What Replaced TrafficMaster Allure? Line History
Questions & answers (73) · Leave a commentNothing fully replaced TrafficMaster Allure. The original GripStrip planks are still sold at The Home Depot in a reduced range, while many of the thicker click-lock Allure products were dropped as the store moved its mid-range and premium vinyl under the LifeProof name, launched around 2018. Both brands come from the same supplier, Halstead New England, so LifeProof is best understood as a successor line rather than a one-for-one swap for a discontinued Allure color.
What replaced TrafficMaster Allure: a short history
TrafficMaster is The Home Depot’s long-running entry-level flooring label, used on laminate, carpet and resilient products. Allure was the name given to its vinyl plank and tile range, which Halstead New England, a company in the HMTX Industries group based in Norwalk, Connecticut, designed and supplied. Country of origin is printed on the carton and can differ by collection, so it should be read on the boxes you have rather than assumed for the whole Allure line.
The first Allure products used GripStrip, an adhesive edge strip that bonds each plank to its neighbor instead of to the subfloor. The installation manual describes the floor as free floating, needing no underlayment, and suitable over existing vinyl, concrete, wood or even ceramic. GripStrip was offered in several formats, listed in the manual as tile, plank, Plus, Contract, Commercial and Large Format.
Later Allure generations switched to click-lock joints and thicker construction. The Allure Ultra line, a 5 mm solid vinyl click plank, is one example and is covered in its own entry on TrafficMaster Allure Ultra. When LifeProof arrived with rigid and flexible click planks marketed as waterproof, it took over that part of the shelf. Several industry sources describe LifeProof as an effective rebranding of the upper Allure tiers, and Halstead continues to supply both names.
Current GripStrip planks
The GripStrip format is the part of the Allure family that has stayed in production. A 10 November 2026 check of The Home Depot’s TrafficMaster GripStrip listings still showed the 6 in. by 36 in. water-resistant plank format below. Colors rotate, and local stock is not guaranteed:
| Attribute | Current GripStrip plank |
|---|---|
| Brand / supplier | TrafficMaster / Halstead |
| Plank size | 6 in. x 36 in.; 3.8 mm thick |
| Wear layer | 4 mil |
| Carton coverage | 16 planks, 24 sq. ft. |
| Water rating on current listings | Water-resistant (not the same as a waterproof click plank) |
| Installation | GripStrip adhesive edge, floating |
| Example colors and model numbers | Khaki Oak 185312, Oak 11053, Cherry 12012, Alberta Spruce 821958, Emerson 103918 |
Those five colors were still listed on 10 November 2026, alongside other GripStrip shades such as Khaki Oak Dark. A shade bought years ago may still be missing from the current list even though the format survives. Check the color name, model number and the run number printed on the carton ends before assuming a current product will match. No prices or store counts are published here, because they change.
Why an old Allure floor is hard to patch
Three things change between product generations: the joint, the thickness and the print. A GripStrip plank cannot lock into a click plank, and a 5 mm click plank will sit higher than a thin adhesive-strip plank next to it. Even within the same color name, Halstead’s manual warns that slight color variation happens from run to run, which is why it recommends buying cartons from one run number and keeping spares after the job.
For a repair, the order of preference is usually leftover planks from the original job, then planks with the same color name and joint type from leftover stock, then a deliberate break in the floor at a doorway or threshold using a different product. Sourcing options such as online marketplaces, liquidators and Habitat for Humanity ReStores are listed in the guide to finding discontinued TrafficMaster flooring.
Is LifeProof a substitute?
For a whole room or a new area, a LifeProof plank is a practical modern equivalent to the upper Allure click tiers, since it comes from the same supplier and fills a similar place on the shelf. For patching an existing Allure floor, it rarely works, because LifeProof planks use different thicknesses and locking profiles. A current GripStrip plank is also not a patch for Allure Ultra or other click Allure floors. The differences are set out in more detail in TrafficMaster vs LifeProof vinyl plank. Pattern notes for dropped Allure click colors include Allure Ultra and Allure Ultra Aspen Stratford.
What early Allure owners reported
Reviews and comments from the first GripStrip years, now merged into the thread below, point to a few recurring issues:
- Odor. Some owners noticed a strong chemical smell for the first days after installing, especially in small rooms with little ventilation. Airing the room out helped.
- Cutting. Straight cuts were easy with a utility knife, but cuts around door jambs went better with tin snips or heavy shears.
- Layout. GripStrip planks cannot reverse direction mid-floor, so installers started in one corner and ran continuous rooms, such as a hallway and the room beside it, in one pass. Changes of direction need a threshold strip.
- Cleanliness. Dust weakens the adhesive edge. Owners recommended vacuuming ahead of each row.
Many reviewers also called it a forgiving product for a first-time installer, and well suited to kitchens and rooms with pets.
Frequently asked questions
Is TrafficMaster Allure discontinued?
