The Forum is currently experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. Thank you for your patience.

LVT flooring

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. 
«13

Comments

  • grumbler
    grumbler Posts: 58,629 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 1 August 2023 at 8:40AM
    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.

  • My neighbour has the kitchen floor tiled with special tiles that cushion anything dropped on them......just so you know that they are available.
  • Zoe02
    Zoe02 Posts: 574 Forumite
    500 Posts Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    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?
  • No........
  • Zoe02
    Zoe02 Posts: 574 Forumite
    500 Posts Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    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
    mi-key Posts: 1,580 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    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
    mi-key Posts: 1,580 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    p.s. my kitchen floor is tiled, and I have dropped heavy pans and things on them and they have never cracked
  • Zoe02
    Zoe02 Posts: 574 Forumite
    500 Posts Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    For knowledge why is 
     LVT not a good option it's waterproof
  • mi-key
    mi-key Posts: 1,580 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    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
  • 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.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350K Banking & Borrowing
  • 252.7K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.1K Spending & Discounts
  • 242.9K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 619.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.4K Life & Family
  • 255.9K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.