Yeah, attention to detail really matters. I wouldn't be happy with those finishes. We're considering Karndean for our whole house floor replacement later in the year. Where are you based? Did you go through Karndean directly or a flooring shop or independent contractor? Did you consider other brands? Other than the detailing have you been happy with the finished result? Looks lovely in the kitchen photo. :) Appreciate your thoughts!

I've contacted the business involved and they are very happy to come and do any repairs required. I forwarded the pictures and they agreed that it's not quite up to scratch. I think the layer was new to the business so perhaps he needs further training.....anyway, they've been really good to deal with the whole way through so I don't anticipate any problems in having things bought up to scratch.

Kateanddrhys, we're in Brisbane and went through a local flooring installation business. Family owned, and the service has been great. We went with Karndean as it's been around the longest I believe, but also because we liked the Ashland. We pulled up the carpet and now have the plank right through the entire house and I love not having carpet! It is excellent to live on, I'm very pleased with the final result. I have a cordless vacuum cleaner so we run around the main areas with that each day and it looks magic. I'd love to see your floor once you have it down and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have :-)

Thanks so much for responding, trishok. We're in Melbourne and Karndean have a big showroom not far from us, so we're hoping to go and have a look some time soon. The Ashland certainly looks lovely and is quite like we're hoping to go for - we live near the beach and are wanting something light but with natural and grey tones. It's such a big decision - we are preparing to renovate our whole house (extension to add a bedroom so the kids each have their own space) and so many decisions to be made!! At the moment the whole house has carpet except for tiles in the bathroom and old vinyl in the kitchen. We've got three pretty young kids still (3, 7, and 9), so I want to at least replace the carpet in the entry, main thoroughfare through the house plus in the dining and living room. So the new flooring needs to be able to take a bit of a beating, which is why we're kind of steering clear of expensive real hardwood flooring options. We haven't liked any of the laminates we've looked at and tiles are too cold / hard, which leaves us with the luxury vinyl options! :) Will definitely update you when we've made a choice and it's been laid!! Exciting. So pleased you got a good response from your flooring company - I'm a big believer in judging businesses not necessarily by the mistakes they might make (everyone is capable of a bad day!), but rather how they react to and fix them. Sounds like you got a good one. :)

This is interesting - we have built a new house with vinyl planking laid through the entry/kitchen/dining area. The first layer was also new to the job and we ended up with a botched job - the whole thing was laid off-square to the walls, so that the lines were not parallel to the walls but at a slight angle (started off against one wall and by the time it got to the other end of the fairly long wall the edge was about 20mm away from the wall!!! We got the boss of the company to come have a look and he agreed it was an awful job - they had to pull up the whole floor and start again!! And the worst part was that the colour we had chosen was discontinued so we had to start choosing all over again!! They got an experienced layer to do it again and the result was fantastic - we are more than happy with it now.

Hi everyone, thanks for your comments. Kate, I think you'll find it will be great with the kids. A friend has kids and a couple of dogs running around on hers and it looks great - very sturdy. I do agree the step definitely needs redoing. I'm going to walk him around the house and point out anything I think doesn't look professional. And I do agree, mistakes can happen and as long as they are rectified I can accept that. The guy we're dealing with is part owner of the business and was a layer for 10 years before going into the sales side. He has offered to come and do the fix up himself so I'm happy with that.

Re the colour, I originally thought that we'd end up with a timber shade of some sort, but the house is small and I like the white washed, light beige look of the Ashland. I'll be interested to see what you choose. Very exciting times ahead, lots of work but it will be lovely to have a new house!

Best of luck,

Trish

another idea is cork a lady at work loves it she said it's nice to walk on and easy to take care..

http://www.premiumfloors.com.au/cork/readycork-vita-oak-java/?filter=

We had cork and had it ground back to replace it with vinyl planking. I have to say, the maintenance for cork is easy until it gets wet, until you reach 10 years and have to have it sanded and resealed. Ours was 15+ years old and had started bubbling from where the sealant was compromised (regular wear and tear) and lifted. Also, if ever you change your mind the removal is horrendous. It needs to be scraped and ground off which is a dusty, dirty job. Personally, from living with it, vinyl is a much more sound option (it also makes the room feel warmer) :-)

yes she's just had hers sanded back and resealed..

crap job...I had areas the same and was very disappointed because its not cheap.

Everyone out there...make sure that your installer does not rush and if he has an apprentice, make sure he understands to take particular care near wet areas.

trishok, looking to install Karndean in my house. Just wondering if you're pleased with your vinyl planks... 10 months down the track?

Hi rundle0909, yes, we are extremely pleased with our floor! It is super easy to keep clean and now that we have no carpet, I just run through with the cordless vac every couple of days and mop over the kitchen area weekly. The other areas get mopped only when I have time, and look good all the time. There's just the two of us and no pets so things remain fairly clean. The kitchen I mop more often because I'm a keen cook and it needs more attention. I have to say I have no negative comments at all! Love the colour, probably more than when it was installed. The house is so light and airy now, I've gone quite neutral with the place (curtains etc), but have added a bit of pop here and there with colourful homewares. I am awaiting delivery of two bright red sofas, and that will finish the place off! Best of luck with whatever you decide, would love to see your photos.