Agencies and other headaches, keys and cleaners, running costs and contracts...in short, all the things we spend so much of our time doing behind the scenes.<br>
Aqua step flooring is the first 100% waterproof laminate flooring suitable for all humid rooms such as the bathroom and kitchen. Aquafloor has a high quality PVC core finished with the 100% non-porous and waterproof Elesgo surface.
I love their product comparison
100% waterproof warranty Aqua step - 20 years Other "water resistant" laminates 1 hour
It's expensive (£600 instead of £400 for cushioned vinyl in our quote) but comes as above with a regressive 20 year guarantee. (the amount you'd get back declines each year)
It looks pretty good. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has any experience of it.
Sorry can't help with the Aqua step, but our place has reasonable quality wood effect laminate. It has now done the best part of two seasons with the worst that dogs and sand from the beach can throw at it and is bearing up well. I use a laminate reviver which helped - especially as the cleaners are washing the floor with disinfectant in the water usually twice a week.
Vinyl flooring an absolute no no too I think - claws and knives would leave holes. If I had the option and was starting from scratch now, I would probably choose tiles & underfloor heating.
We have decided to go with Aquastep as it seems virtually indestructible and is water resistant. We'll let you know if any of this turns out not to be true!!
The "wood" effect looks about as good as the laminate we have in the other lodge and it is supposed to be quieter too. It's being installed next week.
It'll cost about 50% on top of the laminate price but as it will survive water (and other liquids) without buckling, blowing and needing complete replacement like the laminate did last year, it might turn out to be money well spent.
Excellent, glad you've reached a decision - lets hope its the right choice! Do let us know - I'm thinking about it for my workroom at home (no dogs here though) and so am very interested in the wear and tear factor.
Hi,
Just wondering if anyone has any experience of Devon Bone floor tiles by Topps Tiles. I'm looking for flooring that looks like natural stone/limestone but is ceramic/porcelain for ease of cleaning and maintenance, 60 x 40cm or larger. Any suggestions would be gratefully received. The area to be covered is kitchen/lounge/diner in a barn conversion so ideally looking for something rustic looking in a light beige/grey colour. Decided against engineered oak and laminate due to risk of water damage or scratching.
Valindia wrote:We have just replaced all the downstairs with slate floors. However we do own a slate company, so I am biased. Www.ardosiaslate.co.uk
Thanks
Ooh Valindia please can you help me with some advice? We have a slate floor in our kitchen and have real trouble maintaining it to look nice. We tried varnishing/sealing it to start with but we usually have two large dogs and the claws just scratched the sealant. Now we use something different which has a matt finish and just impregnates the surface. Doesn't scratch but starts to look shabby after a week.
Do you have a product/treatment you could recommend? It's chinese slate - great big slabs of it if that helps.
Thanks Charles, I also think that stone flooring would look good in an old property. The only concern I have would be having to seal it regularly and the fear of wine etc staining it. At least with porcelain it shouldn't soak in. I'm just wondering if it may feel cold/less cozy in the winter as we haven't got underfloor heating. Maybe laminate or engineered wood will be best after all. We don't allow pets but the barn is popular with young families. Dilemma!
Hi HelenB, I would love underfloor heating but it unfortunately wouldn't be possible as there is no room for the pipework and we already have radiators.
We've got a not great quality carpet throughout ours and are looking at replacing bit by bit downstairs at least with this stuff based on previous reviews....
Thanks Robin@OneSpring, after much deliberation we have finally decided on Quickstep Impressive, their new range of waterproof laminate for the lounge and porcelain tiles for the kitchen. Although I'm not a great fan of laminate it's practical to keep clean and the warm oak grey boards look quite rustic. With babies crawling about it will be warmer than tiles. I also thought about Karndean but the floor scree needs to be perfectly even and it would have been quite expensive. I just realised I have posted on the wrong thread, as we don't actually accept dogs!