Choosing flooring for your next project can be a challenge. While deciding on colours, materials and textures is one thing, consideration also needs to be given to the 'technical' aspects. How will the floor be laid? Does the sub-floor need to be prepared? What happens with stairs? Now, Karndean Designflooring has made choices easier for you with the launch of many of our popular designs in dual formats – gluedown and hybrid rigid core – ensuring you can use the design you want in the format that you need.
As a trusted leading global innovator in luxury vinyl flooring, our flooring ranges offer an unrivaled choice of unique designs inspired by nature and engineered for performance. Our designers travel the world to find inspiration for flooring that captures the beauty, character, textures, and detail of true wood and stone. The introduction of dual formats means the collections now provide even more versatility and ease of installation.
First, choose your design...
From the timeless appeal of European oak to the character and beauty of quintessential Australian hardwood species. Cool concrete to slate in a range of on-trend colours, tones, and textures. With Karndean you're spoiled for design choices. Dual formats are now available in our Van Gogh and Knight Tile ranges.
Our popular Van Gogh range captures the look and feel of real timbers. From classic European species such as Oak, Elm, Maple, and Birch to Australian timbers including Blackbutt and Spotted Gum, the range celebrates the intrinsic character and rich diversity of colour, tone, and texture of the world's most beautiful timbers.
This carefully curated collection of 20 wood-look planks is available in gluedown or our 5G® click-locking system rigid core format.
View the latest on-trend additions to the Van Gogh range.
The Knight Tile range offers 16 wood and 6 stone-inspired designs available in gluedown or our 2G™ click-locking system rigid core formats. Choose from new Australian hardwood species-inspired planks or our selection of colours, tones, and styles in 13 distinctive Oak designs. The latest addition is Blond Character Oak which was Inspired by planks reclaimed from an old wind-powered sawmill in Amsterdam.
The Knight Tile stone collection provides a choice of six on-trend flooring designs. From the contemporary cool qualities of Smoked Concrete to Honed Pebble Slate, find the design inspiration for your project in our beautiful colours, designs, and a lightly textured surface that enhances their authentic good looks.
Explore your design choices from the Knight Tile range.
..then choose the format that you need
Gluedown or rigid core? Your choice of format will depend on your flooring project. You may even use both to achieve the look you want throughout your project.
Why choose gluedown?
Our gluedown products give you complete control over the laying pattern of your floor. As the name suggests, individual planks or tiles are permanently glued down to the existing subfloor surface using our recommended adhesives. With our gluedown format, you have the flexibility to achieve different design effects such as classic herringbone, diagonal lay or a striped effect using two complementary colours or tonal variations. You also have the flexibility to incorporate our selection of design strips and borders to achieve the look you want.
Unlike traditional timber floors, our gluedown format requires no expansion gaps so planks and tiles can be fitted hard up against walls and fixtures.
Why choose rigid core?
Rigid core is a type of floating floor that features a patented 2G™ or 5G® click-locking system that locks the planks together.
2G™ is a strong and robust mechanical locking system. The system is preferably combined with a fold-down on the short side for the fastest and easiest installation. However, it can also be used both on long and short sides for an angle-angle installation.
5G® provides all of the benefits of rigid core with the added security of the superior 5G® vertical click-locking mechanism that is backed by our lifetime HoldSafe® warranty.
Rigid core format planks and tiles can be installed quickly and easily over most existing hard floor surfaces without the need for adhesives. Rigid core can hide minor subfloor imperfections or unevenness up to a maximum of 5mm below the level for 3 meters in any direction, meaning most installations won’t require the use of additional leveling compounds or underlays.
For commercial installations and public spaces, rigid core provides the benefit of less disruption and business downtime.
Tranquil Oak VGW135T / SCB-VGW135T
To help your design planning and specifying our dual format flooring, our website provides comprehensive technical information including datasheets, subfloor preparation and installation guides, Environmental Product Declarations, and more. It's everything you need from a regulatory and compliance perspective to specify Karndean with confidence.
Check out our helpful technical resources here.
The benefits of dual format
With a choice of gluedown and rigid core formats, we've made it easier to use the design you want in the format that you need. For example, you could lay your preferred planks or tiles in gluedown format along a hallway and then easily extend the look over an existing tiled floor using the same design in rigid core. You may wish to create a beautiful design feature such as a herringbone pattern in an office lobby using gluedown Oak planks and then extend the same Oak through the rest of the space in a straight lay using rigid core.
Adaptable, flexible, and versatile, dual format lets you express your style seamlessly throughout your project. There's no need to compromise on your design choices so you can create a floor your clients will be at home with for many years to come. Whatever the design and format you choose to transform a space, the floor will be covered by our commercial warranty.