Installation & Assembly
Installation Guidelines
Please contact your local dealer for questions and further information
2
CAUTION: Wood Dust
The International Agency for Research on Cancer
(IARC) has classified wood dust as a natural
carcinogen. Sawing, sanding, and/or machining wood
products can produce wood dust that can cause
respiratory, eye, and skin irritations. Equipment should
include a dust collector to reduce wood dust in the air.
Sweep or vacuum dust for recovery or disposal. Wear
a designated dust mask to reduce exposure to wood
dust. Avoid dust contact with eyes and skin. Wear
gloves and safety glasses when handling and
machining the product. In case of irritation, flush eyes
or skin with water for at least 15 minutes. If other side
effects occur, request medical assistance immediately.
Attention California Installers and Consumers: The
installation of this product is known to the State of
California to cause cancer.
ABSESTOS WARNING
Do not sand existing resilient tile, sheet flooring,
backing, or felt linings as these products may contain
asbestos fibers that are not easily identified. The
inhalation of asbestos dust can cause asbestosis or
other serious bodily harm. Check with local, state, and
federal laws for handling hazardous material prior to
attempting the removal of these floors.
JOB-SITE CONDITIONS
1. The building must be complete & enclosed. It is
essential that masonry, dry wall, paint and all other ‘wet’
work to be completed and given time to thoroughly dry as
this will affect the moisture content of the job site.
2. The exterior grading should be complete with all
gutters, downspouts and drainage directed away from t
he
building. The crawl space must have adequate cross
ventilation (equaling 1.5% of the, on grade, total sq. ft.)
and a vapor barrier of 6-8 mil polyethylene film (coveri
ng
100% of the crawl space), joints overlapped and taped.
There must also be a minimum of 24" from the ground to
the underside of the joists.
3. Permanent HVAC systems must be working and i
n
operation 7 days prior to installation to stabilize the interior
environment to normal living conditions and to acclimate
the flooring. The HVAC must also be in operation during
and after the installation to ensure a stable environment
to protect the hardwood floor. Ideal conditions are a
temperature of between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit (15-26
degrees Celsius) and relative humidity of between 35-
60% at all times during and after installation. The use of a
humidifier or dehumidifier may be required to maintain
these conditions.
4. c
an be installed on, and above grade level,
but
should not be installed in full bathrooms or
other wet environments.
5. Take special care when transporting &
unloading hardwood flooring at the job site. Store
the hardwood flooring in a safe dry place making sure to
provide a 4" air space under cartons that are stored
upon "on-grade" concrete floors. Flooring should be
stored in small lots in the rooms where the
installation will take place and allowed to
properly acclimate/condition to the job
environment.
6. Flooring should be allowed to acclimate for a minimum
of 72 hours or longer until conditions are at normal
living conditions and meet minimum installation
requirements for moisture content. Note: In
particularly arid or excessively humid parts of
the country, flooring may take as much as two
weeks to acclimate & reach equilibrium with the
environment.
7. Moisture content should be checked
with the appropriate moisture meter to ensure
proper installation conditions. Moisture content of wood
sub floor should not exceed 11% and the moisture content
of the wood should be within 2% of the sub floor.
8. Concrete sub floors must be fully cured for a
minimum of 60 days and dry (3lbs or less/24 hrs./1,000
sq. ft., with a calcium chloride test) or less than
75% with relative humidity probes (in-situ testing)
9. Ensure exterior landscaping is complete and
graded away from the foundation. Gutters and
downspouts must be in place directing rain water away.
Sub-Floor Levelness Requirements
Before beginning installation, sub-floor levelness
must be checked. It is required that sub-floors be
level to within 3/16” in a 10 foot radius. This
requirement applies to all types of sub-floors and all
installation methods. The performance of flooring