Amtico and Karndean. Why?

Amtico and Karndean are two companies who manufacture  and sell Luxury Vinyl Tiles.There are many other companies such as Polyflor, Tarkett, Altro etc offering the same type of product.Nowadays a lot of flooring distributors even have their own tiles manufactured abroad to market under their own brand name,but Amtico and Karndean are perhaps the two best known and the two brand leaders.The tiles themselves are made from pvc to look like wood planks or stone and ceramic tiles.How much they resemble real wood and real stone is probably directly related to the cost of each tile.

       Most manufacturers have different ranges of tiles offering different features.Karndean has a less expensive range called Knight Tile which is 2mm thick and flat. Their Art Select range is 3mm thick, bevelled to 2.5mm thick at all edges to give a more pronounced individual plank or tile appearance and is quite a bit more expensive.They are also more heavily contoured on the surface, again leading to a more realistic or authentic look. Amtico have introduced a lot of new ranges recently but their main two are the Spacia and Signature ranges.They are all 2.5mm thick with a micro bevel at the edges but the Signature is quite a lot more expensive than Spacia.This range offers lots of bespoke options in the sizes available and pattern options and contemporary designs but everything is made to order.The Spacia range offers less size options,sizes and designs but is readily available off the shelf.

         From a construction point of view as a surveyor ,I have no idea of what goes into the  manufacturer of the tiles.However from an installers point of view I can categorically say that you definitely only get what you pay for in the world of Design Flooring or Luxury Vinyl Tiles.Really cheap pvc tiles are available everywhere on the internet and the colours and designs are usually very acceptable. However with Karndean and Amtico I've yet to see a tile snap or break unintentionally in a fitters hands.They are normally very durable and solid.I have seen the really cheap ones fracture like ceramics while trying to cut and install them.Likewise really cheap tiles have a tendency to expand and contract a lot more in adverse temperature conditions.All of these tiles should only ever be fitted in temperatures above 18 or 19 degrees C.  A constant temperature for the tiles is crucial 24 hours before, during the installation and for 24 hours after.All manufacturers state this on their packaging and installation instructions. However most people will try and save a few pounds of electricity overnight and think it's ok to turn the heating down.In Summer  with a good tile it will probably be ok.In Winter with a cheap tile it definitely won't be.

          Personally I prefer the more expensive ranges in both Karndean and Amtico for the overall finished look.That said I do think that a really good choice of colour for the  floor to match kitchen units etc or a good laying pattern can make a massive difference to the overall finished look even with the less expensive tiles.However a combination of a really good tile and a really good layout is just about unbeatable.They're called design floors because there's so many options and I think that Karndean and Amtico offer more options and better quality products than any of the other manufacturers.( In my opinion).