Karndean Flooring??
Discussion
Does anyone have any experience of this flooring?
It has been suggested to me as comes in strips that is very hard to tell that it is not actual wood/stone. It also comes with a 12 year guarantee and seems reasonably priced.
A women at work is raving about it but would like some other opinions please.
It has been suggested to me as comes in strips that is very hard to tell that it is not actual wood/stone. It also comes with a 12 year guarantee and seems reasonably priced.
A women at work is raving about it but would like some other opinions please.
It's a great product, we sell loads of it, but I would never describe it as looking exactly like the real thing! It looks very good in it's own right, and is incredibly versatile in both how and where it can be fitted.
You'll find that it's not massively expensive to buy, but a proper karndean trained floor fitter will still take a while to install it, so fitting costs are much higher, than say vinyl. To be fair completely different product though.
You'll find that it's not massively expensive to buy, but a proper karndean trained floor fitter will still take a while to install it, so fitting costs are much higher, than say vinyl. To be fair completely different product though.
A friend of mine who owns a kitchen company uses Karndean a lot on renovation projects and complete kitchen fit-outs.
It is being requested by his clients more often these days over tiled floors, but he doesn't fit it himself - he contracts a chap in who specialises in fitting the stuff..... does look awesome when done properly.
It is being requested by his clients more often these days over tiled floors, but he doesn't fit it himself - he contracts a chap in who specialises in fitting the stuff..... does look awesome when done properly.
I have two experiences of Karndean.
1. Pale stone-effect floor in parents' conservatory. Cost more for a 20m^2 conservatory than carpeting for the whole of our 2-bed flat, looked great, nice to walk on and warm to the touch. Within 2 years it had shrunk, started to go green and looked dreadful.
2. Wood-effect floor in a friend's kitchen. Looked great while fitted, convincingly like wood (I had to be told it wasn't wood), and nice to walk on in bare feet. But now, 18 months later, the wood-effect surface is wearing out where the kitchen chairs are slide back and forwards and the white underneath is clearly visible.
In my opinion it's simply lino with a good sales job, and a complete and utter rip off.
Oli.
1. Pale stone-effect floor in parents' conservatory. Cost more for a 20m^2 conservatory than carpeting for the whole of our 2-bed flat, looked great, nice to walk on and warm to the touch. Within 2 years it had shrunk, started to go green and looked dreadful.
2. Wood-effect floor in a friend's kitchen. Looked great while fitted, convincingly like wood (I had to be told it wasn't wood), and nice to walk on in bare feet. But now, 18 months later, the wood-effect surface is wearing out where the kitchen chairs are slide back and forwards and the white underneath is clearly visible.
In my opinion it's simply lino with a good sales job, and a complete and utter rip off.
Oli.
zcacogp said:
I have two experiences of Karndean.
1. Pale stone-effect floor in parents' conservatory. Cost more for a 20m^2 conservatory than carpeting for the whole of our 2-bed flat, looked great, nice to walk on and warm to the touch. Within 2 years it had shrunk, started to go green and looked dreadful.
2. Wood-effect floor in a friend's kitchen. Looked great while fitted, convincingly like wood (I had to be told it wasn't wood), and nice to walk on in bare feet. But now, 18 months later, the wood-effect surface is wearing out where the kitchen chairs are slide back and forwards and the white underneath is clearly visible.
In my opinion it's simply lino with a good sales job, and a complete and utter rip off.
If it wasn't fitted properly then it isn't surprising if there are problems with it. They are quite specific about how it is done, down to the plywood that it is laid on. If it was fitted properly, then after 2 years it is still within the guarantee (which is something like 12 years). One of the things that Karndean say specifically not to do is drag furniture across it, much like any other surface really. Is that the fault of the product, or people misusing it?1. Pale stone-effect floor in parents' conservatory. Cost more for a 20m^2 conservatory than carpeting for the whole of our 2-bed flat, looked great, nice to walk on and warm to the touch. Within 2 years it had shrunk, started to go green and looked dreadful.
2. Wood-effect floor in a friend's kitchen. Looked great while fitted, convincingly like wood (I had to be told it wasn't wood), and nice to walk on in bare feet. But now, 18 months later, the wood-effect surface is wearing out where the kitchen chairs are slide back and forwards and the white underneath is clearly visible.
In my opinion it's simply lino with a good sales job, and a complete and utter rip off.
steviejasp said:
Totally agree with Geeba.
If you use the wrong adhesives and cut corners on preparation it will look crap in a year.
