Karndean - any advice?

VfM4meplse

Hi all,

I'm looking to have flooring laid throughout a flat, and am likely to go with Karndean but know very little about it. Before I get quotes, I'd like to know:

- whether any specialist flooring skills are required to fit it? I'm looking at a parquet style, and for a general builder to do so but don't want to risk the flooring in the wrong hands if it isn't recommended

- how much overage is required? Most of the rooms are square-ish but there is a long thin corridor and I'm wondering whether this will mean there will need to be extra ordered over the standard 10%

- I would normally shop around online but realise that Karndean has approved retailers. Does this mean that any non-listed retailers are likely to be selling counterfeit Karndean? And is Karndean ever subject to sales / discounting or is this for local negotiation?

Any advice is gratefully received.

Davesnave

Just checking into this thread as we are intending to have Karndean as part of a kitchen package and I don't know the answers.

katsclaws

I'm looking at Polyflor which I've been told is a great alternative to Karndean.
I am going to get a specialist fitter to do ours.
Don't know about overage. I went to a shop in Lincolnshire and they were really helpful explaining all the different options.

VfM4meplse

So no advice?

Someone out there is buying the stuff after all!

SuzieSue

I've got Karndean in the hall and bedrooms upstairs and I think we had to go to an approved dealer to get the guarantee. I thought about having it downstairs but was worried about scratches although a fitter I spoke to the other day said I don't need to worry so I am not sure.

G42

Karndean is normally fitted by specialists as it's not what you'd call a DIY product. They will normally fit a plywood base before gluing down the Karndean to make sure the floor is even. If the supplier doesn't fit it you won't get the Karndean guarantee. The flooring comes in all sizes. The parquet is, for example, laid in strips so it takes quite a bit of working out so unless you're prepared to draw an accurate plan of your home and work out how many you need according to the size of the floor tiles you want you'd be better leaving it to the installers.

Newly_retired

We bought Karndean for our hall floor, in parquet, from local suppliers who also fitted it. They measured and decided how much would be needed. The fitter did a great job in an area where most of the walls are not straight. It was like doing a jig saw puzzle but we are pleased with it.
My only concern was that they did not give us a written guarantee, just said they would deal with any problems, but there are not any with Karndean.(?)

benson1980

According to Karndean laying their flooring is some kind of dark art. It's not- it's vinyl tiles. If you've got a builder you trust and is confident in laying it there's probably no issue. I laid it myself despite scoffs from both the supplier and even the delivery person and the finish is perfect.

The hardest bit was levelling the floor which needs to be perfectly smooth really so I'd just ask the builder what they intend to do with the subfloor and do a bit of research to make sure this looks okay. As for voiding the guarantee if it's not installed by the supplier I'm not entirely sure this is correct. It needs to be installed as per their installation instructions as far as I was informed. And as for working out a plan of your floor as if you need to calculate the exact number of tiles- just go for total floor area and then calculate plus 10%- this will be fine. Again this isn't rocket science and no reason why you can't save yourself a bit of money by finding the best price and go with an online supplier.

I got my karndean from Flooring Supplies Direct as they were the best price I could find. They do polyflor as well but I ordered a load of samples and karndean just looked a bit better.

frankie

Defo get a registered fitter.

Also consider Camaro, made in the same factory.

My fittet now prefers Camoro due to more accurate specs. Only downside is you don't get the fancy edging.

BTW I have had both products in my current house (Camaro Utility & Kitcen) and my old house (Hall & Kitchen)

To be honest apart from the patterning for my old house can't tell the difference!

benjus

I put down Karndean in a bathroom a few years back. I did it myself - I'm pretty good at general DIY, although I'm not particularly experienced with flooring. I found it easy to fit, it looked good and it was durable. It was a pretty small bathroom though - not sure I'd be brave enough to do a large room.

no1catman

It's a few years ago - but we wanted a new floor covering in the kitchen. Contacted a local 'Flooring Specialist' who came round with sample books. But we couldn't make up our minds. So, next day (a Sunday) we travelled to 80 odd miles to Evesham to see their showroom. The staff there were great - no pressure very informative - showed us some options and ways of how it could look. Opt for a mid-range tile - the 'flooring guy' was happy enough to go and collect - the old floor covering came up, a rubberised solution was poured and levelled, once dry, the tiles (& borders) were laid.
End result was great - still looks wow.