Preping the sub floor. 

The sub floor must be clean and dry before installing any flooring product.  Make sure to scrape old adhesives and glues from sub floor.   

 

Sub floors, either wood or concrete must be level to within 3/16 of an inch in 10 feet.  Sand down high areas and fill low areas with a  concrete type floor lever, with a psi rating of no less 3000 p.s.i..

 

Wood sub floors should be repaired of any squeaks or loose areas before installion begins.

 

Test concrete sub floors for mositure levels. especially near exterior wall and walls containing plumbing

 

An easy way to check the moisture content of a concrete sub floor - Tape a piece of plastic sheeting to the floor in several areas and wait 24 hours.  You can tell that moisture is present when the slab in discolored, the plastic has a cloudy appearance, or water droplet are present when the plastic is removed.   If moisture is present, do not install hardwood flooring.  Consult a professional to determine the cause of the moisture and install moisture barrier underlayment to prevent moisture wicking in the planks.

 

 

Preping the job site.

 

Before installion, make sure that central or air conditioning has been operating for at least 14 days. 

 

Keep planks in original packaging until day of use to prevent planks (especially tongue and grove systems) from asborbing additional moisture.

 

Remove existing molding and undercut door jams to allow for ease of installion.  Leave room for a 1/2 of expansion and contraction in all directions.  

Protect finished areas with a heavy duty felt paper.  Using felt paper allow the product to breath and helps to prevent trapping moisture underneath which could cause harm to the newly installed floor. 

 

Preping the product

 

Racking the floor - Use random length planks from the carton or by cutting 4 or 5 planks into random lengths.  Use planks that differ by a least 6 inches on 3 inch wide planks and 12 inches on 5 inch wide planks.  When laying the planks across the floor,  remember to keep the desired spacing between the end joints on each row.  This will ensure a random appearance. 

 

Never waste material.  The end cuts from the first rows should be used at the opposite side of the room to complete or start another row.

 

When installing pre finished make sure to blend the planks from several cartons to ensure a balance of colors, grain, and shading throughout the entire installion.

 

Before starting, determine the width of the last row of planks.  If it is less than the width of one plank, split the difference between the starter row and last row to provide an even appearance throughout the room.