Installation Guide

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suspended or on-grade installations, but not below
grade. Repair all loose and damaged areas, smooth
the surface using an appropriate floor patching and
smoothing product. Once all smoothing and
leveling has been completed, sweep or vacuum the
surface to remove all loose dust and debris.
● Thick pour Gypsum-based Underlayments must
be manufactured and installed in compliance with
ASTM F2419 “Standard Practice for Installation of
Thick Poured Gypsum Concrete Underlayments
and Preparation of the Surface to Receive Resilient
Flooring.” Test and evaluate thick pour
underlayment moisture in accordance with
underlayment manufacturer’s recommendations.
All thick pour gypsum underlayments require TEK
Max Primer-Sealer be applied to the surface before
product application.
● Radiant heated subfloors must not exceed 85°F
(29°C) under any condition of use.
CAUTION:
TEKNOFLOR does not recommend the
use of solvent adhesive removers (inorganic or bio-
based) or chemically abating an existing floor
covering or adhesive. Adhesive removers can
remain in the slab, under walls and within cracks
and cause failure of the new floor covering after
installation. For removal of all flooring and
adhesives, follow the resilient flooring removal
procedure as detailed in the RFCI’s
“Recommended Workplace Practices for Removal
of Resilient Floor Coverings”.
CONCRETE SLABS AND UNDERLAYMENTS
● New and existing concrete slabs shall be in
compliance with current:
▪ ASTM International
• ASTM F 710 “Standard Practice
for Preparing Concrete Floors to
Receive Resilient Flooring
▪ American Concrete Institute (ACI)
• ACI 302.1 Guide to Concrete
Floor and Slab Construction
• ACI 302.2 Guide for Concrete
Slabs to Receive Moisture
Sensitive Flooring Materials
▪ Local and National building codes
● Concrete surfaces to receive resilient flooring
shall be suitable for intended use, permanently dry,
clean, smooth, and structurally sound. They shall be
free of dust, solvent, paint, wax, oil, grease, residual
adhesive, adhesive removers, curing, sealing,
hardening, or parting compounds, alkaline salts,
excessive carbonation or latience, mold, mildew,
and other foreign or deleterious contaminants that
may act as a bond breaker or staining agent (ASTM
F 710).
● Concrete slabs shall have a minimum 3,500 psi
cured compressive strength and be designed and
placed with water-cement ratio of 0.45 to 0.5
which is recommended by the concrete
construction industry and appropriate for slabs to
receive moisture sensitive finishes. Higher water-
cement ratios lead to longer dry times and issues
associated with elevated moisture conditions that
cause floor failures (ACI 302.1 & ACI 302.2).
● Coal Fly Ash is used as recycled content replacing
Portland cement in concrete slabs. It is becoming
more prevalent with the popularity in sustainable
LEED construction practices. Fly ash contains
silicon dioxide and calcium oxide. Silicon dioxide
are spherical particles with an extremely smooth
surface. Calcium oxide is a caustic, highly alkaline
component which also acts as a bond breaker.
Always perform a bond test prior to installation. If
poor bond performance is identified, apply TEK
Max to prime to the surface and retest. Document
your testing and evaluation.
● Concrete slabs on or below grade must be
installed directly over properly installed and intact
vapor retarder that complies with ASTM E1745
“Standard Specification for Water Vapor Retarders
Used in Contact with Soil or Granular Fill Under
Concrete Slabs.” On or below grade concrete slabs
shall be free from hydrostatic pressure, excessive
moisture or any other deleterious condition.
● Concrete Slabs should be wet cured using plastic
sheeting or other suitable moisture retaining cover.
Do not use curing compounds as these slow the
slab dry time and can act as a bond breaker if not
removed.
● Perform moisture testing as outlined in Jobsite
Inspection and Testing on Page 3.
● Power troweled concrete surfaces can be very
smooth, non-absorbent and develop surface
laitance. These surface conditions generally
provide a good bonding surface for SETAGRIP™ ,
but may adversely affect bond of floor preparation
materials. If a highly power troweled
surface requires smoothing and patching, the
surface should be mechanically prepared by
grinding or shot blasting to improve bond of
the preparation materials.
● Remove all curing compounds that might prevent
proper bonding or proper moisture testing. Sand or
mechanically abrade the surface to
ensure 100% removal of any curing compounds.
● Use high quality Portland cement and or calcium
aluminate based patching and leveling compounds
recommended by their manufacturer for use
conditions. The underlayment shall be mold,
mildew and alkali resistant, non-shrinking and
water-resistant with a minimum 3,500 psi cured
compressive strength.
There are many options for moisture mitigation
systems that may be beneficial to resolve elevated