Kitchen flooring... tiles that are not tiles ?

Zola.

I am in the process of looking at kitchen tiles to replace our vinyl floor.

However, I was getting the hair cut at the weekend and the barber was chatting about DIY stuff.. she said she was looking at tiles for their kitchen but instead opted for flooring from B&Q which 'looked like tiles'.

I am guessing laminate flooring? She said they look great and only cost £10 per square metre.

Has anyone ever done something similar?

Rain_Shadow

This sort of thing?

http://www.diy.com/departments/kennedy-black-vinyl-4m/175092_BQ.prd


or this


http://www.diy.com/departments/leggiero-cream-travertine-tile-effect-laminate-flooring-172-m-pack/161745_BQ.prd


Took me less than 30 seconds on the B&Q site to find them.

ST1991

I have seen the peel and stick tiles in B&q. The same as the normal vinyl sticky tiles, just in plank shape instead of square, and wood-effect.

Would be very easy to install - same as other sticky tiles.

Zola.

I wouldn't be looking for more vinyl, tiles would be nicer, but if there was a big saving on something which was like tiles, e.g. hard flooring that could be washed I would take a look.

Was just seeing if anyone has done this before etc.

Rain_Shadow

Zola. wrote: »

I wouldn't be looking for more vinyl, tiles would be nicer, but if there was a big saving on something which was like tiles, e.g. hard flooring that could be washed I would take a look.

Was just seeing if anyone has done this before etc.

My second link is laminate that looks like tiles. Is that what you are thinking of?

Marmaduke123

Karndean does floor coverings which look like tiles, or like wood if that's your preference. Not cheap, but more practical than actual tiles in my opinion, warmer, less likely to break things dropped on the floor, fully washable.

Ideally needs professional installation.

*~Zephyr~*

Rain_Shadow wrote: »

My second link is laminate that looks like tiles. Is that what you are thinking of?

You can't wash laminate like you can wash tiles and OP wants something she can wash.

When we re-did our kitchen we looked at Amtico flooring which looks amazing. But when we told the owner of the showroom that we wanted to be able to steam mop the floors regularly he said that we would have to go for tiles because no vinyl flooring that has joints can be guaranteed to withstand a lot of mopping / steaming.

To be honest, a decent vinyl floor will cost just as much as tiles. So if you want to be able to wash it without worry, go for tiles.

We got gorgeous floor tiles that look exactly like a wooden floor. Its glorious! I'm so in love with it.

chrisw

We've got the laminate that looks like slate tiles. I don't think you can compare it to a top quality tiling job, but it looks fine, is warmer than tiles in bare feet and is much easier to lay directly onto floor boards, with no additional strengthening or levelling needed.

I guess a downside is that water can get in the joints between the planks and would probably stay there if laid on a solid floor.

DominicH

The term people seem to use for stuff like Karndean is "luxury vinyl tile", or LVT, perhaps to dissociate it from traditional vinyl or you grandma's old lino. It's supposed to be very durable and practical.
That said, I put B&Q bargain-basement stick-on vinyl tiles on my bathroom floor a few years ago, and they have held up perfectly and look a lot more expensive than they were. I was careful to smooth and seal the subfloor (WBP-rated plywood) with PVA first. They feel quite "tile-y" because there's no squidgy underlay.

sultanabran

I have tile effect laminate in my kitchen. As above, it looks great and is warmer than tiles. One downside is if you drop something on it, it can dent it. Although I guess on the flip side, drop something on tiles and they can crack!

I've not had any issues with water on mine in the 8 or 9 years I've had it down. The joiner that recommended it told me the joins had some sort of seal that prevented water penetration.