Installation Sheet

ENGINEERED HARDWOOD
INSTALLATION GUIDELINES
(Revised October 15, 2014)
Miseno Engineered flooring can be installed in one of the following manners: Urethane adhesive, 20-gage
cleat, 18-gage staple or floating method using recommended tongue and groove adhesive. Except for Forever
Tuff, it is recommended to glue, staple, or float. In addition, we do not recommend oating 3/8” product due to
the inherent lightness in weight.
READ BEFORE INSTALLATION
STOP! IMPORTANT INFORMATION
GUIDELINE DISCLAIMER: COMPLETELY READ AND UNDERSTAND THESE GUIDELINES BEFORE
INSTALLATION BEGINS. FAILURE TO DO SO CAN/WILL RESULT IN THE FOLLOWING DAMAGE TO
YOUR WOOD FLOOR: CUPPING, WARPING, BOWING, TWISTING, BUCKLING, SHRINKING,
DELAMINATION, GAPPING, CHECKING, CRACKING, SPLITTING, DISCOLORING, EARLY WEAR,
DENTING, SCRATCHING, HOLLOWS, AND RELEASING FROM THE SUBFLOOR. FAILURE TO ABIDE
BY
TH ESE
GUIDELINES CAN/WILL VOID ANY/ALL WARRANTIES OFFERED BY MISENO .
Prior to installing Miseno engineered flooring; materials MUST
be tested for recommended moisture
content. Jobsite temperature and relative humidity levels MUST
also be carefully measured and
recorded daily during the installation process.
The homeowner/contractor MUST maintain the
temperature and relative humidity level in the recommended ranges (60 to 80f and 35 to 55rh) to ensure
maximum performance.
Newly Constructed Building:
In newly constructed buildings, hardwood flooring should be one of the last
items installed. All work involving water or moisture MUST be completed prior to the delivering of wood flooring
to the job site. In addition, all doors and windows must be installed and weather striped.
HVAC System:
NEVER turn off the Heating Ventilation Air-conditioning or humidification (HVAC) system when
you’re away from your home/building i.e. during vacation time periods. If you do, you may return to a
oor that
is cupped, or has a severe case of shrinking/gapping, splitting, checking and/or wear layer separation caused
by shear.
Acclimation:
Miseno engineered wood floors do not require pre-installation acclimation for “any” spe ed
period. However, the environment MUST represent “normal live -in conditions,” which is interpreted to mean an
environment maintained at 35 to 55 percent relative humidity and a temperature of 60 to 80 degrees
Fahrenheit respectively. These conditions MUST have been established at least 5-days prior to delivering the
flooring to the job-site and continue for the life of the floor. ALL doors and windows MUST be installed and
wea
ther striped prior to delivering the flooring to the job-site.
OWNER/INSTALLER RESPONSIBILITY
Miseno Premium Hardwood Floorings are manufactured according to accepted industry standards, which
permit a defect tolerance of 5%.
Product Quality:
The contractor/installer/end-user assumes all responsibility for final inspection of
product quality. The flooring MUST be inspected at time of delivery and prior to installation. Carefully examine
the flooring for moisture content (6.8 to 10.2%), color, grade, finish quality or any damage during transit before
installing it. The installer should use reasonable selectivity to cull out or cut off unacceptable pieces. If the
flooring material is considered unacceptable, “STOP DO NOT INSTALL THE FLOOR” , but contact the
Miseno Premium Hardwood dealer immediately. Once the flooring is installed, there is no question as to
its acceptability.
Informing the Homeowner:
Homeowner(s) MUST be made aware of color variations, graining ranges, the
effect that moisture has on wood flooring; the importance of maintaining a controlled environment (60 to 80f
and 35 to 55rh respectively) before, during and after the installation for the life of the floor. Also, the proper way
in which to maintain wood floors and the effect that UV light has on wood, especially exotic woods. All
products from Misen
o and Build.com will change color over tim
e. The degree of change
depends on the species and the amount of UV exposure. Typically speaking, wood usually darkens
over time however; some wood species will actually lighten when exposed to UV light.
