Allure Floating Flooring?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>I need to replace a hideous, completely worn out sheet vinyl floor in my kitchen. Because I cannot undertake the renovation that the room actually needs, which would change the floor plan, I want to find a solution that is decent-looking but as cheap as possible. No tile or wood, which would be my strong preference if we were doing a real renovation. I am confident that I could install this product myself–I’ve done tiling–and for that reason it would be significantly cheaper than sheet vinyl. It would probably be around $2-2.50 per square foot, depending on which pattern we pick. I also prefer the look of it to any of the less expensive sheet vinyls.</p>

<p>Does anyone have experience with this product? It has sticky strips that overlap, rather than click-together edges.</p>

2

<p>Have researched it since I want to do the same thing you’re planning for the same reasons. My brother is a general contractor and has had clients hire him to put this in.He says it’s easy enough for a layperson to use.</p>

3

<p>I’m in the process of reading the gardenweb forum posts on this topic. Very variable results and opinions!</p>

4

<p>I know! At least if it doesn’t work out it’s cheap, right?</p>

5

<p>I have in my basement for 2+ years now and still holding. Easy do it yourself installation.</p>

6

<p>I use this flooring in my rental units. I’ve installed tons of it (literally).</p>

<p>Pros:</p>

<ul>
<li>Looks pretty nice.</li>
<li>Can be installed myself.</li>
<li>Fairly cheap.</li>
<li>Creates a waterproof floor.</li>
<li>Easily replaceable since it 100% floats.</li>
<li>It will cover small gaps, so the underlayment doesn’t have to be leveled. Just make sure all the nails are pounded down. If there are abrupt changes in height (like if one piece of subfloor sticks up) these need to be leveled, or the flooring can eventually crack at that edge.</li>
</ul>

<p>Cons:</p>

<ul>
<li>The wood patterns don’t really look that much like wood IMO. I like the tile patterns better for a kitchen.</li>
<li>The material is very difficult to cut. I use a very sharp utility knife and metal straight-edge to score it and break it, and aviation snips for detail work.</li>
<li>If the floor gets really cold it will contract and open up the seams a tiny amount. They will not close back up when the room heats back up. It doesn’t affect the waterproof-ness of the floor but you will see the black lines.</li>
<li>You have to leave a small gap around the edges, this may require you to remove trim or add some quarter-round molding depending on how finished you want it to look.</li>
</ul>

<p>Installation notes:</p>

<p>The instructions will tell you to cut off the overhanging glue tab on the first row. This means the first piece will be less than full width. Depending on the width of the room you could wind up needing a really thin piece at the other end. So what I do is cut the bottom glue strip off of some pieces and set them aside for use at the other end of the room, and use the glue strips to fill in under the overhanging part. I don’t bother doing the work to have a perfectly centered tile pattern like you would for a real tile job, you can’t really tell the difference IMO. And - rental property.</p>

<p>Score the finish side, so that you get a cleaner line when you break the piece.</p>

<p>For tricky cuts I will make a paper template and use the snips to cut it. If you have elaborate moldings you have to cut around, it is nearly impossible to make it perfect. This is typically at door frames. If I can I undercut the bottom of the door molding so that I can slide the flooring under it, rather than having to cut around it.</p>

<p>The worst is having to cut around pipes coming through the floor (more of a problem in bathrooms, probably). I have a method, it’s a little complicated to describe but if you need it let me know.</p>

<p><em>The most critical part</em> is making sure you get the corner of each piece completely in the corner of the glue tabs. Set the corner first, wiggle it a little, really jam it in there, and then roll the piece down making sure the pieces fully contact each other. They do not easily come apart, and any space at all shows up as a very noticeable black line. And it messes up the pattern going forward. Make sure you apply good pressure on the seams after each piece to lock them in. </p>

