Kitchen Flooring- vinyls suitable??

Hi Jola

We are probably going with the Karndean Art Select range for our new home. Can I ask how the Tarkett compared pricewise with the Karndean? They didn't have other high quality vinyls at the showroom we priced Karndean.

We were quoted $65 p sq/m for the Art Select plank style with $22 extra for installation.

Hi Michelle,

I only saw the colour briefly in the shop and have to confirm the brand but it looks almost the same to the one in (following your web site address) :
Compact vinyl homogeneous
then IQ Eminent 2.0mm
then the first one 3101071

I may pick another similar shade depending on the final colour scheme of the kitchen which currently I plan to have sheen melamine white drawers, stringybark laminex benchtop and the larger doors such as bi-fold pantry in laminex oyster linea (laminex's relaxed kitchen brochure pretty much). Stainless and black appliances. Glass tile splashback in beige-ish coloured wide and narrow horizontal line tiles and possibly whitish staggered stone on the back of the island bench. I could probably get away with grey coloured vinyl from that series too but trying to go for a beachy natural effect to suit my ornaments/paintings in the adjacent dining area.

Its also going to be a large kitchen dining about 49 square m so think a lighter colour will add to the spaciousness of the room.

Your opinions most welcomed.

Cheers,
Jola

Hi Nire,

I know they quoted around $100m installed including the masonite as I decided to leave that figure in my mind assuming it would also cover things I hadn't thought of. It was a howling cold rainy day though so I popped in quick and I was pricing many things so best to check yourself. I'm fairly sure it was the same price as the higher end Karndean. I will be showing it to my husband very soon so will confirm the brand and price and post it back here if you like. Try calling Andersens if you are in a rush as they stocked the commercial vinyl as well as some of the Karndean range. They also stocked some other vinyls that had a 20 year guarantee that were reasonably priced. I did call back the other day but got another guy and he said it was probably Tarkett I looked at. I would seriously look at the commercial option as another alternate but check warranty and maintenance first. I'm at the start of my search so don't have all the information at hand, just was getting rough pricing and colour options. I got the impression with the commercial vinyl you can get it buffed later if its looking worn and it will last a very long time.

Please don't rely on this information as I am going from memory and it may need correction.

Cheers,
Jola

Hi jola, had a look at the link, did you mean the beige colour?

You can’t go wrong with a neutral, as you said it will enhance the spacious feel to your rooms. Had a look at my Laminex samples and can’t find the stringybark.
What colour is that roughly?

Your kitchen sounds interesting, a mix of texture, that good!

Is the grey flooring light? It’s not the dark grey on the website I hope….that’s too dark. The light one will work well.

I have the link open in front of me on my second screen; I’m liking the beige colour.
I think it will keep your kitchen open and airy.

The best thing to do is get samples of everything and make a colour board effect with them all, you will soon see if they go together or not.

But on a whole it sound good.

Hi Michelle,

I was thinking of the light beige but beige would probably work too. Do you think the light beige would be too light? I will do the colour board, thanks for the tip. Here is the laminex sample stringybark I'm using for the benchtops (hope it shows up below). I just fell in love with it so much I decided to use it instead of caeserstone. Especially given the cost difference.

Actually the grey-beige is perfect when I put the three colours on the computer as large samples together. I will go to Andersens tomorrow and check its the same stuff.

Jo

Went back to the store today and looked at the commercial ones again but actually found one of their domestic ones with a 20 year guarantee that I liked better. It is more like stone tiles. Fickle am I !!

Jola

I haven’t even had a chance to reply to your first answer!!!
You’re really on the go now…….it’s all taking shape, Tarket has a 20 year warranty?

That should be a good enough excuse for people to use it, that’s a very good warranty; you don’t get that with tiles, carpet and timber.

What des it cover though? It wont cover general 'wear and tear' I bet.

Parker beat me to it................

WHAT'S IN A WARRANTY

As a consumer, it pays to give due consideration and maintain a healthy skepticism for the sales pitches and stategies of marketing campaigns and salespeople.

Sure, it sounds reassuring for a product to have a lengthy warranty. It may be reasonable to assume that the product represents a better buying decision than the cheaper alternative with a much lesser warranty. But really, it is of much less significance than some may expect.

