I've been handling flooring orders for nine years. In that time, I've personally made (and documented) 14 mistakes that totaled roughly $27,000 in wasted budget. A few of those mistakes are in this article, because they're the reason I now keep a pre-install checklist that has caught 47 potential errors in the past 18 months.
Here are the questions I actually get asked about Karndean—some serious, some weird, and one about delivery drivers.
1. Is Karndean vinyl flooring safe?
Every month, at least one customer sends me a forum post that says 'vinyl flooring is toxic.' I understand the worry. Back in 2019, I didn't have an answer because nobody in our shop had asked the question. So I did a side-by-side comparison of two LVT samples: one cheap import, one Karndean. The cheap one had a 'new shower curtain' smell. The Karndean sample didn't. That's not a scientific test, but it pushed me to check the certifications.
Karndean's design flooring ranges carry FloorScore certification. According to the FloorScore program (scsglobalservices.com), certified products must meet strict VOC emission limits for indoor air quality. If you're looking at any LVT, that certification means more than the word 'vinyl' on a spec sheet.
There's a caveat. No LVT is 'completely waterproof' in the way online ads sometimes imply. Karndean handles everyday spills and wet areas if the floor is installed correctly and the edges and transitions are managed properly. But it's not a liner for a swimming pool. The safety question isn't just chemistry—it's also about adhesive choice, seam sealing, and avoiding moisture traps. Get those details right, and you've covered the real risk. At least, that's been my experience on the roughly 200 glue-down installs I've handled.
2. Where Do I Find Karndean Flooring in Horsham?
This local question shows up in my analytics more than almost anything else. The short answer is: you don't buy Karndean directly from the factory. You buy it through an authorized dealer.
If you're in Horsham, start with the official Karndean dealer locator rather than searching for 'Karndean flooring Horsham' and clicking the first ad. Not every flooring shop carries the brand. An authorized dealer should have physical samples and can order the specific range. They can also get you a 12-inch sample square before you commit to a full order.
I nearly got caught by this in Q1 2024. A project called for a 'Karndean-style' floor at 30% below the normal price. The sales rep showed me a photo that looked convincing. The actual product was a lookalike with no Karndean warranty and a noticeably different color palette. We avoided the mistake by checking the dealer list first—that's now step 1 on my checklist.
If a Horsham stockist doesn't have your design in the showroom, ask if they can order it. Sample lead times are usually 3–5 business days, which is faster than you'd think.
3. Can You Put Garage Floor Epoxy Over Karndean?
Please don't. I say that from experience, not just from the manufacturer's book.
In September 2022, I agreed to 'waterproof' a small vinyl workspace for a customer who'd read that garage floor epoxy works on any shiny surface. Two weeks later, the epoxy flaked off like a bad resin craft project. We had to pull the vinyl, grind the concrete, and redo the floor. The mistake cost $970 in materials and labour, and it turned a two-day job into nine.
Epoxy is designed for bare concrete. Luxury vinyl tile is a resilient floor with a factory-applied surface finish. Epoxy won't bond to that finish, and if the vinyl is a floating installation, movement underneath can crack the coating. If you need a workshop floor that withstands oil and scuffs, there are two clean paths:
- Install Karndean correctly, seal the seams where needed, and use mats or furniture pads to protect the surface.
- Or leave the concrete bare and apply garage floor epoxy there, then add anti-fatigue mats where you stand a lot.
Trying to combine both systems in one thick layer doesn't work. I learned that the expensive way, so you don't have to.
4. Why Do I Carry Shower Caps?
Nobody asks this, but it's one of the best installation tricks I know.
After a glue-down Karndean floor is installed, the adhesive can take up to 72 hours to fully cure. I'm not worried about people walking on it—most people know to avoid that. It's the small stuff that damages floors. Rolling chair casters, table legs, even a heavy fridge being pushed back into place can leave permanent dents in that first couple of days.
The fix is a pack of shower caps. Put them over furniture legs and chair wheels before sliding anything across the new floor. They glide way better than you'd expect, and they cost next to nothing.
I first learned this from an installer in Horsham. I laughed when he pulled a shower cap out of his tool bag. Then he rolled a refrigerator into place without a mark. I've kept a pack in my van ever since. It's maybe a $1.50 solution—give or take—and it's saved at least three callbacks. Okay, maybe not thousands, but definitely a few awkward conversations.
5. How Much Do Door Dashers Make?
Okay, this isn't a flooring question. But it shows up in my website analytics, so I'm gonna answer it anyway.
Last January, I needed to get a Karndean sample across town before 5pm. A DoorDash courier did it for a $9 fee, and I added a $9 tip, so the driver made around $18 for a 30-minute trip. That sounds okay, but DoorDashers don't have a guaranteed hourly wage. They're independent contractors who pay their own fuel and maintenance. A slow afternoon can work out to $12 an hour; a busy dinner rush with tips can hit $22. It's not a path to predictable income—and that's exactly why I paid for guaranteed delivery that afternoon.
So how much do door dashers make? It depends on the day. But the bigger point is that paying for delivery certainty is worth it when the deadline matters. The courier showed up slightly late, but the customer wasn't upset because he knew it was coming within the window. 'Probably on time' is fine for a takeaway. It's a risky promise when a project deadline is on the line.
6. Should I Pay More for a Guaranteed Installation Date?
In the flooring business, you get what you schedule. I learned this the hard way twice. In 2021, a 'probably Friday' installation slid to Wednesday because the crew was double-booked. My client missed their move-in date. In 2022, I chose a lower quote that didn't include a written schedule, and we lost an entire weekend.
Now I tell customers the same thing: if a deadline matters, get a date in writing and be willing to pay for it.
In March 2024, a customer paid us an extra $400 to guarantee a two-day installation before a family event. The event itself had $15,000 of planning behind it. The premium was less than 3% of that budget. It wasn't about speed for the sake of speed—it was about knowing the job would be done by Friday. A vague 'probably' puts the whole project at risk.
That's not a sales pitch. It's a mismatch between risk and price. A cheap quote isn't necessarily bad. It's incomplete if it doesn't include a commitment. For a spare bedroom, 'maybe Tuesday' is fine. For a hard deadline, buy certainty. If the quote doesn't offer it, that's a red flag, not a bargain. That kind of guarantee saved us a ton of stress on the event job, and it's worth every dollar when time is the real deadline.
