Flooring for kitchen & hallway - Tile? LVT? Something else?

Soldato
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We're wanting to redecorate/tidy up downstairs, and one of the main things is the floor in our hallway which leads through to the kitchen (full length of house from front to back door).

We currently have laminate in the hall, and vinyl/lino in the kitchen.

The laminate was here when we moved in, and seems decent stuff, but after 20 years of kids and cats, it's starting to swell at the joins by the front door where it's gotten damp.

The lino in the kitchen was replaced a couple of years ago in an "emergency" after the washing machine broke and dumped several gallons of water all over (and under) the previous lino (which was already in a bit of a **** condition). The current stuff has already picked up quite a few dings/cuts/holes from things being dropped on it, and doesn't seem to resist dirt very well (the high usage areas are definitely grey rather than white). However, as mentioned, this was done as quickly and cheaply as possible, so the lino we put down wasn't the best quality.

So, on to the replacement:

We're thinking it would be nice if we kept the same flooring throughout. We're hesitant to use either laminate or lino again due to the experiences above (although obviously any kind of flooring is going to have down sides).

Tiles could be nice (possibly with electric underfloor heating), but this brings the question of how to lay it whilst still needing to use the space - do we go live in an airbnb for a week? :p

Also problems with being slippy (not great with kids running around with wet feet!), and potentially cracking when they inevitability manage to drop something on it.

Alternatively, there's LVT, but how does this wear when compared to lino? Obviously would be easier to replace individual tiles if they get damaged, but if it's going to look crap again after 6 months then there seems little point in doing it in the first place!

Would welcome feedback from anyone who has LVT in their hallway/kitchen and how it stands up to family abuse, and anyone who has installed a tile floor whilst the room(s) are in regular use? Also any suggestions on an option I might have overlooked?

Edit: as far as I can tell, the floor underneath is solid concrete, so a decent substrate for tiling, assuming we level it properly
 
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Interesting, I would have thought that darker would be better for hiding dirt, we quite like the look of the wooden plank effect tiles (the pattern will help hide some of the dirt :p)
 
I can't imagine any kind of wood finish is going to be great with spills, both due to damp and potentially staining, e.g. from tomato & curry sauces etc?
 
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That looks nice, I expect it cleans up pretty easily with just a mop over it? Unfortunately we don't have family nearby to stay with, so it would either be a case of living around it, or airbnb/hotel :s
 
I think major flooding could also ruin LVT as well, wouldn't like to chance it anyway!

Tiling is probably the most hard-wearing option, but it will definitely be cold in the winter unless you have UFH.

I'm hoping for no more flooding as the washing machine has since been replaced!

It would still need pulling up in a flood I think, as water could get underneath, but unlike laminate would maybe be able to be laid back down after drying out? (assuming it was removed carefully).
 
With LVT you do have to mindful of what you use to clean the floor, and what Type of rug you put on it, if any. Mine cost over £3000 so I’d suggest doing some homework before you instruct anyone

Hmm, one thought when going LVT was to extend through the living room, so the whole downstairs basically, no rugs in the hall or kitchen, but in the living room yes. Is the issue where the constant slight movement of the rug abrades the surface?
 
This might prove useful.


What a horrible website. Full of waffle and irrelevant BS - clearly just trying to increase space for ads (ABP ftw :p) just get to the bloody point! I gave up trying to find any useful information after the first paragraph :rolleyes:

We have Karndean in the dining kitchen and bathroom. I am quite impressed by the warmth. Stone effect LVT tiles are good at hiding footprints etc. until cleaned. Easy to do with a mop.

Sounds good - yeah we'd most likely be looking for either stone or timber effect.
 
The previous owners fitted them so I have no information on that side but the fact that I can walk on a solid 1960's floor in bare feet in winter makes me think that they are quite good at insulating.
We only moved in in December and we had to install a Bosch washing machine in the usually tight space. The tiles extending under the units allowed an easy ish manoeuvre without marking them.
I have only had standard vinyl on a roll or 'brick tiles' before.

How do they compare to the vinyl on a roll in terms of durability? The stuff we have at the moment damages so easily (although it's really cheap, so hardly surprising!)

Our floor construction is probably similar - 50s house with solid concrete floor, so a bit of insulation would be nice :p
 
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