I am renovating some apartments and have decided to use vinyl plank flooring in a Honey Pine color to lighten up my apartments. I have talked to multiple flooring experts and they highly recommend it. I have also read the reviews for this type of product on Lowes.com or HomeDepot.com and customers seem very pleased when they prepare the subfloor properly. I was in an auto dealership service office yesterday that used the vinyl plank flooring,and it they love it. I looked really good, not quite hardwood floors, but pretty close!

Hi Rachael and rhjaai Regarding batch numbers................I have not heard that one before, wondering who advised you of that, and which product. Quickstep, Godfrey Hirst, and other quality manufacturers do not have batches, as such, that require matching. You can replace a plank with another batch and it will make no difference. Rachael, I agree you have perfectly matched the floor with cabinet sample, and will look great, but if you haven't already purchased, I'd recommend you look at http://www.karndean.com/en-nz/floors/easy-fit-ranges/karndean-looselay These vinyl planks are amazing and are quickly becoming a best seller here in NZ, soft underfoot, easy to keep clean, R10 slip rating ( R11 is required behind bars/clubs etc, so very high), lifetime residential warranty, and look great.

Hi Lorraine, sorry I missed your question. I only bought this house a few months back and the glue has deteriorated anyway so I used the steam mop to test it out before I get new flooring. Because many animals lived in this house I was hoping the steam would help kill germs. I've read so many opinions on the use of steam on both vinyl and laminate so I'm at a bit of a loss now. One of my joeys has laminate and has been using a steam mop on it for 12 years now with no ill effects at all, despite that supposedly being a big no-no, but she found it so quick and efficient when the kids were toddlers particularly and the floor needed doing almost daily. I just have to wonder these days how much manufacturers are protecting themselves and not giving consumers honest information. How often do you buy an item of cotton clothing and then find the label says "dry clean only". This does not mean the item can't be washed, it is to protect the manufacturer from someone doing something like washing in boiling water. We need more transparency in care instructions, only then can consumers make informed decisions on the right product for them. If steam is going to affect the glue, then it follows water will too so then it comes down to just how do you clean your floors. Manufacturers' special products that are always ridiculously expensive are not the answer and having access to these products is not always possible for country people either. I believe there are two types of vinyl planks too - one type are glued down, the others are a floating floor which would not require glue, but I was told in the event of damage, a glued plank is much easier to replace than one in a floating floor. There are so many glues on the market now too, there must be one that could be used to reglue a plank that has come adrift.

Hi Georgie Laminates are pretty ordinary... Essentially they are an mdf (medium density fibre board) with a print over the top and a wear coating over that. The focus of the advertising for these products is that the wear layer has so many years etc etc.... What they don't say is that MDF does not like water so every time you mop it the water gets into the joins and it swells right at the edges of each and every board..... just like the joins on those old orange/green benchtops from years ago... that is why 'hybrids' have been developed which instead of mdf use a blend of limestone and vinyl... to get a water proof finish... we don't have feedback on these yet to comment. personally, of the 3 you are looking at I would choose a good quality vinyl plank eg Karndean.. it's tough and will take a beating... I would recommend you do your research by going to a couple of different flooring outlets, hearing all the opinions/stories and then go with what you feel comfy long term and not what is on 'special'... Cheers