Especially with major buying decisions, take time to look at the detail of any warranty claims. They are often far less comprehensive than you may think, with all sorts of exclusions, terms and conditions.

Usually, commonsense should prevail, rather than buying on the basis of some incredible claim of performance. I have often encountered the 'flip side' of the consumer/seller contract, where issues arise, and the process of attaining satisfaction is far more difficult than its worth.

Buy each and every product with due consideration of its suitability for its purpose. If not sure, gets lots of credible advice before buying.

Warranties are primarily there as a ploy to make you feel more inclined to buy. It may or may not have any bearing on the actual quality of the product.

Ash.

Hi everyone, cool a debate about warranties...that could go on for a while.
I haven't even built the extension yet so I'm just mulling over my choices. I thought the commercial vinyl did look a little industrial and was worried as its a large 50 sq m kitchen dining area I am doing. Make a mistake with the floor and its going to show and devalue the property, especially in the dining area. I'm only looking at the reputable brands anyway, all which carry longer warranties. I'm not hung up about warranties. I bought a Miele dishwasher today that I might have to store for up to a year and will lose half its warranty in the process. I figure if you buy quality you reduce your chances of needing it. I have my fair share of horror stories about warranty claims. One item took 8 months away from home before we managed to succeed in getting a replacement.

Its still a very hard choice between 0.2 mm domestic vinyl tile/sheet that looks more elegant and has PU coating and 20 year warranty (that apparently does cover wear and tear -small print to be checked) versus 2mm commercial vinyl that looks like it belongs in a shop and needs re polishing. One will last forever but at what price aesthetically?

Jola

"Its still a very hard choice between 0.2 mm domestic vinyl tile/sheet that looks more elegant and has PU coating and 20 year warranty (that apparently does cover wear and tear -small print to be checked) versus 2mm commercial vinyl that looks like it belongs in a shop and needs re polishing. One will last forever but at what price aesthetically?"

Jola, 0.02 mm? I don't think so. That's not much thicker than paper!

Anyway, you have to be completely happy with the aesthetic qualities of the floor over and above other considerations.

Have you seen Marmoleum? http://www.forbo-flooring.com.au/html/c ... olours.htm

Ash.

Hi Ash,

I stand semi-corrected. I was referring to the wear layer not the thickness of the vinyl tiles themselves. I should have made that clearer. With the domestic range the wear layer is usually only about 0.2mm-0.5mm whereas with sheet commercial vinyl the wear layer is practically the full depth, that is the colour of the tile is used for almost the full layer not just the thinner decorative surface. That is why it lasts so long.

Cheers,
Jola.

I'd take a look at Marmoleum with kids. Vinyl gives off odourous and odourless VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds) which are a greeenhouse gas, a form of air pollution and hazardous for human health. Some VOC's, such as formaldehyde and benzene, are known to cause cancer. Marmoleum is made from natural substances such as linseed oil, jute and ground limestone.

Have a look at www.safersolutions.org.au for more information about hazardous chemicals in the home from the most unexpected places (including paints!) Everyone should have a look and learn about chemicals in the home, recent studies have shown hundreds of everyday chemicals in our blood and bre@st milk, with kids having higher levels of chemical pollutants than their grandparents - how scary is that? And we spend 90% of our time indoors these days.

From the Safer Solutions Renovation Guide:
"Plasticisers are added to make plastics softer and more flexible. Common plasticisers such as phalates and DEHA have been found to cause harm to the hormonal system at very low levels.

PVC or PolyVinyl Chloride is a widely used plastic in many construction materials. PVC releases highly toxic dioxins when its made and PVC products release hazardous chemicals while in use and disposal. Plasticisers and heavy metals are added to PVC. There are global efforts to phase out PVC."

Or save yourself a fortune and the hassle and have your floorboards painted (in a low VOC paint such as Wattyl ID) in a colour to match your kitchen.

PS the makers of the Safer Solutions site are an NGO with no agenda to push other than education. I have thier renovation guide and detox your home guide and it was a real reality check!

Hope this info was useful.

Yep! I've harped on before about these indoor air quality issues.

They are far more important than most people may think!

In terms of floorcoverings, there should be plenty of airing (cross-ventilation) to dilute and exhaust the VOC's released into the air.


Ash.

Yep will look into it as well. I have time on my hands.

Jola