"KR" wrote in message
s.com...
Hello everyone, and please excuse me for cross-posting to several
newsgroups.

I plan to expand my kitchen flooring into an adjoining area. Currently,
the kitchen covering is vinyl flooring which was installed in the late
nineties (or possibly only a year or two ago). I would like to obtain vinyl
flooring of a matching pattern.

Are there resources, either online or in the real world, which would help
me to -
a) identify the flooring pattern
b) locate someone who sells it?

I haven't taken up any of the existing kitchen flooring - should I expect
to find a pattern name or at least manufacturer's name on the reverse side?

Many thanks for any suggestions you might have.

Unless you have a really good memory, take a color picture closeup of the
pattern, along with a tracing paper rubbing of one 'repeat' of the pattern,
and start cruising the local flooring companies and look for a match. The
bigger the warehouse, the better the odds they will still have a roll out
back. If current floor is only edge glued, and you can roll back a corner,
there should be a brand and lot number on the back every so often.

But having said that- the raw stock cost of vinyl floor is only a small part
of the installed cost. How were you going to do the transition from the
existing floor to the new area? Getting that looking right with stock from a
different batch, especially if the old floor is sun faded, smoke stained,
etc, may be impossible. I'd just get estimates from 2-3 local companies to
put fresh down over the entire area. I do not recommend laying vinyl
yourself- it is harder than it looks, and experience and the right tools
make a big difference in how the final work looks, and how long it lasts.
(He said from sad and embarrassing personal experience on more than one
previous attempt.) Note that install price can be reduced if you do any
needed trim removal and floor patching/leveling before they get there.

aem sends....