Installation Guide

Page 4
Pergo Multi-Layered T&G Installation Instructions 02162016
any adhesive off the surface before it cures using clean terry cloth towels and mineral
spirits.
Note: Never work on top of the flooring when installing. If you must work on top of the
newly laid flooring use a kneeling board.
Secure your starter rows with a straight edge (2x4’s). Once the remainder of the floor
has been installed, go back to the beginning and remove the straight edges and spread
adhesive on the remainder of the open sub-floor. Remember planks closest to the wall
may have to be scribed and cut to fit due to irregularities along the wall.
Clean Up
Use clean white terry cloth towels to clean as you go along with mineral spirits. It
is easy and convenient to use. Adhesive that has cured on the surface of the flooring
can be difficult to remove.
Light foot traffic is allowed after 12 hours but wait 24 hours after installation to remove
the Low Adhesion Delicate Surface Painters Tape. Once the tape is removed clean any
adhesive residue left from the tape using mineral spirits on a clean white terry towel.
Final Touches
Trim excess underlayment (floating installation only) and install or re-install any transition
pieces, reducer strips, T-moldings, thresholds, bases and/or quarter round moldings.
Trims and moldings should be nailed into the wall, or subfloor, not the floor. Install the
proper trim molding at the doorways to achieve the transition and along the walls to cover
the edges of any gaps along the wall due to irregularity.
Complete the job by using the wood filler that coordinates with the installed engineered
flooring for minor corrections or areas where brad nails were used in the trim or the
flooring. Clean the finished floor with Performance Accessories Cleaner.
To prevent surface damage, avoid rolling heavy furniture and appliances on the floor.
Use plywood or appliance lifts if necessary. Use protective castors/castor cups or felt
pads on the legs of furniture to prevent damage to the flooring.
Clean Up
Use clean white terry cloth towels to clean as you go along with mineral spirits. It is easy
and convenient to use. Adhesive that has cured on the surface of the flooring can be difficult
to remove. Measures should be taken to protect floors from other trade work.
If the floor is to be covered, the floor should be thoroughly cleaned prior to
covering to prevent grit damage to the finish. Do not cover with plastic, red rosin,
felt or wax paper or previously used cardboard. Instead use a breathable material
such as clean, dry, plain uncoated cardboard or Kraft paper. Inks from printed
cardboard could damage the hardwood floor.
A common reinforced builder’s paper is a good choice. Any covering should be taped,
using a low-adhesion tape, to base or shoe moldings. Avoid taping to finished flooring.
When taping paper or sheets together, tape them to each other, not to the floor. The
floor must be completely covered to eliminate uneven ambering from exposure to UV
light.
Staple-Down Instructions- Tongue & Groove
Note: Engineered wood flooring products that are 5/16” thick are not approved for
staple or nail down installation. The recommended method of installation is direct
glue down only.
Multi-ply Tongue and Groove Engineered hardwood floors may be installed over wood
sub-floors (with the exception of Luan, Parquet or Masonite) using staples or cleats.
When installing engineered wood planks it is necessary to use the proper type of flooring
stapler made for, or properly adjusted to, the thickness of the engineered wood flooring
that is being installed.
Note: In addition to the ground cover in the crawlspace, a 15lb felt or rosin paper must
be installed over the sub-floor prior to the installation of the engineered wood flooring in
order to reduce squeaks and noises created by the opposing floors.
Layout the job
Measure out from the ends of your starting wall the width of the plank plus 3/8” for
expansion and mark both ends. Where possible lay the flooring at 90° angles to the floor
joists. Make a chalk line along the starting wall using the marks you made.
Beginning installation
Note: Expansion space is required along the perimeter of room(s) of intended
installation; expansion space is dictated by the thickness of the product, for example,
3/8" thick floor requires 3/8” expansion space, ½” thick floor requires ½” expansion
space;.
Place the planks with the groove side facing the wall and along your chalk line.
Use brads or small finishing nails to secure the first starter row along the wall edge
1” to 2” from the ends and every 4” to 6” along the side. Counter sink the nails and
fill with the wood filler that blends with the flooring installed. Place the nails in a
dark grain spot in the board. The base or shoe molding will cover the nails when
installed after completion of the installation.
