1. LVT or SPC — the pragmatic choice
Waterproof core, quiet underfoot, comfortable over heating and individually repairable. If someone in the house cooks daily and the dishwasher is a decade old, this is the specification that survives. From £42/m² supplied and fitted, with a 0.55mm minimum wear layer for kitchen traffic.
2. Engineered oak — the one people want
Real oak that runs continuously from the kitchen into the living space is what most open-plan extensions are actually asking for, and engineered handles the heating. It is not waterproof — standing water left under a leaking appliance will mark it — but as a floor you live with, it looks and feels like nothing else.
3. Engineered herringbone — for a statement kitchen
Bonded engineered parquet in a kitchen-diner is a genuine design feature, and it holds its geometry over heated screed. Budget for a longer programme: 3–5 weeks lead time and a slower fit than plank.
What to sort before the floor arrives
Kitchen sequencing causes more problems than the flooring choice does. We agree in advance whether the floor runs under the units or up to them, how the appliance recesses are handled, and what the threshold looks like at every doorway.
- Floor under the units allows future appliance swaps without a level step
- Latex screeding for LVT is quoted as a visible line, not hidden in the rate
- Island and range loads are checked against the build-up at survey