Costs - Porcelanosa tiles versus Karndean versus something else

[Clariman]

We are buying a new build property and need to make a quick decision on whether we will go with their Porcelanosa floor tiling which will be installed as part of the build - or to wait and choose to install something else when we get the keys. We have Porcelanosa tiles in our current property so know the look and the pros and cons. At this point I only need to get an estimate of relative costs.

The builder's price for supply and fit of Porcelanosa tiles in a room of 7.2 square meters is £767 and another that is 4.7 sqm is £407. How would that compare to other floor coverings (not carpet) e.g. Karndean? These are utility room and WC. The hall and kitchen are much larger but are irregular shapes so I cannot get a reasonable sqm measurement.

So I'm just looking for a broad view of whether other flooring types might be less expensive than these tiles. We have tiles in hall and kitchen of our current home. They look very smart, are easy to clean, but can be cold underfoot in the winter months. So wondering whether other coverings are less expensive and maybe warmer underfoot.

Thanks
C

[Adamski]

Hi, with our new home we went with Amtico wood effect flooring in the Kitchen, Utility and Bathrooms. Cheaper to do after through local supplier rather than through the housebuilder.

[DrFfybes]

Mum had Karndean installed - it looked like expensive lino squares.

It was neatly installed, but for what it cost I was very unimpressed.

[AsleepInYorkshire]

We are buying a new build property and need to make a quick decision on whether we will go with their Porcelanosa floor tiling which will be installed as part of the build - or to wait and choose to install something else when we get the keys. We have Porcelanosa tiles in our current property so know the look and the pros and cons. At this point I only need to get an estimate of relative costs.

The builder's price for supply and fit of Porcelanosa tiles in a room of 7.2 square meters is £767 and another that is 4.7 sqm is £407. How would that compare to other floor coverings (not carpet) e.g. Karndean? These are utility room and WC. The hall and kitchen are much larger but are irregular shapes so I cannot get a reasonable sqm measurement.

So I'm just looking for a broad view of whether other flooring types might be less expensive than these tiles. We have tiles in hall and kitchen of our current home. They look very smart, are easy to clean, but can be cold underfoot in the winter months. So wondering whether other coverings are less expensive and maybe warmer underfoot.

Thanks
C

If you have underfloor heating this will remove the cold feel of tiles. Failing which I'd "walk" around a tiled floor finish.

I've never used Karndean and have no idea of price. I'd be tempted to look at an alternative 2mm thick lino floor. Spend your money on other areas of the finish of your home. Lino can be replaced far more cheaply than tiled floors. These aren't rooms you will spend a great deal of time in

Hope that helps, but also hope you're enjoying the process and looking forward to the move whenever that is

AiY(D)

[Clariman]

If you have underfloor heating this will remove the cold feel of tiles. Failing which I'd "walk" around a tiled floor finish.

I've never used Karndean and have no idea of price. I'd be tempted to look at an alternative 2mm thick lino floor. Spend your money on other areas of the finish of your home. Lino can be replaced far more cheaply than tiled floors. These aren't rooms you will spend a great deal of time in

Hope that helps, but also hope you're enjoying the process and looking forward to the move whenever that is

AiY(D)

Thanks. We have a tiled hall and kitchen in our current house but were wondering if other floor coverings might be cheaper. We like the smart look and practicability of a neutral floor tile in these areas.

The kitchen in the new property is kitchen/family/dining so we might spend the majority of our time in it. There is a separate Iiving room which we'll have carpeted.

Unfortunately only the bathrooms will have underfloor heating.

For looks and practicability we'd go with tiles even though they are cool underfoot. However if a classy vinyl was a lot cheaper that might swing it that way.

C

[AF62]

The builder's price for supply and fit of Porcelanosa tiles in a room of 7.2 square meters is £767 and another that is 4.7 sqm is £407. How would that compare to other floor coverings (not carpet) e.g. Karndean? These are utility room and WC.

I have my kitchen, bathrooms, and downstairs WC in Karndean.

The most recent one a couple of years ago was the WC with a floor area of around 4sqm which cost £250 fitted with the floor screeded.

The Karndean itself costs between £40 and £80 a box (the ones I used were mid range at about £60) with a box covering around 3.4sqm, so for the WC job it did mean I did need two boxes and there was almost a full box left over.

The kitchen was done over ten years ago and the floor still looks as good as it was when installed.

[UncleEbenezer]

Mum had Karndean installed - it looked like expensive lino squares.

It was neatly installed, but for what it cost I was very unimpressed.

Depends a lot on the room, of course. Natural stone (or the best of the porcelain imitations) is great but not always practical, and of course laminate is a relatively safe bet. Bamboo or cork can be great in the right context. None of those need cost much, though a passable stone-imitation seems to cost significantly more than the equivalent real thing (until installation and maintenance costs reverse that difference).

I too was deeply unimpressed when I saw Karndean. If you want lino-style, go for a modern version of the real thing, like https://floormart.co.uk/forbo-marmoleum-modular/

[Dod101]

I think for a WC, porcelain tiling is the thing. Easy to clean and hygienic. Elsewhere I think it is personal choice. In my utility room I have some sort of very hard carpeting and it works well, is hardwearing and is easy to clean. Also relatively warm underfoot if that matters.

Presumably these coverings are intended as a long term solution so I would not focus on cost but rather on what you feel comfortable with.

Dod

[bungeejumper]

The builder's price for supply and fit of Porcelanosa tiles in a room of 7.2 square meters is £767 and another that is 4.7 sqm is £407. How would that compare to other floor coverings (not carpet) e.g. Karndean? These are utility room and WC. The hall and kitchen are much larger but are irregular shapes so I cannot get a reasonable sqm measurement.

So I'm just looking for a broad view of whether other flooring types might be less expensive than these tiles.

Don't get me wrong, but if I were spending new-build money on a property, a flooring cost of around £100 per square metre (fitted) wouldn't get in the way of what I really wanted. You can spend £70 a sq m just on carpet without trying too hard. And the poncy-laminate floor in our downstairs loo cost us the thick end of £700 for 5 square metres.

But heck, it was what we wanted, and we were probably only going to spend the money once. If you know that you like Porcelanosa, and the issues around the cold surface aren't prohibitive (btw, electric underfloor heating comes in at around £50 per square metre), then I'd be inclined to let cost take second place in my considerations. But it's a very personal decision.

BJ

[Clariman]

Thanks everyone. We are going with the tiles. We have them in our current home and find them very practical. You make good points about buying what one wants rather than cutting corners. I have been forever LBYM. I'm quite happy to spend large sums but I need to psyche myself up for it.

At this stage of life I had assumed our next move would be to somewhere smaller where we'd release some equity. It is taking me a while to come to terms with the fact that the opposite is the case! It is bigger and a little more expensive .... but it will be great

[Dod101]

Thanks everyone. We are going with the tiles. We have them in our current home and find them very practical. You make good points about buying what one wants rather than cutting corners. I have been forever LBYM. I'm quite happy to spend large sums but I need to psyche myself up for it.

At this stage of life I had assumed our next move would be to somewhere smaller where we'd release some equity. It is taking me a while to come to terms with the fact that the opposite is the case! It is bigger and a little more expensive .... but it will be great

Yes fundamentally life is for living! You only get one chance, as far as I know.

Dod