Partly. Many click-lock Allure collections, including Allure Ultra, are no longer sold. GripStrip planks under the TrafficMaster name were still listed at The Home Depot on 10 November 2026, in the 6 in. by 36 in. water-resistant format, but the color range is smaller than the old Allure assortment and continues to change.
Who makes TrafficMaster Allure and LifeProof?
Both are supplied by Halstead New England, part of HMTX Industries, and sold only through The Home Depot.
Can I mix GripStrip planks with click-lock planks?
Not in the same field. The joints are incompatible, so the two should meet only at a transition strip or threshold.
Featured image: “Briarlake | 12101 Briarlake Manor OKC” by okchomeseller, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Openverse.
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Thanks for finally writing about >Trafficmaster Allure Installation <Liked it!
I have been considering Allure vinyl plank flooring for my entry, kitchen and bath (granite look- alike “Ashler” 211713) I had looked at many samples and kept going back to this because I really liked the way it looked. It seemed to be the pefect product for my situation, that didn’t cost a fortune. Was just about commtted to purchase until I read all of these comments. Wow, this is really scary. No way do I want to invite the possible odor problems into my small home. Thank you all for your very candid reiews. I hope you can get some type of reimbursement. I will continue my search for the right product!
Wow i can’t believe it I just put in the laminate allure flooring like vinyl, and i kept telling my friend I’m all stuffed up all of a sudden. I don’t have sinus or allergies. Tuesday and now its saturday and i’m still stuff with lots of pain and pressure in my head I even had to take a day off work the first time i every took a sick day in five years. So i know i was hurting but it wont unclog no matter how much comes out. I believe now from reading it from the floor. I can’t live like this. And the floor suck putting it in, i believe it would have been easier if it was a square room, without alot of cuts. I am going to complaint now i new this didn’t make any sense instantly stuffed for almost a week now.
Very excited about how easy this floor was to install, and after working most of one day on it, we both had headaches and body aches. Thought it was from the installation, but when I went back to finish the adjacent room, within 10 minutes I had a blinding headache and nose run. The smell had not gone away in 3 days!?!?!
Love the floor and will give it one more chance to vent and then ripping it up and demanding more than just my return from Home Depot. I have faith that they will, or else a sceen will ensue, take care of this problem.
Purchased and installed allure flooring a year ago… This product is terrible … tiles curled up and woulod not stick . The same horror stories everyone else mentions in their comments… I was going to attempt to get mey purcahse price back for this garbage flooring but many of the comments say the manufacturer is not resposive to their complaints.
How do they get away with this !… I’m going to make copies of this letter and leave it on every floor display I find from this manufacturer and sending this to my BBB.
Just installed Allure trafficmaster hickory in 3 bedrooms directly on concrete subfloor. All in all, it is an easy install, but I do have some advice for those considering it.
1) First, make sure your floor is clean of any dust or other debris. After pulling up the carpet, I swept the room several times and then went over it with a vacuum. Even the tiniest particle of dirt, grit will stick to the grip strips and will cause you to have a bump. I don’t think i would recommend mopping the concrete before, even if you allow it to dry i would be afraid of condensation. (i thought about this but did not do it because of the worry about condensation).
2) Secondly, inspect each board carefully and make sure there are no imperfections. Our problem was that due to the way the boxes were handled when we bought them, we had problems in one of the rooms after the floor was laid. What i mean is that home depot strapped some of the boxes on the pallet too tightly and, especially on the end that has the grip strip it kind of bent and caused kind of a crease. The board laid allright, but the “crease” was visible after laying other boards. It’s better to get it right than to have to go back and try to replace (which we had to do in one room)
3)Third, if you see a problem as you lay the boards, go ahead and fix it or replace it then. There is a method to replace boards after installation, but it is not as easy as it looks.
4) As you are laying the floor, periodically walk (or have someone walk) over each section several times to make sure the boards adhere properly. Also, I would let each room “cure” overnight when finished and walk on it as much as possible, before bringing in heavy furniture. I believe this may have been our problem in one room, as we immediately brought in some heavy furniture the same day that we layed the floor, which i believe might have contributed to some boards kicking up on one end. Our only real problem floor was the second one we did (our bedroom) and we ended up having to replace several boards due to the imperfection problem mentioned above in item (2).
5) I have read on some comments on other sites about an odor that was unbearable. There is a slight odor when the floor is first put down. It is not unbearable. The first floor has been down approximately 1 month and the odor is gone. It is kind of a “new” smell, the same as you would have with a linoleum vinyl or even a new carpet smell.
6) This floor will show some shiny scratches if you move hard furniture around on it. I do not believe that this is any worse than a laminate floor though, as i have a family member with a laminate floor that has dents and scratches from a light weight office chair being rolled on the floor.
So, in conclusion my review is overall a good looking, fairly easy and fairly inexpensive floor. The big draw for me, aside from the ease of installation and the cost, was the fact that it can be mopped and since it is waterproof would not have any issues with any buckling if you were to get any water on it.
The floor looks amazingly like real wood and so far we are happy with it.
