Karndean,any of you guys do it?

[Billy Hunt]

Hi guys,any of you lot offer a karndean fitting service along with tiling?.
I ask because alot of kitchen splashys i do the customer has chosen karndean for the floor as opposed to tiles.

I worked along side a couple of fitters this week and they say its pretty straight forward to do,setting out is just like tile set outs,most important area is getting the floor flat.

Anyone done the Karndean course or got any info on it?

Much obliged Billy Hunt.

[Sir Ramic]

talk to Chrisroe, he fits it.

[Oli]

I dont know if its along the same lines but i've fitted the vinly laminte wood effect tiles from wickes for a customer in an undertairs recess, only about 3m2 though and only once, it had a self adhesive backing and the strips were trimmed with a stanley knife.

[tfs]

The sticky back stuff is nothing like Karndean in terms of quality and ease of fitting.

Like most things there are specs that must be met and sub floor prep requirements etc.

I have fitted Karndean tile and plank flooring and have experience in the other brands such as polyflor, amtico and harvey maria etc.

In my opinion a decent tiler can lay this stuff just as effeciently as he can ceramics.

Flat surface is true, and when laying over a plywood surface you need to feather finish the joints between each board with a compound. Ive heard of guys doing this before tiling over floors too.

I was looking into the karndean course a while back and found it to be rather pricey. I would reccomend attending the Polyflor course in luxury design floor fitting. They will go over the same stuff and are a bigger company with more experience. What you would find however is the same with any other compant they all say that specific products are to be used with there floor coverings etc, etc.


You will find info on the course at the polyflor website or Karndean international website

Polyflor Technical documents

http://www.karndean.com/about.asp?option=training

[365drills]

Of course the other one out there is Amtico.


Amtico do a lot of floor coverings and its a bit pricey. £70 psm and £100 psm fitted

[chrisroe]

it fits well with a tilers skills and solves the ongoing debate of how to tile onto wood

[Billy Hunt]

Great replys,thanks guys.

[bathroomboy]

I installed a bathroom and tiling this year and the customer got this flooring which I declined to fit as it was so expensive and the instruction lituriture was about an inch thick wad of A4 probably was quite easy but wouldn't take the risk.

[doug boardley]

not done it myself,it's mainly carpet fitters round my way that do karndean, amtico etc

[tfs]

not done it myself,it's mainly carpet fitters round my way that do karndean, amtico etc

lol, some guys would be offended by that comment!

Guys in the flooring trade who dont specialise in just carpet usualy consider themselves to be floor layers. More skilled offering installation of lino, vinyl and carpet, sometimes wood and tile too.

[tfs]

lol, some guys would be offended by that comment!

Guys in the flooring trade who dont specialise in just carpet usualy consider themselves to be floor layers. More skilled offering installation of lino, vinyl and carpet, sometimes wood and tile too.

dont get me wrong though, some folks who do carpet only, really excell compared to floor layers. There is alot more involved with carpet than meets the eye. Like any trade there is basic and there is advanced most work done by your average carpet shop carpet fitter, is basic. Incorporating complex borders and hot seam welding with patterned design etc, etc is where the skill is.

[doug boardley]

my wife's friend had either amtico or karndean layed on conservatory floor and it's got bleached by the sun!

[chrisroe]

my wife's friend had either amtico or karndean layed on conservatory floor and it's got bleached by the sun!

what up in the lakes#

it only bloody rains up there

it is great stuff but reacts like lino with sun bleach etc but its great for wood floors

[doug boardley]

what up in the lakes#

it only bloody rains up there

it is great stuff but reacts like lino with sun bleach etc but its great for wood floors

it doesn't always rain up here, sometimes it p****s down!

[chrisroe]

to be fair i have never been to the lakes which i know is a waste as
a i like a drop of rain
b my bro runs a moutain equipment shop
3 i like a good walk
4 sorry i have just remembered i stopped off on route to scotland on a stag do

and it wasnt raining

[Vinyl man]

Hi Billy

Yes m8 i specialize in the full supply prep and fitting of both Karndean and Amtico (trained in both).
If you need any help or i can help you out with an installation then please let me know.

cheers buddy

jason

[burncross]

Hi Billy

Yes m8 i specialize in the full supply prep and fitting of both Karndean and Amtico (trained in both).
If you need any help or i can help you out with an installation then please let me know.

cheers buddy

jason

How do you get info about training/fitting courses for Karndean and Amtico?
Thinking about diversifying my talents!

[div]

it is pretty straight foward doing on the flat but up the coving little more difficult ...ur heatting gun an attachments are pretty exspensive starting price £385 and up ...as for prices my work sent me on a basic 5 day course cost £400 i think ...then on job training with more exprienced guys from work but setting out much the same as tiling... addy very STRONG so wear masks.. stuff we lay is alto..flooring

[Uheat]

Hi ya,

do you need fitter only?
If you require supply and fit i have a name and number of a karndean supplier. If you would like it please PM me.

[div]

sorry last post typed in £400..instead of £1400...

[Vinyl man]

U never ever use a heat gun, 1. u dont need it, 2. it alters the properties in the product and will almost always try and peel back off the floor.
If ur good enough u wont use 1.
the last time i looked the courses were 450 plus vat each
they run for 3 consecutive days from 9am to 5pm with 3 breaks

[div]

so wat do u use for your welds then..we were shown 2 use the heat 2 help soften vinyl so easier 2 manouvre an manipulate in ur internal an external corners an for running ur welds when adjoining flooring and 2 soften the coving for flooring 2 slide under at top off cove ..sorry if i sound out off line here ..no offence ment but ur prob more exp. than me just the way were shown on course as for price i did think it was £400 then asked boss how much he is prob taking...colin nish...with the price when he say £1400....lol

[Dave]

so wat do u use for your welds then..we were shown 2 use the heat 2 help soften vinyl so easier 2 manouvre an manipulate in ur internal an external corners an for running ur welds when adjoining flooring and 2 soften the coving for flooring 2 slide under at top off cove ..sorry if i sound out off line here ..no offence ment but ur prob more exp. than me just the way were shown on course as for price i did think it was £400 then asked boss how much he is prob taking...colin nish...with the price when he say £1400....lol

I think ther Altro installation is a lot different to kardean.....and a lad i know uses a seam welder for his Altro joints...

[div]

is the seam welder an attachment u put on ur heat gun dave..we were shown how to fit using the rubber coving top an bottom coving at the course but at work we only use rubber cove at bottom an plastic at top for tiles the guys i do it with always use the heat so softon flooring as when its cold u can easly crease it when laying it into position.. again dont want 2 sound out off line lol

[Dave]

read my post again.......it's not me who installs it but my mate.....

[div]

sorry mate got mixed up reading the threads.... friday night...no lager vouchers ...so stuck in house with beer left over from new year..lol

[div]

vinly man would b intersted on how u fit vinly up the cove without using any form off heat...again dont want 2 sound out off line but is a genuine ?? mate. cheers..

[Vinyl man]

sorry bout that im a dedicated karndean and amtico installer, i misunderstood u in ur original post. i thort u were talking about karndean....my mistake.
by the way u do use heat on altro, safety flooring etc

[Stewart]