LVT or tiles in kitchen

Louise__3

I have a very cold kitchen, and been advised by a couple of workmen that LVT flooring might be a good idea as it is warmer than tiles and still durable/waterproof. 

I’ve done some research online and it does seem a good option as I would prefer a wooden look to the flooring in the kitchen, but wondering if anyone has first hand experience with LVT and any views you may have?

Doozergirl

If the room is cold, then LVT would be a much better choice than tiles.   

Not only is LVT a warmer product, if the floor is suspended, a layer of ply will need to be put down across the whole floor and this will help block any draughts from underneath too.  It made a massive difference for us in our current house.  

LVT can definitely look (and feel) like wood.  There are so many products on the market, it's just a case of finding the right one for you.  

Also have a look upgrading your radiators in that room.  If they are older, you can buy rads that will be the same height and depth but have more panels and throw out a lot more heat, or vertical radiators are also very fashionable now. Also check the walls behind cabinets for holes and seal up any major draughts.   The fitters can often leave gaping holes around waste pipes when they pop out of the wall etc.  

Louise__3

Doozergirl said:

If the room is cold, then LVT would be a much better choice than tiles.   

Not only is LVT a warmer product, if the floor is suspended, a layer of ply will need to be put down across the whole floor and this will help block any draughts from underneath too.  It made a massive difference for us in our current house.  

LVT can definitely look (and feel) like wood.  There are so many products on the market, it's just a case of finding the right one for you.  

Also have a look upgrading your radiators in that room.  If they are older, you can buy rads that will be the same height and depth but have more panels and throw out a lot more heat, or vertical radiators are also very fashionable now. Also check the walls behind cabinets for holes and seal up any major draughts.   The fitters can often leave gaping holes around waste pipes when they pop out of the wall etc.  

Thank you...yeah I am tempted to go for the LVT. It will be in the kitchen so no rads, though hopefully the refurb will sort some draughts out. 

It will be going on to concrete but I was thinking of putting some underlay between the 2 as I’ve read this will help with longevity and warmth. 

rach_k

We have LVT (Amtico tiles, not sure that it makes much difference) in our unheated kitchen with a concrete floor.  It has made a huge difference compared to the tiles we had down before.  The fitter had to do several layers of self-levelling compound on top of the concrete but we didn't add any additional insulation.  

It feels nice underfoot (still completely solid but somehow softer than standard tiles) and is really easy to clean.  I don't really notice the temperature so it must be around room temp, unlike tiles which were always freezing in that room.  

I know you're supposed to use Amtico cleaning stuff and other treatments on Amtico floors but our fitter said it wasn't worth it.  I can't say I've noticed any change at all in the floor since we had it laid in 2016 (and we had another floor with the same tiles laid last year, so I would notice if they were different).  

It seems hard wearing - I have dropped several things where I expected it to mark and it didn't at all.  We also have a breakfast table and stools in there and there's no scuffing.  The only thing that has damaged it very slightly is a builder hoovering it with a gritty old hoover - he managed to leave a few marks the day after it was laid!  Maybe the Amtico products would help with that?!  Now I just hoover in the direction of the pattern (ours is like a fabric weave), but I mostly just sweep and mop it anyway.  

scottishblondie

We laid wood effect LVT in the whole ground floor of our old house, which was a concrete slab.  It was definitely warmer and more resilient that anything else we considered and I would 100% recommend it.  It was great in the bathrooms too - softer and warmer than tiles, and less slippery when wet.  I wish we had it here!  So far we've laid it in the utility and are hoping to replace the bathroom flooring with it over time.

kdotdotdotdot

I've had LVT put into the kitchen two months ago, and it looks lovely.  It's gone down on a cement floor, so it needed underlay.  I got the stuff from B&Q, Jazy brand and the builder said it 'went down like a dream' (kitchen installers not always fond of LVT and the like).  

Emmia

We've got LVT (Amitco) in our kitchen, replacing a ceranic tile floor which was pretty cracked. The new floor is noticeably warmer underfoot and easy to clean.

We're thinking of doing a wood effect Amitco in the hall and living room / dining room to replace rather worn laminate.

sysadmin

Our LVT is going down in the next 3 weeks. All of the ground floor is being done with feature strips in between the "planks".
We already have it in both bathrooms and its really nice. I think the make we're going for is Sierra. Its not cheap but i'm hoping it will last a good while!