I installed the std grade allure (hickory) in my kitchen about 3 years ago. I put it right over the old vinal sheet flooring (after cutting off the curled edges of that old floor.) Super easy and forgiving to install and it’s held up VERY well to three active dogs,a wheelchair and allot of flooding from a broken dishwasher. It still looks great and feels good under bare feet. Sure,there are a few minor(!) scratches here and there but they are barely visable. MY neihbors keep saying “are you sure that’s not real wood”. LOVE THIS STUFF.
Caution!!! Installed this for a customer on bare concrete in a basement that could potentially flood. According to the instructions that came with the floor, this is ok. But subsequently, my local Home Depot store told my customers that this is NOT ok, and the Allure website also says this is not ok. Halstead (mfgr) says they won’t be responsible for this discrepancy and that we should wait for the floor to fail!!! We are stuck.
I am seriously worried about Home Depot. After the fiasco with the Allure floor I did some more research. The are also the only store that carries the STOK grill. I got pulled into that one too. Great grill but the high priced “extras” are Walmart quality vegetable grills and griddles. I am so afraid that Home Depot has gone to the dumps for their products. I used to LOVE Home Depot, but now I am afraid I will not return.
This product should come with an OSHA warning!! I do not have allergies, very minor sinus problems, but thought I was going to die from the headache and lung problems this product caused. My contractor all but refused to go back into the room to finish. I went back to Home Depot today to express my concern and there was no problem. “Rip it up and bring it back” bring in the contractors billing also. They have had many returns on this product. DON’T DO IT!!! It looks great, but it does not cut the way it needs to for great installation and the smell is so bad that you should invite a skunk in first!
We’ve had this floor (bamboo) for over a year. I had read good reviews before we bought it, and I am so sorry we put it in. We live in a mobile home and it shows every little imperfection under it, some seams are coming apart, and it scratches, and got so dull. I tried their product (allure cleaner from HD) …awful..left it worse….I will just save for the real bamboo….save your money
The odor does go away but it takes a few months, not days like the installation manual states. It’s very annoying and almost ruined our family Christmas this past year as I had just installed it two weekd prior.
I’m wondering if anyone has had any moisture issues. I had to pull up most of what I laid down because moisture is collecting between the concrete slab and the vinyl. I laid it over wood parque and the parque is buckling and pushing up in areas as much as three inches. I’ve checked for plumbing leaks and did not have any issues with the foundation prior to installation and this started showing up about two months after it had been down. I pulled up a large portion (pulling the planks apart is much more difficult that the instructin state) that had developed mold. I’m very disappointed in this product. I used to install carpet and sheet vinyl for a living and thought this product was a great invention but now, I’ve changed my mind.
I discovered,despite the fact the product is advertised as “needs no underlayment or moisture barrier”, the vinyl tends to create and trap condenstation and allows mold to grow between it and the concrete foundation. I have read of a couple of other similar camplaints but no suggestions as to how to prevent. I installed mine over wood parque and within four months, the parque was buckling from the moisture, I checked for water leaks and foundation leaks and found nothing. The moisute evaporated almost immediately after pulling up the floor but it has been a mess and a hassle to deal with. I also discoverd, after thinking iI had trapped small particles between the vinyl and the floor, there were about five planks that had defects. Something was actually trapped in the plank itself. As far as I’m concerned, it was a huge waste of money.
I am researching what floor to put in my basement, and after reading about scratching, I took a key and scratched a sample of the 2strip cherry. Pieces of plastic scratched right off. I tried the same key on samples of pergo as well as another trafficmaster product and no scratches at all. In a basement with kids this will look terrible quickly.
Glad I came across this site, I am NOT going with the allure, even though it was my first choice by looking at samples.
My 15 year old daughter and I laid this in one day in my country kitchen. We used the country pine to compliment the “country” theme I have going on with chair rail paneling and distressed maple cabinets.
We have two dogs and a cat and have had no issue with scratching or denting. I have one plank that is giving me a little trouble at the seam it wants to pop up, if I can not get this solved I am thinking I will pull that plank up and replace.
Overall the floor has been in for 6 months and I have nothing but praise for it. It withstood a very long hard CT winter and looks like we just put it down.
I would recommend to anyone easy install and beautiful flooring on the cheap!
We laid the flooring in a big basement, It soon started to come up at the seams. We had someone representing the company come by to look at but no response now for a good solid month. Even if they gave a full refund, who pays for the labor.. my guess is no one. Good luck with your flooring from Allure.
WE ARE RIPPING OUR FLOOR OUT THIS WEEK AND TAKING IT BACK TO HOME DEPOT FOR A REFUND.
It’s to bad this floor is such a LITERAL HEADACHE AND A HUGH HEALTH HAZARD because it was inexpensive, pretty easy to install and looks great but IT CAN’T BE SAFE.
It was warm the day we laid it down so we had the windows open and didn’t really notice any odor. The next day we noticed a slight odor and thought it must be from the vinyl being boxed up.
I opened the windows and door for cross ventilation and assumed it would go away after it had aired out a bit but it didn’t.
