Karndean

Karndean is a British luxury vinyl tile manufacturer and the brand most UK buyers mean when they say vinyl tile rather than sheet vinyl. Its floors are built as layers rather than cut from a material: a flexible backing, a printed design layer taken from real stone or timber, and a clear wear layer over the top that takes all of the traffic. We stock 12 Karndean floors across two ranges, sold by the square metre from £14.00 to £55.00 per square metre.

Understanding the product codes

Every Karndean design carries a short code, and that code is how the range is actually navigated. T prefixed codes such as T86, T99, T74, T88, T89 and ST5 belong to Knight Tile. CC and PEW codes such as CC01, CC03 and PEW01 belong to Da Vinci. If you have an existing Karndean floor and need to match or extend it, the code on the original invoice or on the back of a spare tile is the only reliable way to do it, because design names are reused and colours are revised.

The two ranges we stock

Knight Tile

Six designs from £33.40 to £40.08 per square metre. Knight Tile is the everyday range and the one most specified in kitchens, utility rooms and hallways. The designs we hold lean towards stone and slate effects: Dolomite, Rona, Onyx, Andecite, Soapstone and Midnight Black. Midnight Black and Onyx are the two that get used as a deliberate dark floor rather than a neutral one. See Karndean Knight Tile.

Da Vinci

Five designs from £50.06 per square metre. Da Vinci sits above Knight Tile and is where the softer colours and the wood effects live, including Rustic, Sepia, Azure, English Pewter and Alabaster. The extra money buys a more convincing surface texture and a wider palette rather than a fundamentally different construction. See Karndean Da Vinci.

T82 Serpentine

The entry point at £14.00 per square metre, and the cheapest hard floor we sell.

Prices are per square metre

Karndean is quoted and sold by the square metre, not by the pack. Measure each room in metres, multiply length by width, add the rooms together, then add 10 per cent for cuts. Add more for a diagonal or herringbone lay, or a room with a bay and a chimney breast. Getting this right first time matters more with Karndean than with laminate, because dye lots and design revisions mean a small top up order months later may not match perfectly.

Where Karndean beats the alternatives

It is fully water resistant, which is why it dominates kitchens and bathrooms where engineered wood and laminate both struggle. It is quieter and warmer underfoot than laminate. It is thin, which means far less trimming at door thresholds than a thick engineered board. And it works well over underfloor heating, within the temperature limits the manufacturer specifies.

What it will not do is replace real timber. It cannot be sanded and refinished, and close up it is a printed surface. If a genuine timber wear layer matters to you, the oak engineered flooring guide explains the alternative. What is Karndean flooring covers the construction in more depth, and our flooring buying guide compares all of the options.

Installation

The subfloor does most of the work. Karndean is thin, so every dip, ridge and loose board telegraphs through to the surface, and a floor that fails almost always fails because of preparation rather than the product. A dry, level, sound and clean subfloor is not optional, and screed and timber floors each need their own preparation. Fitting method, adhesive and acclimatisation requirements vary by range, so follow the instructions supplied with the specific floor. Our installation information covers general preparation.

Care and warranty

Sweep or vacuum, then damp mop with a pH neutral floor cleaner. No steam mops, no abrasive pads and no solvent based cleaners. Felt pads under furniture legs and a doormat at every external door will do more for the floor than any product you can buy. Warranty terms are set by Karndean and differ between ranges and between domestic and commercial use, so check the documentation supplied with your order, and see our warranty information and product care pages.

Matching Karndean to doors and trim

A stone effect grey floor sits naturally under internal grey doors and white painted joinery. A dark floor such as Midnight Black wants pale doors and pale walls or it closes the room down. A warm wood effect is the hardest to pair with a timber door, and painted doors from internal white primed doors are usually the safer answer. Remember that a new floor raises the finished level, so check door clearances using the door size guide. New skirting finishes the perimeter properly.

Common questions

Is Karndean the same as laminate?

No. Laminate has a paper decor under melamine on a fibreboard core and swells if water sits on the joints. Karndean is vinyl through the body and is water resistant.

Can I order a single square metre to test?

Because it is priced per square metre you can order small quantities, but a small piece is not a fair test of colour across a whole room. Contact us about samples first.

Will a top up order match?

Usually, but not guaranteed once a design has been revised. Order the full quantity plus waste in one go.

Does it suit conservatories?

It handles the temperature swing better than timber, but the subfloor and manufacturer guidance still govern it. See conservatory flooring options.

Where can I see the rest of the range?

All of it is on flooring and vinyl flooring.