Sorry Colin, but you may a tad hopeful about the wear.
Almost all cushioned vinyls and many 'patterned' vinyl tiles, including lots of Karndean, Amtico etc. consist of a printed foil/paper on top of a harder or softer base and then with a clear vinyl cover. I.e. they are not homogeneous.
The thickness of the cover determines, generally, the amount of wear you get.
This is fundamentally the same problem as with Laminate as has already been mentioned by others. In other words, once you wear through the top bit, 20-30 thou. +or- you have lost it.
It's a long time since I went to a 'cushioned' vinyl plant, but the three-dimensional effect was created then with a version of baking powder.
The substrate layer vinyl had a foaming agent included that was activated by heat. Before printing the design, the first run in the press was a catalyst that neutralised the foaming so, for example, it would print the grout lines if it was a tile design.
Once the clear layer was applied, the whole lot would go through an oven, the tiles in the design would thicken, leaving the grout area behind and produce the effect you wanted.
I'm afraid that I went with old fashioned Lino in the Hall, KitchenDiner (Must admit that I inlaid a fish pond, complete with goldfish, lillies and a periscope) in the middle and normal carpet in most of the rest of the house, including our bathroom.
Frankly, most of this thread is irrelevant because most people go with what they like, not for what they 'should' have. Just check the pipes, check the subfloor and put it down!
Tony
