Most people pick flooring twice in their lives, so it is worth getting it right. The three big questions are: which type of floor suits the room, how much do you need, and how do you know the price you see is the price you pay. This guide answers all three.
Laminate, LVT, SPC, engineered. The plain-language difference.
Laminate is a printed wood-grain layer fused onto a high-density fibreboard core. It is the most affordable of the four and the easiest to install yourself. Modern laminate is convincing visually and tough underfoot. The weakness is moisture: standing water that sits for a few hours can swell the core, so laminate is not for bathrooms or laundry rooms.
LVT (luxury vinyl tile) is a printed design layer on a 100% PVC core. Fully waterproof, quieter underfoot than laminate, and softer to stand on. The best LVT is almost indistinguishable from real wood at a metre away. Suitable for every room in the house, including bathrooms and kitchens.
SPC (stone polymer composite) is the newer cousin of LVT, with a rigid stone-and-plastic core that resists dents and movement better than standard LVT. Effectively waterproof and dimensionally stable, so it can handle underfloor heating without complaint. The trade-off is it can feel a touch colder underfoot than standard LVT.
Engineered wood is real wood. A thin top layer of solid oak, walnut or ash, bonded to a stable plywood core. It looks and feels like solid wood because the surface is solid wood, but the plywood underneath stops it warping the way solid timber sometimes does. The most expensive of the four, and the one we recommend if the look of real wood matters to you.
Where each one works
| Room | Best choice | Acceptable | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | LVT or SPC | Engineered | Laminate (long-term) |
| Bathroom | LVT or SPC | Tile | Laminate, Engineered |
| Living room | Engineered or LVT | Laminate | (no bad option) |
| Bedroom | Engineered, Carpet, LVT | Laminate | (no bad option) |
| Hallway | SPC or LVT | Engineered, Laminate | Carpet |
| Conservatory | SPC | LVT | Laminate, Engineered |
| Underfloor heating | SPC | LVT, Engineered | (check rating) |
How to measure a room properly
Most people measure the wrong number once, the right number once, and end up ordering ten percent too little. Here is the version that works.
- Measure the longest wall (length, in metres).
- Measure the perpendicular wall (width, in metres).
- Multiply for the basic area. A 4.2m by 3.6m room is 15.1m².
- Add 10% for cutting waste. So 15.1 becomes 16.6m². On herringbone or any diagonal pattern, add 15%.
- Round up to a whole pack. If our packs are 1.51m² each, you need 11 packs to be safe.
Our flooring product pages do this calculation for you. Enter your room length and width and we show packs needed, total cost and an option to include underlay and beading.
The underlay question
Underlay matters more than people think. Cheap underlay halves the lifespan of an otherwise good floor because it lets the floor flex too much over years of footfall.
The two underlay specs worth knowing are density (the higher, the better the floor will feel) and tog rating (how much heat insulation, important on solid floors but irrelevant over concrete with underfloor heating).
For laminate and engineered: a 5mm rubber or wood-fibre underlay is the right answer for most floors.
For LVT and SPC: most click-system LVT and SPC have integral underlay attached. You do not need a separate layer. Adding one can actually invalidate the warranty because the click system needs to sit on a hard subfloor.
Why our prices are lower than the high street
We used to have a physical showroom in the West Midlands. Closed it three years ago. The savings on rent, staff and stock-holding mean we can sell the same products at less than most high-street equivalents. We are one of the few independent retailers that sells direct from manufacturer-warehouses in the UK.
That is also why our delivery is three to seven working days on most flooring. The stock is real, not drop-shipped from somewhere far away.
Common mistakes
Ordering exactly the calculated area. Always add the 10% waste margin. If you finish a room and the planks were cut perfectly, you saved 10%. If they were not, you saved a fortune in delivery delays.
Skipping the moisture-meter test on concrete subfloors. A new concrete slab can take six weeks to dry properly. Laying any floating floor on a damp subfloor will cause swelling within a year. The test costs less than £20 and takes ten minutes.
Ignoring the expansion gap. Every floating floor needs a 10mm gap around the perimeter. The skirting board hides it. If you fit a floor tight to the wall, it will buckle the first time the room heats up in summer.
Where to start
If you are not sure which floor type fits your room, send us a photo. WhatsApp 0731 040 6150 or hello@aurino.co.uk. We will tell you what would work, what to avoid, and which range gives you the best look for your budget.
