Liam and Abbey are a typical working-class couple who've been renting a flat in London's Clapham district since they were married eight years ago. They wanted to purchase their own home before starting a family, so they put all the extra money away until they were ready to buy. Finally, they settled on a new place in Beckenham and made it their own.
The couple got the house for a modest price, indeed. But there was a catch: it needed work. It was a rental property previous to Liam and Abbie buying it, and the tenants had not treated the place all that well. Thankfully, most of the work was inexpensive and cosmetic. But the floors were in such bad shape they needed to be replaced throughout the house.
Liam and Abbey preferred natural woods and stones, but they knew they couldn't afford it. A contractor who had helped them with some of their projects recommended Amtico flooring. He told them that Amtico had been around since the 1960s, making vinyl floor products simulated to look like real wood and stone. Of course, the wary home owners were suspicious.
They'd seen simulated vinyl products before, and they all looked simply hideous. Instead, they priced out the cheapest wood and tile they could find, preparing to settle for whatever they could afford. It wasn't until a friend of Abbie's brought up Amtico again that the pair gave it any real thought.
With a trusted recommendation, Liam and Abbey headed out to a local Amtico dealer to see what they could find. They didn't have high expectations mind you, but when they got their first look at the showroom floor they were amazed. They assumed they were standing on real hardwood...but they weren't.
The salesman came out to greet them, familiar with the scepticism he would face, and warmly explained to them the Amtico product line. He told them of the special patented process the company uses to simulate wood and stone. He dropped Bob Vila's name and showed a video of the installation process. He even told them how Amtico could make custom flooring from any design Liam and Abbie gave them.
They settled on some patterns that day then smiled from ear to ear as the installers left a few weeks later. Liam and Abbie couldn't wait to have their first dinner party; especially to have both sets of parents over. And they agreed between themselves not to say anything about the floors unless they were explicitly questioned.
That dinner party was over six months ago. To this day, Liam, Abbie, and the installers are the only ones who know the floors are vinyl. And the young couple still has money left over to put into the nursery.