Installation Guide
© 2019 Tarkett USA Inc. 01/2019
®
VINYL COMPOSITION TILE
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
INTRODUCTION
These instructions are written as a guide to be used by professional installers when installing Tarkett products. These instructions, combined with our
adhesives and flooring products, create a system. Utilizing this system will ease the installation process and provide the customer with a completed
product that will perform to its intended purpose. Always visit www.tarkettna.com for the most current installation and maintenance instructions. Technical
videos and tip sheets are also available. Contact Tarkett Technical Services at (800)-899-8916 ext. 9297 with any questions.
HANDLING AND STORAGE
1. All Tarkett products must be stored in an indoor, climate controlled
space and be protected from the elements. Temperature must be
maintained between 65F (18.3C) and 85F (29.4C) with a relative
humidity between 40% and 60%.
2. Rolls must be stored and secured vertically, tightly rolled face-out on
an appropriate sturdy cardboard tube.
3. Tarkett flooring and adhesives must be site conditioned at room
temperature for 48 hours prior to, during, and after installation. Room
temperature must be maintained between 65F (18.3C) and 85F
(29.4C) and the ambient relative humidity must be between 40% and
60%. We strongly recommend the permanent HVAC system be fully
operating. NOTE: If a system other than the permanent HVAC source
is utilized, it must provide proper control of both temperature and
humidity to recommended or specific levels for the appropriate time
duration as stated above.
4. Once the installation is completed, the service temperature of the
space must never fall below 55F (12.8C).
5. In areas that are exposed to intense or direct sunlight, the product
must be protected during the conditioning, installation, and adhesive
curing periods, by covering the light source.
6. Tarkett products are not recommended for exterior use. Exposure to
excessive UV rays can result in fading, degradation, and/or color
variation.
7. The highest quality of materials and workmanship is employed in the
manufacturing of Tarkett flooring and careful inspection is made
before shipment. A quality installation is the responsibility of the
installer. It is the installer's responsibility to verify the accuracy of the
order and to ensure the materials are checked for damage, defects,
and satisfactory color match. An authorized Tarkett distributor or
Tarkett representative must be notified of any defects before
installation proceeds. Tarkett will not pay for labor or material
costs claimed on installed materials with visual defects.
8. Tarkett cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage that may
result due to processing or working conditions and/or workmanship
outside our control.
9. Users are advised to confirm the suitability of this product by their
own tests.
GENERAL SUBFLOOR PREPARATION
1. All subfloors must be permanently dry, clean, smooth, and
structurally sound. The surface must be free of all dust, loose
particles, solvents, paint, grease, oil, wax, alkali, sealing/curing
compounds, old adhesive, and any other foreign material, which
could affect the installation and adhesive bond to the substrate.
Permanent and non-permanent markers, pens, crayons, paint, or
similar marking tools used to mark the substrate or the back of the
resilient flooring material will cause migratory staining. Subfloor
contamination or markings that bleed through the flooring material
causing discoloration or staining are excluded from the Tarkett
Limited Warranty. All substrate contaminants must be mechanically
removed prior to the installation of the flooring material. NOTE: Do
not use liquid solvents or adhesive removers.
Caution: Do not use oil-based sweeping compounds.
Fill all depressions, cracks, and other surface irregularities with a
good quality Portland cement based underlayment patching
compound appropriate for this purpose.
Tarkett does not recommend installing over existing resilient
floors. All existing flooring and adhesives must be mechanically
removed prior to installing the new flooring material – Do not use
chemical adhesive removers or solvents. Refer to the Resilient
Floor Covering Institute (RFCI), Recommended Work Practices for
Removal of Existing Resilient Flooring for best work practices.
Caution: Some resilient flooring products and adhesives contain
"asbestos fibers" and special handling of this material is required.
2. Concrete subfloors must be constructed as recommended by the
American Concrete Institute’s ACI 302.2 Guide for Concrete Slabs
that Receive Moisture-Sensitive Flooring Materials and prepared in
accordance with ASTM F 710 Standard Practice for Preparing
Concrete Floors to Receive Resilient Flooring.
Do not install Tarkett flooring over expansion joints, control joints,
or other moving joints in the substrate. These joints must be
respected and should not be filled with products that are not intended
for that purpose. Contact an expansion joint cover manufacturer to
meet specific flooring conditions.
All concrete subfloors must be tested for moisture and pH
(alkalinity):
Moisture testing must be conducted in accordance with ASTM F
2170 Standard Test Method for Determining Relative Humidity in
Concrete Floor Slabs Using in situ Probes or ASTM F 1869
Standard Test Method for Measuring Moisture Vapor Emission Rate
of Concrete Subfloor Using Anhydrous Calcium Chloride. Following
ASTM F 2659 Preliminary Evaluation of Comparative Moisture
Condition of Concrete, Gypsum Cement and Other Floor Slabs and
Screeds Using a Non-destructive Electronic Moisture Meter can
provide qualitative information prior to performing ASTM F 2170 or
ASTM F 1869.
Acceptable moisture limits can be found in the adhesive section
below, on the adhesive label, and in the adhesive specifications
online. Test results must not exceed the limits of the adhesive.
If the tests results exceed the limitations, the installation must not
proceed until the problem has been corrected. Tarkett does not
recommend or warrant any particular product or procedure for the
remediation of high moisture in concrete substrates. There are
several companies that manufacture products suitable for moisture
remediation. We suggest you refer to the current ASTM F 710
Standard Practice for Preparing Concrete Floors to Receive
Resilient Flooring and ASTM F 3010 Standard Practice for Two
Component Resin Based Membrane-Forming Moisture Mitigation
Systems for Use Under Resilient Flooring Systems.
A pH test for alkalinity must be conducted. Acceptable pH range of
the adhesive can be found in the adhesive section below, on the
adhesive label, and in the adhesive specifications online. Results
must not exceed the limits of the adhesive. If the test results are not
within the acceptable range, the installation must not proceed until
the problem has been corrected.
3. Wood subfloors must have a minimum 18" (47 cm) of cross-
ventilated space between the bottom of the joist and ground.
Exposed earth crawl spaces must be sealed with a polyethylene
moisture barrier.
Subfloors must meet local and national building codes. Trade
associations, such as the APA -The Engineered Wood Association,