Polyflor Camaro vs Karndean Knight Tile (2026): An Honest UK Retailer’s Comparison

Polyflor Camaro and Karndean Knight Tile are the two best-selling residential glue-down luxury vinyl tile ranges in the UK at the 0.3mm wear-layer price point. They sit at almost identical positions in their respective brand ranges, they cross-shop directly, and most buyers we sell to have looked at both. This comparison is written by a UK retailer that supplies both brands and has no reason to favour one over the other – if Karndean is the better call for your project, we will say so.

If you want the wider brand context, our separate Polyflor flooring review and Karndean flooring review cover all eight Polyflor LVT ranges and the full Karndean LVT line respectively. For the dedicated Camaro verdict, see our Polyflor Camaro review. For Karndean Knight Tile specifically, see our Karndean Knight Tile guide.

The Short Answer

Both are excellent residential LVT products. Camaro wins on gauge (2.5mm vs 2.0mm), design library depth (80+ vs around 60 designs), dedicated parquet formats, UK manufacturing and slightly lower retail pricing. Karndean Knight Tile wins on residential brand authority, slightly tighter design styling on premium woodgrains, and a stronger trade network in the residential LVT specifier market. The wear-layer specification is identical (0.3mm transparent), the surface treatments are comparable (Polyflor PUR vs Karndean K-Guard+), and the day-to-day performance over 15 to 20 years of normal residential use is very similar.

For most family-home installations the differences favour Camaro. For buyers who specifically want the strongest residential brand authority – resale value framing, design-led architects who default to Karndean, builders who specify Karndean by habit – Knight Tile is the safe call.

How Each Range is Built

Polyflor Camaro is a 2.5mm gauge dryback LVT product manufactured in Whitefield, Manchester. The wear layer is 0.3mm transparent, finished with Polyflor’s PUR (polyurethane reinforcement) surface treatment. The decorative print film carries 80+ wood and stone designs, including dedicated parquet formats at specific plank sizes. Camaro is rated Class 23 residential heavy plus Class 32 light commercial under ISO 10874, R10 slip-rated to DIN 51130, and meets EN 13501-1 Class Bfl-S1 fire reaction.

Karndean Knight Tile is a 2.0mm gauge dryback LVT product manufactured in South Korea and Vietnam (Karndean’s residential LVT production is split between these two regions, supervised under Karndean’s UK quality control). The wear layer is 0.3mm transparent, finished with Karndean’s K-Guard+ surface treatment. The decorative print film covers around 60 residential designs, predominantly wood-effect plank with a smaller stone-effect range. Knight Tile is rated Class 23 residential heavy under ISO 10874 (not light commercial), R10 slip-rated to DIN 51130, and meets EN 13501-1 Class Bfl-S1.

Both products carry residential warranties of similar duration when installed using the brand’s approved adhesive system and maintained in line with published care guidance. The build quality on both is genuinely good – this is not a Quality A vs Quality B comparison. It is a thicker UK-manufactured product (Camaro) vs a thinner imported product with stronger brand authority (Knight Tile).

Specification Comparison Side by Side

Gauge: Camaro 2.5mm. Knight Tile 2.0mm. The 0.5mm difference is not visible at the surface, but it gives Camaro a slightly more substantial feel underfoot and more tolerance for minor subfloor imperfections during installation.

Wear layer: Both 0.3mm transparent. Identical. For an upgrade in wear layer within either brand, step up to Karndean Van Gogh (0.55mm) or Polyflor Expona Commercial (0.55mm).

Surface treatment: Camaro uses Polyflor PUR. Knight Tile uses Karndean K-Guard+. Both are urethane-based factory-applied treatments delivering polish-free maintenance over the product life. In practice, the long-term performance difference is negligible.

Manufacturing: Camaro is made in Whitefield Manchester (UK). Knight Tile is made in South Korea and Vietnam (imported). For buyers who care about UK manufacturing, this is a meaningful difference.

Design library: Camaro covers 80+ designs across wood, stone and dedicated parquet formats. Knight Tile covers around 60 designs predominantly wood-effect plank. Camaro has deeper coverage in stone-effect tiles and significantly broader parquet format options.

Use Area rating: Camaro is rated Class 23 residential heavy plus Class 32 light commercial. Knight Tile is rated Class 23 residential heavy only. For homes with heavy footfall, home offices, or any light commercial element, Camaro’s slightly higher rating is helpful.

Slip resistance: Both R10 to DIN 51130. Suitable for residential bathrooms, kitchens, utility rooms and wet zones.

Underfloor heating: Both compatible with wet and electric UFH, both subject to a maximum surface temperature of 27 degrees Celsius. Performance over UFH is comparable between the two.

Sustainability credentials: Camaro carries BRE Green Guide A, FloorScore certified, Indoor Air Comfort Gold, Finnish M1 classification, up to 40 per cent recycled content and 100 per cent recyclable status. Knight Tile carries FloorScore certified, Indoor Air Comfort Gold and lower indoor emissions credentials. For BREEAM, WELL or LEED documentation in commercial procurement, Camaro’s documentation is more complete – which reflects Polyflor’s commercial heritage.

