How modern vinyl flooring takes notes from nature

Without the maintenance associated with natural timber flooring, vinyl plank flooring is an easy-care, stylish solution.

While many might be familiar with the retro, black and white vinyl tiles, the flooring product is now available in many colours, patterns and textures. And by taking inspiration directly from nature, the possibilities are endless.

“Flooring brand Karndean has a team that travels around the world and photographs trees, stones – anything that’s beautiful,” shares Floorwise’s Amber Thompson.

The photographs are then used to translate the patterns of nature – every notch in a tree, the texture of a plant – into vinyl plank flooring. With the colour and the style of the flooring sourced directly from the environment, it means that unique patterns and textures are continuously being added to the collection.

“Karndean makes their planks look as realistic as possible, with the benefit of them being vinyl,” says Amber.

“With real timber, obviously it scratches, dents, and fades. With vinyl, you’ve got more scratch resistance and it doesn’t fade.”

Amber explains that the product is also warmer underfoot and more versatile than solid timber floorboards: “I don’t think people realise the extent of how far vinyl has developed over time. A lot of people still use the word ‘lino’, but now vinyl has evolved into a plank – it’s no longer a sheet of vinyl.”

While laminate can be better suited for areas exposed to direct sunlight, vinyl is waterproof and can be used in wet areas. It is also resilient to changes in temperature, spills and leaks, as well as household items being dropped – meaning it will stand the test of time in a busy home environment, as well as in high-traffic commercial areas.

Karndean’s rigid core and LooseLay products also have a specially formulated acoustic backing, ideal for reducing noise transfer in two-storey homes – another key benefit of vinyl.

“The difference between laminate and the rigid core vinyl flooring is that you need to install an acoustic underlay for laminate,” says Amber, and explains that this is because Karndean’s flooring is made from a vinyl composition that is soft and malleable, as opposed to laminate which is created using rigid fibreboard.

“Rigid core can be installed by a professional quickly and easily over most existing hard floors, as well as over imperfect subfloors. The acoustic underlay is actually attached to the board, making it cheaper for the end user when purchasing as they don’t have to buy a separate product – it’s already attached.”

Karndean flooring also further simplifies the installation process with its Gluedown range – skirting boards don’t need to be removed to lay the flooring.

“It’s a new generation of Gluedown product without the added pressure,” says Amber.

Explore Karndean flooring from Floorwise.