TrafficMaster has a product line that you didn't know existed until now.
As a subsidiary of Shaw flooring, TrafficMaster is a brand name that's supposed to cater to the needs of average homeowners who want to do a quick floor remodeling project without scraping off a huge chunk of their financial pie. It is an ideal move for Shaw—to create a flooring material with just enough features that don't carry a premium brand name and then sell it at a good price.
The result is a product line called Allure.
Allure is one of the many brands sold under the TrafficMaster banner that is always out of stock. This means finding a set of Allure planks would mean searching online with considerable effort or asking several people about it. This article is meant to give essential information and review about this elusive product line.
In Focus: TrafficMaster Vinyl Flooring—The Allure Product Line
The Allure from TrafficMaster is an intriguing one. It's a product line with no grand promotional efforts lined up and almost no online presence—apart from a few listings on online marketplaces. It's most likely that you'll only hear about the product line from a warehouse staff or if you're intent on finding good flooring online. Check out other details about the brand below.
Cost
Its cost is hovering in the mid-range category at $2.00 up to $3.00 per square foot. If you're buying an entire case of planks, the cost is around $50.00, and it will cover 24 square feet of your floor area.
To compare, Shaw's vinyl plank averages at $3.00 - $5.00 per square foot. COREtec lands at the cost of $2.90. These are reputable vinyl flooring brands that offer the same luxury vinyl plank material with an incremental addition in terms of features. Still, the main components are the same as Allure's.
On the other hand, Mohawk's Uniclic pricing is cheaper at $1.60 per square foot, although it's a thinner vinyl plank compared to Allure's. This product measures at 3.4mm with a 15-year warranty, while the Allure is at 3.8mm with the same warranty duration.
Allure's cost targets a segment of consumers that wants quality at the right value. If you're someone who's on a budget, can afford to skip a few fancy features, and are not too concerned about the brand name, TrafficMaster is a practical choice.
Components
Backing layer – This component is at the bottom of the vinyl flooring and is also known as the underlayment, usually made of cork or foam. The cork material is waterproof and does expand after prolonged exposure to moisture or even direct liquid. Again, this serves an acoustic purpose as it reduces the sound coming from the steps you take with or without shoes on.
Grip strip – This strip is installed in between the backing layer and the vinyl core material. This makes installing the flooring easier as you don't have to buy separate adhesives to put each TrafficMaster vinyl plank flooring piece together.
Vinyl core layer – This part of the TrafficMaster vinyl floor layer is made of solid material at its core. The layer is uniform in thickness for each luxury vinyl tile or plank, so it lays down on the subflooring evenly. Materials for vinyl flooring are normally composed of wood plastic composite (WPC) or stone plastic composite (SPC), but the base material is derived from polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Printed layer – After the core layer comes to the high-definition photo print layer. This layer gives the vinyl flooring its wood or stone flooring patterns that rival hardwood, stone, or genuine ceramic flooring. A TrafficMaster vinyl sheet flooring has a high-definition printed layer with thousands of pixels that make the patterns look like the real deal. These sheets can be cut as either planks or tiles.
Wear-resistant layer – To ensure that the printed layer stays fresh, another layer is placed on top of it. This layer is made of ceramic bead materials that protect the surface from liquid spills, sunlight, and scratches caused by moving furniture. The risk of scrapping, staining, and fading of the printed design is unlikely with this added layer.
Style Variations
TrafficMaster vinyl has several product lines. Most of them are easily available, save for the Allure. Currently, this elusive product line is always sold out in physical stores. The Allure line is perhaps one of the early models of TrafficMaster's vinyl flooring and may only be available in select stores in the United States.
The Allure has several variations. It has the Allure Ultra and the Allure plus with style variations minimum of five to about twenty-two style options. A couple of popular styles options are Oak, Rosewood, Ashlar, Maple, and Sawcut Arizona.
On the other hand, the form comes with either a luxury vinyl plank (LVP) or a luxury vinyl tile (LVT).
