vinyl versus engineered wood flooring

5 years ago

Hi, we are considering parquet flooring throughout the downstairs, hall, kitchen/dining and living area of our renovations.

I have been surprised at how realistic some of the vinyl boards look in show rooms and also attracted by slightly lower cost. Salesman talking of benefits of cleaning/less marks/transfers heat of underfloor heating better.
Does anyone have any lovely vinyl they are really pleased with/can you really tell it’s not wood?
Thanks so much for any thoughts.

Featured Answer

Jason Lamb

5 years ago

flioribg geek.... find a local fitter and you'll find it's a lot cheaper. karndean is fantastic, as is amtico, but producers like pokyfloor who make hospital type flooring also make similar planks to karndean, and you'll pick these up for £15 a m2. go for a decent wear layer. .55mm is good. you can also get vinyl planks (lvt) that click together and you just need a knife to fit it, probably pick a polyflor camaro lock flooring up for 25 quid a metre. looks ace too.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (14)

Karen Davis
5 years ago
We had Karndean in our old house and I loved it. Have been contemplating real oak floors in our new house. But..... we have a dog who likes to upchuck and I am worried about him upchucking on the oak and the acidity damaging the wood. However, I know from experience the Karndean is fine with it.
Zoe
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you Karen. Yes the practicality of it is very attractive too!
Related Discussions
Amtico versus Kardean flooring
Q
Comments (9)
In reply to winterfloods:- We have Karndean 'Van Gogh - Antique Pine', which is also wood effect - even has woodworm holes on it. We had it laid about 6 years ago and it's the best floor we've ever had. It cover most of the ground floor including, snug, dining room, kitchen, utility room and downstairs bathroom. We have had the same non-slip in the Utility Room for the Dogs to zoom over and hopefully touch at some point for years. This one:- Rubber Mat. NEVER MOVES - and the dogs aren't small or careful! Our floor is the most forgiving floor we've ever had. The dogs don't scratch it, it's been flooded on twice, is never slippery, even when newly mopped. It disguises the dog hair and dirt until hoovered every day, ( they shed a lot of hair ). I think maybe your sister has just been unlucky. Karndean as far as i am aware is superior to Amtico and we would never have anything else now.
...See More
engineered wood over underfloor heating!
Q
Comments (3)
http://www.warmup.co.uk/blog/what-is-the-best-flooring-for-underfloor-heating/ Try this link for information on different flooring types and their thermal conductivity. The Karndean / Amtico you mention are Vinyl floor tiles/planks so they are much thinner. However the sub floor preparation (Latex/Plyboard) also add further depth over your under floor heating system. If you choose to go for one of these products please check with your retailer that the flooring is compatible with your under floor heating system. Hope this helps.
...See More
Engineered wood floors. Is it worth it
Q
Comments (16)
We have engineered wood all the way through our house and I don't regret it. We get the odd scratch but overall its ok. It also looks lovely and is natural. Ours is a pale smooth matt finished oak, so probably the most likely to show up marks. I agree with FloorMonster and get something brushed? We also got loads of samples from Natural Flooring as they had some really nice finishes that would be able to take the wear of the bike and the dogs. Something like the brushed engineered wood in the second picture down? This also tells you how to look after it....found it while we were trying to decide what to get. http://www.yourhomerenovation.co.uk/expert-advice-everything-need-know-engineered-wood-flooring/
...See More
LVT or engineered wood
Q
Comments (11)
We understand your concerns about maintaining wood flooring throughout so many rooms. And enjoying a beautiful wood floor in your home can mean taking a little extra care. However, there are some easy ways you can look after your floor to improve its longevity. Here's a guide that covers the key things which can help to keep your wood floor in tip-top condition. The main things to be aware of are cleaning up spills quickly and and taking care with how much the floor is exposed to sunlight. Simple things like rugs/runners can help to protect wood in high-traffic areas and placing furniture strategically can help to shade. We'd agree that oiled is easier to touch-up. Although, you may want to consider that lacquered floors are more hardwearing. Here's a video guide to the benefits of each floor finish. I hope that helps but please feel free to get in touch with us at Woodpecker if you'd like any further advice. Best wishes, Hannah 02920 888223 | info@woodpeckerflooring.co.uk
...See More
Tani H-S
5 years ago
From my previous posts on here and my own research, it does seem that the LVT is the best option for downstairs flooring. Only downside is the cost of fitting as it’s not quite as easy as laying a wood or laminate.

