Trafficmaster Allure ULTRA! Planks

stary kozel · 01-29-2011, 10:11 AM

Yesterday I wrote note describing two "theoretical" Ultra installation schemes that may seem crazy. It is here:

Allure Vinyl Plank "Click together"

I think that Ultra could drive people insane because this nearly 4 feet plank is flexible and bends. I mean, installing 12 mm thick floating flooring laminate planks is piece of cake comparing to this one because it is rigid. Even the glue-together Allure tile was challenge at first because the piece bends and one of the ends may contact the other glue strip EXACTLY where you do not want it!

So yesterday, after writing my note about Ultra I started having second thoughts about it for the following reasons:

1) I can install the Allure tile (no experience with Allure plank) no problem - next room is simple rectangle and compared to the kitchen I'd done already it will be breeze
2) our kitchen flooring is in place for two weeks now and there are no problems at all
3) the next room will be for our puppies to frolic around and pee everywhere (yes it will be cleaned within 1/2 hour or so....) and the seams between Allure Ultra planks do not give me 100% confidence that the urine would not seep to the wood flooring under it, regardless my small experiment before.
4) I can use the same pattern of the Allure tile we used in the kitchen which is going to make my wife happy.
5) IT IS a' 30% CHEAPER THAN THE ULTRA!
6) And - the locking feature in the Ultra is done using secondary, machining (millings) operation. It is impossible to guarantee perfect quality doing it; there need to be pretty tight tolerances to be used. This machining operation generates a lot of shavings which may cause problems - dimensional due to accumulation and higher cutting temperature. These shawings are probably blown away from the material, but if there is low humidity in the manuf. room, they will stick to wrong places due to electrostatic/triboelectric charges. (As anybody who machines/cuts plastics knows pretty well).

So last evening I took two pieces of the Allure tile I have left from the kitchen job, connected the glued lips together, compressed them just using my hands and then walked on the seam. Then I took it outside and left it there overnight. We had there something like 20 degrees F and this morning the sample was just fine, it was not brittle and the seam held even when I bent it some. Now it is in the living room; while it was still cold, I put it down on a carpet that lays on top of our laminate floor and step on it some. It did not separated. After 2 hours in the living room I bent it pretty severely, and the seam held.

I will repeat this "cooling/reheating procedure few more times just to make sure, but am pretty sure I will use the Allure tile.

What I learned to date:
1) Allure tile is better for us that the Ultra
2) Allure glue-together does not hold if it is installed over basement concrete floor - people do not realize that the ground temperature is in the 40s Deg. F and it takes some serious effort to bring the temp of the concrete surface to the 60s Deg. F to make sure the glue works well. This is because the glue does not work well at lower temperatures.
3) people do not use the recommended 100# roller

Based on this, because our large sun room is over unheated crawl space, we will wait until warm weather. This is because the temperature of our floor in this room was yesterday only 54 Deg. F while the room is heated by our central heating system to the came temperature as the rest of the house. This waiting for warm weather will assure we will not have any problems in the future.

af9485 · 03-01-2011, 09:02 AM

I'm finishing about 700 sf of basement and contemplated many flooring styles over the past few weeks. I decided to go with the Allure Ultra vinyl clic planks. I've installed roughly 100 sf of the flooring directly over concrete thus far and have had no problems at all. I've read some of the complaints online and many seem to stem from improper installation. Every box I bought had 2 sets of instructions, one in English and the other in Spanish. As far as the separation after 24 hours goes, I have tried to pull mine apart, run and jump on them, and have had my 2 Boxers run over them and they are holding up just fine. It's only been a week so far but they passed the initial test. Getting the planks to actually "click" in place was a little trickey at first but once you get the hang if it the remaining planks go in easily. I was also seeing the grey gaps (1/32 in at most) between my planks at first but that's because they weren't actullay clicked into place. If you see the gaps while you 're installing them then take a rubber mallet and lightly tap them into place until the gap is gone. Then step on the seem or use a roller and the fit will be perfectly tight. Cutting them can be a little tough but you're scoring the plank to snap it not actually cut it. Since the plank is semi-flexible it will only snap properly if you're trying to snap more than 12 inches off at a time. For cutting smaller parts of the end off I had to score it with a utility blade 1-2 times then take tin snips to cut the first inch of the score...it then became easy to snap. It seems a lot of complaints come from having no patience or unrealistic expectations of the product. People want a "tough" floor that's "easy" to cut which is a little ironic. If you take your time and install it properly I would recommend the Ultra to anyone. It does cost $1 more per sf than the glue-together Allure planks but you don't have to worry about edges raising or the glue not sticking like soooo many people have complained about.

hackwriter · 03-19-2011, 07:39 PM

I just saw this product at Home Depot and was intrigued because it seems even easier than the kind with the glue strip, and doesn't require a 100-lb. roller. Does it really "click" to let you know it is in properly? I am doing a 9 x 17 kitchen, on top of existing sheet vinyl where I have to cut some edges off under and around cabinets because it's coming up. Never done a floor before. Do you think it's OK for a novice DIY-er to do?

