Karndean flooring

[malawayfromhome]

Just finished fitting Karndean EW03 Hickory Nutmeg Flooring to our Kitchen. Approx 25 Sq Mtrs. Found buying it a lot cheaper from internet and so splashed out on genuine Karndean Acrylic adhesive which is a bit pricey, but perhaps safer. Spent 2 days preparing the Concrete floor which although nice & flat, is 25 years old, and has had four coverings, with consequent damage each time a covering has been changed. Used Unibond floor leveler, followed 20 hours later by a light sanding and then Unibond sealer. eight hours later started laying 'Tiles'. Tiles are 6 inches wide, so I didnt do the usual thing of marking a centre line down the room, but started 5 inches away from the most visible wall. First few tiles I put rather too much adhesive on (I found that an A! or A2 spreading trowel was impossible to find, but got the dimensions from the internet and made a trowel myself with a straight trowel and an angle grinder. Ten minutes) I soon got the hang of scraping most of the adhesive off with the notched spreader. A word of warning the glue is very very good, well worth the extra cash. Started laying 'tiles' and at the end of the row cut the excess tile off and started the new row with that, just like the old fashioned joiners used to with wood. I left all the awkward shapes and came back to those 24 hours later when the first lot had firmed up. I found the material very tough to cut, a lot worse than Huega or Marley. I decided to try my ceramic tile circular saw (I know - silly idea). Worked wonderfully, and awlward shapes were a dream. Excess glue cleaned off 3 days later with a very light rub with white spirit. Anu questions - please ask

[Weatherlawyer]

On Mar 23, 8:36 pm, " [e-mail]"

You are a specimen of what is to be expected from Tiscali. Have you loved and loaded the ISP after hearing a radio commercial perchance? The writer of that ridiculous parody was trying to warn you to say "Nein!".

Care to try again with some paragraph spaces?

[Charles Fearnley]

We used Karndean tiles about six years ago in our kitchen refurb at the time - in this case 12 inch ones, laid with Karndean's adhesive on 9mm ply. I agree over the thickness and stability, and they have stayed as laid since - no tendency to curl or other problems, or signs of wear.

Two comments only.

We used two colours, both in a type of almost plain but slightly marbled effect. There is a border in almost black, and the main floor in a very pale grey. The black has not changed at all, but the marbled pigment in the light grey has been changed by sunlight from true grey to a blue grey - so not light fast. The effect is similar to the one you see on printed material taped to shop windows over a long period in the sun. Only part of the floor has done this, as we have french windows at one end of the kitchen.

The second point is that you should periodically glaze them - especially if they have a slightly textured surface. Not only do they look better, but it largely stops dirt collecting in the detail of the texture.

So - good tiles, stable, easy to lay, long wearing, disappointing over colour fastness. Whether the last matters to you will depend on colour and sun exposure.

Charles F

[Mike the unimaginative]

We've had Karndean fitted (not DIY) as an alternative to laminate and have been very pleased with it. As the OP seemed to say (hard to read with no paragraph breaks) preparation seems to be the key, along with using the correct adhesive. The Karndean OEM cleaning / glazing / care kits seem expensive but may be worthwhile expense in the long run.

We are seriously considering more Karndean in our main living room, hall , and downstairs loo.

[robert]

When I had some fitted 3 years ago I found a local shop willing to "supply only" at a cheaper price than the Internet suppliers ( and no carriage)!

So worth checking your local retailers for your next purchase !

Robert