We kept opening windows everyday, even when it was chilly but by the end of the week the fumes were stronger than ever and I was starting to worry. I had been getting headaches, my eyes burned and watered and my nose burned and ran, on top of all of this I would get a sore throat and I HAD A CHEMICAL TASTE IN MY MOUTH, when I was in the room for only a few minutes. When the door was left open the fumes filled other parts of the house. So the door is shut.
This is a room that my grand kids use when they are here. Three have allergies and one has epilepsy so I want nothing to do with this floor.
Last week, I called HALSTEAD INTERNATIONAL (the company that makes this product) at [contact removed] (which is the number on their web site) I told them of the odor.
The girl I talked to, said she was UNAWARE OF THIS PROBLEM and asked if I had used a solution of vinegar and water on the floor. I told her no and asked her what that was suppose to do. She said, “It should take care of the odor and if it doesn’t work, call back.” She also told me to turn on fans and open the windows, as if I had not already done this.
Vinegar and water a waste of time, the nauseating odor is still there. The floor has now been down for 2 weeks and the odor is as strong as ever. So, I called them back yesterday at [contact removed] (which is the number in the owners manual that comes with the product) I was on hold for 20 minutes and then promptly disconnected after a recording wanted me to leave my name, number and message and told me that I would be contacted by a rep. the next business day. I immediately called the web site number back and talked to Amanda, she said that she was UNAWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. but immediately started telling me what to do to fix it.
Now, if she had not heard of this problem why would she know ways to fix it? Her suggestions were to open windows, use fans, wash the floor with vinegar and water a couple of times and if that doesn’t work use baking soda and water……
Hum, BAKING SODA, VINEGAR, isn’t this how you make a volcano for school projects. How scary is this? She also said that she could send me a synthetic neutralizer to use on the floor. I refused because this is getting to be a lot of work and no one seems to know what will work. I told her that i did not want to be doing all of this work and i did not want the floor in my house. She told me I could rip it up and take it back for a refund but nothing else. I asked her to send me a copy of the MSBS material sheet. She said she would. Can’t wait to read it. I did read the owners manual from front to back and no where does it mention any odor or vinegar or baking soda or a neutralizer.
Rip up your floors and demand your money back. Even if you don’t have your receipt you have the product and Home Depot is the only store that carries it. Save a couple planks or tiles just to prove you had it if this should go to court. COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN because this is a serious health hazard and cover-up. Someone will be seriously injured by this product and they don’t seem to care. YET!!!
SOMETHING HAPPENED HERE AND I GOT POSTED BEFORE I WAS DONE. MUST HAVE PUSHED THE WRONG BUTTON
I HAVE A LOT OF STUFF TO SAY AND I’M NOT TO GOOD AT TYPING. I COPY AND PAST AND MAKE A MESS BEFORE I GET MY ACT TOGETHER. BECAUSE I WANT MY ACT TO BE PERFECT. AS YOU CAN SEE MY ACT WAS NOT TOGETHER OR PERFECT YET.
WISH I COULD DELETE AND DO AGAIN ANYONE HAVE A SUGGESTION?
SORRY FOR ALL OF THE CONFUSION BUT I GUESS IF YOU CAN STAND TO WALLOW THROUGH THE MESS YOU CAN GET MY DRIFT.
THIS FLOOR IS UNSAFE AND SOMEWHERE, SOMEONE WILL SUFFER HARM.
SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. NOW
WE ARE RIPPING OUR FLOOR OUT THIS WEEK AND TAKING IT BACK TO HOME DEPOT FOR A REFUND.
It’s to bad this floor is such a LITERAL HEADACHE AND A HUGH HEALTH HAZARD because it was inexpensive, pretty easy to install and looks great but IT CAN’T BE SAFE.
It was warm the day we laid it down so we had the windows open and didn’t really notice any odor. The next day we noticed a slight odor and thought it must be from the vinyl being boxed up.
I opened the windows and door for cross ventilation and assumed it would go away after it had aired out a bit but it didn’t.
We kept opening the windows everyday, even when it was chilly but by the end of the week the fumes were stronger than ever and I was starting to worry. I had been getting headaches, my eyes burned and watered and my nose burned and ran, on top of all of this I would get a sore throat and I HAD A CHEMICAL TASTE IN MY MOUTH when I was in the room for only a few minutes. When the door was left open the obnoxious fumes filled other parts of the house. So the door is shut I can’t have this
opened the windows a lot, even when it was chilly and left the door open for cross ventilation thinking time would take care of it. Instead it got worse and we could not be in the room or have the door open because of the strong fumes. I watch a 6 month old and was not happy and
W
If we go in the room or leave the door open the obnoxious fumes cause headaches,
eyes to burn and water, nose to run and burn, sore throat and a chemical taste in your mouth.
THIS IS NOT HEALTHY
This is a room that my grand kids use when they are here. Three have allergies and one has epilepsy so I want nothing to do with this floor.
hen I go in the room or leave the door open I get a headache, my eyes and nose burn and run and I get a sore throat and chemical taste in my mouth.
