This article provides Allure Flooring installation instructions, and information about the product. Welcome to Shebang, your free information site.
Allure Flooring
Allure flooring is a very attractive product, both in looks and price. Allure flooring can be installed over wood floors, vinyl linoleum, tile and concrete. The Allure flooring floats over the surface and requires no glue, heat or nails. Allure flooring is sold in planks to make it look more like real wood. All that is required to secure it, is the adhesive gripstrip connector strips already built into the product.
Instructions for Installing Allure Flooring
1/ Read all the steps before you start installing, as the instructions are not listed in start to finish order.
Measure the width and length of the room in feet. Multiply the two measurements and add 10 percent more to that figure. This is the square footage you will need.
There are 16 planks per box; each 6 inches by 36 inches which works out to 24 sq. ft. per box. Check with your supplier as some patterns may vary in sq. ft. per box.
2/ Allure flooring can be applied over any smooth, level surface. Do not install this flooring over a surface that is very bumpy. The planks are very stiff, when you walk on them, they will flex, and over time, a corner may pop up.
If you place this flooring over a rough bumpy surface, you can feel the roughness, when you walk over the flooring, .
No nails, screws or glue is used. Each plank has built in glue strips that adhere to the next adjoining plank. The finished floor is a complete unit, which is not adhered to any thing, but itself.
3/ Decide which way you want the planks to go, either width-wise or length-wise.
Remove any baseboards and then thoroughly vacuum the complete room and area where you will be doing the cutting. Cleanliness is a top priority; any tiny pieces or dirt could ruin your job, resulting in bumps in the flooring or glue strips that do not bond properly.
4/ A clean surface is needed to cut on. A sewing cutting board is ideal. Any cutting surface that has small pieces coming loose is a problem.
You need a measuring tape, pencil, string, aviation snips, gyprock knife (utility knife or equivalent) and a 2 Ft. carpenter square which is ideal; because you can knee on one part of the square to hold it steady as a guide when you make a cut. On straight cuts, score and break.
5/ When a measurement is made, lay the plank on top of a separating sheet of paper from the packing box. This will prevent the boards from sticking one to the other and help keep the glue strip clean. Do not touch the glue strips, but rather handle the planks by grapping onto the plank, where no glue is present. If the glue of one plank touches another plank’s glue edge, it can be almost impossible to pull them apart without damaging the product.
6/ After you make the measurements and determine where to cut, draw your lines. Place the plank onto your cutting mat and place the 2 Ft. carpenter square along the line to be cut. Kneel on the other end of the square to hold it in place while cutting. It is helpful to have someone else help steady the plank. Run the knife over the line two to three times. Next, turn the plank over and lay it onto a separating sheet of paper. Fold the plank upward on the line. When it is at a 90-degree angle, run your knife along the crease.
7/ When starting your first row on one of the walls, run a string from one end of the room to the other. The string will show you how true the wall is.
You must start along one wall and work across the room as you cannot start in the center of the room and work outward both ways from the center. This first adjustment is very important because all the other rows will follow from here.
If the wall is bowed inward or outward, an adjustment is needed. At this point, consider how the last row across the room will finish. It may be necessary to cut the entire first row in half-lengthwise to make the two sides of the room balance.Take a good amount of time figuring the first row as this is most important.
Place one plank on the floor and start some measurements from there to get a picture in your mind as what the finished project will look like.
When you start at the wall on your first row, cut the glue strip off. If you do not cut the glue strip off, the tile may dip at the wall side of the tile.
8/ Leave a 1/8 inch space between the flooring and the walls, the baseboards will cover the gaps. This space allows for expansions and contractions. Do a perfect cut around doorways, as there will be nothing to cover any edges. An oak transition strip is a good choice for doorways between changing floorings. I don’t recommend transition strips made out of MDF board as they are expensive for what you get, and they can easily break.
To fit a plank to irregular shapes, or around pipes, make a pattern from a heavy paper, lay the pattern over the plank, trace and cut.
9/ When you are laying the planks into place, lay them onto one of the spacing paper sheets. When you are sure the measurement is good and it is in the right place, withdraw the spacing sheet and press into place. Do not try to over tighten the joints, as this can result in rolled up glue, causing bumps in the finished floor or rolled up edges of the planks. Hold the plank in front of you, at a 45 degree angle, and let it fall into place, without forcing. Once you feel comfortable with laying the planks, you can do it without the spacing paper.
10/ When laying the planks, alternate the planks from different boxes, to even out any variation in color and texture. Stagger each row so no two-end joints line up. You may be able to use the one cut off end, to start another row.
11/Place the boxes of planks near the area where you will be laying them, overnight; this gives the planks time to adjust to the same temperature as the room.
12/ From a women’s point of view, if you are helping with the project, have the supper prepared ahead of time. This way when the job is finished you will only have to heat up the supper and not have to deal with a complete supper; everyone can relax. Another option is to have the meal brought in, or go out for supper.
Tools
Tip
Rolling is recommended, when the installation is complete. If you can not locate a roller, simply walk over all the seams.
Avoid direct sunlight on allure flooring for prolonged times, and move rugs around to prevent uneven coloring, in the flooring.
Keep an extra carton of allure tile stored away in a dry location. In the event that you have to replace a damaged plank, you will have the exact Allure tile match.
To remove a plank use a heat gun, or hair dryer to heat the heat seams.
Note
Allure flooring is for interior use only, not for porches or unheated rooms.
In a basement, do not tile over a damp concrete floor, mold will grow below the tile. Only tile over dry concrete, where you have had no damp problem before. Even if there appears to be no dampness, treat the concrete with an anti fungal product, and seal coat.
If you suspect moisture on a basement floor, do this test, tape around the edge of a piece of 6 inch by 6 inch polyfilm to the surface of the concrete for 48 hours. Look for condensation on the underside of the polyfilm.
Temperature
The adhesive on the grip strip needs a certain amount of heat to activate the glue to make it stick. A temperature between 60 degrees F (15.5 C) and 85 degrees F (29.44 C) is the proper temperature to work with. If the room is on the cold side, a quick blast of heat, not too close, from a heat gun or hair dryer will activate the glue.
Tips
If you have radiator pipes to content with, make up a cardboard template to make an accurate cut, allow a little room (1/32") for expansion of the pipes.
Install floor protection felt pads on all the furniture legs to prevent scuffing, and scratching.
If casters are used, wide, flat, non staining casters are best. Rubber casters will mark the floor.
Trim pet claws regularly to prevent scratches.
Do not wax as this will cause dirt build-up, and yellowing over time
Allure Manufacturing Information
Allure flooring is manufactured by Halstead New England, headquartered in Norwalk Connecticut.
They are a global marketing company, that services North America, South America and Western Europe markets.
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