Short answer: if you want a marble or stone floor at laminate money, Falquon is the German-made range we’d point you at. Their prints are the most convincing on the UK laminate market — under warm lighting a Falquon Carrara can pass for polished stone from more than a foot away. Prices sit in the £62/m² bracket for their High Gloss stone-effect range, which is premium for laminate but half of engineered stone. This guide walks through what makes Falquon different, where the range works, and the honest downside no one else writes about.
We’re an authorised Falquon reseller. We picked the range because their marble-look designs are the ones our own founders installed at home — the tell of a floor we actually trust. Take that context on board before the rest.
Who Falquon actually is
Falquon is a German laminate manufacturer that made its reputation on high-gloss stone-effect designs. They’ve been around for a little over two decades, which is younger than Kaindl by some margin, but their positioning is specific: instead of trying to cover the whole flooring category, they doubled down on stone and marble looks and became the acknowledged specialist in that niche. Their “Blue Line” series is still one of the most recognisable products in European laminate showrooms.
What they get right is print depth. Cheap marble-look laminate uses a flat image printed on a single decorative layer — under raking light you can see it’s a pattern. Falquon uses their own multi-pass digital printing over a textured surface, which is why a slab looks like it has vein depth rather than a printed line. It’s the single technical thing that separates their range from the £15/m² marble-look competition.
The Falquon High Gloss range we actually stock
Nine High Gloss stone designs plus one Matt, all 8mm, all click-lock. Prices are £62.21/m² across the range (was £75.17). The designs fall into four groups:
- Classic Italian marble: Falquon Carrara Marble, Falquon Botticino Dark, Falquon Botticino Light — the recognisable veined marbles you’d see in a hotel lobby.
- Modern statement stone: Falquon Martico Nero, Falquon Martico Grigio, Falquon Pindos — bolder, darker, higher-contrast slabs for a bigger visual moment.
- Warm neutrals: Falquon Marmorata Chiara, Falquon Toscano Chiaro — softer creams and beiges that read as travertine or limestone more than pure marble.
- Pure white: Falquon White — the cleanest reflective floor in the range, best in rooms with lots of natural light.
- Matt option: Falquon Palazzo MT — same 8mm stone-effect quality but with a textured matt surface instead of high gloss. Doesn’t show marks the way the gloss designs do.
What “SwiftLoc” and Falquon’s surface tech mean
Falquon boards use SwiftLoc, a proprietary click-lock system that fastens both length and short edges in a single push-down movement. Compared to Kaindl’s One-Click 2.0, SwiftLoc is slightly more forgiving on uneven subfloors — the joints tolerate small variations without gapping. That’s a genuinely useful property in older UK houses with less-than-perfectly-level floors.
The surface is an AC4-rated wear layer over the multi-pass printed decorative layer. AC4 covers heavy residential use plus moderate commercial — the same rating as Kaindl Easy Touch. It’s not the highest rating available (AC5 exists) but it’s the right one for the price point.
The honest downside of Falquon High Gloss
Same as any high-gloss laminate — the mirror finish shows every mark. Footprints in raking light, dust in evening sun, small scuffs from moved chairs. It’s cosmetic rather than damage, but it’s the thing owners regret. The Palazzo Matt line exists for exactly this reason: same stone visual, no mark-showing.
The other Falquon-specific note: their stone-effect prints are convincing precisely because they’re big-repeat. A single Falquon board has visible marble veining that carries across the whole plank. That looks incredible, but it also means small offcuts (around door frames, along tricky walls) can leave visible pattern joins if the fitter doesn’t plan the layout carefully. Book a fitter who knows the range, or spend an evening with the boards laid out dry before you start clicking them together.
Where it works, where it doesn’t
Living rooms, dining rooms, hallways. This is where Falquon shines. The marble look at floor scale is genuinely transformative in a well-lit room, and AC4 handles daily residential wear without a mark on the surface itself. Best under warm downlights.
Kitchens. Fine, with the standard caveat that spills need wiping promptly. High gloss shows water marks quickly in raking morning light — worth siting a runner in front of the sink.
Bathrooms and wet rooms. No. None of the Falquon range at Aurino is waterproof-rated. For a stone-look bathroom floor at laminate money, look at the Kaindl White Marble Aqua Pro instead, or a proper SPC waterproof range.
Conservatories. Cautiously yes, with 12mm expansion gaps at every wall and acceptance that thermal cycling can eventually loosen click joints on any laminate.
Underfloor heating. Compatible up to a 27°C surface temperature. Use a UFH-rated underlay with thermal resistance no higher than 0.15 m²K/W.
