Mannington Adura Flex Vinyl Plank | Home Flooring Pros

February 22, 2023, by: Greca Fotopoulos

Mannington Adura Flex is a glue-down vinyl plank and vinyl tile flooring, no transition strips needed, great in extreme temperatures, waterproof and scratch resistant.

Completing our in-depth report of Mannington’s vinyl plank flooring options, this article will focus on their remaining first generation of luxury vinyl plank and tile, the Adura Flex range.

Whilst it does not feature the upgraded polymer core of the Adura Max, MaxAPEX or Adura Rigid ranges, there’s still much to recommend about this comprehensive vinyl plank range, including the fact that it is the best option for certain flooring projects.

So, here’s our Adura Flex report where you’ll learn what you need to know about the Mannington Adura Flex range:

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SPECS/STYLES

As with the other products in the Adura vinyl flooring collection, Adura Flex flooring has Mannington’s trademarked ScratchResist wear layer offering very good protection for the design layer underneath.

The waterproof vinyl core ensures that you can install Adura Flex in all rooms of your home, and also gives it durability and resistance against dents.

The final layer is an integrated underlayment pad, which helps somewhat with soundproofing.

Adura Flex is FloorScore certified so you can be sure that the products do not give off any harmful gases or chemicals, keeping your indoor air quality safe.

One important specification of the Adura Flex range is that it is installed with the glue-down method, unlike the other Adura ranges that are floating floors.

This means that you do not have to have transition strips in a large open plan space or between rooms. Plus, kitchen and bathroom cabinets can be installed on top of the floor, which can make the installation faster.

In terms of styles, the Adura Flex wood look planks are available in 15 different designs, which in turn are available in several different contemporary color options. The general overall look is classic and rustic/ weathered styles.

There are 13 Adura Flex stone tiles designs offering a great selection of faux limestone, marble, slate and cement looks. In contrast to the other Adura ranges, the Adura Flex stone look tiles can also be grouted to add extra authenticity.

Adura Flex wood look planks are 6” x 48” or 7” x 48”; and the stone look flooring is either 18” x 18” or 12” x 24” tiles.

A final specification to note is that almost all the wood and stone look designs in the Adura Flex are also available in the Adura Max and Adura Rigid ranges. These means you can use different ranges to suit different room profiles, but still have the same design throughout.

PROS & CONS

Here are the advantages of Mannington Adura Flex vinyl flooring

a comprehensive range of designs, both wood look and stone look.
good brand reputation.
can be installed on all levels and in all rooms of your home.
installed with the glue-down method, so good for large open plan spaces and also for a quicker installation.
the stone look tiles can be grouted for extra authenticity.
best Adura option for rooms with no temperature control or with lots of direct sunlight.
most designs also available in Adura Max and Adura Rigid, so you can mix and match ranges to suite your room profile.
waterproof, durable and scratch resistant.
relatively affordable, retailing at $3-$3.50 per square foot.

Here are the disadvantages of Mannington Adura Flex vinyl flooring:

first generation luxury vinyl tile is thinner and perhaps not as comfortable underfoot as second generation vinyl that has an expanded polymer core.
you will have to budget for the adhesive too.
luxury vinyl is almost as good as the real thing, but not quite, so not ideal if you’re looking to renovate a period property.

INSTALLATION

As mentioned above, unlike the other ranges of Adura vinyl flooring which are installed as floating floors, the Adura Flex range must be glued down to the subfloor using your retailer’s recommended adhesive.

The good news about this glue-down installation is that you don’t need to use transition strips if you’re laying a large open-plan space or between rooms.

This is also good news for people with mobility difficulties as transition strips can be a trip hazard.

The other good news about Adura Flex is that the glue-down installation method minimizes the risk of buckling or warping due to extreme temperatures.

The Adura Flex range is the best Mannington vinyl flooring range for rooms that are exposed to a lot of high temperatures for several hours a day, such as a sunroom; or for homes that are not temperature controlled throughout the year like a holiday home.

Also worth noting, Adura Flex can be less fiddly and faster to install – since the glue-down method means you can install the floor and then place cabinets on top of it. With floating floors, the cabinets sit on the subfloor and then you install the flooring alongside the cabinets which sometimes means having to cut the flooring to fit around cabinets. This can be tricky and time consuming.

