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help needed to find vinyl that looks like wood

floorfinder
15 years ago

Hi,

We spent almost 2 years looking for a floor that will look like a hard wood floor. We ruled out laminate since we were told that it cannot be scrubbed and often has scratches, chips, water damage. I'm not sure that was a great decision. Anyway, we settled on a Karndean International floor that comes in Vinyl strips. (That was a nightmare we're recovering from yet - see my other post.) Now that we are a little skeptical of promises from salesmen, we're looking for someone who has a good quality vinyl flooring that looks like wood. Something that will stand up to having children in the home. No scratches, scuffs please!

Comments (13)

  • superfox
    15 years ago

    I was just looking for the same thing and I came across this old posting on here.

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/flooring/msg0911023312366.html

    On it people are talking about laminate wood peel and stick tiles. A lot of people have posted pictures their projects and their successes with it. I think you might find it interesting.

    Good luck

  • steve_o
    15 years ago

    Some very realistic wood patterns are sold by Amtico and some collections by Metroflor. Other manufacturers offer wood patterns in varying degrees of realistic appearance. Several manufacturers also use tough minerals like aluminum oxide in their wearlayers to allow the vinyl to wear longer. 20-25 year warranties are not that uncommon in better vinyl floors (though, as always, you should read the warranty to find out what they expect of you as the user and what they cover).

  • echoflooring
    15 years ago

    Look hard at Konecto. I have recently bought into it and I really like it. Very realistic. User friendly and extremely forgiving to subfloor requirements.

    Another product that is tough as nails, is Dura
    Ceramic (Duraplank Wood Look) Limestone / Vinyl composition. They are both realist and winners. Run From Karndean....its junk...

  • payperbiz
    15 years ago

    We had our flooring redone. we asked the handyman repair service to install parquet then he provided us quick and easy solutions to maintain it.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Handyman Repair Service

  • vegas_t
    15 years ago

    How funny that you asked this!!! I had never heard of such a thing until I found it at Home Depot. I was looking for a DIY project for my upstairs.

    I tried it out in my closet first. It is soooo easy, you score and snap to fit. It sticks to itself and not the floor which makes for easy take up. It does not feel like vinyl nor look like vinyl. Pet proof, child proof, waterproof....I LOVE IT!

    We bought it in cherry. You can find it online and it should be free shipping, costs about 42.00 a carton.

    I will post some pics when I can figure out how to download them :)

  • frank1965
    15 years ago

    We just installed the Allure oak from HD after ripping up the nasty carpet and we love it. Not quite a real wood floor but looks great to us. People think it's laminate at first. Love the upkeep too. The Konecto is the same but thicker and with many other colors.
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    {{gwi:1522377}}

  • glennsfc
    15 years ago

    Sorry to hear that you are not satisfied with Kardean vinyl strips. Any LVT vinyl floor needs to be maintained with the recommended products (dressings or polish).

    Karndean is a commercial quality tile that is specified for the residential as well as the commercial sector. You will find Karndean in mall stores, hospitals and office settings, just to name a few.

  • Happyladi
    15 years ago

    I have Amtico in my kitchen and it is considered one of the best vinyl wood plank floors made. I've had it almost 5 years without a tear or nick, it is very easy to clean, water is no problem and is soft and comfortable. But it can scratch. I think any vinyl floor can scratch. They aren't bad and I don't notice them unless I look for them, but there are some.

    If you get Amtico make sure you get the microbevel, it makes a big difference. Lots of people mistake it for wood, but I can tell it isn't.

  • floorfinder
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks for all of your suggestions! We will certainly look into them. I would like to respond to the comment about vinyl needing to be maintained. We are very particular about how we keep our floors. Ours was initially ruined from a plastic laundry basket. (Our 9-month-old pushed it across the floor just days after installation). Apparently scuffs from plastic on this surface are inevitable. Our installers came back to take out a few samples to send in to Karndean and could not believe how horrible it looked. We've had professional flooring people come out 3 times now to try to strip it, polish, etc... Anyone who comes in our home can't believe the company is not going to do anything to help us. Be forewarned.... If you are very careful about maintenance and following all instructions about how to maintain your floor, as I am, this product is not for you.
    We're going to listen to some advice from consumers next time and not salesman to try to avoid this again. :)

  • floorguy
    15 years ago

    All that huffing and puffing, and you would not believe how easy it is to replace the vinyl planks that are effected by the scratches.

  • User
    15 years ago

    If you want something that won't scratch, get ceramic or porcelain tile. Every other type of floor will scratch. Vinyl is much softer than wood, and certainly softer than tile, why on earth wouldn't it scratch? You want the impossible if you want a vinyl that won't scratch. For those who want a floor that resembles wood but is more waterproof and softer underfoot, and easily spot replacable, vinyl is a good choice. But not if you expect it to be something it's not.

  • floorfinder
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Wow, I guess I've hit a nerve with my original post. I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone, just looking for ideas. Thanks for those of you who gave terrific ideas - we are getting somewhere now! Thank you. For those of you who doubt me....trust me, my 20-year old linoleum looked better than this Karndean floor looked after a week. You can take a knife across this Karndean floor and not scratch it. Push a few plastic toys ever so gently....you'll have scuff marks that no professional has been able to remove yet. As far as relacing planks, been there - done that. We have 75-100 that need to be replaced. It took the professional installer half a day to replace just 5 of them to send in to Karndean as samples. I just had professional painters in as well, who were amazed and appauled by our "Karndean" floor. I'm convinced that there are some Karndean floors that are great or they wouldn't have their solid reputation. Buyer Beware on the knight tile.

  • cupofkindness
    14 years ago

    We have had Amtico in our kitchen/nook/laundry room for five years. We've had nary a problem with nicks, scuffs, tears and even standing water (from washing machine over-flows) has not caused the planks to loosen, lift or warp. No one believes that our beautiful "Priory Oak" Amtico floor isn't wood/ the beveled edges help, though dirt can collect there (which adds to the charm, right?). We are now getting Spacia for our bathrooms. Though it's vinyl, it has a genuine ceramic tile look without being too cheesy or too glossy in appearance. I love Amtico, this floor will look great for years, is soft underfoot, and quiet too. We have seven kids, lots of use, no disappointments whatsoever.