Choose The Right Hard Flooring | 4Homes

Date Published:: 27/05/2008

Luxury Vinyl

Amtico is a luxury vinyl tile (LVT) that replicates natural products and their true characteristics - it is the best replica product on the market.

Polar Glass Arctic (FG019) by Amtico has a pearl-effect in cool icy tones, creating a contemporary design, that displays the beauty of glass without being cold to the touch. It costs from £55 per sq metre.

Made from a resin compounded with high quality plasticizers and stabilizers, all compressed under pressure and temperature, Amtico flooring is available in a wide range of tiles, resembling lots of different materials, from glass to wood.

To make things easy, the size of each wood strip is standard - 114mm x 915mm, and available in 2.5 sq metre boxes. The size of each stone-effect tile is 305mm x 305mm, and is also available in 2.5 sq metre boxes. Prices reflect the pre-cut tiles, however, you can have bespoke tiles cut to suit, but this will be at an extra cost, depending on the retailer you go for.

Linear Chalk (LA1) by Amtico has an overall soft neutral tone with an abstract linear pattern. It costs from £55 per sq m.

Which Rooms?

It's extremely hardwearing, making it suitable for all areas of your home including kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and living areas, but even this tough surface can be scratched and marked by sharp grit or other objects.

Advice & Tips

The best place, without doubt, for Amtico flooring is in a bathroom without underfloor heating. There, it will give you the looks of natural stone or glass or wood, but will feel much warmer underfoot.
These tiles a good choice if you have young children, since they are far more forgiving for them to fall on than other hard flooring.
Many of Amtico's designs are textured to give them the authentic look. If you are choosing tiles with a texture and you are going for a light colour, bear in mind that, although the product is easy to clean, these take much more cleaning than those with a smooth surface.
These tiles need to be laid onto a flat surface - directly onto floorboards will not produce a long-lasting or good looking result, so be prepared to board over your exisiting floor to get the smooth finish you need, and remember that this will raise your existing floor level by another few mm's.