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Originally posted 21st August 2020

Last updated 21st June 2023

How we used Rhinofloor in our kitchen and bathroom renovations

After relocating to Glasgow from Cheshire back in 2018, my husband and I have been...

Natasha Wood

Customer

7 min read
Written by Expert
After relocating to Glasgow from Cheshire back in 2018, my husband and I have been renovating our detached, blonde sandstone, period property ourselves, trying to do so in keeping with the style of the property. Although our first renovation project, in the two years that we have been here, we have completed nearly 6 rooms now, comprising of our living room, master bedroom, kitchen and three bathrooms. Over lockdown, I’m sure like most of the population, we decided to take on a DIY project in revamping our kitchen. Opting to do the work completely ourselves, and on a strict budget. I couldn’t be more pleased with the end result!

Kitchen Before & After

Once we had painted the walls and cupboards, re-tiled and installed new worktops, sink and tap, the last component to consider was the flooring. With three doorways leading into the kitchen, we knew that we needed something that would work in a high use area. We also have two pets, a dog and a cat, and needed to consider the effect they would have on the floor. This guide on the best pet friendly flooring helped differentiate between the flooring options available, which were better suited to homes with pets, and also which were better value for money. The plan was to do the kitchen revamp on a budget, and so cost was also a big factor in our decision.  

Why did we choose vinyl flooring?

After much research, we settled on vinyl flooring as it ticked all of our boxes, with even more benefits too! Vinyl flooring is incredibly durable, we knew it would cope well in our busy kitchen, with very little impact on the flooring itself. Meaning we can walk in and out, countless times, without the fear that the flooring will wear easily or be damaged. It’s incredibly pet friendly too. Not only is it resistant to scratches from their claws, it’s comfortable for them to walk on as it’s not as slippery as other flooring options. You can even get cushioned vinyl to make it even comfier. Another way in which vinyl is pet friendly, is how cool it is. With the recent hot weather, it’s been even more important to provide your pet with a cool place to snooze; vinyl provides just this. Other positives include how it’s water resistant; a great benefit if using in a room where splashes are likely to happen. This is especially useful with pets (and children) too. Any accidents or muddy paw prints can easily be cleaned up. Spillages aren’t a problem either. Something that is more likely in kitchens where families will be cooking, eating and drinking. Being smooth and one single piece of flooring also makes cleaning a lot easier and worry free. It also makes it a lot comfier to walk across as opposed to the likes of original wooden floorboards. Compared to wooden floors, vinyl can also be a lot quieter. Footsteps become much more muffled, as do pet claws as they walk across and even the likes of children playing with toys or running around, the noise reduction is a great selling point for busy family homes.
Possibly the biggest benefit to vinyl though is the fact it is very good value for money. Making your money go further is especially important when trying to stick to a budget during a whole room renovation, and even more so when you’ve got more than one room to renovate!
But even if you’re not renovating a whole room, you can spend a reasonable amount on vinyl flooring and still make a big impact in redecorating a room. You can also save even more money by installing the vinyl yourself. There are a few issues to be mindful of when choosing your vinyl, however. Like most things, the price of vinyl can completely vary. I would try to avoid the cheaper solutions as in my experience it can be incredibly flimsy. This in turn reduces many of the benefits. I’ve found cheap vinyl to rip especially easily, it’s uncomfortable to walk on, and the noise reduction is minimal. I also think that it can look particularly cheap too, and if you’re spending any money on something, surely you would want it to look like quality? With Factory Direct Flooring Ltd offering so many great quality vinyl options for such great prices, it’s easy to find exactly what you’re looking for, whatever room you’re updating.

How did we decide on the flooring for our bathroom and kitchen projects?

