Installation Instructions

this reason, make sure you leave a minimum expansion joint of 8 to 10mm (5/16" to 3/8’’) on all sides of the floor, around
pipes, thresholds, under doors and around any fixed /stationary objects ( floor vents, kitchen islands, etc..).
8. Large rooms must have expansion joints every 13m (40 feet) width-wise to the panels and every 13m (40 feet) length-wise. We
recommend having an expansion joint between different rooms (e.g. under the door). Expansion joints can be finished by
means of a molding that is attached to the sub-floor.
9. Ensure the end joints of the panels in two successive rows are never in line. Always ensure that the joints are staggered by at
least 15cm / 6 inches.
10. We recommend you purchase a few extra cartons of flooring. This will be useful to you if you have some damaged pieces,
miscalculate the size of the room or miss cut some pieces. This also will help you if your floor needs a repair but your product is
no longer manufactured.
Preparing the room
- Check that the doors can still open and close after the floor and underlayment have been installed (minimum +1cm (3/8’’)).
- Check whether the old molding can be removed. You can also leave the wall base and finish the floor with Mohawk® flooring
profiles.
- Make sure the sub-floor is flat. Any unevenness greater than 2mm (1/16’’) over the length of 1 meter (40’’) must be smoothed
out. It is vital that you use an underlayment to smooth any unevenness in the base floor. The specially designed Mohawk®
flooring underlayment has a damp-proof, insulating, noise-reducing and leveling function. The smooth top surface makes
installing the floor panels easier and ensures ample expansion afterwards. You can find more information about Mohawk®
flooring underlayment and how to install them on the underlayment packaging or at your dealer.
- Make sure the sub-floor is clean and dry.
CONCRETE SUBFLOOR:
New Construction:
- A new concrete floor must dry at least 1 week per 1cm (3/8’’) thickness up to 4cm (1-1/2"). Sub-floors thicker than 4cm (1-
1/2") require twice as much drying time. For example, a 6cm (2-1/2") concrete sub-floor must dry for at least 8 weeks. The
moisture content must be less than 2.5% (CM method) or less than 5 lbs/24 hours per 1000 sq ft (Calcium chloride method
ASTM 1869).
- If there is under-floor heating, the sub-floor must not exceed 28.8°C (84°F) and the moisture content must be less than 1.5%
(CM method). You do need to follow special installation instructions. Please ask your dealer for more information.
Renovation:
--- Remove any damp-porous floor covering (carpet, needle felt, etc.) first.
--- Damp-sealed floor covering (PVC, linoleum, VCT, etc.) does not have to be removed. Always use underlayment. We
recommend using Mohawk Flooring® underlayment.
WOODEN SUBFLOOR
--- Remove any existing damp-porous floor covering first.
--- Make sure the sub-floor is stable. Nail down any loose parts and apply a leveling layer if necessary.
--- Install the Uniclic® panels crosswise to the direction of the existing sub-floor.
--- It is necessary that the crawl space under the plank floor be sufficiently ventilated. Remove any obstacles and provide sufficient
ventilation (minimum 4cm (1-1/2") of total ventilation holes per meter (40’’) of floor). The moisture content of the wood may not
exceed 12%.
Installing the floor
--- First install the underlayment, per width and gradually as you progress. If the underlayment is pre-mounted on the panels, then
only use the damp-proof moisture barrier with adhesive tape as provided. For Concrete, let the moisture barrier run up the wall
a bit before cutting to size. For wood, cut the moisture barrier 1 inch from the wall. A molding will be attached to this later.
(See diagram 3A.)
--- Begin the first row with a whole plank. First saw off the tongue on both the long and the short sides. (See diagram 3B.)