What flooring choice - opinions/experience wanted

lg13mza

We are in the process of renovating our bungalow. We've got suspended wooden floors (18mm chipboards) with Polypipe overlay wet UFH. The UFH boards are 18mm and look like a cement type board for those that are unaware of it. These boards have been glued together and screwed to the suspended floor. The UFH has stiffened up the floor nicely. Ideally we want to have the same flooring all way through the property. Originally wanted engineered wood, but the kitchen and bathroom put me off that with two small boys. Other options we considered is ceramic or porcelain tiles, or Amtico / Karndean type vinyl tiles. We are worried about tiles cracking, but also worried about scuffs on vinyl tiles. Wood would have been perfect as we could have gone for something a bit more rustic and any further scuffs would add to the 'character'. We could also still go for wood everywhere except the kitchen & bathroom, but that does spoil the look a bit.

Has anyone got any experience of doing something similar. The flooring choice is obviously an important and expensive decision considering it is approx. 150m^2. We also want it to last 10-15 years or longer ideally.

brightontraveller

lg13mza wrote: »

We are in the process of renovating our bungalow. We've got suspended wooden floors (18mm chipboards) with Polypipe overlay wet UFH. The UFH boards are 18mm and look like a cement type board for those that are unaware of it. These boards have been glued together and screwed to the suspended floor. The UFH has stiffened up the floor nicely. Ideally we want to have the same flooring all way through the property. Originally wanted engineered wood, but the kitchen and bathroom put me off that with two small boys. Other options we considered is ceramic or porcelain tiles, or Amtico / Karndean type vinyl tiles. We are worried about tiles cracking, but also worried about scuffs on vinyl tiles. Wood would have been perfect as we could have gone for something a bit more rustic and any further scuffs would add to the 'character'. We could also still go for wood everywhere except the kitchen & bathroom, but that does spoil the look a bit.

Has anyone got any experience of doing something similar. The flooring choice is obviously an important and expensive decision considering it is approx. 150m^2. We also want it to last 10-15 years or longer ideally.

Unless you going to spend big even then doubtful anythings going to look half decent after 10 – 15 years( fashions, styles change) and especially with small children who tend to grow destroy all in the path ?

Choice is personal; preference if you go tiles, laminate, carpet whatever then keep spares go for something that doesn’t show dirt ( or keep kids in the shed )

Personally if going throughout I,d go with mid range laminate easy enough to put down yourself not going to break the bank or carpet and lino in bathrooms, kitchen etc.
Tiling can look nice but often dates quick, certainly isn't as hard wearing as many think tiles break, isn't soft underfoot and changing would is major disruption...

Marmaduke123

We've had Karndean in our kitchen for the last 14 years, and it still looks good. It's the most expensive type, wood effect which came in strips and was professionally laid. It's really easy to clean and hasn't marked or worn.

Not cheap, and I don't know what the current range is like, but definitely worth looking at.

lg13mza

brightontraveller wrote: »

Personally if going throughout I,d go with mid range laminate easy enough to put down yourself not going to break the bank or carpet and lino in bathrooms, kitchen etc.
QUOTE]


Thanks, but laminate isn't an option. It looks cheap and wouldn't last.

JuzaMum

Hi
I bought some self adhesive vinyl tiles from B&Q 8ish years ago and tiled the hallway. I have a large busy household and they still look good. About two years ago I decided to buy more of the same for a room off the hall and the match was not noticable between the new and the then 6 year old tiles.
The ones I got were about £15 per square meter at full price. I bought a wood block design but obviously lots of designs are available.

brightontraveller

lg13mza wrote: »

brightontraveller wrote: »

Personally if going throughout I,d go with mid range laminate easy enough to put down yourself not going to break the bank or carpet and lino in bathrooms, kitchen etc.
QUOTE]


Thanks, but laminate isn't an option. It looks cheap and wouldn't last.

Cheap would depend on personal preference style etc Plenty of laminates offer guarantee in excess of time you wanted? Also many ceramic or porcelain tiles only come with 5 -10 year gtee but good luck getting what your after at a budget that’s acceptable

andrewf75

Not sure why you need to have the same floor everywhere. I would go wood everywhere except bathroom (and bedrooms)

TheCyclingProgrammer

lg13mza wrote: »

Thanks, but laminate isn't an option. It looks cheap and wouldn't last.

I don't agree - you can get very good laminate that is designed to last, doesn't look cheap and can be used in kitchens and bathrooms. Look at QuickStep laminate, particularly their Impressive range (or Impressive Ultra for kitchens and bathrooms). Not the cheapest but if you don't want cheap looking laminate, you've got to pay for it (Impressive should be around £20-22/m2).

We have the Impressive in soft oak downstairs and it looks great. Not quite as nice as a good engineered wood floor but we went with laminate *because* of its durability compared to the former (especially with children). Very durable, although not indestructible but planks can normally be replaced without lifting the whole floor.

Comes with a 25 year warranty.

Only thing I'm not sure about is its suitability with UFH.