I ask as yet again I have been to look at a job where they want laminate on arriving it was obvious it would suit a lvt. skirts on, toilet sink. whole ground floor. wanted to flow though no bars etc. I tried to push a lvt (expona) but as soon as I mentioned vinyl they where put off. when I showed them a sample it killed it as they were adamant it was so thin it won't stand up to anything. what I hope to do is create a thread where I can point customers to which would show the pros and even the cons of lvt from a professionals view.
easy way to push the lvt route is to mention that they have to have bars in doorways as well as when they drop a knife or plates etc in the kitchen and damage the floor with lvt its a 5 minute job replacing it, with laminate id be filling it rather than try and pull it all back to replace aboard in that, lvt is also more hygienic.
not price at all more I have found people do not know about lvt, want a finish like laminate then I suggest lvt they have never heard of it. then I have to put points across why I believe it is better. Job I looked at on Saturday I was there a hour and a half had all different samples out but in the end they went for quickstep elite, they just couldn't get their head around vinyl not being cushion floor. not the first time
Ive had customers like that and what I do is show them a portfolio of my work and whats on the internet. Ill tell them to take notice of the floor they walk on in some shops as there is a lot of premises having lvt fitted that they think would be wood/laminate. Luckily enough for one of my customers was I did a therapy shop in expona 5mins from their house so I told them to go and have a look at it, they were surprised how it looked and thought it was real ceramic. Use the usual 'heel damage' 'noticable sctratches' 'dents' 'scuffs' etc with laminate then explain the pros of lvt and how easy it is to replace if one was so badly damaged. I remember doing a small wine bar couple yrs ago, when I originally went with the samples the owner more or less laughed at them callong it cheap plastic and said he wanted stone everywhere so I told him I dont do ceramics and left it with him. About a fortnight later his wife rings me and said they know a floor that they really like in a jewellers across the road from them and the owner told them it was vinyl tiles but they didnt believe him for some reason so asked me to pop in and have a look...so I did and what did I find....Karndean! So I went back to my van, got the same sample and took it into them and they couldnt beleive it, I thought these pair really are dull. They didnt know anything about vinyl tiles. The husband was bending it saying "its not very tough is it, will it last" I had to point out that you wont be bending it when it was on the floor as it would be glued down flat..."reeeaally, thats clever" haha honestly they were amazed. I ended up doing their whole wine bar in this horrible stone effect then went onto doing their 2 toilets, 1 ensuite and a what they called a 'boot room' in their home as well. Infact im doing their new home in driftwood in a few weeks. They cant get anough of it!
Another one today. Started taking the tiles out the boxes, stacked them up and was just putting my 3rd tile down and the crazy asian lady comes out the kitchen into the hall "whats that" pointing at a tile "Why? Is it not the one you chose then?" "Yes but it was alot thicker than that, it was like an inch thick when the man bring them here to show me" ....... "That would have been the display board with this tile on my love" "Ohhh no its Lino, I didnt want Lino" Fffcckkkkk sake.... Are people really this thick
I do suggest to my clients that they have at least a bit of some type of design/border, or it can look like Lino
Me and the shop pushed them to have a border and the husband was all for it but his daughter and wife said no its too old fashioned Turned up this morning to finish the last section of the hallway and guess what the husband asked me.... " my son said it looks to plain, would we be able to add a border if we wanted" Ive told him yes but it will be fiddly and wont be cheap. Unbelievable!