Waiver:
Unless a waiver or letter of protest listing exceptions exists, installation constitutes acceptance of
subfloor/substrate, the job itself – including the ambient temperature and relative humidity at the time of
installation, and all impacting variables that may affect a wood floor.
Environment:
Prior to installation, the installer MUST determine that the environment of the job site and
the conditions are suitable to the material that is being installed. The installer is responsible for
determining the moisture emission rate of the sub floor/sub straight as per the National Wood Flooring
Association (NWFA) installation guidelines, SECTION V – Appendix AA Moisture Testing Procedures for
Concrete Slabs, (specificall
y the Calcium Chlor
ide test) and Appendix AB Moisture Testing for Wood. All test
results MUST be carefully documented and made available to the homeowner prior to installing the
flooring. Miseno and Build.com decline any responsibility for job failure from or associated with
inappropriately or improperly prepared subfloors or job site environment de
ciencies. Also, Miseno “HIGHLY”
recommends that the installer/contractor take daily readings of the ambient conditions of the environment in
which the flooring will be installed i.e. temperature and relative humidity levels and record the results on a daily
log sheet as well as take periodic moisture readings of the wood floor and sub floor during the installation
process and record the results of those readings as well.
The homeo
wner MUST be made aware of the effect that moisture has on wood flooring e.g. moisture gain can
result in cupping, buckling, cracking, splitting, checking, warping, wear-layer delam/shear, and/or cross-ply
separation from the sub floor and possible damage to surrounding walls, tile/stone floors and cabinetry etc.
Moisture loss can also result in splitting/separation of the segments, gapping, surface and or end checking and
eve
rything else mentioned with moisture gain. The importance of maintaining a controlled environment (60 to
80f and 35 to 55rh respectively) before, during and after the installation for
the life of the floor should be
understood.
During Installation:
It is the installer’s responsibility to protect the ooring from any/all damage i.e. dings,
dents, scratches etc. Installation/construction related damages are NOT covered under Miseno’s structural
and or finish warranties.
Delivery/ Storage:
NEVER deliver wood flooring during adverse weather conditions such as rain and or snow
unless the flooring can be completely and thoroughly protected from getting wet and or gaining moisture during
transit to the job-site. NEVER store wood
ooring in an “uncontrolled environment” e.g. patios, drive ways,
garages, sheds, storage units, or even in the structure in which the flooring will be installed. Deliver the flooring
to the job-site ONLY when a contro
lled environment has been established according to Miseno/NWFA
recommendations.
JOB SITE INSPECTION AND
PRE-INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS
Note: In newly constructed buildings, wood flooring should be one of the last items installed. All work
involving water or moisture MUST be completed prior to the delivering of flooring to the job site. In
addition, all doors and windows MUST be installed and weather striping in place. Additional
information can be found in the National Wood Flooring Association’s Technical Publication No. A100
Water and Wood. “How Moisture A
ects Wood”.
Moisture:
Job site must be dry with no visible moisture. To ensure the job site is ready for hardwood flooring,
installer MUST conduct moisture tests (i.e., Calcium Chloride Tests when installing over a concrete slab, or
with approved Calibrated Pin Type Moisture Meters when installing over wood sub floors). All testing results
MUST be carefully recorded and made available to the homeowner before any work begins. Electronic
moisture meters d
esigned to measure
moisture content in concrete slabs are NOT recognized by Miseno as a
viable way to determine if a moisture vapor retarding system is needed/necessary prior to installing the floor.
Job-Site Evaluation:
Contractor/installer MUST perform a pre-installation job site evaluation. The
contractor/installer MUST determine the following: Does the lot/structure sit on an alluvial plain? If so is water
run off directed away from the side of the building? Does the roof gutter system direct water to a main drainage
system that carries water away from the side of the building? Is there adequate drainage around all landscape
and hardscape to carry w
ater away from the side of the building? Also, check the surrounding concrete
walkways and driveways for signs of efflorescence and/or algae growth. Check surrounding planters for over
watering as well as make sure sprinklers are directing water spray away from the side of the building.
Wet Work:
All wet work such as plastering; painting and any/all masonry or tile work MUST be completed prior
to delivering the flooring to the job-site.