Last week, I called HALSTEAD INTERNATIONAL (the company that makes this product) at [contact removed] (which is the number on their web site) I told them of the odor and that when I go in the room I get a headache, my eyes and nose burn and run and that I get a sore throat and chemical taste in my mouth. I have to keep the door shut or the fumes get out into the rest of the house.
The girl I talked to said that she was unaware of this problem and asked if I had used a solution of vinegar and water on the floor. I told her no and asked her what that was suppose to do. She said, “It should take care of the odor and if it doesn’t work, call back.” She also told me to turn on fans and open the windows, as if I had not already done this. Vinegar and water was a waste of time, the nauseating odor is still there. The floor has now been down for 2 weeks and the odor is as strong as ever. I called them back yesterday at [contact removed] (which is the number in the owners manual that comes with the product) I was on hold for 20 minutes and then disconnected after a recording wanted me to leave my name, number and message and told me that I would be contacted by a rep. the next business day. I immediately called the web site number back and talked to Amanda, she said that she had not heard of a problem with odor but immediately started telling me what to do to fix it. Now, if she had not heard of this problem why would she know ways to fix it? Her suggestions were to open windows, use fans, wash the floor with vinegar and water a couple of times and if that doesn’t work use baking soda and water…… Hum, BAKING SODA, VINEGAR, isn’t this how you make a volcano for school projects. How scary is this getting? She also said that she could send me a synthetic neutralizer to use on the floor. I refused because this is getting to be a lot of work and not sure it will take care of the problem. The neutralizer sounds like a mask for the problem. She then said that I could take it back for a refund. I asked her to send me a copy of the MSBS material sheet. She said she would but I have not read it yet today. I did read the owners manual from front to back and no where does it mention any odor or vinegar or baking soda or a neutralizer.
Rip up your floors and demand your money back. Even if you don’t have your receipt you have the product and Home Depot is the only store that carries it. Save a couple planks or tiles just to prove you had it if this should go to court. COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN because this is a serious health hazard and cover-up
There was no odor while we were laying it. I had to leave for a while and my husband finished. when I got home I noticed the odor and thought it would go away but the next day it was worse and by the end of the week it was stronger and has not gone away. This is a room that my grand kids use when they are here. Three have allergies and one has epilepsy, not healthy for them to be in that room.
We just put down the Allure vinyl flooring (in Oak) in a small bedroom about 3 weeks ago. The smell is horrid. I have tried mopping it and leaving the windows open and its not going away. Has the smell gone away for anyone else who has had this issue? Any luck in getting a refund from Home Depot or the manufacturer?
My floor has been down for about 6 weeks and still has an odor. Anybody file a class action.
Had the Yukon Tan Allure vinyl tile installed in my bathroom 5 months ago. There wasn’t any smell at all, it hasn’t scratched or peeled up. It looks great. Guess I just got lucky with it.
I had this floor put in my bathroom by a contractor and liked the product (but not the contractor’s install job) so much that I put in in my master bedroom (previously carpet), kitchen (previously sheet vinyl) and laundry room (same as kitchen). The rest of the house is hardwood. I have WAY less scratching and scuffing on the Trafficmaster than on my hardwoods! I have dogs, a hubby that tracks in mud with gravel in it on his work boots and I have dropped untold heavy things, slid furniture and other everyday activities without problems. I am not careful with it, I do not baby it. I have a ghost of a scratch in my kitchen from a ladder with a sharp point on one foot that I slid across the floor. I just bought the SingleStep cleaner because I happened to pass that aisle at HD today. I got the Rich Gloss finish. Oh, and I never noticed the smell of the planks. I find it odd that I never hear from anyone that thinks the product is “just okay” or “so-so”. It seems as though people either lovelovelove it, or have the urge to rip their eyes out every time they look at it. I wonder if it is product inconsistency, different expectations, or install error (such as high or low humidity while installing, or not letting it adjust for 48 hours). I have three different patterns in my house, two different sized planks (1 wood-look, 2 tile-look) and so far (two years now) all of them have been a fantastic improvement to my home.
we installed this floor in our beach house. It has been down about a month. Now it has a big bubble in the middle of the living room. When you step on it, it goes down then pops right back up. Looks bad and feels bad when you walk on it. I put weight on it for a while but it pops right back up. I also checked to make sure I left 1/8 inch space from wall and I did. We installed 3/8 in plywood on the floor before we installed it too. Please help
I’d like to see the employees that say this product is good install it in their own homes. My husband and I were just about to buy this flooring today. Thanks for telling me what this no good crappy floor does.
