Vinyl flooring for the lounge - MSE?

BeenieCat

I caught some of that show on ITV - 60 Minute Makeover, the other day and saw the designer was using vinyl flooring in the living room.

I have always thought of it as more a hallway or kitchen type of flooring, buit it got me thinking.... I need to replace my laminate flooring which i'm constantly cleaning cos of the dog, kids and cat. Obviously mopping it is easier but it has resulted in slight bubbling over the years.

Now i'm wondering if vinyl miight work out cheaper than new laminate, plus i'd have to pay for the laminate to be fitted properly, and i assume that would be more expensive than getting vinyl fitted?

Any thoughts, any downsides to this, would it look tacky?!

aliasojo

Vinyl isn't the cheap basic option it used to be years ago. You get some jazzy designs these days and can easily pay more for a quality vinyl than you would carpet or laminate.

So really it depends on what you were after and how much you were thinking on spending as you'll get vinyl in various price ranges from the seriously cheap and nasty to the seriously expensive.

I dont see why you couldn't use it in the living room as long as you chose a design/pattern which suited the room.

BeenieCat

Thanks, i know i'd have to price it up properly, my ideas of flooring prices seem way out of date after speaking with my sister who paid £80 for vinyl for her small hallway.

I think i paid £30 a few years back for it in my kitchen, but i got an offcut and she may have got it 'new' (don't know the lingo here!).

6 years ago i think i worked it out that my current laminate cost around £100 for my living room and hallway, but didn't pay for fitting i got a friend to do it, who never actually finished the edging and it's been left like that since lol!

Whether i go vinyl or laminate i think i want an oak effect, currently it's beech and i want something darker now.

MrsE_2

Personally I don't think it would look very nice in a living room.

BeenieCat

Actually i'm just pondering... When i had it in the kitchen it got ruined by me pulling out the cooker and eventually ripped. It was 'dented' too, although it's soft if that makes sense.

My laminate has some damage but it can definitely withstand the dogs feet, cats claws and son's bike/toy cars.... hmmmmm :huh:

aliasojo

BeenieCat wrote: »

I think i paid £30 a few years back for it in my kitchen, but i got an offcut and she may have got it 'new' (don't know the lingo here!).

6 years ago i think i worked it out that my current laminate cost around £100 for my living room and hallway, but didn't pay for fitting i got a friend to do it, who never actually finished the edging and it's been left like that since lol!

Whether i go vinyl or laminate i think i want an oak effect, currently it's beech and i want something darker now.

My kitchen cost £600 (inc fitting) for Rhinofloor. It wasn't a cheap option but it stands up well to allsorts.

If you were looking to have a wood effect, I think I'd be more inclined to get wood or laminate tbh.

BeenieCat

Thanks i think i'm decided on sticking with laminate, always pondering cheaper ideas though so glad i asked - it helped

dander

I think I saw that edition of 60 minute makeover as well and I thought the same, "vinyl in a living room? Surely not" I suspect they did it on the show partly because of the 60 minute thing. But having said that there is a huge range of really good looking vinyls out there these days and they have lots of different textures and styles. I was browsing through the range at B&Q not long ago (they have loads of books of samples - like with wallpaper) and I was really impressed with the way they looked and also with how hard-wearing they felt. You can get some that are really good and thick and solid and they don't look like they'd ruck up easily or tear.

Whether I'd put vinyl in a living room, though, I don't know. I think I might have a bit of a job getting over the mental block of vinyl not 'belonging' in a living room.