Under Our Feet

The time has finally come to talk about our flooring! We started talking about this project in February of 2014. If you missed it, you can catch up HERE. We were contemplating laminate and vinyl planking. After I wrote that post we also considered stained concrete and tile. After many samples, estimates and research we landed on Allure Traffic-master Vinyl Planks in dark walnut. 

It was a gamble. It took some adjustment on my part to get over the stigma of vinyl. I also had to over look this scary post I found from 2009 talking about the horrible smell and toxic glue they use. But we kept coming back to it because it had so many features that tile, concrete and laminate was lacking. 

We loved that it was softer than concrete and tile. It was warmer and had better sound absorption, but most importantly it was water resistant and durable. With two large dogs we didn't want to waste our time and money on new flooring only to have it destroyed. 

We installed it ourselves. The first two hours were the most difficult but once we got the hang of it, it went rather fast. It took four weekends to complete. We broke it down into small sections so we wouldn't get burned out. I wanted a seamless look so we continued it through the entire house using the Allure Under Transition strips. I would highly recommend these if you want a seamless installation. We found out the hard way how difficult it is to lay these planks backwards. I wish the HD store associates would recommend them with purchase of Allure flooring. The strips can only be purchased online so make sure you have them before you start the installation.

We have lived with these floors a few months now. So far so good. We never experienced a bad odor from the adhesive. They have endured water spelt on them, muddy dogs walking on them, and furniture being moved. They are easy to clean. I run the vacuum over them every other day and the Swiffer Wet Jet once a week. Like any floor, the dark color does show dirt so if you want something low maintenance I would stick to the lighter colors. The floor has a texture to it and feels like wood grain. We also like the fact that it is a floating floor so they will be easy to remove in the future if we wish to do so. 

So there you have it. Sure, they don't replace the feel and look of a beautiful wood floor but these floors work for us, our dogs and our life style. Vinyl has really reinvented itself in the last few years. Have you installed a new floor lately? If not, what floor are you dreaming of living on? 

Stay Humble
Amber