LVT flooring

[Deleted User]

If having Luxury Vinyl Flooring
LVT fitted and the current flooring has floorboards, will i need to get plywood?
A builder said plywood another said underlay will be enough the LVT has built in underlay of 5mm.

Also for kitchen in a tenanted house is it a good idea to have LVT fitted or go for porcelain tiles. Want something that will last, sometimes tiles get broken when something drops on it. 

grumbler

Zoe02 said:

If having Luxury Vinyl Flooring
LVT fitted and the current flooring has floorboards, will i need to get plywood?
A builder said plywood another said underlay will be enough the LVT has built in underlay of 5mm.

Plywood is usually recommended, but if the boards are flat and without big gaps, is IMO unnecessary, especially with underlay.

Also for kitchen in a tenanted house is it a good idea to have LVT fitted or go for porcelain tiles. Want something that will last, sometimes tiles get broken when something drops on it.

Tiles are more practical, but if it's timber suspended floor big tiles can crack easily. Tiled concrete floor without heating is colder, especially in older houses without floor insulation.

subjecttocontract

My neighbour has the kitchen floor tiled with special tiles that cushion anything dropped on them......just so you know that they are available.

[Deleted User]

subjecttocontract said:

My neighbour has the kitchen floor tiled with special tiles that cushion anything dropped on them......just so you know that they are available.

Do you know what they are called?

subjecttocontract

No........

[Deleted User]

grumbler said:

Zoe02 said:

If having Luxury Vinyl Flooring
LVT fitted and the current flooring has floorboards, will i need to get plywood?
A builder said plywood another said underlay will be enough the LVT has built in underlay of 5mm.

Plywood is usually recommended, but if the boards are flat and without big gaps, is IMO unnecessary, especially with underlay.

Also for kitchen in a tenanted house is it a good idea to have LVT fitted or go for porcelain tiles. Want something that will last, sometimes tiles get broken when something drops on it.

Tiles are more practical, but if it's timber suspended floor big tiles can crack easily. Tiled concrete floor without heating is colder, especially in older houses without floor insulation.

Currently carpets so won't know until lifted up and checked to know for sure.

This are the tiles currently in the kitchen 

mi-key

I would keep those to be honest as they will be much harder wearing than LVT. Just get that little bit repaired - you can fill it with cement and paint it to blend in more with the others

mi-key

p.s. my kitchen floor is tiled, and I have dropped heavy pans and things on them and they have never cracked

[Deleted User]

For knowledge why is 
 LVT not a good option it's waterproof

mi-key

Zoe02 said:

For knowledge why is 
 LVT not a good option it's waterproof

All LVT will look scruffy fairly quickly in a high traffic area. It is ok for bedroom and living rooms that don't get too much use. It will also fade and discolour fairly quickly as kitchen floors are washed all the time, whereas a bedroom floor can just be swept.

The colour layer on the top of LVT is quite thin, so any sort of scrubbing can lighten it or remove it

Marmaduke123

mi-key said:

Zoe02 said:

For knowledge why is 
 LVT not a good option it's waterproof

All LVT will look scruffy fairly quickly in a high traffic area. It is ok for bedroom and living rooms that don't get too much use. It will also fade and discolour fairly quickly as kitchen floors are washed all the time, whereas a bedroom floor can just be swept.

The colour layer on the top of LVT is quite thin, so any sort of scrubbing can lighten it or remove it

I really don't agree that all LVT will look scruffy after a while. My kitchen floor is Karndean, installed over 20 years ago, and still looks good. It's Da Vinci narrow plank and I definitely would have it again. It's  quiet, warm, waterproof, and nothing has ever broken through being dropped on it. It was laid over ply. Maybe cheaper LVTs are as you describe.