3mm Thick Luxury Vinyl Flooring
3mm is the Karndean dryback sweet spot. It is the thickness the two most-specified Karndean glue-down ranges — Van Gogh and Art Select — actually ship at, with premium wear layers bonded to a dryback construction that sits low enough to transition cleanly into adjacent rooms. 3mm is the format customers pick when they want a true Karndean design-led specification and are fresh-installing on a prepared subfloor.
Like all dryback formats, 3mm glue-down cannot retrofit over an existing floor — it is bonded directly to a level screed or concrete with a flooring-grade adhesive. The trade-off is simple: you lose retrofit flexibility but gain the design library, the wear-layer depth, and the height profile that click-lock rigid-core formats cannot match. See samples in person at the 24/7 smart-lock Altrincham showroom, order free samples online, or send us a competitor quote for a same-working-day price check.
What Does 3mm Thickness Actually Mean?
3mm (3 millimetre) is the total board thickness from the bottom of the dryback backing to the top of the wear layer. The construction includes a printed decorative layer, a clear PVC wear layer, and a closed-cell PVC backing with factory-applied adhesive for glue-down installation. 3mm is 1mm thicker than the 2mm entry spec and gives the manufacturer room to bond a heavier wear layer without losing the thin-format profile.
3mm in the Thickness Ladder
3mm sits at the top of the glue-down dryback spectrum. Below it are 2mm ranges (Knight Tile and Amtico First) built for the mid-market price point. Above 3mm the format shifts entirely — there is no 3.5mm or 4mm dryback; the next tier up is rigid-core click at 4mm and 4.5mm, a completely different construction with a click-lock edge and retrofit capability. 3mm is the highest-spec glue-down format in the market, and it is almost exclusively Karndean territory.
3mm Ranges at Grosvenor Flooring
Karndean Van Gogh is the flagship Karndean dryback at 3mm — the most-specified wood-effect range in the UK residential market. Deep surface texture, long designs, and a premium wear layer suited to normal domestic use. Request a Price.
Karndean Art Select is the Karndean premium dryback tier at 3mm — the heaviest wear layer Karndean offers in the dryback format, with the longest warranty on the glue-down side of the Karndean line. The range designers specify when a project needs the full Karndean design library at the highest dryback spec. Request a Price.
Installation Format: Glue-Down Only
3mm is glue down and glue down only — there is no click-lock variant of either Van Gogh or Art Select at 3mm. The planks and tiles are bonded directly to a prepared, level subfloor using a flooring-grade adhesive recommended by Karndean. Installation requires a flat, clean, dry screed or concrete. On new-build properties and level existing subfloors, 3mm installs trouble-free; on uneven floors you will need self-levelling compound or a new screed before fitting.
Underfloor Heating Compatibility
3mm glue-down is fully compatible with both wet and electric underfloor heating systems up to 27°C surface temperature, provided the manufacturer’s installation guide is followed and the boxes are left to acclimatise in the room for 48 hours before fitting. Glue down is the installer’s preferred format for UFH because the continuous adhesive bond transfers heat efficiently and avoids the insulation layer you get with floating click-lock floors.
Thickness Does Not Determine Durability — Wear Layer Does
This is the most important sentence on the page: **thickness and durability are not the same thing.** A 3mm board with a 0.55mm wear layer outlasts a 4.5mm rigid-core with a 0.3mm wear layer in normal domestic use. Durability comes from the wear-layer thickness, not the total board height. Karndean Art Select and Van Gogh at 3mm carry the heavier wear layers Karndean’s dryback range offers, which is part of why designers keep specifying them. If durability is your question, compare wear-layer specs first, then thickness. Confused? See our full 0.55mm wear layer guide.
Explore Related Categories
- Thickness ladder: 2mm, 4mm, 4.5mm, 5mm, 6mm.
- By install format: glue-down LVT, click LVT, loose lay LVT.
- By wear layer: 0.3mm, 0.55mm, 0.7mm, 1mm.
- By brand: Karndean, Amtico.
- Wider context: back to luxury vinyl flooring.
How to Buy or Get a Quote
Karndean Van Gogh and Art Select are sold on a Request a Price basis. Get in touch via our enquiry form, WhatsApp or phone with the range you have shortlisted and any competitor quote you have received, and we will come back the same working day with a tailored price. Supply-and-fit installation is available across Cheshire and South Manchester from our 24/7 smart-lock Altrincham showroom.
