile the wet rooms and go for engineered wood flooring in the living spaces for sure. At the end of the day it's just posh lino that costs a fortune for what it is.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Morning Wood View Post

    In the end we chose Quick Step Exquisa and it has been very good.
    those in the know will use Quick Step, quality on par with any other flooring company/system and affordable.

    I have it all over my house, wife and daughter in high heels, dog and a cat, 3 kids, 5 years later not a mark anywhere.

  15. #15
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    Had Karndean down for 2 years now in our sun-room, and it's like new. Great product.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by soundood View Post
    those in the know will use Quick Step, quality on par with any other flooring company/system and affordable.

    I have it all over my house, wife and daughter in high heels, dog and a cat, 3 kids, 5 years later not a mark anywhere.
    The fitter who did our work said that he fits all types of flooring and he said we had made the right choice. Don't be fooled in to thinking that by paying more you will get a superior product as this might not be the case.

  17. #17
    we had Karndean in the kitchen in our previous place - slate effect with a silvery/grey "grouting". Really set the place off and still looked like new when we sold it 5 years later. Absolutely no complaints. As already said the sub floor preparation is essential. Think we had 2mm ply put over the original floor boards??

  18. #18
    Grand Master Chinnock's Avatar
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    +1 also for Karndean. Great product but use a quality floor specialist.

  19. #19
    Master
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    Well fitted Karndean lasts forever! We had it in our previous kitchen. When the floor was lifted to build our extension, the old floor was used to bridge mud in the garden. Even after 6 months buidling work, the Karndean tiles wouldn't lift!

    We've done our 55m2 exension floor in the same Da Vinci, slate grey with silver trim Karndean.

  20. #20
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    Had Amtico floor tiles laid in the kitchen in 2004. Still looks like new, and not a hint of wear

  21. #21
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    There is certainly a big choice of LVT,s (luxury vinyl tiles) out there now .We predominantly use Karndean commercially and I'm talking thousands of m2. Amtico is the best product due to it having a 1mm wear layer and what's laid in somewhere like John Lewis is same product you by for your house , don't be fooled by there Spacia product as they don't make this . Having said that it really is to expensive for normal domestic installations now and Karndean Opus or Van Gogh are excellent . Polyflor do a range called Camaro which is very cost effective. As has been said subfloor prep is essential , do this right and it will be a great long lasting floor.

  22. #22
    Master itsgotournameonit's Avatar
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    If I did it all again then Karndean gets the vote from me.Had the lounge and dining room done 2 years ago.We had two dogs and it was simply brilliant.

  23. #23
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    How about that tile that looks like wood floor? Anyone used that?

  24. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by matt666 View Post
    How about that tile that looks like wood floor? Anyone used that?
    Saw them in tops tiles today. Quite nice

  25. #25
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    It's down in my gym by the pool. Looks nice and will be harder wearing than laminate, wood or Karndean, and cheaper too. Just wondering if there's any down sides.

  26. #26
    Think about how it will look scratched and worn after a few years.

    We bought a cheap and poor quality "luxury vinyl tile" from Tapi and find that scratches are very noticeable. Worse, the pattern is a printed film which is the top layer of the tile and therefore have concerns about how long that will actually last.

    I wish I'd just got vinyl sheet rather than a cheap vinyl tile.

    We were very intrigued by marmoleum, sheet or possibly click http://www.forbo.com/flooring/en-us/products/marmoleum/marmoleum-sheet/bygfce#anker
    Natural product, and very hardwearing but needs specialist installation. Might've got that if we planned to stay longer in the current house, due to cost.
    Last edited by ernestrome; 23rd May 2017 at 22:25.

  27. #27
    Another vote for Amtico here, the whole downstairs of my new (ish) place has it, 18 months now and still looks like new and works great with the underfloor heating.

    My Wife dropped the iron a few weeks ago and dented a section though, I'm planning on doing the family bathroom in it soon so will get the fitter to see if he can replace as I have spares.

    As with everything, it's only good if fitted well!