Just finshed doing 6 rooms of a remodel at my house with Allure Ultra in Cinnamon Oak and Clear Cherry. Although it was not the “Easiest Floor Ever” as advertised on the box, it can be done by a do-it-yourselfer. I consider myself a very advanced DIY’er w/alot of tools. The Allure Ultra was very very hard to cut. I ended up making my lengthwise cuts w/a table saw and a hardy back nibbler. If you do not own a table saw I think these cuts could be made with a circular saw. The perpendicular cuts can be made w/a razor knife score and a bend. You have to make sure the click takes place between each plank or you will be left w/a noticeable 1/32″ gray line, it takes a litlle bit of hammering with a small block. I think this product is for the intermediate to advanced DIY’er, not the novice. As far as the floor goes It is beatiful and durable, not to mention waterproof, which was a huge factor in our decision to install it in our kitchen, baths, and foyer (we were scared to go w/ laminate because of a lot of water horror stories. We completed our remodel on the new floor- without any harm to it. This stuff is tough & good looking, everyone that sees it is amazed that very durable, waterproof vinyl can look so good.
I almost went out today to purchase this product…..boy, am I glad I read the blogs first. I have dogs who stay in my kitchen when I’m out of town. My friend comes in 3x’s a day to check on them and let them out but still there are accidents. I had looked for quite a while before finding this product and I was ready to roll, that is, of course, until I read your comments. Thanks so much for posting them and saving the unsuspected lots of problems. My dogs already have lots of health issues and I don’t need them living with plastic chemicals. I wish you all well in your attempts to file suit. Again, thanks!!!
I love this product for the style (saw in Home Depot) but with these reviews, it changed my perspective. I’ll go with a roll lenolium for our kitchen, instead. Thank you all for the reviews.
Well I was getting ready to purchase this product and install in my spare room that my grand kids use but know I am unsure, going by the last 2 posts sounds like they might have fixed the smell issue but not sure if I am willing to take the chance. As far as the posts where they installed over concreate , I had read that that can be an issue do to the moisture that can be in a concert floor. I will have to do more thinking but thanks for all the good posts
I took some samples of the floor from HD and tested it: used a knife on it, a letter opener, etc. While it does scratch, the lighter colors (Oak and Blonde Maple, for example) do not show the scratches much. You can see them up close, but not if it’s on the floor. The only issue that worries me is the reports of the odor. Anyone have that bad experience? I am looking forward to this floor. If odor is not an issue, I think it’s a great and easy alternative to laminate and wood. I also tested it by pouring water on the samples, and the water just sits there, waiting to me wiped up. Awesome. 🙂
I installed the vinyl planking in my home office several months ago and it looks fine and no smell. There probably was a little smell for several days but not at a level to be annoying, at least to me.
Love this stuff. We put in a kitchen in another home and now will put it the kitchen in this home. We have three pets and three young grand kids who love to chase the pets and the pets love to chase them. The floor has held up through all kinds of activity and we are happy to continue to use it. We did purchase the type with the longest warranty, and this may make the difference. Never had problems with this product.
I just put this product in my long hallway. I have a bedroom off the hallway and didn’t detect any strong or objectionable odor. I do smell a little odor, but nothing severe. I also found that it is extremely difficult to cut with a utility knife and I used scissors to cut the product instead. It took awhile to do it, but I was very happy with the outcome. I have a large living room off the hallway and have thought about installing this product over the existing heart pine flooring, which is in tough shape. I do have dogs and because of the water resiliency I thought this might be the best product for those occasions when there may be an accident. I know of another individual who installed these floors and absolutely loved them. I guess for me, time will tell.
WOW!!! I just purchased some of this flooring for my home. I have 3 dogs that have done a number to my carpet. Home Depot spoke highly of this product especially when dealing with dogs. OMGoodness!
Can’t believe this! I was on my way out the door to Home Depot to place my order for the Lisbon cork light. Then thought I better look at a few reviews. Of course the Home Depot reviews on the Allure products are excellent! Then I discovered this site.
thank you so much for the information-I was going to have it installed to “surprise” my husband! Man, I’m lucky you all were honest and reviewed this product honestly. I am sorry many of you have had a horrible exerience-too bad for the product-it looks pretty cool…
Thank you
In the last 3 years, I’ve floored my bedroom, living room and dining room in the trafficmaster allure in hickory. What a dream floor. Each room went down in a day or less, it’s stayed down and has withstood all four of my big dogs and their toenails with little to no scratching. I do try NOT to drag my heavy kitchen appliances over it everyday and I won’t be flooring my kitchen with it…it’s water proof but only solid sheet vinyl is grease proof…any glue strip will eventually fail if you put grease on it. The care and feeding manual (there’s one in every box) suggests felt pads for your furniture legs and door mats to wipe dirty feet though any thinking person would care for any unprotected floor in this way. I love, love, love this flooring. I have my workout room and my master bath left to floor. I can’t WAIT!
Shew!!! Yes, thank-you to those of you who were kind enough to share your experiences. I was crazy about the product in the store, but I know now that I won’t be purchasing it for sure!!
this flooring is trash.cant even move on it without scratching.booklet says use scotchbrite ad and allure cleaner. this made it worse. what a joke, less than 1 month old.
Hi: Allure flooring scratches very easily. We installed some in our kitchen and with the slightest movement there are scratches. We put pads on all the furniture, tables etc and clean floor constantly, and , still scratches. Wouldn’t recomment this type of flooring. Home Depot should discontinue.