When we updated the bathroom last year, part of the renovation involved the flooring. We had already used ceramic floor tiles in our downstairs bathroom and realised that we didn’t particularly like standing on the cold, hard tiles after getting out of the shower and so vinyl was the perfect solution. We already had an idea about paint colours in the room, so when looking for flooring, we wanted something to contrast the dark panelling, but to also add a little warmth and depth too. Rather than looking at patterned vinyl, we opted for a wood effect to achieve this. We searched the bathroom inspiration page and after ordering our free samples, found our perfect vinyl. Renovated Bathroom Photos With such success using vinyl flooring from Factory Direct Flooring Ltd in the bathroom, we had no doubt where to look when planning our kitchen revamp. We searched this time for Kitchen flooring inspiration and ordered our samples.
I would say the key when choosing flooring for your kitchen or bathroom, is to pick something that contrasts with your walls. If your walls are going to be light, go dark and vice versa. I feel that makes your flooring more of a feature, and it will make your walls stand out too.
A lighter floor will make a room appear bigger, whereas darker can make it feel smaller, but it also depends on what you do with the walls. Obviously dark walls and dark floors will certainly make a space feel smaller, but if you’re looking to create something dramatic and cosy you may opt for this. If your walls are going to be quite busy, I would say stick with a flooring that is simpler, but you could be more creative and have a bold patterned floor if you keep your walls and décor fairly plain. It’s all about mixing it up and creating a balance, but at the end of the day you choose what you like. If you’re all about bold patterns and colour, then go for it, or if you prefer the more ‘scandi’ and minimalist design then equally go for that.
The great thing with Factory Direct Flooring Ltd is the wide range on offer and the fact you can order free samples, so go ahead and choose what you like and what you think will work.
Then make yourself a mood board with your paint colours/wallpaper samples, try to visualise the space and go from there. And that is just what we did! We wanted to use very similar colours in the kitchen as we did the bathroom and so we opted for the exact same flooring! We ordered 4.6m x 3m of Rhinofloor Original Timber Woolland Oak Brown 137 which was delivered promptly. The full Rhinofloor range can be found here.

How easy was it to install?

Even having had no experience prior to our renovation project, we found vinyl flooring super easy to install! We installed it ourselves previously in the bathroom and were confident we could do it again in the kitchen.
In fact, it only took 2 hours to remove the old flooring, and lay the new!
What made it easier this time was that we had the existing vinyl to use as a template. With the size of the flooring, the best option was to be able to lay both sets of vinyl out flat somewhere. For us, this meant outside. Unfortunately living in Scotland, we had to wait a while, but it wasn’t too long before the opportunity arose.

Step 1

Before we removed the old vinyl, we marked where the appliances were, the doorways and the unit kickboards. That way we knew where we needed to make sure the cuts were straight, and where it didn’t matter as much because it would be hidden. Once marked, we took both sets of floors outside, and laid the old on top of the new. We made sure to match it up so that the floorboards would be square to the doorways, and units etc., otherwise the floorboards would go on a diagonal across the room and we obviously didn’t want that. Vinyl Flooring Installation Kitchen Project - Laying Old Floor Over New - Step 1

Step 2

We used a sharp Stanley knife to cut around the template. We used a roofers square as a guide where it was important to be straight, but for the other parts we just did it freehand. Vinyl Flooring Kitchen Installation - Using Stanley Knife - Step 2

Step 3

Once cut, it was just a case of getting it into position back in the kitchen. Because of the awkward shape of our kitchen we rolled both ends up to meet in the middle, positioned this in the room, and then unrolled each end separately, taking care not to crease any parts. Vinyl Flooring Kitchen Fitting - Rolling Vinyl Flooring - Step 3 Vinyl Flooring Kitchen Fitting - Easing Appliances Back In

Step 4

Finally, we moved the heavy appliances back in place. One tip we would recommend to avoid marking your new flooring is to use a scrap bit to help ease your appliances back in.

The End Result

We honestly couldn’t be happier with the finished result! We finally have a kitchen to be proud of, and one that we enjoy spending time in too! What’s more, we did it all ourselves, and even on a super tight budget! Kitchen Before & After If you’re interested in seeing more of our renovation, follow us on Instagram at @woodsintothewoods
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About the Author

Natasha Wood, Customer

After relocating to Glasgow from Cheshire back in 2018, Natasha and her husband, Ben, have been renovating their detached, blonde sandstone, period property and making it their 'forever home'. While this is their first renovation project, they have completed 6 rooms with Factory Direct Flooring Ltd playing a key role in getting the end result they wanted. Natasha runs the highly popular @WoodsIntoTheWoods Instagram account which has amassed in the region of 30,000 followers, which documents her own renovation projects as well as supporting businesses and other home makeover projects.