Installation Instructions

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042-14 CFS Engineered Hardwood Flooring Installation Instructions Page | 1

CFS ENGINEERED HARDWOOD FLOORING

INSTALLATION GUIDELINES

Please Inspect all Flooring prior to Installation

Carefully confirm that the Color, Finish, Styling and Quality Fully meet the owner’s expectations. If you determine the product

does not meet expectations DO NOT INSTALL and immediately contact your Place of Purchase. CFS will not assume any

responsibility, including costs for removal or replacement, for flooring that has been installed that does not meet the owner’s

expectations for any reason. CFS ENGINEERED HARDWOOD FLOORING is INTENDED TO BE INSTALLED with approved full spread

wood flooring adhesive, approved engineered wood flooring staplers, and NWFA approved Floating Floor methods.

Installations over Radiant Heated Sub Floors are not approved by CFS.

Light Commercial applications must be pre-approved and agreed to in writing by CFS only after an investigation of site conditions

and limitations by manufacturer’s engineers to determine if it is possible to install the flooring at the specific site using these

methods. Contact your retailer for additional information regarding the approval of Light Commercial jobs.

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THE ENTIRE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH THE ACTUAL INSTALLATION

OWNER / INSTALLER RESPONSIBILITY

Hardwood flooring is a beautiful and unique product of nature, and characterized by distinctive variations in grain and color. These

natural variations in color and grain, (including filled knots, mineral streaks and scrapes), are not flaws, but are a part of the styling,

natural beauty, and uniqueness of hardwood flooring. (These inherent variations should be expected and serve to enhance the

natural beauty, styling, and aesthetics of the flooring) The variations may be of a manufacturing or natural type. No two hardwood

floors are completely alike. CFS Engineered Hardwood Floors are manufactured in accordance with the accepted industry standards,

which allow a defect tolerance, (natural or manufacturing), of 5% of the total CFS Engineered Hardwood Flooring purchase per job.

CFS will warrants 95% of the total CFS Engineered Hardwood Flooring purchase per job. The remaining 5% may be used at the

owner’s discretion, but is subject to the industry standard 5% defect allowance. All flooring considered defective (outside of that

listed in the Warranty Exclusions on the CFS Engineered Hardwood Flooring Warranties and Floor Care Guide), after proper

inspection by the installer or homeowner, should be culled, or trimmed out prior to installation and must not be installed. If an

individual piece is doubtful as to grade, color, or finish, the installer should not install that piece. CFS Warranties DO NOT cover

materials that are installed with visible defects. If material in excess of 5% of the total job amount is found to be unacceptable,

contact the place of purchase for your CFS Engineered Hardwood Floor

immediately.

It should be realized that wood is a natural product that contains color variations, grain and characteristics, which are normal for

all wood flooring products. Color changes may also occur when hardwood flooring is exposed to light sources.

The installer and homeowner must assume all responsibility for full inspection of product prior to the installation. Open and select

planks from 3 or 4 cartons in order to blend color and grain characteristics, and to allow for staggering of end joints a minimum of 7

to 10 inches, carefully examining the flooring for color, finish, texture, and quality before installing it. Use reasonable selectivity, and

use touch-up markers and putty sticks, as well as culling or cutting out pieces with visible defects. Before beginning the installation

of any hardwood flooring product, the installer must determine that the environment of the job site, and the condition and type of

the subfloor involved is acceptable, ensuring that it meets or exceeds all requirements specified in the CFS Engineered Hardwood

Floor

installation RECOMMENDED SUB·FLOOR TYPES and PRE-INSTALLATION JOB SITE INSPECTION sections below.

Hardwood flooring is a product of nature and is susceptible to damage when exposed to extreme changes in temperature or

relative humidity. If environmental conditions and installation instructions listed below are not correctly followed, CFS

Engineered Hardwood Floors may suffer irreversible damage.

