Laying down vinyl plank flooring in our upstairs hall is the second part of our latest, and one of our largest, home DIY projects. The first was removing carpet from the stairs and staining them.
We removed the carpet from our upstairs hall at the same time. This is where our cat threw up and there was some mystery stain in front of the laundry closet. (Which, btw, I love having my laundry upstairs!)
Here’s what the padding looked like when we pulled the carpet up.
Are you ready for the next photo? Yuck! That’s what was under our carpet! (Yes, that’s DIRT!)
I really do vacuum! But we’re not sure how long that padding has been there. We’ve lived here almost 9 years and the carpet was new when we moved it. I just assumed they changed the padding at the same time but they might not have.
After the padding was pulled up, the real work started. Pulling up all these little staples is what took the longest and made our backs hurt the most!
After a lot of research the Music Man had decided to put down TrafficMaster Allure vinyl plank flooring. The box says it’s the easiest flooring ever. I think staining the stairs was easier but as far as laying flooring this was pretty easy. I think it’s only available at The Home Depot.
These are vinyl planks but they don’t stick to the floor like the other vinyl flooring we’ve used in the past. These actually stick to each other. You can see in the photo below how they have a little tab on one side to stick to the next plank.
Here’s a little video:
I painted the trim and helped the Music Man measure and cut it. (Sorry there aren’t any photos of this part. I got busy and forgot.) I think it looks awesome! And it feels so much cleaner than the carpet!
We only did the hall for this project. It’s our test to see how we like it before we replace the whole upstairs. That same carpet was in every room except the bathroom.
Leave me a comment if you’ve ever used vinyl planks. I’d love to hear about your experience.
‘Til the next project,
Ann @ Duct Tape and Denim
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The Junk Man says
Looks like you liked the flooring. Thanks for using my video in your post. I tested it in a laundry area and then decided to do other rooms including the kitchen you see in my video. Glad it worked out for you.
ducttapeanddenim says
Thanks for creating that video! I always like to see the product in action before I buy and use something new. So far we love it. Thinking about doing our whole upstairs!
The Junk Man says
I made another flooring install video. Feel free to update your post with it or use it in a future blog post. I would like to see your finished project of the whole upstairs. Also I have some friends that would enjoy your site/blog. Keep up the good work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNfujP3lsD0
Laura says
We are considering Trafficmaster Allure. I love the color of your floor. Can you please let me know the color name? Thanks!
ducttapeanddenim says
Laura, It’s “Dark Walnut” and I LOVE IT!!! Send me a picture if you do it!
Wendy says
Any problems with slight separation of planks? They were not there to begin with but now they are . 🙁
ducttapeanddenim says
The only place we’ve had a problem with that is at the side of the hall where the planks end. But it was on the part that he started on so I thought it was just because he hadn’t got the hang of it yet. No problem anywhere else. Are you using a roller?
Kathy Inscho says
I I had vinyl planks put down 15 years ago when it was new on the market. I love it. The only issue I’ve had is scratching and denting from furniture over time but I have it in a living room.
Jessica says
Curious what the edge of vinyl looks like where it Mets the steps, what did you do to the finish the edge? I am working on this project right now with my house and dark walnut (or shade of walnut) is what we are thinking about going with as well. Yours looks great!!
ducttapeanddenim says
We used a gold-colored metal corner strip at the top of the stairs. It doesn’t match at all but since the hall and the stairs are both dark walnut we decided to use something that showed up so we wouldn’t miss the step when we walk downstairs at night. A contractor friend of ours saw what we did and said he likes to do that, too.
Stacy says
Hi….can you post a pic of the metal corner strip at top of your stairs? I want to tackle my carpeted stairs and plank my landing also! Working up the courage!
ducttapeanddenim says
Sure… I’ll try to get a picture and get it posted in the next few days.