Despite the elusiveness of Allure, this product line is still worth the hunt because of its quality. On the other hand, TrafficMaster does offer other vinyl plank flooring styles with just the brand name as its umbrella title.
Ease of Installation
TrafficMaster's plank flooring is easy to install. You can even install the vinyl planks on your subflooring. But instead of a click-on installation in between the planks, the Allure has an adhesive layer sticking out on one side of the plank. On the other side, there's a space where you can place it on another plank's seam. Eventually, this installation will form a gapless vinyl flooring.
Another great thing we found on the installation of TrafficMaster is the even surface all throughout to completion. The sides with adhesives have enough clearance on both ends that they don't overlap. As a result, there are no bulging parts, and the floor is smooth and straight.
Also, note that the adhesive is very sticky. The flexibility of the vinyl planks helped in making sure the placement of the planks on the sticky side was gradual. That way, you can correct any wrong placement.
Features
Scratch Resistant – The protective layers of the TrafficMaster planks makes them resistant to scratches. Moving things around the area where this vinyl flooring is installed will not be an issue. The print layer will remain vibrant and clean.
Water Resistant – The built-in underlayment at the bottom of the plank combined with the protective layer at the top ensures moisture and water protection. On the bottom part, it protects it from moisture coming from the subflooring—as well as water in the event of a faucet leak or flood. This water-resistant feature of the TrafficMaster floor ultimately prevents the expansion of the plank piece, which causes cracks and bulges on the floor surface.
Install Over – Hiring professionals to hammer down tiles, pry out hardwood, or peel off vinyl is a major concern for the budget-conscious homeowner. It also costs time and effort if you decide to do it yourself. Luckily, the Allure can be installed over any of the mentioned floorings without removing them. And if installation is easy, removing and changing the vinyl planks should be relatively convenient, too.
FloorScore Certified – FloorScore is an authority of quality checking of flooring materials. It evaluates vinyl flooring according to their standards of indoor air quality. The gist is that the materials should be free from harmful substances such as formaldehyde or acetaldehyde. Floor manufacturers can voluntarily have their flooring product evaluated by FloorScore to ensure that they produce outputs that promote the consumers' quality of life.
Easy Cleaning – The surface finish of the TrafficMaster flooring resists absorption and attachment. So if you're worried about spilling colored and thick liquid substances on the floor, you don't have to. TrafficMaster ensures you can mop it off without leaving any floor stain, which can ruin the floor's aesthetics. Dirt and dust can also be swept off the floor just as easily. This leaves you with pristine vinyl flooring with low cleaning and maintenance requirements.
What's Good About TrafficMaster Allure
We love Allure and any other vinyl flooring product line from TrafficMaster because of its resilience to water. So you are assured that the flooring will remain in good condition even in places with high moisture.
We also think that the cost and feature combination is reasonable for TrafficMaster to become a good choice of flooring that can cater to a wide spectrum of homeowners. A pleasant middle ground for those looking for quality at the right price.
What We Need to See From TrafficMaster Allure in the Future
The Allure is almost always unavailable. We'd like to see more of this amazing product being sold. On the other hand, that doesn't mean it won't be available online and in brick-and-mortar stores. So if you're keen on looking for the Allure product line, there's bound to be a supply that will turn up at a certain point in time and at a certain location.
If you want, there are other vinyl planks that TrafficMaster is making that are equally as good as the Allure, which you can check out online.
The Beauty of the Elusive
TrafficMaster Allure is an excellent example that not all good is placed front row and eye level. The Allure is something we found by deliberate search. Still, it presented us with just as good or even better characteristics than any vinyl flooring produced by popular brands.
The only difference is that Allure didn't spend to advertise to reach its market. It relied on its own capacity to attract buyers based on true value. And maybe that's why it's always unavailable because those who know its worth valued it enough to buy it out of stock.
If you want to get the Allure but find that there's no available stock, you might want to try another vinyl tile such as Art3d peel and stick. It's stylish in design just like Allure.
June 3, 2022