CFS does not accept any responsibility for flooring failure resulting from or associated with inappropriate or improperly prepared

subfloors or improper job site environmental conditions. The use of stain, wood touch up pens, filler or putty sticks for the

correction of defects as well as cleaning of adhesives and residue during installation should be accepted as normal procedure. When

ordering Hardwood Flooring, a waste factor between 5 - 10%, depending on layout, must be added to the actual number of square

feet needed. (Diagonal Installations may require more.)

Summary of content (10 pages)

PAGE 1
CFS ENGINEERED HARDWOOD FLOORING INSTALLATION GUIDELINES Please Inspect all Flooring prior to Installation Carefully confirm that the Color, Finish, Styling and Quality Fully meet the owner’s expectations. If you determine the product does not meet expectations DO NOT INSTALL and immediately contact your Place of Purchase. CFS will not assume any responsibility, including costs for removal or replacement, for flooring that has been installed that does not meet the owner’s expectations for any reason.
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Additional Installation Notes:   Refer to the CFS Engineered Hardwood Flooring Warranty and Floor Care document for information on warranty coverage and exclusions. NOTE – CFS’s Warranty for Engineered Hardwood Flooring does not warrant installation over radiant heat systems. TOOLS AND/OR ACCESSORIES NEEDED: Warning: CFS is not responsible for damage caused by user negligence related to installation practices or misuse of installation and fastening tools.
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Regarding glue down installation on concrete floors: Engineered Hardwood floors can cup or buckle when exposed to excessive moisture. This moisture can come from one or more moisture sources: adhesive containing water that is not allowed to flash properly, (releasing excess water by prematurely placing the flooring in the wet adhesive before the proper drying period has taken place), the concrete sub-floor, damp basement walls, or the surrounding outdoor environment.
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 Perform a pH Alkalinity Test (a 3% Phenolphthalein in Anhydrous alcohol solution). Chip the concrete at least ¼” deep (do not apply directly to the concrete surface) and apply several drops of the solution to the chipped area. If any color change occurs, further testing is required. Using the number method on the test, a pH reading of 6-9 on a pH scale of 1-14 is considered acceptable.
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       Existing solid wood floors over wood substrates must be capped with and approved Plywood or APA E1 PS 2 rated NWFA approved OSB panel. Do not install Engineered Hardwood Flooring over Solid Hardwood Flooring on concrete.
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 Remove existing base and shoe molding on wall as well as doorway thresholds. Trim may be reapplied after the installation is complete. PREPARING THE INSTALLATION: Before starting, measure the width of the room, and divide the room’s width by the width of the plank.
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Special Circumstances    Doorways: Attempting to continue installing rows through a doorway into another room can be difficult because the narrow opening is a very small base upon which to continue consistent, even rows into the next room. To correctly align plank rows from room to room, it is best to use a master reference line that runs through the doorway to the far ends of each room involved. Position the line so that it is perpendicular from the corresponding wall and parallel to the sidewalls.
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INSTALLING WITH STAPLES/Nails/Cleats (Mechanical Fasteners): Follow all guidelines outlined earlier regarding pre installation and the general installation process. CFS recommends the use of 18 Gauge narrow crown (7/32" to 3/8") staplers and staples with the proper leg length to properly fasten the CFS Engineered Hardwood Flooring. NWFA approved Nailers and nails designed for securing Engineered Flooring may be used by qualified flooring professionals at your own risk.
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Floating Floor Glue:          Use CFS Floating Floor Glue, a PVA (Poly Vinyl Acetate Cross-linking polyaliphatic emulsion) with SBR component (Synthetic Latex) glue designed for Floating Hardwood Flooring installations, or glue meeting these specifications from a reputable Adhesive manufacturer such as WF. Taylor 2049-16 or Franklin 2104 Tongue and Groove Glue.
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7. 8. Do not use any type of finish restorer, coatings to enhance shine, floor wax, or polishes. For spots such as candle wax or chewing gum, harden the spot with ice in a plastic bag, immediately dry, and then gently scrape with a plastic scraper, such as a credit card. Be careful not to scratch the flooring surface. Wipe clean with a damp cloth. 9. For tough stains, you may need to use a heavy-duty stain remover made specifically for hardwood floors. 10.