Get it fitted by somebody who knows what they're doing and it will last over ten years easily.
I know too, ive been fitting it for 15 years
So what's involved in fitting it 'properly'?If you use the wrong adhesives and cut corners on preparation it will look crap in a year.
Get it fitted by somebody who knows what they're doing and it will last over ten years easily.
I know too, ive been fitting it for 15 years
tank slapper said:
If it wasn't fitted properly then it isn't surprising if there are problems with it. They are quite specific about how it is done, down to the plywood that it is laid on. If it was fitted properly, then after 2 years it is still within the guarantee (which is something like 12 years). One of the things that Karndean say specifically not to do is drag furniture across it, much like any other surface really. Is that the fault of the product, or people misusing it?
I can't vouch for either of them, having been involved in neither project - just having seen the end result. But from what I have seen, I'll never be fitting it in any property of mine. A kitchen flooring that you can't drag furniture over? Sounds ridiculous to me. Admittedly I am now much more of a fan of solid flooring material (slate, wood etc) but even the laminate we had in our old flat was as good as the day it was laid (by me) after 5 years. And yes, that had kitchen chairs and tables dragged across it every day. ETA: That flat is now let, and the floor is still there, and when I last saw it (last month) it was just as good. And that's 10 years down the road ...
Oli.
zcacogp said:
A kitchen flooring that you can't drag furniture over? Sounds ridiculous to me.
I always fit the specially designed felt pads to all feet of my furniture. Sureley most people do this don't they? I even do it when furniture is on stone floors because it makes it much easier, quieter and causes no damage to the flooring below. It also costs peanuts and takes a few minutes to fix.We have blue mosaic style in the mainbathroom. 10 years on it looks the same as it did when new, very hard to tell its not real coloured marble.
It MUST be fitted by an expert though.
We used to use it in all our upmarket (Charles Church) houses selling at up to £2m. Never had a single complaint.
It MUST be fitted by an expert though.
We used to use it in all our upmarket (Charles Church) houses selling at up to £2m. Never had a single complaint.
I had Karndean put down in my kitchen in 1998 and its still looks excellent. I subsequently put it down on my bathroom floor in 1999 and despite humidity, water spills etc it;s fine too. Use the correct adhesive and plywood underneath and you will have few problems. It as good as Amtico but a lot cheaper though could not be mistaken for real wood. There again you can use it in damp areas where solid wood or laminate would be unsuitable.
I had it installed in the kitchen of a flat when it first came on the market. I thought it looked pretty realistic (slate effect), was easy to look after and it still looked like new when I sold the property three years later. I was curious as to how tough it actually was, which MOH saw as a bit of a challenge so used a variety of knives, chemicals and a soldering iron on a spare tile. It survived it all with little sign of damage. I was impressed and wouldn't hesitate to use it again, although once the fitting costs are taken into account, it's not cheap anymore.
Daisy Duke said:
I was impressed and wouldn't hesitate to use it again, although once the fitting costs are taken into account, it's not cheap anymore.
I don't understand why it's so expensive to fit? Surely it can be DIY. What special materials are required that makes it expensive to fit?Silver993tt said:
don't understand why it's so expensive to fit? Surely it can be DIY. What special materials are required that makes it expensive to fit?
Bricks and sand are cheap... but have you ever tried to build a wall and make it look any good?DIY floor prep is usually atrocious... I've been to jobs when customers have prep'd it them self and you walk in and the first thing you say is "well I'm really sorry but that lots gotta come up if you want 1. me to fit it and 2. it to look any good!" Decent prep is time consuming... decent... fitting isnt easy... I walk in people houses and I look out of habit but you can see a DIY job a mile off!
Geeba said:
Silver993tt said:
don't understand why it's so expensive to fit? Surely it can be DIY. What special materials are required that makes it expensive to fit?
Bricks and sand are cheap... but have you ever tried to build a wall and make it look any good?DIY floor prep is usually atrocious... I've been to jobs when customers have prep'd it them self and you walk in and the first thing you say is "well I'm really sorry but that lots gotta come up if you want 1. me to fit it and 2. it to look any good!" Decent prep is time consuming... decent... fitting isnt easy... I walk in people houses and I look out of habit but you can see a DIY job a mile off!
Silver993tt said:
o, no special materials needed, just some kind of mysterious 'skill'.
Yes its called a trade... I wouldnt attempt yours without training and expect to be any good at it?Ok what screed would you put on underfloor heating? and how thick? then what adhesive would you use on that? then what sealer?
Brain surgery is easy if you know how to do it....
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