@terrhess - I'm considering a Karndean floor and hope this will reach you. How do you like your floor now that it's two years later? thanks!

Hi - I'm okay with it; it is practical, looks nice, and all that. I have two comments, though:

1) I had some leakage from my refrigerator and the floor is buckled; not horribly, but enough that I see and feel it, so that's not my favorite thing.

2) I think I'm gonna sound snobbish on this one, but...oh, well. I have a beautiful kitchen; I spent more money than I anticipated, but I am glad I did. I love the extras that make it "mine." The one thing that bothers me is the floor (now). I originally asked my contractor about the possibility of a used brick floor because I like rustic, farmhouse touches. He is a new, shiny, straight lines kind of person and when I mentioned the brick, he looked at me like I'd lost my mind, so I thought I was crazy...I backed off and never brought it up again. This specific product, Karndean, was his idea (practical and reasonable) and that is probably what bothers me more than anthing else. It's not me (left of center and a little Bohemian/off-beat)...this flooring is the least "me" thing in the kitchen.

My takeaway: This is a good product; nobody else complains or dislikes it or says anything negative. So if you love it, go for it! On the other hand...Don't compromise if this important to you...even if your contractor/husband/kids look at you like you're crazy :)

P.S. Someday I'll get my used brick!

You don't sound snobbish at all and I hope you get your used brick. I want the look of a dark stained wood floor against white cabinets but do not want to overspend on the floors. I also want durability. The Karndean samples I've seen are beautiful as are the photos of the floor in place. I think I'm going to go with that brand. I really appreciate the reply!

I was just introduced to Karndean flooring for my remodel. I want wood floors but I have a yellow lab that runs up and down the hall. Anyone have an opinion? Does it feel "cheap" because it's not real wood? Does it give the house any resale value?

I went to see samples and LOVE the look and feel of the art select karndean. It is the best real looking vinyl I have seen. I like their cheaper grades but the art select seems supreme...but you pay a big price difference. Is it worth it in the long run? Our store here sells it for 6.50/sf. Is that price rediculous?

Hi Kathy-beautiful kitchen and great choice in floor! What color/design is this? Is this dusk oak?

Kathy Christie, I'm trying to decide on flooring for my kitchen, living room, and hallway. You said this floor matches everything which is what I'm trying to find. My walls are Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter. Do you think they would go well together? I've been looking at grey flooring but I'm worried everything is going to be too similar. Also, I don't want it to be too cold looking with all grey. I'm going for more comfy and cozy.

Terhess, you know how many people tried to talk me out of saltillo? LOTS. But I insisted and and I LOVE how it looks.

I'm not sure about that brand of composite flooring, but I was told by Home Depot that the composite flooring I put in my son's bedroom would be more resilient than hardwood. It looks good, but it isn't. It scratchs just as easily and is just as adversely affected by water. And it can't be refinished like a good hardwood floor. So personally, I don't recommend composite floors. Hardwood has obviously stood the test of time.

We bought a house built in 1991. It is fraught with design problems--but we loved the 5 acres of old growth forest and the west facing waterfront over the Hood Canal with an unbelievable Olympic mountain view. There's nothing like living on the water! We own the very private tide lands. So I have been picking away at the house for 18 years now. Most of the house's flooring is beautiful terra cotta tiles-- all hand made in Mexico. Some have dog prints! There was a lot of beige wall to wall carpeting. I took all of it out, and recarparted only 2 rooms--my daughter's cozy little bedroom and my husband's home office. As I said in an early comment, I tried composite flooring in my rather wild teenage son's room-- thinking it would be more resilient than hardwood. It isn't:

Above is what happened to it .

Compared to this beautiful, surprisingly tough and refinishable hardwood floor .

Here's my terra cotta flooring: the photo above shows the color and individually in each tile-- this one has a dog's footprint!

I just love the natural beauty, I guess...

@Kathy Christie after a few months do you have any comments on durability of the product? Considering the Van gogh line in my kitchen/living room and I have a couple large dogs...

Timothea McAuley I had Karndean Van Gogh installed a month or so ago now, and have a large dog. I haven't seen any scratches or dings yet. But I can say that makes sure you subfloor is PERFECT and spotless. I am seeing telegraphing through the planks where there may be extremely small debris (pebble) and small little "mounds" here or there.

Just wondering if people that have Karndean floors feel the need to use the remove and refresh products they sell or there is no need to use them. Seems to me that it makes cleaning them a lot more complicated if one needs to use them , instead of just mopping them. Thanks!

Thanks! that's helpful to know. Their info is confusing, it seems like eventuallyeverybody will have to use them

@Kathy Christie is there a reason you did not use Karndean in the bathroom? We just put it in our kitchen (same color as yours!) I was such a skeptic at first and I LOVE it! We were considering it for the mudroom and powder room off of the kitchen, too.

I put Karndean Long Board Loose Lay (we glued it down) in our new master bedroom and bathroom and I LOVE it. We will be putting it everywhere else in the house when it comes time to redo the floors. It is so soft and comfortable on the feet, and so far has been easy to maintain.

It was also very easy for an amateur to install.

Like Jen said you have to make sure the subfloor is perfect and debris free. We found a couple "pops" throughout the floor. But it was easy enough to lift up a plank (even glued down) and pull out the tiny piece of dirt. Instantly fixed. We made extra sure to sink all nails and feather all underlayment seams.

Kathy Christie or to anybody else who has used the Karndean on stairway.... Would you mind sharing images of your stairway? I read earlier that the product is not recommended for stairways. Would like to see how yours turned out and what you used for bullnose?

ladygibbs, how do you like your Karndean loose lay? Still happy with it?

Jarah, did you go with Karndean? I am looking at the Natural KOA now. It's so gorgeous.