Will you please reply to JWayne. I too would like to know if it’s the same for the vinyl plank
Just installed this product yesterday in our son’s room and am super bummed out now after reading these posts. I went on the internet because these tiles stink and I wanted to see how long, if ever, it takes for them to not smell… I left a t-shirt I was wearing overnight in there after installing and the next morning it stunk like the tiles – bad stuff
I’m SO glad I found this site. I got 10 samples and was ready to pick a fav.
THank you!
Many thanks. Going to pass on this product and just go with sheet vinyl.
Installed in October 2010. Now in Feb 2011 it reeks. Surprisingly the smell gets worse after washing it. Mine is the Sierra pattern Run # 10.03.2010. Fortunately it’s only in our bathroom and we can close the door which helps a little but the smell still permeates our whole bedroom. We like the color and install was fairly easy but due to the smell and fear that it’s damaging our health, it’s got to go. Time to see how accomodating my local Home Depot is. I definitely don’t recommend this product.
I have purchased about 700 square feet of this allure viny plank flooring from home depot in brooklyn, new york, on October of 2011. was installed thru my whole apartment, and
for these past 3 months i have been suffering from my eyes tearing, and the smell of rubber and glue in my apartment. i have invested a great deal of money on cleaning supplies so to hopefully get the smell out, and nothing worked. now the planks are coming out of place popping out.
Please if anyone starts to file any kind of lawsuit, please advise me
my email is
[contact removed] we must all take action, this is unacceptable that the manufarcturer or their distributors are not admitting the down flault with this flooring, and here we the public invested time and money and are suffering from things that are detrimental to our health.
thank you in advance
Is this tile everyone is speaking of or the vinyl plank? Does it matter? I have an investment home I am flipping and am looking for a wood look. As a realtor, laminate is a four letter word to most buyers and the home wont recoup the cost of wood floors. Please let me know who has had experience with the new Allure Trafficmaster vinyl plank flooring. Thanks in advance.
I was going to purchase this product as well….AT LEAST a 1000sft…THANK YOU! Based on what I have read here….I will gladly pass and use the click lock product from an online source instead….
Thanks I was just about to purchase this product. YIKES!!
I installed this flooring on august of last yr and by january 2011 the sides have started peeling out!i installed this tile because of high recommendation from home depot for basements with water problems and now the company claim the moisture and ph levels in my basement for the peeling.Home depot did not mention anything to us about this tile peeling up if we have moisture or Ph problem.I soent about 1000 dollars for this flooring and now i either need the money back or atleast some solution to thi problem!I think an action need to be taken!They are just looting customers with false promises!
does all of the allure have these problems or just certain ones? my mother was interested the allure sedona. i used scissors to try to scratch a sample piece of it and it would not scratch. it does have a smell though. if anyone has used the sedona please let me know about it. thanks
Let’s keep hearing of others who would like to be part of a class action. At the end of January, we should know if we have a have a group that would like to be part of the action.
I have done some investigation on what it takes to file. I am sure we have enough people complaining about the toxic smell issue, and even the issues related to it “peeling”. Has anyone kept any contaminated sheets of vinyl, and had it analyzed. We don’t want to discuss the results in this forum, but it would be good to know if it has been done. The real issue is the KNOWN impact it has on everyone. It is a LOT more than just outgassing, and the burning eyes and sore throats are only a symptom of something that is bad. Others should not go through this.
My husband purchased the allure tiles back in Nov. 2010 at home depot in Allentown PA the smell was so bad I was getting ill from the rotten odor the tiles released. I tried moping them I tried puting candles air freshners nothing seemed to work with the rotten odor. After a month of the tiles being set I had my husband rip them out. I wish no one would have to go thru this over $300.00 thrown in the garbage. I notified Home Depot I was told that they had no complaints on this product. SHAME ON THEM SOMTHING NEEDS TO BE DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a rent house I put traffic master allure oak through out. It has started coming apart at the ends of some boards and some of the seams. amd it is easy to damage. I called the company and they sent someone out to look it over. He said I would hear from them in a few weeks and it has been longer than that so I am calling again today. Don’t waste your money on this product. we do need a class action against them.
I also have had a very bad experience with the Allure vinyl smell. I think this is a consumer issue that may require a class action to resolve (neither Halstead nor Home Depot seem to be doing ANY corrective measures to fix or WARN consumers of the toxic smell problem). More importantly, other potential consumers should not have to have go through this. It looks like this has been a problem way back since 2007 (or maybe even earlier). For Halstead (manufacturer) and Home Depot to not have fixed this by now is very unethical.
We need to do something for those who have been affected by this toxic smelling product, and help prevent other consumers from having to go through this terrible experience as well.
Anyone who has been affected by this product smell should continue to post to this group, so we can rally our forces to protect future unknowing consumers, and get fair compensation for those that have had the problem.
If you know of other forums with same complaint, let them know of the conversation here.