Falquon vs the alternatives
| Property | Falquon High Gloss | Kaindl High Gloss | Egger Aqua+ | Real polished stone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marble-look print quality | Best in category | Very good | Good | Real (by definition) |
| Wood-look designs available | None in current range | Four designs | Extensive range | N/A |
| Water resistance | Splash-resistant | Splash (Aqua Pro is waterproof) | Waterproof rated | Fully waterproof (sealed) |
| Feel underfoot | Hard, warm-ish | Hard, warm-ish | Hard | Cold, unforgiving |
| Install method | Click (SwiftLoc) | Click (One-Click 2.0) | Click | Adhesive bed, wet installation |
| Typical price per m² | £62 (Aurino price) | £19 to £24 | £28 to £42 | £120 to £280 |
| Warranty | 20 years residential | 25 years residential | 25 years residential | Lifetime (material) |
| Best for | Statement stone-look rooms | Wood-look plus one marble option | Wet areas, family homes | Forever floors, no budget ceiling |
What people actually ask us
Is Falquon a good brand of laminate flooring?
Yes, especially for stone and marble looks — Falquon is the acknowledged specialist in that niche in the European laminate market. Their multi-pass printing is the technical thing that makes the difference. If you want a wood-look floor, Falquon isn’t your brand (their range is stone-effect only). If you want a marble-look floor at laminate money, they’re the strongest option we stock.
Where is Falquon made?
Germany. They manufacture in-house with their own print facility, which is why their designs are consistent from batch to batch — you can order more of the same design months later and it’ll match the boards you already laid.
Can I use Falquon laminate in a bathroom?
Not the standard High Gloss range — none of the Falquon designs at Aurino carry a waterproof rating. If bathroom is on the list, either the Kaindl White Marble Aqua Pro or a proper SPC waterproof range is the honest answer. Falquon’s high gloss is splash-resistant but standing water will lift the joints within a year.
Does Falquon laminate scratch easily?
The AC4 wear layer resists mechanical wear well. What high gloss shows more than matt is small cosmetic marks in raking light — this is universal to high-gloss floors and not a Falquon-specific issue. If mark-showing is your worry, look at the Falquon Palazzo Matt from the same range — it uses the same stone-effect print with a matt surface that hides marks the way normal laminate does.
How does Falquon compare to Kaindl?
Kaindl leads on wood-effect designs and manufacturing tolerances. Falquon leads on stone-effect designs, particularly high-contrast marble looks. If your shortlist is wood plus one marble option, Kaindl is the practical choice. If your shortlist is three marble looks, Falquon is where you’ll find the strongest designs. Both are premium-quality German-manufacturing-tier products.
What underlay do I need for Falquon laminate?
On concrete: 3mm XPS with damp-proof membrane, non-negotiable. On wooden subfloor: 3mm fibreboard for acoustic performance, or 3mm XPS on budget. Over underfloor heating: a UFH-rated underlay with thermal resistance no higher than 0.15 m²K/W. Skip cheap foam — the joints will start creaking within a year.
Which Falquon design is right for you
Classic marble in a well-lit room: Carrara Marble
The design most Falquon buyers pick first. Cool white base with grey veining, reads unmistakably as polished Carrara. Best in living rooms with lots of natural light and warm accent lighting in the evening.
Warm cream floor, pairs with wood furniture: Marmorata Chiara
Softer than Carrara — cream and beige tones with subtle veining. Pairs with oak furniture and warm neutrals in a way pure white marble doesn’t. Best in family living rooms and open-plan kitchens.
Statement dark floor, high drama: Martico Nero
Deep charcoal marble with white veining. Bold, high-contrast, and works especially well in rooms with big windows and pale walls. Not for small dark rooms — it’ll close them down.
All the stone look, none of the mark-showing: Palazzo Matt
The Falquon design for buyers who want marble on the floor but hate seeing every footprint. Same stone-effect print quality, matt surface, hides marks the way normal laminate does. Costs the same as the gloss designs.
The Falquon designs we actually recommend
Falquon Carrara Marble · 8mm High Gloss
Classic white Carrara with grey veining. The most requested Falquon design and the one we’d point new buyers at first. Multi-pass printed, SwiftLoc click, 20-year residential warranty.
Falquon Marmorata Chiara · 8mm High Gloss
Cream and beige tones with subtle veining. Pairs with oak furniture and warm neutrals. Best in family living rooms where pure Carrara would feel too cold.
Falquon Palazzo Matt · 8mm Stone Effect
Same stone-effect print quality as the High Gloss range but with a textured matt surface. Hides small marks the way normal laminate does. Priced the same as the gloss designs. Our recommendation for households where the shine appeal doesn’t outweigh the maintenance.
Browse the full laminate flooring collection at Aurino — Kaindl, Falquon, Egger and Lignum ranges. 0% finance from £15/month and free UK mainland delivery on orders over £500.
Also worth reading: the Kaindl High Gloss buyer’s guide, and the umbrella flooring guide that compares laminate against LVT, SPC and engineered.
