Kitchen floor - tiles or vinyl or something else?

tpt

i agree with ormus, and grout doesnt have to be a pain to clean - problem is people use cheap crap grout and then wonder why it performs badly. use a good quality micro-porous grout like granfix maxigrout, seal it afterwards and never worry again.

Oh, and dont use white on a floor!

Barneysmom

We got some non-slip vinyl for our bathroom as hubby is disabled, it looks like oak planks and I can clean it in seconds.
When we can afford it we will be using it in the kitchen as well, it's warm, it's pretty, and less likely to break a glass when it's dropped.

I'm not recommending this site, I've never seen it before but it gives you an idea of the cost.

http://www.jrflooringdirect.co.uk/gallery.html


This is the one we got in the bathroom, fitting costs £35.

http://www.unitedcarpetsandbeds.com/t/flooring/vinyl/p/new-york-light-beige

Hejo

Thanks everyone. This site is great! I like the look of the wood effect vinyl - karndean looks very nice! If we can't stretch to that may go with the stuff barneysmom recommended.

Ben84

Sheet flooring may be used sometimes as a cheap alternative to tiles, which is not a bad thing, but that's not the total sheet flooring market summed up. Lino and vinyl are totally different things. Vinyl ranges widely in durability. Lino can last decades and has been popular in very demanding situations like hospitals, laboratories and on submarines and boats. The easy cleaning and lack of grime collecting gaps makes for fast and effective cleaning. It won't chip or crack if something is dropped on it either. Sheet flooring also comes in huge range of colours and patterns, including ones not found in tiles, so it's not just a synthetic imitator, it's a flooring material in its own right that does some things other materials can't.

Hejo

Thanks Ben - I thought all lino was rubbish like our previous one - any recommended brands?

ed110220

Can you still get the vinyl tiles that were popular in decades past? Usually they were laid in a chequerboard pattern and were slightly glossy and exceptionally durable. Haven't seen any new so I'm not sure if you can still get them (some tiles incorporated asbestos).

rs65

Linoleum or Marmoleum can be great. You're best to go to a local specialist to see what's possible.

Have a look at Forbo, Karndean and Amtico.

Make sure you are sitting down when you ask the price.

A benefit of vinyl flooring (off a roll) is that its relatively cheap and easy to change if you fancy a change.

Hejo

Thanks, more for us to chew over! I wish we weren't so indecisive!

Leif

Ben84 is quite right, Linoleum and vinyl are different beasts. Vinyl tiles shrink with time, and they can trap condensation. The 40 years old vinyl floor tiles in my house had 5mm gaps from shrinkage. They were a real pig to lift and remove due to the vile adhesive, which was either rock hard, or very sticky and smelly. Perhaps modern glues are better. I really like tiles, but a good tiler costs money, and tiles are not to everyones taste. Lino can look nice.

Hejo

Thanks Leif, will investigate, MSE has been a great find for me