  28. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by matt666 View Post
    How about that tile that looks like wood floor? Anyone used that?
    Very popular in new builds and I know a few that have them and obviously tiles are hard wearing and can look quite nice but...

    Tiled floors ideally need underfloor heating and I'd prefer tile to look like tile, and wood to be real timber, wood effect tiles are a bit naff.

    I've solid oak in the kitchen and dining room, if I was to do it again I'd go with engineered wood.

  29. #29
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    Had Amtico down for 10 years, and still looks like new. Extremely hard wearing.

  30. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by j0hnbarker View Post
    I would avoid this type of flooring like the plague. It's just too dependent on the sub-floor being laid, and remaining, 100% true for it to be worth it.

    Next time I will tile the wet rooms and go for engineered wood flooring in the living spaces for sure. At the end of the day it's just posh lino that costs a fortune for what it is.
    I don't like and would never use any variant of Lino or vinyl flooring, sorry but to me they all look cheap, including the expensive and "branded" ones. Give me hardwood, natural stone, encaustic or porcelain tiles any day. But just to take issue with this comment, any and every hard floor finish is obviously dependent on a properly constructed and prepared subfloor.

  31. #31
    Master
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    We used a slate-effect in the bathroom of our old flat and for that small area/limited use it seemed fine. It's nice and warm on the feet!

    However in our new place, the previous owner laid bleached wood-effect Amtico in the kitchen and for a 2 year-old floor it's showing its age quite markedly, especially where table/chairs are, though not quite bad enough to replace. Additionally the wife dropped a knife and obviously it landed point down - so there's now a permanent small nick in that section of floor.

    Based on that experience I'd go for tiling for kitchens or wood for large living areas in future, though my preference is always to sand/seal floorboards when available.

  32. #32
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by nosher View Post
    There is certainly a big choice of LVT,s (luxury vinyl tiles) out there now .We predominantly use Karndean commercially and I'm talking thousands of m2. Amtico is the best product due to it having a 1mm wear layer and what's laid in somewhere like John Lewis is same product you by for your house , don't be fooled by there Spacia product as they don't make this . Having said that it really is to expensive for normal domestic installations now and Karndean Opus or Van Gogh are excellent . Polyflor do a range called Camaro which is very cost effective. As has been said subfloor prep is essential , do this right and it will be a great long lasting floor.
    No longer true I believe. Used to be made in the far east but they had so many QC problems they now make it in the UK alongside Signature.

  33. #33
    Master Franco's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by j0hnbarker View Post
    ....///...
    Next time I will tile the wet rooms and go for engineered wood flooring in the living spaces for sure. At the end of the day it's just posh lino that costs a fortune for what it is.
    That is exactly what I have had done in the last year, tiles in kitchen and bathrooms, engineered wood everywhere else

    Bws
    Franco, Sheffield

  34. #34
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    Karen in the Kitchen 2014, and now in our conservatory last year, been brilliant would use again. Both still look like new

  35. #35
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    Definitely amtico over karndean , have a look at quickstep and parador , these 2 brands offer the newer click system vinyl floors and may give another option over the other 2 brands

  36. #36
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    Another vote for Amtico. Had it in the bathrooms in the last 3 houses, and no problems.

  37. #37
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    Smile

    Moduleo is another good option.

    Think ours was the Impress which is quite textured so the dog doesn't slide into the walls :-)

  38. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seikoboy View Post
    Definitely amtico over karndean , have a look at quickstep and parador , these 2 brands offer the newer click system vinyl floors and may give another option over the other 2 brands


    Moduleo also do a click system but the glued down gives a better finish.

  39. #39
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    TLC is another great brand of vinyl , its very hard wearing and they have a great colour range , they offer all the colours in click lock system or stick down vinyl , but if your sticking the vinyl down the sub floor needs to literally be like glass level but i agree stick down is better and floating click system as long as the subfloor is level

  40. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by m4ckg View Post
    Have a look at Polyfloor, a fraction of the price.
    We went for this, been down four years looks like new.
    Bit like the cola challenge who can tell the difference.

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