Blind nail at a 45 degree angle through the tongues. It will be easier IF HOLES ARE
PRE-DRILLED IN THE TONGUES. Nail 1” to 2” from the ends and every 4” to 6” along
the sides. It will be necessary to blind nail the next 2 rows. A brad nailer with 1” to 1-3/8”
brads can also be used to blind nail and no pre-drilling is needed. Continue the
installation using an engineered wood-flooring stapler, using recommended staples.
Staple flooring 1” to 2” from ends and every 4” to 6” along the edge tongues. See notes
in floating section for end joint spacing and starting additional rows.
Recommended Pneumatic Floor Fastener
Use 20 gauge fastener at least 1” long, on 3/8” thick multi-layered core products.
Use 18 gauge 1 ¼” fastener on multi-layered core products ½” thick. Staple 1” to
2” from the ends and every 4” to 6” along the tongue side of the engineered wood
product; this will help insure a satisfactory installation. It is recommended to initially set
the compressor at 80 to 85 PSI and adjust the pressure as needed in order to properly
set the fastener and keep the staples from going through or breaking the tongues.
Improper stapling techniques can cause squeaks in the floor. Adjustments may be
necessary to provide adequate penetration of the nail or staple into the nail bed. Staples
should be flush in the nail pocket and not beyond. Use a scrap piece of flooring material
to set tools properly before installation.
Final Touches
Install the proper trim molding at the doorways to achieve the transition and along the
walls to cover the edges of any gaps along the wall due to irregularity. Complete the job
by using the wood filler that coordinates with the installed engineered flooring to fill any
gapping along the joints or areas where brad nails were used in the trim or the flooring.
Clean the finished floor with Premium Hardwood Floor Cleaner.
FLOATING INSTALLATION
PREPARATION :
Undercut Door Casings:
Undercut all door casings
1/16" higher than the thickness
of the flooring materials being
installed. To do this, use a
scrap piece of flooring as a
guide. Lay it on the substrate
and cut the casing with a
handsaw or use a power jamb
saw set at the correct height.
Remove all moldings and wall-
base, and undercut all door casings.
Underlayment:
Use Pergo Underlayment. Underlayment requirements are very critical to a floating
installation. Excessive pad compression or compaction is a common cause of seam
failure. Lay the underlayment on the floor with the moisture barrier facing up. The
direction of the underlayment should be parallel to the direction of the floor being
installed. For the first row of flooring the underlayment should be placed so that
approximately 1 inch overlaps onto all perpendicular walls. Place the following row next
to the first row on top of the lower moisture barrier overlap. Remove the adhesive strip
and fold back the upper overlap on the second row. Make sure the underlayment fits
together tightly (don’t leave gaps). On the last row, place the underlayment 1 inch up the
wall. To join rolls on the short side of the underlayment, use a moisture resistant tape to
connect the 2 pieces so water cannot penetrate the underlayment.
Expansion Space:
An expansion space of at least 3/8 inch must be maintained around the perimeter of the
room, all pipes, counters, cabinets, fireplace hearths, doorframes and any other fixed
vertical objects in the room. Doorway or archways 48 inches or less and rooms
larger than a 26 X 33 are required to have a T-Molding.
Glue and Glue Placement:
The recommended glue for floating installation is Performance Accessory Tongue &
Groove D3 Rated Floating Floor Glue. The glue must be placed on every plank along
the topside of the groove and bottom side of the tongue for the full length of the side and
end Apply only a 3/32-inch bead of glue; if the groove is filled with glue it will be difficult
to close the seam not allowing a tight fit.
Getting Started:
The installation begins with three rows of flooring glued together and held in place
with low adhesion delicate surface painters tape with the groove side facing the
wall. Spacers must be used to establish the minimum 3/8” expansion space from
the walls. These three rows must be straight, square and in rack because they
establish the alignment of the rest of the floor. After putting these three rows
together allow the glue to set (15 to 45 minutes) before proceeding with the
installation. With the tongue facing out, the planks can be tapped together with a