Trafficmaster Allure flooring after a couple of years

[chablis]

I thought I'd post my review of Trafficmaster Allure plank flooring, since occasionally people have some questions about it.

I had this installed "professionally" in the late fall of 2008. I use the term "professionally" in quotes because the installer was a previously reputable handyman that turned into a crackhead (I'm not kidding, I had to finish the install myself after he got arrested.)

The flooring itself is holding up very well, especially the section I did. I guess it helps to follow instructions as opposed to slapping it down and hoping for the best as you run out the door, money in hand, for your next "fix." Okay, I'm done venting about that. And no, I didn't get anything back from the handyman, he skipped bail and left the state.

After the handyman was off the job, I noticed that a couple of areas had not sealed properly. I rented a floor roller and rolled those sections. That's an important part of the procedure.

No underlayment was used. However, I patched the previously torn old linoleum before proceeding with my section of the job. The floor is level and even. I'd advise using an underlayment for extra warmth barefooted, and obviously, going over any uneven sections in the old flooring, same as you would if you went down to the subfloor. But there is no need to strip off old flooring unless you have concerns about the integrity of the particleboard subfloor and need to make repairs.

I worked quickly once the protective strips were off. Reorienting a mislaid piece is brutal. That adhesive sticks almost instantly. Trimming to fit, however, is easily done with a utility knife.

I'd advise doing an Allure job in warm weather: For a few days afterward, the odor of new vinyl was overpowering, and the first couple of nights I shut off the heat, opened the windows, and spent the night in a motel with the dog. If you have birds or fish, you might want to relocate them to a friend's house before messing with this job because of the horrible odor. I'm sure it's not good for them.

I chose a low gloss, travertine tile design plank for the floor. I frequently have guests examining it who are surprised that it isn't actually travertine tile.

It's held up well to doggy nails, puppy accidents, muddy and gritty work boots, high heels, and Mom's wheelchair, as well as chairs and the like getting dragged over it. Supposedly, Home Depot markets a Trafficmaster specific floor cleaner for both low and high gloss floors, but I've found Pine Sol works well for heavy duty cleaning. For light general cleaning, I use a Bissell steam mop and have had very nice results. I don't like "no-wax-floor" cleaners because of the sticky factor.

I installed a colonial baseboard and finished the installation with quarter-round molding, both of which I stained and then finished with a satin polyurethane. It looks very "stick built house" -like.

On the whole, I'm happy with it. I haven't had any issues with individual seams lifting, even in our "born to shift" homes! There is no evidence of liquid seepage (i.e., no particleboard swelling) even though what the puppy did to that poor floor was an obscenity!

I will be redoing the bathroom soon, as there is subfloor repair to be done, and I wouldn't hesitate to use it in the bathroom as well. I'm finding it's a very viable alternative to sheet vinyl.

[JD]

Thanks for the review! This will be of interest to a lot of our forum visitors. Sounds like you put the product through a good test too. I think it is great that you originally hired a "professional" (not in my book), but decided to complete the project on your own and did a better job.

[chablis]

Oh, JD, I wouldn't have thought I could have done it on my own, that's why the handyman. The guy had previously had a good reputation, but got into drugs. I got stuck with a few cases of Allure and no handyman when he got arrested, so I decided to try it myself by default.

Now if I can only work up the courage to use a sawzall and get my hands on a circular saw to do the bathroom floor.....