Kitchens and bathrooms are the hardest-working rooms in any home. They see water, steam, dropped pans, cleaning products and constant foot traffic. Get the flooring wrong and you'll be replacing it within a few years. Get it right, and it'll look great for a decade or more. Here's what to consider.
LVT is the most popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms for good reason. It's 100% waterproof, extremely durable, warm underfoot (unlike real tile), available in wood and stone looks that are remarkably convincing, and it's easy to clean. Modern LVT with a 0.55mm wear layer will last 15–25 years in a domestic kitchen. Slip-resistance ratings of R9 or R10 make it safe underfoot when wet. It's also compatible with underfloor heating.
The main choice is between click LVT (floating floor, easier to fit and replace) and dryback LVT (glued down, more permanent and better for uneven subfloors). Both are excellent for kitchens and bathrooms.
Sheet vinyl is the traditional choice for kitchens and bathrooms — and it remains one of the best. A single sheet with no joins means nowhere for water to get in, making it genuinely watertight in a way that individual tiles and planks aren't. Modern sheet vinyl is far removed from the cheap-looking floors of the past — designs have improved enormously and it's available in widths up to 4m. It's also one of the most budget-friendly waterproof options. A good quality sheet vinyl with a 0.3mm or 0.4mm wear layer will comfortably last 10–15 years.
Standard laminate is not suitable for kitchens or bathrooms — water getting into the joins will cause swelling and warping within months. However, water-resistant laminate (with a treated surface and sealed joints) is a different story. Products like the Quick-Step Love Aqua Steam range carry a 10-year water ingress warranty and are genuinely suitable for kitchen use. They won't handle standing water or flooding, but for everyday kitchen spills they'll perform well. Not ideal for bathrooms where humidity is consistently high.
Carpet in a kitchen is almost never a good idea — it absorbs grease, food smells and moisture, and becomes unhygienic quickly. In bathrooms, carpet can work in theory (there are moisture-resistant options) but it tends to become musty over time and is harder to keep clean. Most flooring professionals would steer you away from carpet in either of these rooms.
Tiles are fully waterproof and extremely durable — they're hard to beat in a shower room or wet room. The downsides are that they're cold underfoot, hard (uncomfortable to stand on for long periods), and the grout lines need regular maintenance. They're also unforgiving if you drop something. For a kitchen where you stand for long periods, LVT or vinyl is often more comfortable. For bathrooms, tiles are a perfectly valid choice — especially with underfloor heating beneath them.
💡 Don't forget the subfloor. Even the best waterproof flooring won't perform well on an uneven or poorly prepared subfloor. A good fitter will check this before laying anything — if yours doesn't, ask.
For most homeowners in Hastings and the surrounding area, LVT gives the best combination of looks, durability and practicality. Sheet vinyl is an excellent budget-friendly alternative. Come into our showroom in St Leonard's on Sea and we can show you both side by side — the difference in quality between products is much easier to judge in person than online.
We'll come to you with samples, measure up and give you a no-obligation quote. Covering all of East Sussex.
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