DIY advice... kitchen flooring

[slowmotion]

It's well worth taking a visit to Westbourne Park Road W11, and nearby streets, on a Saturday morning and observing the "hedgies" in shopping mode. Nu-Line architectural ironmongers is a fabulous place to be. Lambs to the slaughter really.

 

[berty bassett]

if you have a chipboard floor at moment i would go for the best lino i could afford - if its floorboard then you might have to overboard with hardboard - i would stay away from any self adhesive tile as they are pants - tiles are cold and permanant - solid flooring looks brilliant and if sealed right is good for kitchen but if there are any pipes under there it could be a problem and same with laminate boarding though not quite so bad as you can unclip if you have to - just an opinion

 

[MontyVeda]

Thanks Berty, will definitely by putting hardboard down over the floor boards. And agreed about self adhesive... I'd rather use a solvent based adhesive that reminds me of the Subhumans... with the windows open of course

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Years ago some mates of mine used a reddish stain on chipboard flooring and then put a heavy-duty floor varnish on top, kind of looked like a toffee apple effect but it was quite good I thought.

 

[MontyVeda]

I'm still very very tempted to somehow recycle several hundred records for the floor... although I was also quite taken by some bright orange rubber floor tiles.

 

[MontyVeda]

[QUOTE 2766313, member: 259"]Well, if you want to combine the two, I'm sure I've got a couple of orange 12 inch records. Take Me I'm Yours by Squeeze, and another one which I think must have been so embarrassingly awful that my mind has blanked all memories of it out apart from the colour.[/quote]

I'm guessing tangerine dream.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Think I've still got The Dickies records of Banana Splits on yellow vinyl and Nights in White Satin on white, and a UK Subs one which is green.

 

[Beebo]

Every proper cyclist will tell you "go steel, it's real."
And you will have the professional kitchen look, all you need then is a sweary Gordon Ramsey to finish the look.

 

[Aperitif]

It's well worth taking a visit to Westbourne Park Road W11, and nearby streets, on a Saturday morning and observing the "hedgies" in shopping mode. Nu-Line architectural ironmongers is a fabulous place to be. Lambs to the slaughter really.

Nu-Lines used to be my regular stopping point for massive chrome handrails etc and all the Hafele odds and sods. I didn't know you hung out there as well as at the off licence in Hammersmith, Martin! (I was down there last Saturday...I did look for you on the park bench near Tescos...bit wet though)

 

[ScotiaLass]

I had a laminate floor in the kitchen but since my dog has hip/elbow dysplasia, the vet recommended we replaced it with something non-slip.
I now have industrial carpet tiles down. Not that pretty (and wouldn't be my first choice) but it serves it's purpose!

 

[MontyVeda]

Every propery cyclist will tell you "go steel, it's real."
And you will have the professional kitchen look, all you need then is a sweary Gordon Ramsey to finish the look.

i did spot a lino last night with that effect... quite tempting as my kitchen is also my workshop... or, at the moment, my workshop has a sink, fridge and oven in it.

 

[rich p]

I once asked a floorer if you needed to moisten cork tiles before laying them.
It was a bit indistinct but I think he said something about a corksoaker.

 

[Aperitif]

Why not trawl the suppliers and get samples of all the ones you like and create a unique floor, little by little? Include LPs in some spaces by all means...encapsulating resin heats up on curing though, so watch out for warped vinyl! The Amtico ones can be cut into all sorts of shapes too, and some interesting effects can be realised. Put them in the oven to warm and cut curves with ease. Best to roll them with a very heavy steel roller after fixing for the best work. In the 80s someone I worked with drew plank lines on chipboard with brown/grey magic markers...looked ok once sealed.
Leave whatever you're going to lay (roll vinyl I am ultimately guessing) in the room for a day or so before laying it. A newspaper template of all the cuts might help too. Tape it all together and trace around the shape with a water-based pen, cut and fit. Pros seem to be able to do it 'in-situ' - maybe you could?

 

[MontyVeda]

How about real Linoleum? Natural, antibacterial, hard wearing, looks really good when professionally laid with a pattern.

...

Hello Night Train

The issue I'm having with 'lino' is every seller calls any flat vinyl flooring thing lino. What was once a specific product using linseed oil (i think) is now a generic term for any flooring that isn't wood, stone, ceramic or carpet. How would one even find 'real' linoleum these days? (theere used to be a mahoosive lino factory down by the river, but that's flatter than the lino it once produced these days)

 

[MontyVeda]

.

I once asked a floorer if you needed to moisten cork tiles before laying them.
It was a bit indistinct but I think he said something about a corksoaker.

that's a joke, right?