Rubber flooring - any experience or thoughts?

[PinkOlives]

hi - im thinking of using studded rubber flooring for my new kitchen , i dont like anything else and its the only material i think that will look quite interesting in my kitchen knowing the way i'll have thngs and its warm! there are some very nice vibrant colours but im going to go for white if i can find it!!
any thoughts?
www.therubberflooringcompany.co.uk/shop/index.php?app=gbu0&ns=catshow&ref=00007

if all else fails i'll be looking for other flooring ideas, although bored already

[hester]

I'm thinking of rubber flooring in the bathroom, but have no experience. I have a friend who has studded grey rubber and it looks really nice and is hardwearing and warm.

[mumanator]

My mum painted her stable floors with liquid rubber paint stuff about seven years ago - very hardwearing and still looks OK - I would have it in my house too - if it can take a horse day in and day out - then a toddler should be no challenge.

[PinkOlives]

ooh great feeedback. thanks. glad to hear its hardwearing, we dont have a horse but being a kitchen it will need to take spills etc. i thought its a little different, im also going for studded, the white is hard to find, it seems a sort of warm white is all thats around but im hunting.
go for it hester it would be perfect in the bathroom!

[hester]

Try searching the threads here: I think I read white rubber flooring doesn't really work, it goes a bit like old chewing gum. I MAY HAVE REMEMBERED THIS WRONG.

White rubber does sound very nice. Have you worked out how much it will cost? (I haven't got that far yet.)

[PinkOlives]

oh no, i'll do a search. as with everything there are different qualities though which i gathered from my search, the pricing differs there are branded ones and wholesale even a company on ebay which says theirs is italian not chinese on every line (defensive!) . so do a good search. its generally £45 per 500x500tile but ive found it for half that so it depends on what you are looking for. My units are lacquered white so im looking for white flooring

[LovelyDaffs]

I had studded rubber flooring a few years ago in my kitchen and wouldn't have it again tbh. We had completely gutted the house and the kitchen led into the playroom, which led into the garden so I thought it would be perfect especially as my dc's were all babies/toddlers. It is costly as you have to have a screed laid down, ours already had a concrete floor and we thought that would be fine, but apparently not. My thinking was that it would be warm and easy to clean, but actually those studs are a pain as the trap food/mud/crap around the sides. Two of my three were in high chairs, so still a lot of food ending up on the floor and it was a nightmare bending down to scrape off dried wheatabix every day or be organised enough to do it immediately, which wasn't easy with three dc's. We also found that even though we had it laid down by the manufacturers contractor we did get bits lifting in between the rolls which didn't look great.

Nope, expensive and a pain - sorry.

[MrsSharp]

Try contacting your local independent retailer too - I work in one and we've just done a commercial job (in an office reception) with studded tiles (supplied and fitted for a lot less then £45 sq mt). The tiles we fitted didn't need to be fitted on a screeded floor - no prep required or adhesive - just a bit of skill required in cutting around awkward shapes etc.

[PinkOlives]

ooh different reviews . they do sell it in rolls as well which i pressume is better than tiles? my floor is stone, very cold!.
have you replaced yours Lovelydaffs.
im just not sure what to put instead?
mrssharp any ideas who, ive found lots on net and they are cheaper than the £45 one but im not sure of quality ordered samples though.

[jicky]

We have rubber floor in the kitchen, but not with studs. It is hard wearing, easy to clean, warm to touch and pretty good.

The studs just look like dirt traps, but then I hate anything in the kitchen that dirt might stay ( because I hate house work rather than OCD)

[PorkChopSter]

I would have loved white rubber studded flooring in our bathrooms but was warned off it because of the difficulty in cleaning it around the studs. I also looked at glittery safety flooring lino (google Altro) as an alternative, and resin floors (again, glittery ) but couldn't justify the cost for the small area involved.

[janmoomoo]

It sounds lovely, but are you sure you want white? I have inherited a white kitchen floor, altho it is tile. But it is a complete nightmare to keep clean, every little spec shows. I mop it at least once every day and it is still filthy most of the time.

[Deux]

I was looking at rubber flooring fairly recently and I was told by one of the approved retailers that you can't get white rubber flooring. At least not pure brilliant white. Apparently it is not possible.

You can get studded vinyl flooring in pure brilliant white though. It looks just like the rubber flooring.

[Deux]

Try here www.meadeeflooring.co.uk/Rubber_Flooring~g~12.htm

[Deux]

The other thing I meant to say is, have you actually seen any samples in a shop?

When I went to look I was disappointed because the colours were not as vibrant as I expected. The greys and blues looked good but bright green eg was a bit sludgey.

I was surprised how grubby the samples in the shop were and it showed especially on the light and bright colours.

I think rubber flooring would work best in a fairly dark and muted colour.

[MrsSharp]

OP - I'd just go to your local independent flooring shop, someone who does a variety of flooring (contract/residential) and ask there. Definitely see samples before buying - another advantage of a real shop rather than online - seeing every possible sample in the flesh without the hassle of waiting for the post etc.

[PinkOlives]

you're right duex they dont do brilliant white, ive seen a warm white but its not white enough for the cupbards, im not sure what else to put . ive seen samples and they have been sent to me by other companies. but i actually ordered from meadeeflooring a sample this morning as it looked quite white. there are completely mixed reviews on this, maybe rubber without the studs, or is that too boring .
confused now, i really like the look but i dont want a dirty white floor but also not motivated by tiles!

[PinkOlives]

i received two samples in the post already and they are fine, small but ok, one did look a little dusty though

[headfairy]

I have rubber flooring in my kitchen.. its not the studded one, but flat tiles. We inherited it when we moved in and to be honest I will never have another rubber floor. Admittedly it's in a really impractical colour - sort of eau de nil - which I imagine looked great when it was new, but it absorbs every stain. If ds drops even a teeny splash of ribena unless it's cleaned up that second it stains like crazy. I absolutely hate it, have to wash my floor every day. We're actually in the process of getting some quotes in to replace it with some Karndean flooring.

[GeneralissimoVonBobbington]

I second Janmoomoo - we have White vinyl and it looked dirty the minute we put it down. It had a greyish pattern on it which helped, but it was just a nightmare. I once got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed and it still looked dirty.

[hester]

My dream of rubber flooring has now turned to dust.

[fapl]

We have studded vinyl in our ensuite bathroom, only ever bare feet etc. and there is still a brownish hue around the edges of the studs. There is no way I would go for studs in a kitchen. How about something like Amtico? We have that in our main bathroom, warm underfoot and very easy to clean. John Lewis normally stock a decent range to view.

[Mandy21]

We don't have rubber but a vinyl copy of the studded rubber flooring in our bathroom and I'd never have it again. We have it in a black/brown colour way and it is impossible to keep clean. The texture means that dust / fluff / just bits "stick" to it so you can't sweep it, you have to mop it or get down on your hands and knees to scrub it. It is really impractical in my opinion.