Pricing: Camaro lists roughly 10 to 15 per cent below Knight Tile at retail for equivalent designs. For trade buyers, the Grosvenor+ trade programme applies discounted pricing across both ranges, narrowing but not eliminating the Camaro pricing advantage. The wider cross-brand pricing context sits in our LVT pricing guide.

Design Library: Where Each Range Pulls Ahead

Camaro pulls ahead on dedicated parquet formats (Cambridge Parquet 2251, Georgian Parquet 2252, Westchester Oak Large Parquet LPQ2253, Waterside Oak Large Parquet LPQ2256, Naked Blond Oak Large Parquet LPQ2257), stone-effect range depth (Atlantic Slate 2339, Arctic Slate 2341, Burnished Concrete 2342, White Metalstone 2332 and others), and overall design count. If you are shopping a stone-effect kitchen floor or a parquet hallway, Camaro carries more options.

Karndean Knight Tile pulls ahead on premium wood-effect styling – the British Heritage range, the Scandinavian-leaning lighter oaks, and the Mid Atlantic Oak family all sit in a styling space that Camaro covers but does not quite match. Knight Tile’s wood-effect plank designs are slightly more art-directed; Camaro’s are slightly more commercial. If you specifically want the best-looking residential oak woodgrain available at the 0.3mm wear-layer price point, Knight Tile has a small but real edge.

Both ranges cover most popular residential design styles – light oak, mid oak, dark oak, weathered, parquet (Camaro better), stone tile (Camaro better), cement and concrete looks (both). For most buyers, both ranges include several designs that fit the room. The decision rarely comes down to “Camaro design X is missing from Knight Tile” – it comes down to broader factors.

UK Manufacturing: Does It Actually Matter?

For some buyers, UK manufacturing is a tie-breaker. For others, it is irrelevant. Here is when it matters and when it does not.

It matters for commercial procurement with public-sector or UK-content-led specifications (NHS, education, social housing), for buyers who specifically value Made in Britain credentials, for projects where lead time is tight and imported product is subject to shipping delays, and for buyers prioritising the lowest carbon footprint per delivered square metre.

It matters less for typical residential installations where the product has been in the country for months by the time it reaches the showroom, for projects with no specific UK-content requirement, and for buyers who weigh design library and brand authority above origin.

The honest answer is that for a typical UK family-home Camaro vs Knight Tile decision, UK manufacturing is one factor among many and unlikely to be the decisive one unless the buyer specifically values it. For specifier-led commercial projects, it matters considerably more.

Brand Authority and Residential Specifier Network

Karndean is the strongest residential LVT brand in the UK by a meaningful margin. The brand is older in the UK residential market, the trade network of fitters who default to Karndean is larger, and architects and interior designers working in residential specify Knight Tile more often than Camaro. This shows up at resale of a house – estate agents recognise the Karndean name in property listings (“Karndean Knight Tile flooring throughout”) in a way they do not recognise Polyflor Camaro.

Whether this brand-authority gap matters depends on your priorities. If you are renovating to sell within five years, resale-framing favours Knight Tile. If the floor is for your own long-term use, the brand authority of the floor does not affect day-to-day enjoyment or performance.

Polyflor’s brand authority is stronger in commercial than residential. Architects working in commercial offices, healthcare, education, hospitality and retail will specify Polyflor (Expona, Camaro Light Commercial) ahead of Karndean every time. This is why Polyflor wins the commercial market and Karndean wins residential. For a home installation, Knight Tile’s residential brand authority is the meaningful advantage Karndean carries.

Pricing in Detail

At Grosvenor Flooring’s online retail pricing in 2026, Camaro lists roughly 10 to 15 per cent below Knight Tile for equivalent designs and gauge differences accounted for. The retail differential is consistent across the range, though specific products vary – some Camaro designs sit lower against their Knight Tile equivalents, others closer to parity.

For trade buyers, the Grosvenor+ trade programme applies discounted pricing on both ranges. The pricing differential narrows under trade pricing but Camaro still typically sits below Knight Tile.

For total fitted cost comparison, the difference between products is often dwarfed by the labour cost on a typical residential installation. A 30 square metre kitchen-diner with full subfloor preparation will see a fitting cost similar between the two products. The product cost differential might be a few hundred pounds out of a fitted-cost total of several thousand. For most installations, pricing alone is not the decisive factor.

The wider price context across all our LVT brands sits in the LVT pricing guide.

When to Choose Camaro

Specify Camaro when:

The project budget benefits from the slightly lower per-square-metre cost. The design you want is parquet, large parquet or stone-effect (Camaro carries more of these). UK manufacturing is a priority for the project. The room or project has any element of light commercial use. You want a slightly thicker product (2.5mm vs 2.0mm) for subfloor imperfection tolerance. The project has a sustainability or BREEAM documentation requirement. You are working with an architect or commercial specifier who is open to Polyflor.

