Installation Guide

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EarthWerks® ▪ 10850 Train Court Houston, Texas 77041-6208 USA ▪ www.earthwerks.com
Last Updated 8.9.2016 ▪ EarthWerks®Vinyl Flooring ▪ Installation Instructions
1. Fold-Down Products can be installed over most existing hardsurface floor coverings provided the existing floor
surface is smooth, or can be made smooth.
2. When installing over ceramic tile it is best to smooth the grout lines and texture with a cement patch or leveling
compound. Smooth ceramic with narrow grout lines may be suitable without the need for a cementious overlay.
3. Heavily cushioned vinyl flooring or vinyl flooring consisting of multiple layers are NOT suitable subfloor for
installation.
TOOLS NEEDED: Carpenters Square or Straight Edge, Tape Measure, Pencil, Wall Spacers, White Rubber Mallet, Blue
Painters Tape, Circular Saw, Undercut Saw (if needed), Tile Cutter (if desired).
INSTALLATION
A. Getting Started
1. Before starting, first measure the width of the room, and then divide the room’s width by the width of the plank.
If this means that the last row of planks will be narrower than 2”, then you will need to cut the first row of planks
to make it narrower. Cut in such a way that both rows of planks (the first and last to be installed in the room) will
have the same approximate width for an overall continuous look. See “Installing the Last Row.”
Note: To cut the boards, always saw with the teeth cutting down into the face or top of the board. Cutting from
the top down helps protect the surface.
2. The planks install easily without glue. Simply attach the tongue on one plank
to the groove side on another plank and the planks will lock snugly together.
3. Begin the installation of the planks in the left hand corner of the room with the long direction parallel to the
incoming sunlight source or to the longest wall of the room (if this is possible). Be sure to install the first row of
boards with the tongue side facing the wall. We recommend leaving ¼” expansion space at all vertical surfaces
(columns, posts, islands, etc.) to accommodate movement of the structure and adjacent floors.
B. Position the First Row
1. With the tongue side facing the wall, align the end of the second plank with the first and lock the
end joints together by pushing it straight down on top of the first plank. If needed gently tap
downward with a white rubber mallet.
2. Lock the ends of the planks together until the first row is finished. Cut the last board in the row
to the necessary length.
If the starting wall is out of square, it will be necessary to scribe the first row to match the
wall, allowing the opposite side of the row to present a true square base for the rest of the
floor. When the first row is complete, you must have a straight, even base established.
C. Installing the Rest of the Floor
1. To start the second row, cut a plank that is at least 8” shorter than the first plank in the first
row (you may use the leftover from the last plank of the first row). Then install this first
plank by inserting the long side tongue into the groove of the plank in the first row at a 25-
degree angle to the floor. Line up the first plank of the second row so the outside end is
even with the outside end of the first plank on the first row.