af9485 · 03-20-2011, 05:51 PM

Hackwriter,

I had never done flooring prior to remodeling my basement so I can say with confidence this product is easily installed by the DIY type. It doesn't necessarily click to let you know it's installed properly but if you see any grey between the planks then you haven't connected them right. The Allure Ultra is easy to lay and although some may disagree, I found it easy to cut as well. You'll need a utility knife and several fresh blades. You score the plank about 3-4 times and it easily snaps off. The only tricky part is finishing off the final edge which requires you to score the plank the long way which is a little more difficult to snap. My wife was able to help me lay a lot of this flooring and she does ZERO home improvement work lol.

IceT · 03-20-2011, 05:55 PM

These have been having problems falling apart.. don't recommend at this point.

af9485 · 03-20-2011, 06:28 PM

Could you be more specific...how exactly are they falling apart?

hackwriter · 03-21-2011, 07:54 PM

I've also read horror stories of people getting sick after installing this stuff. We had industrial carpet put into our basement and we felt ill for 6 months from the off-gassing. I'd like to avoid that in future. My husband is messy in the kitchen so I need something easy to clean and highly water-resistant, which leaves out hardwood and makes laminate questionable. That's why this stuff intrigued me. Anyone had odor problems with it?

Dan Tillman · 04-03-2011, 08:04 PM

I have purchased the Allure Ultra vinyl 4' X 7.5" Resilient Plank Flooring. I am looking to find instructions on installing this product. I know that I need to stagger the pieces, but I don't know if I can install in a brick pattern 2' then 4' and so on, or can I cut the planks in 1' then the next one 2' then the next one 3' and the last one the full 4' plank? Also, if I score the piece, do I score it on the top side or the bottom side?

I am starting this project tomorrow so I just need to see what is best for installation. I am installing this in a basement concrete floor in the laundry room/furnace room.

Since there are no instructions with the 4 boxes I bought, do I need a 6 mil plastic vapor barrier or just put it on top of the concrete?

Please advise.

allure pro · 04-05-2011, 01:46 PM

Hi All - I am sorry you have had some troubles getting info on the Allure Ultra. It is new and not all HD stores have been trained on the product yet. Here are the installation instructions and FAQs for the Allure Ultra.

StElmoQn · 04-07-2011, 08:13 PM

We are seriously consdering the Allure Ultra for our soon-to-be constructed basement bathroom, but my husband is concerned about mold/mildew under the interlocking planks. Since you can't put an underlayment under it without voiding the warranty, is this something we should even worry about. We live Colorado, but the climate is pretty dry in the Denver area.

dustinm · 04-20-2011, 11:49 PM

I realize that the Allure Ultra flooring (or the grip strip product for that matter) is not recommended for RV applications, but I have done A TON of reading and see that there are MANY people using it for this application. However, I am wondering what the issue is with the product in this application? We live up in Canada, and our RV will go through some HUGE temp variations, but is only used/occupied in the summer when its warm. Otherwise its stored outside, unheated.
Is the issue simply an expansion and contraction issue? If the proper gap is left at the wall, should the product not be able to 'float' as it is designed to do, regardless of temp variation? I am being forced to replace my flooring in the RV due to cracked sheet vinyl from winter temps. However, this cracking is the result of the sheet vinyl being improperly installed at the factory. It was glued around the perimeter, but not in the middle, which caused the middle of the room to crack as the sheet tried to contract, but was held in place by the perimeter glue. I see that there could be issue with the Allure grip strips failing in the cold, but what is the reasoning behind not using the 'clicking' Ultra if there is no adhesive to fail?
I am REALLY considering this product, as I don't want the hassle of installing a full vinyl floor, and don't want the weight of laminate. It sounds like it would work perfectly for this application, but many seem to discourage it. WHY?
PLEASE give some advice.

FloorPro · 04-26-2011, 02:15 AM

Hi all... My name is John... I install Allure and Allure Ultra professionally here in TN... I have seen it all when it comes to Allure... I have about 900 to 1000 Allure jobs under my belt... I will answer any questions you may have to the best of my ability...

FloorPro · 04-26-2011, 02:22 AM

You can always paint the floor prior to installation or install 6 mil plastic sheeting under the Allure...

FloorPro · 04-26-2011, 02:26 AM

I always install Allure and Laminate in what I call thirds... You want to stagger the floor in thirds to maintain a natural looking floor, but to also give it strength... This method doesnt have to be presise... You will want to score it on the top side... It will snap easier if you score the top protective wear layer... Plus that also keeps the plank oriented to your job...

ATRAWLINGS · 04-27-2011, 11:37 PM

Hi John. I am building a stage for a health club fitness studio. Would you consider the Allure Ultra a good choice for this application directly over the top of 3/4" OSB?

And also...would there be any ill effects with nailing this on in 12" strips across the front facing of the stage?

thanks