MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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My parents have had a new kitchen fitted.
Years ago, they used to instil in me the importance of not just going with a first quote etc. etc. for this kind of thing, but went ahead with it anyway and ended up with a nice, if somewhat expensive kitchen.
They now are on the lookout for flooring.
The house is a mock tudor semi with a red-tiled floor in the kitchen (I am guessing above a concrete base).
They had John Lewis round yesterday to quote for some flooring. I can't remember the brand, but it was quite a decent brand I think. Anyway - it's only a small galley style kitchen, perhaps 3x2m.
The bloke who came round reckoned it would be two days to fit with all the sub-preparation & the total quote has come to almost £800!!! Plus, he's said to do it properly they will have to get the appliances taken out, so they'll need their local handyman bloke to do that at an extra cost of £100 to take out & the same to put back in (at a guess).
Now, this to me sounds completely nuts. There must be cheaper options. Before they had glued down vinyl tiles that were decent quality, but we just stuck them straight down to the tiled floor & that was that. They must have been 20 years old & were still in good condition - no way they cost anywhere near that & we didn't bother with various sub-bases to prepare the floor. I suspect all of that is required for their 25yr guarantee to be valid.
So - I know nothing about flooring. Can anyone recommend flooring suitable for kitchens that isn't bargain basement but also isn't getting on for £800 for a 3x2m space....???
I'm tempted to suggest that if they buy what they want I will go & fit it for them one weekend....
I'm tempted to suggest that if they buy what they want I will go & fit it for them one weekend....
I wish you luck!
The problem with small spaces is that you have just as many corners and fiddly bits as large spaces but not so much of the easy to lay, do it in your sleep, wide open expanses.
It is preferable to extend the floor under the appliances as you won't get them out otherwise, so hope the kitchen fitter has left enough space under the worktop for extra flooring...
I know I'll get massively flamed for this, but we've bought lino & carpet from Carpetright several times, had it fitted by their fitters, and always been happy with it.
They baulked a bit at gluing down lino in our hallway in one piece (it's a long hallway) but they did it, and did it well.
Also, as Reuben says, this would have been rather easier [i]before[/i] the kitchen was fitted...
I had to fit flooring on top of a concrete floor recently. To stop it being a bloody icebox I ended up just fitting lino, which despite my reservations didnt look too bad!
Before you even start, pull the kick boards off from under the units, you can then see how much of a vertical gap you have to play with and decide where to go from there.
Theres a nicer alternative in the form of karndean, which is worth a look. As for getting fitters from John lewis... clearly someone likes paying over the odds 😉
suburbanreuben - Member
I wish you luck!
The problem with small spaces is that you have just as many corners and fiddly bits as large spaces but not so much of the easy to lay, do it in your sleep, wide open expanses.
It is preferable to extend the floor under the appliances as you won't get them out otherwise, so hope the kitchen fitter has left enough space under the worktop for extra flooring...
Yeah, I think there's adequate space.
It will be fiddly, but I don't mind that kind of work - so long as there's a continuous supply of strong tea & choccy biccies.....
The bit I don't like is deciding where to start when there isn't an obvious edge to start on.....
Sundayjumper - MemberAlso, as Reuben says, this would have been rather easier before the kitchen was fitted...
I tried to tell them this.....but that's by the by now....
Sundayjumper - MemberI know I'll get massively flamed for this, but we've bought lino & carpet from Carpetright several times, had it fitted by their fitters, and always been happy with it.
Yep, I suggested Carpetright to them. For some reason, my parents have this stubborn idea in their head that John Lewis is the go to shop for this kind of purchase.
TO be fair, they have had good service from them in the past, but there comes of a point where you start to think they are taking the piss.
The bit I don't like is deciding where to start when there isn't an obvious edge to start on.....
That's the sort of knowledge you're paying for.
scrumfled - MemberI had to fit flooring on top of a concrete floor recently. To stop it being a bloody icebox I ended up just fitting lino, which despite my reservations didnt look too bad!
Before you even start, pull the kick boards off from under the units, you can then see how much of a vertical gap you have to play with and decide where to go from there.
Theres a nicer alternative in the form of karndean, which is worth a look. As for getting fitters from John lewis... clearly someone likes paying over the odds
Yeah, the floor does get cold, but slippers solve that so it's not too much of an issue. It might be Karndean stuff we put down before. I can't remember all the brand names.
Yeah, I'd be lifting the plinths & seeing what's what if I do it myself.
As for John Lewis fitters - they just saw the flooring they liked in their & wanted it all done in one go. They seem to have reached a point where logic & reason go out of the window when it comes to making big purchasing decisions.....
suburbanreuben - MemberThat's the sort of knowledge you're paying for.
True - but I can do it. I just don't like doing it.....Yeah, a fitter could probably do it in a 1/3 of the time it would take me, but as long as I get it done in a weekend, that's fine.
The bit I don't like is deciding where to start when there isn't an obvious edge to start on.....
If it's tiles you start in the middle. Tiles also have the advantage of allowing you to make lots of small but not too expensive mistakes rather than one big expensive one.