Guides and downloads

GF guides and downloads

Everything you need to choose, fit and look after a GF floor: which floor suits which room, then installation guides, care guides and a downloadable specification sheet for every range. Each guide can be read here or downloaded as a PDF.

Choosing a floor

Which GF floor is right for me?

The short answer

For kitchens, bathrooms and busy family rooms, choose a waterproof vinyl floor: GF Glue Down 0.55 or GF Glue Down 0.7 if you want it glued down, or GF Click SPC if you want a quicker click fit. For bedrooms and quieter rooms, GF Glue Down 0.3 is enough. If you want real wood, choose GF Engineered Wood for living rooms, dining rooms, hallways and bedrooms. Every GF floor works with underfloor heating.

Which GF floor for which room

Room	Best GF choice	Why
Kitchen	GF Glue Down 0.55, GF Glue Down 0.7 or GF Click SPC	100% waterproof and made for heavy foot traffic. Real oak also works with sensible care.
Bathroom, en suite or utility room	GF Glue Down LVT or GF Click SPC	100% waterproof. Engineered wood is not suitable.
Hallway	GF Glue Down 0.55 or GF Glue Down 0.7	The busiest route through the house, so a thicker wear layer pays off.
Living room or dining room	Any GF range	Choose by look: plank, herringbone or Versailles, in vinyl or real oak.
Bedroom	GF Glue Down 0.3 or any GF range	Lighter foot traffic, so the 0.3mm wear layer is enough.
Home with large dogs	GF Glue Down 0.55 or GF Glue Down 0.7	A thicker wear layer stands up better to everyday wear.
Over underfloor heating	Any GF range	All are suitable for water and electric systems, up to a floor surface temperature of 27°C.
Shop or office	GF Glue Down 0.7	The toughest GF glue-down, with a 20-year commercial guarantee.

For a side-by-side comparison of every GF range, see Which floor is right for you? on the home page.

Glue-down or click?

Choose glue-down LVT if…

you want the most stable floor, one that won’t move or lift
you want one floor running through several rooms without breaks
you want chevron, basketweave or stone-effect tile, which only come as glue-down
you want the lowest floor height: 2.0mm to 3.0mm, plus the smoothing compound underneath

Choose Click SPC if…

you want a quicker fit with no adhesive
you want the underlay already built in
you want a slightly thicker, firmer floor that floats over the subfloor

Glue-down needs a smooth, level and dry subfloor, which usually means a smoothing compound first. Click SPC floats, so it needs a small expansion gap around the edges of the room. The installation guides below cover each step.

Which wear layer?

The wear layer is the clear, protective top layer that takes the everyday wear. The thicker it is, the more foot traffic the floor is built to take.

Range	Wear layer	Best for	Guarantee
GF Glue Down 0.3	0.3mm	Bedrooms, living rooms and dining rooms	Lifetime residential, 10 years commercial
GF Glue Down 0.55	0.55mm	Kitchens, hallways and family homes	Lifetime residential, 15 years commercial
GF Glue Down 0.7	0.7mm	The busiest homes and light commercial spaces	Lifetime residential, 20 years commercial
GF by AW Glue Down	0.55mm	Kitchens, hallways and family homes	25 years
GF Click SPC	0.5mm or 0.55mm	Most rooms in the home	Lifetime residential, 15 years commercial

Real oak or vinyl?

Choose GF Engineered Wood if you want real wood. Every board has its own grain and colour, and the oak top layer can be sanded and refinished. The thicker the top layer, the more times that can be done. Choose an oiled finish for the most natural look, or lacquered for the easiest day-to-day care.

Choose GF vinyl, glue-down or click, if you need a waterproof floor, want the lowest-maintenance option, or are covering a bathroom or utility room.

LVT, SPC, engineered wood or laminate?

Floor	What it is	Waterproof?	Best for
Glue-down LVT	Flexible luxury vinyl tile, glued to a smoothed subfloor	Yes, 100%	Kitchens, bathrooms, hallways and whole-home floors
Click SPC	Rigid stone-composite vinyl that clicks together and floats, with the underlay built in	Yes, 100%	Quicker fits, bathrooms and flats
Engineered wood	A real oak top layer on a stable multi-layer base	No, water-resistant	Living rooms, dining rooms, hallways and bedrooms
Laminate	A printed image of wood on a fibreboard core	Most are not: water can make the core swell	Rooms that stay dry

GF does not make laminate. If you are weighing it up, GF Glue Down LVT and GF Click SPC give you a wood look with a 100% waterproof floor, and GF Engineered Wood gives you real oak that can be sanded and refinished.

Plank, herringbone or something else?

Plank	Every GF range
Herringbone	GF Glue Down 0.3, GF Glue Down 0.55, GF Glue Down 0.7, GF Click SPC, GF by AW Click SPC and GF Herringbone in real oak
Chevron	GF Glue Down 0.7
Basketweave	GF Glue Down 0.55
Parquet	GF by AW Glue Down
Stone-effect tile	GF Glue Down 0.55 and GF Glue Down 0.7
Versailles panels	GF Versailles in real oak, 600 x 600mm

Not sure yet? Order up to five free samples, or see any GF floor in your own room with the room visualiser.

Questions about choosing

Which GF floor is best for a kitchen?

GF Glue Down 0.55, GF Glue Down 0.7 or GF Click SPC. All three are 100% waterproof and made for busy rooms. GF Engineered Wood also works in a kitchen with sensible care, as long as spills are wiped up promptly.

Can I put a GF floor in a bathroom?

Yes, choose GF Glue Down LVT or GF Click SPC. Both are 100% waterproof, so they suit bathrooms, en suites and utility rooms. GF Engineered Wood is real wood, so it is water-resistant rather than waterproof and is not the right choice for a bathroom.

Which GF floor is best if I have dogs?

For homes with large dogs, choose a thicker wear layer: GF Glue Down 0.55 or GF Glue Down 0.7. The wear layer is the clear top layer that takes the everyday wear.

Can every GF floor go over underfloor heating?

Yes. Every GF range is suitable for underfloor heating, water or electric, up to a floor surface temperature of 27°C.

How do you lay vinyl flooring?

It depends on the type. Glue-down LVT is bonded with an LVT adhesive to a smooth, dry subfloor, usually after a smoothing compound, then rolled with a heavy floor roller, so we recommend a professional fitter. Click SPC floats: the planks click together over a flat, clean, dry subfloor, with a 6–8mm expansion gap at the walls. Either way, follow the matching GF installation guide and use a competent professional fitter to keep the GF guarantee.

How do you lay herringbone flooring?

Herringbone is laid from the centre of the room, not from a wall. Snap a chalk line down the middle of the room with a second line at 90° to it, check the first rows are exactly square, then work outwards in strips, checking every few rows that the points still run straight. GF Glue Down herringbone is glued to the subfloor, GF Engineered Wood herringbone is glued or nailed and never floated, and GF Click SPC herringbone clicks together from mirror-image A and B planks. It takes real accuracy, so we recommend a professional fitter.

Does LVT need an expansion gap?

Yes, though how much depends on the floor. GF Glue Down LVT needs a 2.5mm gap around the edges, or 5mm in rooms over 100m² or longer than 10m. GF Click SPC floats, so it needs 6–8mm at every wall. GF Engineered Wood needs 10–12mm. Cover the gap with skirting or beading fixed to the wall, not to the floor.

What does a lifetime guarantee mean?

GF Glue Down LVT and GF Click SPC carry a lifetime residential guarantee, which means 35 years from the date of purchase. GF by AW and GF Engineered Wood carry a 25-year guarantee. The full terms are on the GF guides page.

Fitting