Installation Instructions
Important: proceed with a visual inspection of the planks before installation. Once installed, the planks are considered accepted by the installer and the owner. Please read the entire installation instructions before proceeding with the installation.
Owner / Installer Responsibility
Engineered Wood flooring is a beautiful and unique product of nature, which is characterized by distinctive variations in grain and colours. These natural variations in colour and grain are not flaws but are a part of the natural beauty and uniqueness of Engineered Wood flooring. These inherent variations should be expected and serve to enhance the natural beauty and enduring charm. Our floorings are manufactured in accordance with accepted industry standards, which permit a defect tolerance not to exceed 5%. The defects may be of manufacturing or natural type.
The installer assumes all responsibility for final inspection of product quality. This inspection of the whole flooring should be done before installation. Carefully examine the flooring for colour, finish, and quality before installing it. Use reasonable selectivity and hold out or cut off pieces with glaring defects whatever the cause. If the flooring is not acceptable, contact your dealer immediately.
Before beginning installation of any Engineered Wood flooring product, the installer must determine that the environment of the job site and the condition and type of the subfloor involved are acceptable, ensuring that it meets or exceeds all requirements which are stipulated in the installation instructions which follow. We decline any responsibility for job failure resulting from or associated with inappropriate or improperly prepared subfloor or job site environment deficiencies.
Prior to installation, the installer/owner has final inspection responsibility as to grade, manufacture, and factory finish. The installer must use reasonable selectivity and hold out or cut off pieces with deficiencies.
The use of stain, filler or putty stick for the correction of defects during installation should be accepted as normal procedure.
Should an individual piece be doubtful as to grade, manufacture or factory finish, the installer should not use the piece.
When our Engineered Wood flooring is ordered, a 5 % allowance factor, depending on layout, must be added to the actual square footage amount needed. (Diagonal installations and/or board width of 5″ and over may require up to a 10 % allowance factor.)
Please note that our engineered floors must be installed in environments of 40% to 55% relative humidity to prevent possible damage not covered by warranty. Installation of a humidifier or dehumidifier may be necessary. The floor is designed to perform in an environmentally controlled structure. Warranty exclusions are, but not limited to, surface checking resulting from low humidity, mildew or discoloration resulting from extreme sub-floor moisture.
Job Site Inspection & Acclimation
This type of flooring can be installed below, equal or above ground level. Do not install in a bathroom.
In a new construction, Engineered Wood flooring should be one of the last items installed. All work involving water or moisture (plumbing, acoustical ceilings, dry wall taping, etc.) should be completed prior to wood flooring being installed. Heating and air systems should be fully operating maintaining a consistent room temperature at 16°C to 27°C (60-80° F) and a constant relative humidity of 40% to 55%.
Flooring should not be delivered until the building has been closed in and cement work, plastering, painting and other materials are completely dry. Concrete and plaster should be cured and at least 60 days old. Check basements and under-floor crawl space to be sure that they are dry and well-ventilated to avoid damage caused by moisture.
Handle with care. Do not stand on ends. Store our flooring in a dry place being sure to provide at least a four-inch air space under and around cartons.
Do not store directly on concrete or near outside walls. Cartons should be placed in the installation area.
The humidity level of the house must be maintained between 40 % and 55 % all year long. Wood is a living product which reacts to humidity level variations. During summer, where the humidity level is at its highest point, the wood has a natural expansion and absorbs the humidity, these variations must be dealt with adequate dehumidification. As for winter, when the heating system is working, the humidity level is lower. It is then recommended to use a humidifier to minimise the extreme effects of shrinkage.
| Type of Subfloor | Floating | Stapled (1) | Glued |
| Exterior plywood, 5/8 minimum | YES | YES | YES |
| Strandboard (OSB) min. 23/32″ | YES | YES | YES |
| Concrete | YES | NA | YES |
| Ceramic tiled floor, terrazzo, slate and marble | NA | YES | YES |
| (Concrete) Radiant Subfloor heating | YES | NA | YES |
| Radiant heating (plywood) | YES | YES | YES |
Subfloor conditions
CLEAN – Scraped or sanded, swept, free of wax, grease, paint, oil and other debris.
HORIZONTAL / FLAT — Maximum tolerance of 5mm over 3 m (3/16 ” over 10′) or 3mm over 2m (1/8″ over 6’).
Sand high areas or joints. If the floor is glued, fill the low areas with a latex additive cement surfacing product with a minimum resistance to compression of 20000 kPa.
Concrete Slabs (regardless of existing floor covering): Use an approved calibrated concrete Moisture Meter as a preliminary measurement for moisture. Concrete subfloors must be finished at least 30 days before performing a test. Acceptable verification methods: Perform a poly film test. Tape down 2′ x 2′ poly film squares (a clear garbage bag or plastic drop cloth will do) in several places on the floor. Wait 24-48 hours, and then check for the appearance of condensation on the inside of the bag or plastic for a darkening on the concrete subfloor. Either occurrence signals the likely presence of excess moisture, which needs other measures with the concrete moisture meter Tramex. The measure must not climb over 4,5 on the superior graduation. The floor can be glued directly on concrete with a compression resistance of at least 20000 kPa (3 000 Ib/in2).
Wood Substrates: Test the moisture of the wood substrate using a calibrated moisture meter approved for testing wood moisture according to the meter manufacturer. The reading should not exceed 12% or read more than a 4% difference than moisture content of products being installed.
Underfloor Heating
NOTE: Always make sure that the selected product is recommended for this type of installation. Some species are not compatible and cannot be installed on this type of subfloor; Jatoba, Maple, Kempas, Ironwood, Ipé, Asian Mahogany are some species that are not suitable for Radiant heating. Please ensure that the species you have chosen is suitable.
The heating system must be functional and working for at least 7 days prior to the floor installation.
Stop the heating and let the floor cool down to ambient temperature for 3 or 4 hours before starting the floor installation.
Immediately start the underfloor heating system after the installation. The temperature of the finished surface shall not go over 27 °C (80 °F) at all times for the duration of the flooring’s life span.
Underfloor heating systems usually procure a dry heat which can lower the ambient humidity level. It could be necessary to use a humidifier to maintain a recommended level of 40 % to any damage to the floor.
Flooring installed on an underfloor heating system must be glued at each end, to reduce the shrinkage in length. Apply a layer of recommended wood glue on the grooved side the strip.
Completing The Job — All Installation
- Clean the floor with Engineered Wood Floor Cleaner.
- Please ensure that any adhesive on the finish is cleaned before leaving.
- Dried or cured adhesive cannot be removed.
- Install transition pieces.
- Inspect final floor for nicks or minor gaps and fill with appropriate colour wood putty.
- Use plywood or hardboard when moving heavy appliances or furniture.