When to Choose Karndean Knight Tile

Specify Knight Tile when:

Residential brand authority matters (renovating to sell, design-led specification). The specific wood-effect design you want sits in the Karndean library and does not have a direct match in Camaro. Your fitter has a strong preference for working with Knight Tile and will compromise on installation quality if asked to switch. The trade network or installer relationship favours Karndean. You want to align the floor with other Karndean products in the house (Van Gogh, Art Select) for consistency. The buyer’s instinct favours Karndean as a brand and the rational case is close enough that the instinct should win.

Common Mistakes Buyers Make in This Comparison

Assuming Karndean is automatically better because the brand is better-known. Brand authority and product quality are different things. Knight Tile and Camaro are genuinely competitive on specification. The brand-authority advantage matters for resale framing but not for day-to-day performance.

Assuming Camaro is automatically cheaper-feeling because it is less premium-branded. The 2.5mm gauge Camaro feels more substantial underfoot than 2.0mm Knight Tile, and the build quality is genuinely commercial-grade. The lower price reflects brand position, not product quality.

Comparing wear layers across tiers, not within tiers. Camaro and Knight Tile are both 0.3mm. Karndean Van Gogh (0.55mm) and Karndean Art Select (0.7mm) sit in higher tiers with thicker wear layers – they are not the right comparison products for Camaro. The right Polyflor comparison for Van Gogh is Expona Commercial (0.55mm), and for Art Select is Expona Design (0.7mm).

Ignoring fitting cost. Both products fit using comparable methods (glue-down dryback) and comparable skill levels. Fitting cost is similar. The product cost differential is a small fraction of the total project cost. Do not over-weight the product price comparison.

Not ordering samples of both. All LVT products vary slightly between sample and delivered batches, between display and at-home colour rendering, and between showroom lighting and home lighting. Get full sample boxes of two or three contender designs across both brands, lay them out at home in the actual room, and pick the one that looks best in context.

FAQ

Is Polyflor Camaro better than Karndean Knight Tile? Camaro wins on gauge, design depth, dedicated parquet formats, UK manufacturing and pricing. Knight Tile wins on residential brand authority. Both deliver equivalent everyday performance and lifespan. “Better” depends on which factors matter most for your project.

Polyflor Camaro vs Karndean Knight Tile – which is thicker? Camaro is 2.5mm. Knight Tile is 2.0mm. The 0.5mm difference is not visible at the surface but gives Camaro a slightly more substantial feel and better tolerance for subfloor imperfections.

Which has a better wear layer – Camaro or Knight Tile? Both have a 0.3mm transparent wear layer. The wear layer specification is identical. The surface treatment (PUR on Camaro, K-Guard+ on Knight Tile) is comparable in long-term performance.

Is Camaro cheaper than Knight Tile? Yes. Camaro lists roughly 10 to 15 per cent below Knight Tile at retail for equivalent designs. The pricing differential is consistent across the ranges. Trade pricing narrows but does not eliminate the gap.

Is Polyflor made in the UK? Yes. Camaro and the full Polyflor LVT range are manufactured in Whitefield, Manchester by Polyflor (James Halstead Group). UK manufacturing is a Polyflor credential Karndean does not match – Karndean’s residential LVT is made in South Korea and Vietnam.

Which brand has better designs – Polyflor or Karndean? Camaro has more designs (80+ vs around 60). Knight Tile has slightly stronger premium woodgrain styling. For wood-effect plank in popular oaks, both ranges carry comparable options. For parquet formats, Camaro pulls ahead with dedicated parquet products. For stone-effect, Camaro carries more options.

Is Karndean a stronger brand than Polyflor? In residential, yes. Karndean has a longer-established residential brand authority in the UK and a tighter residential specifier network. In commercial, the reverse is true – Polyflor is the dominant commercial LVT brand and Expona is specified ahead of any Karndean equivalent in commercial procurement.

Where can I buy both brands? Grosvenor Flooring supplies the full Polyflor LVT range (eight ranges including Camaro and the Expona commercial family) and the full Karndean LVT range (Knight Tile, Knight Tile Rigid Core, Van Gogh, Van Gogh Rigid Core, Art Select, Palio Essenza). Browse the Polyflor Camaro and Karndean Knight Tile category pages, or for local supply and fit visit our where to buy Polyflor in Altrincham and where to buy Karndean in Altrincham pages.

Related Reading

For the wider Camaro verdict, see our Polyflor Camaro review and Polyflor flooring review. For the wider Karndean verdict, see our Karndean flooring review and the dedicated Karndean Knight Tile guide. For the Camaro click vs glue-down decision, see Polyflor Camaro vs Camaro Rigid Core. For wider cross-brand context, the best LVT flooring in the UK 2026 guide covers every premium LVT brand we stock.