Lots of people have said they have it and it’s realistic and durable and warm underfoot and great if you want U/F heating as well.
Ribena Drinker
5 years ago
We have engineered oak in one of the sitting rooms and in the hall and we've just had Amtico fitted in the new kitchen.

So far we're pleased with the Amtico - which is an "oak" finish, with a fine pencil line margin of a darker brown wood.

We chose the Amtico in the kitchen, because whilst we are happy with the engineered flooring, it is susceptible to dings and dents - we could envisage what a tin of beans could do if dropped. Plus we wanted UFH in the kitchen.

It's super easy to clean, hard wearing and trouble free. It looks very realistic. I would say the warmth of the unheated Amtico is on a par with the engineered board.

The flooring and fitting of the Amtico was more expensive per metre, than what we paid for the engineered flooring,

One word of warning if you were to choose the vinyl, it requires the underfloor to be virtually billiard table flat. So for us, it involved a lot of self levelling and a damp proof layer. The Amtico we have in the bathroom needed plywood subflooring (which of course adds to the cost). Engineered flooring on the other hand is a more forgiving of floor imperfections.
Zoe
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you Ribena and Tani, really helpful.
liz gear
5 years ago
Recently had Karndean da Vinci Fresco in light oak fitted in hallway. Laid on the diagonal with dark border strip inserted. Looks good and visitors do not believe it's not wood. Cleans easily after grandchildren's muddy/wet feet!
Zoe
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you for help Liz and Jason
Chantel Jenkins
5 years ago
We have put vinyl plank in two restaurants and as a result put it in our last two houses also. Very durable, minimal scratching with two kids and a dog. Only comment would be to use caster cup things on furniture, otherwise very easy to clean and I think it looks pretty good!
Tim Summers
5 years ago
We're an Amtico house (Amtico Spacia Xtra ). I love it. Looks great, cleans easily, and our is slightly textured so feels nice underfoot. Our 'planks' have very slightly bevelled edges so that also gives the impression of real wood. I agree that it does 'ding' relatively easily, but we've only had one. It's been down coming on 3 years now (3 kids, 1 dog, 1 puppy, and lots of parties) and still looks as good as new. The fitters had to put some self levelling down throughout the downstairs, but the final finish is fantastic. Expensive, but IMO well worth the money.

There are a few pictures of the process towards the end of one of my threads if you're interested: [Link to discussion[(https://www.houzz.co.uk/discussions/its-go-go-go-kitchen-diner-project-dsvw-vd~3911398)
Jason Lamb
5 years ago
I can't recommend lvt's enough, amtico karndean camaro etc they're all excellent. you'll get 20 or more years easy off you look after it. karndean been in my bathroom for 10 years with underfloor heating. and downstairs have camaro by pokyflor. I've knocked out walls and shivelled the rubble from the flooring and a few mops it still looks like new. it's all about the preparation though laytex screed is a necessity on concrete sub floors. plywood over floor boards.
Zoe
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you Chantel, Tim and Jason, that’s really reassuring. Tim your thread was great to read
PRO
Floor Monster
5 years ago
Hi there,

If you are interested in Herringbone, we have a full range of laminate herringbone which could possible be an option, as they are a click system they are easy to install. We do have a couple of option in terms of colours. Please see here.

These boards come in at 12mm thick and with an AC grading of 3 it can be used in both commercial and domestic properties.

We are more than happy to send you out FREE samples of any product you like the look of and currently have a further 10% off at this moment in time.

If you do have any queries do not hesitate to get in touch via email or you can call us on 0141 887 5698.

Kind Regard,

Floor Monster Team
Shannon
5 years ago
Try Luvanto

vinyl versus engineered wood flooring

Jason Lamb

Comments (14)

Karen Davis

Zoe
Original Author

Related Discussions

Tani H-S

Ribena Drinker

Zoe
Original Author

liz gear

Zoe
Original Author

Chantel Jenkins

Tim Summers

Jason Lamb

Zoe
Original Author

Floor Monster

Shannon

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

vinyl versus engineered wood flooring

Comments (14)

ZoeOriginal Author

Related Discussions

ZoeOriginal Author

ZoeOriginal Author

ZoeOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Zoe
Original Author

Zoe
Original Author

Zoe
Original Author

Zoe
Original Author