Nevertheless, unless you are an experienced DIYer we recommend that you get your Adura flooring professionally installed.

WHERE CAN I INSTALL ADURA FLEX?

As well as being ideal for sunrooms and holiday homes, Adura Flex can be installed in all rooms of your home and on all levels, including the basement.

WHAT SUBFLOOR CAN ADURA FELX BE INSTALLED ON?

Adura Flex tile and plank can be installed on most hard surfaced subfloors, provided they are clean, even and dry, and properly prepared. We recommend you read the installation instructions carefully so that you can ensure your subfloor is properly prepared.

CAN I INSTALL OVER RADIANT HEATING?

Yes. Adura Flex can be installed over concrete floors with hydronic radiant heating systems, as long as the temperature does not go over 85°F.

DO I NEED TO ACCLIMATE ADURA FLEX FLOORING?

Yes. You must acclimate Adura Flex on site for at least 48 hours ensuring it is kept in an environment between 65° and 85°F.

ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT INSTALLING ADURA FLEX?

Only one more thing… unlike the other Adura ranges, Adura Flex vinyl tiles can be grouted to give them the appearance of real stone floor tiles. Note that Mannington have their own acrylic grout – Adura Grout – made especially for this purpose and it is available in eight complementary colors.

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

Like other resilient flooring, Adura Flex is quite easy to keep clean and take care of. Mannington recommends that you sweep (or use a vacuum suitable for hard surfaces) at least once a week.

This can then be followed by moping if necessary. Mannington recommend their own cleaning products, but most good quality pH neutral floor cleaners will do.

Adura Flex floors are designed to be low gloss, so do not use wax or polish.

As with all flooring, it pays to use practical solutions such as area rugs and doormats to keep dirt and grit from tracking onto your floor; use felt pads or suitable casters under furniture legs and care should be taken when moving heavy items.

There are plenty of other top tips for maintaining your Adura Flex floor here: https://www.mannington.com/Residential/Adura-Vinyl-Plank/AduraFlex/Care-and-Maintenance

PRICES AND COST COMPARISON

Adura Flex luxury vinyl floors are competitively priced, retailing at $3 – $3.50 per square foot. However, bear in mind that you will have the added cost of adhesive and, optionally, grout.

The table below let’s you compare Adura Flex prices with other similar vinyl plank and tile floors:

BRAND	PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT
MSI	$1.60 – $3.50
Islander	$1.70 – $3.85
Smartcore	$2.00 – $3.70
NuCore	$2.35 – $3.80
Congoleum Triversa	$2.50 – $3.50
LifeProof	$2.79 – $4.39
Armstrong Luxe Rigid Core	$2.79 – $4.39
Mannington Adura Flex	$3.00 – $3.50
Mohawk SolidTech	$3.50 – $6.25
Mannington Adura Rigid	$3.60 – $4.60
Mannington Adura Max & MaxAPEX	$3.00 – $6.00
Pergo Extreme	$3.99 – $5.99
COREtec Pro	$3.80 – $7.99
Karndean Korlok	$4.50 – $7.00
Armstrong Pryzm	$4.90 – $8.00

CONSUMER REVIEWS

On the whole, customers are pleased with Adura Flex, finding it beautiful, sturdy and easy to install. Here is a selection of typical reviews we’ve found:

“It was simplicity itself to install! Love the finished result!” – Sandra

“Love how realistic it looks, and literally for half the price of the real deal!” – Greg

“We wanted to have a really low maintenance floor for our summer house – this fits the bill perfectly!” – Jennifer

“I chose it because I could install it myself, which helped me budget-wise.” – Jonah

“My neighbor thinks it’s real oak!” – KC

“I liked that you could grout it – it looks great!” – Leona

We want to hear your Mannington Adura Flex reviews. Please leave them in the comments section below.

About the Author:

Greca Fotopoulos

Greca is the lead style writer at Home Flooring Pros (more), with a BA in Technical Art, she’s focused on flooring trends, flooring ideas, and flooring brand reviews.

“There’s nothing more satisfying than creating a home that you love. The hardest thing about this job is trying not to covet all the great floors I get to review; if I could remodel my home every month, I would!”