Installation Sheet

A818

Before gluing down your Solid Strand Bamboo floor to a concrete subfloor, it may be necessary to coat your

concrete subfloor with an appropriate vapor barrier. If you are not concerned about moisture, you may be able to

use an adhesive which is designed to act as a moisture barrier:

 Concrete Subfloors where there is no concern about moisture: Use a vapor barrier / adhesive system with a perm

rating less than or equal to .183 such as Titebond 771 applied at the rate of 30 square feet per gallon

 Concrete Subfloors where there is concern about moisture at any point in the future: Use a Vapor Barrier / Adhesive

system such as the following: Franklin Titebond 531 PLUS Moisture Control System for use in conjunction with

Titebond 771 or 821 adhesive.

NOTES FOR GLUE-DOWN INSTALLATIONS ONTO A WOODEN SUBFLOOR:

Trinity Bamboo Solid Strand flooring can be glued-down over a wooden subfloor that is above or on grade.

Wooden subfloors must be dry (year-round), sound, smooth and level. Fill any low spots with a leveling compound

and sand any high spots. Tolerance of level must be within 3/16

”

in 10'.

Trinity Bamboo recommends the use of a low-VOC, premium, water-free adhesive system having moisture vapor

retardation properties such as Franklin Titebond 771 or 821.

GENERAL GLUE DOWN INSTRUCTIONS (Note: Please follow the instructions provided by the adhesive

manufacturer)

1. If installing over a wood subfloor, determine the direction of the floor joists – Run the flooring perpendicular

(90°) to the floor joists. Do not run flooring parallel to floor joists. Flooring may be installed in any direction

over a concrete slab.

2. Establish a starting point. Preferably the longest exterior wall running parallel with direction of flooring and

perpendicular to the joists.

3. Install ½” wedges along the wall and begin racking out your first four rows of flooring, sorting for color

consistency and quality. Cut the last plank of each row to the proper length leaving a 1/2” gap between the

end and the wall. Rack out three additional rows, staggering the end joints a minimum of 6” apart to avoid H-

Joint and other repeating patterns in the floor. Make a mark on the subfloor along the tongue edge of the last

row of planks. Next, move these four rows away from the working area, maintaining their order. This is the

material you will work from once you have spread some adhesive onto the subfloor.

4. Spread the quantity of adhesive recommended by the adhesive manufacturer. Note: For adhesives with short

working-times, it is very important to not spread too much adhesive. Ensure you use the trowel size

recommended by the adhesive manufacturer.

5. Place flooring onto adhesive, one row at a time, making sure that all joints are tight and parallel and that end

gaps are maintained and the ends of each row. If necessary, use low-adhesion Painter’s Tape to keep planks

tight against one another.

6. Continue to work your way across the room in this manner (racking out a few rows at a time) until you

approach the opposite wall.

7. It may be necessary to rip (cut) the planks for the last row lengthwise to allow for the 1/2” expansion gap. If

needed use a pry bar or lever to fit the remaining rows tight to the installed planks.

8. When installation is complete, use wedges or some object to hold your floor in place while adhesive dries.

Remove wedges after initial setting of adhesive (check adhesive manufacturer’s recommendations) to allow

for normal expansion of wood. Failure to remove wedges may cause the bamboo flooring to buckle and pop

off the substrate.

9. Note: some adhesives require that the newly glued floor be “rolled” or “weighted” to ensure that the

adhesive spreads out and flattens below the planks. If required, you must perform this important step.