<p>Also, stagger the joints. The tile pattern has 3 one foot tiles per piece. I’ll use full length pieces to start, then cut one tile off to make a two foot piece (save the cut-off piece for the other end of the row), then cut two feet off to make a one foot piece, then go back to a full piece on row 4. You have to be careful to cut exactly on the tile boundary so everything lines up. With the wood pattern you don’t have to be as precise.</p>

<p>You will likely need some sort of transition strip at the doorways because the flooring is quite thick. I use metal ones, it’s not the best look, but…</p>

7

<p>Oh yeah, make sure you keep the glue strips covered while you work. If dust gets on them, it severely impacts the ability of the pieces to stick together. I think this is why some of these floors don’t stay glued together. </p>

<p>I keep the pieces in the box until I need them, as I am working I keep the exposed glue strips covered with the wax paper that separates each piece in the box (also helps keep me from kneeling or stepping on the glue strips) and any partial piece I will use later I cover with the waxed paper.</p>

<p>And if you are getting it at a big box store like Home Depot, always follow rule #1 - never buy a box that has been previously opened or has obviously been returned.</p>

8

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</p>

<p>I used a heavy duty sheet metal scissors and was much easier than using a utility knife to score/break. The scissor blade is ~7-8" long.</p>

9

<p>We installed it first in our kitchen using the oak wood looking panels. We liked it so much we continued a couple of years later into the living room, hallway, foyer and den (they all flow together). We really like it and it looks great. Easy to care for. No worries when water or other liquid spills on it. Right now we are dealing with an elderly 140 lb dog and all her messes. Again, no concerns as it cleans up very easily. We have not had issues with her nails scratching it either. </p>

<p>All in all, it suits our lifestyle and pocketbook very well!</p>

10

<p>One of the many, many things my youngest sister did while she was here last month as I recuperated was to pull out the carpet/padding in our family room and hallway, move two sofas, a TV table, heavy wall unit, four bookcases, two end tables and a coffee table – and replace it with the Allure floating floor. Our carpet was totally gross from the dog’s “political statements” – not to mention that it was a very faded PEACH thanks to the prior owners in the early 90s. I did not want anyone to come downstairs because it was so awful and smelly.</p>

<p>My sister did this in a day and a half. There was actually linoleum underneath (and concrete slab beneath that) that had cracked and broken off, so she leveled the floor with some sealer. (About $8/quart, took 1.5 quarts for a 13x19 room and hallway) We chose the cherry wood look-alike, which coordinated very well with our other furniture. We found wood transition strips at Home Depot that matched the cherry pretty well – about $10 each. She sank those with cement screws. Total cost was under $700.</p>

<p>I expect that when we decide to sell this house someday, someone else will want to put in hardwood floors. In the meantime, it is easy to clean – and after nine years, the dog is learning to piddle on the towel instead of the floor! Have not had any problems with corners pulling up or pieces breaking. My sister had helped friends install this on a houseboat last summer and said it has held up very well.</p>

<p>This was just one of the two-page list of items she accomplished while she was here. My neighbors all want to rent her services!</p>

11

<p>Wow, thanks for all the great advice! </p>

<p>I’ve been exploring other alternatives, but the Allure tile continues to be the most appealing overall. For one thing, they have a tile-look panel that I really like that would look good in our kitchen with its honey-colored oak or maple cabinets and also looks good next to the adjacent dark hardwood floors. Wood look alternatives would just not work in this situation, which leaves out many products.</p>

<p>As it happens, I have 2 pipes coming up through the floor. This is an old house, and they are floor to ceiling steam pipes.</p>

12

<p>Does anyone have any problem with the smell?
I’ve found info that indicates it is reprocessed vinyl?
Otherwise it sounds pretty good.</p>

13

<p>^ I’ve never noticed a smell other than a faint plastic-y smell when first installed. It fades quickly.</p>

<p>I find new carpet smell to be worse, and last longer.</p>

<p>None of my tenants have ever complained.</p>

14

<p>

If you decide to go with this product, post here and I’ll try to explain how I do holes.</p>