I installed the trafficmaster ceramica peel and stick vinyl two months ago. The smell is still strong and I aired it out daily the first month. Looks like I may be getting the run around from the company. I specifically chose it because it didn’t seem to smell in the store, but once installed in a whole room I can really smell it. Suggestions on cleaning it haven’t helped at all.
My husband and I put this floor through out our home. It was very easy to install, but it is popping up in places. In our hall the planks have a milky white film over it, not sure what that is but can not get it off. The only thing I have used to clean my floors is a foam mop with just water. It is weird because it is not doing that anywhere but the hall leading to my front door.
I have purchased different cleaners for the vinyl plank floors and got on my hands and knees with this and a rag trying to get it off but nothing has worked. Any suggestions?
I put my Trafficmaster flooring down a month ago and the odor is still terrible. Judging from various posts on the internet mine is not an isolated case and it appears the mfg will only, after pressure is applied, offer a refund. This is wrong. They knowingly continue to sell a defective product. If you have had this problem and would like to join me in doing something about it, please contact me:
Roger Edwards
[contact removed]
October 11, 2010
I just moved into a house that has grey Trafficmaster Allure flooring in the kitchen. It does look decent, not great. I believe it was installed about 6 months ago. The strong chemical odor is terrible! We’ve tried airing out the house which helps a little. We’ve also tried washing it several times with Pine-Sol, but then the house just smells like Pine-Sol and toxic chemicals. As soon as I can afford it, I’m going to rip it out and put tile down.
I am thinking about pulling out my trafficmaster tile because the smell is so bad after three weeks of opening windows, washing with vinegar, putting baking soda everywhere, burning candles. It looks good and was easy to install but the smell is making me sick.
Please call the company at [contact removed] and report any problems you have to them.
I installed this in my garage in the fall. I followed every direction, even using a 100 pound roller over the seams. The seams are coming undone on the whole thing. What a waste of money.
I installed the allure flooring (oak I think) in a small kitchen (10′ x 15′) … didn’t follow directions in keeping a 1/4″ gap in all places … and all is fine(now being a year later).
I feel for those who’ve had such a bad outcome. I was worried myself, but hopefully now that it’s gone through a cold winter and a hot summer I’m beginning to relax.
I have recently installed this flooring throughout my home. Please tell me if the smell dissipated, and how long did it take. thanks
Save your money. Installing is only the beginning. This flooring scratches and scuffs just by walking on it and it won’t come off. Try scratching a sample in the store with your fingernail. That’s what the whole floor will look like in less than a year.
What about installing over old ceramic tiles? Will the squares show through the new flooring?
My husband and I put traffic master product in our basement. Not easy to cut, lots of work to install. Main disappointment came when we spend hours and hours installing this stuff and now it lifts all over the place. We tried different types of glue and nothing works. If your floors are not PERFECTLY flat (ours had imperfection because of the concrete, floor dips to lead water towards the drain, etc.) – DON’T INSTALL THIS PRODUCT…..
Contractor installed trafficmaster orignal laminate flooring in home spring of 2008 two weeks later noticed alot of scratching and watermarks from cleaning and everyday use. Floor also dents easy when an item is dropped. Now feburary 2009 floor is starting to lift at the joint connections, curl and buckle. Have called home depot about the problem and have yet to hear back. Floor has a 15 year warranty, some how, I feel like I am going to get the run around according to other bloggs. I don’t recommend this floor to anyone. I am very uphappy with the quality of this flooring and the manner in which home depot is handling these situations.
this is a few tips on the trafficmaster allure products. the teak is an instock item at all home depots and if its not immediately available it can be special ordered. as far as warranty it does have a 25 year residential home warranty. this covers average everyday use. for cleaning the floor any vinyl cleaner will work fine. allure also makes 2 different cleaning products. they are single-step cleaners one with a rich gloss finish (sku 344-404) and a soft satin finish (sku 344-371)
I had installed Trafficmaster allure bamboo dark Dec 2008 in our kitchen. We ended up having to put down under flooring since it did not “float” over absolute everything as we were told by Home Depot employees. So, it cost us a LOT more. We received no guarantee papers, or how to care for the floor papers and no help from Home Depot. Finally after a month we were able to acquire a faxed copy of a warranty. BUT, most of all we HATE the floor. It is dull and scuffs horribly!! And we’ve only had it a month. I am sick to my stomach and extremely disappointed in Home Depot. Don’t know what to do. Does anyone know if there is a wax or something to put on it? Help!
I purchased a large amount of Trafficmaster allure oak planking last Feb 2008 for my place of business.
It looks absolutely horrible.
There are multiple white streaks and white permanant spots throughout the entire floor that will not come out.
What a waste of time and alot of money.
I’m trying to find the manufacturers address or website.
I’m looking for aroung 60 sq ft of mtrafficmaster natural teak laminant flooring. I purchased it at home depot, and now they don’t carry trafficmaster anymore.
We just installed trafficmaster resilient flooring (Allure) in our basement. My question is about cleaning, what is the best way to clean the floor without harming it?