Installation Guide

LUXE PLANK
®
LVT WITH RIGID CORE TECHNOLOGY LOCKING INSTALLATION SYSTEM
THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING ARMSTRONG
®
FLOORING.
When properly installed and cared for, your new flooring will
be easy to maintain and will keep its great look for years. If
you have questions or comments, please visit us at www.
armstrongflooring.com or 1 800 233 3823.
WARNING: EXISTING IN-PLACE RESILIENT FLOOR
COVERING AND ASPHALTIC ADHESIVES. DO NOT SAND,
DRY SWEEP, DRY SCRAPE, DRILL, SAW, BEADBLAST,
OR MECHANICALLY CHIP OR PULVERIZE EXISTING
RESILIENT FLOORING, BACKING, LINING FELT, ASPHALTIC
“CUTBACK” ADHESIVE, OR OTHER ADHESIVE.
These existing in-place products may contain asbestos fibers
and/or crystalline silica. Avoid creating dust. Inhalation of
such dust is a cancer and respiratory tract hazard. Smoking
by individuals exposed to asbestos fibers greatly increases
the risk of serious bodily harm. Unless positively certain that
the existing in-place product is a non- asbestos-containing
material, you must presume it contains asbestos. Regulations
may require that the material be tested to determine asbestos
content and may govern removal and disposal of material.
See current edition of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute
(RFCI) publication Recommended Work Practices for Removal
of Resilient Floor Coverings for instructions on removing all
resilient floor covering structures or contact your retailer or
Armstrong Flooring, Inc. 1 800 233 3823.
The floor covering or adhesive in this package does NOT
contain asbestos.
INSTALLATION:
Location: All grade levels
Fitting: All methods
GENERAL INFORMATION:
The locking installation system allows the planks to be
installed without using adhesives. It is a floating floor
installation. The planks should be installed 1/4˝ away from all
vertical surfaces such as walls, cabinets, pipes, etc.
When installed in bathrooms, the gap should be filled and
sealed with a good quality siliconized or acrylic caulk. The gap
can then be covered with molding or wall base. Base cabinets
should not be installed on top of the planks.
KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL
LOCKING INSTALLATION:
• Most installations will need approximately a 10% cutting
allowance added to the square footage of the room.
• Proper conditioning of the job site is necessary. Flooring
planks should not be exposed to sudden changes in
temperature.
• Store, transport and handle the flooring planks in a manner
to prevent any distortions. Distortions will not disappear
over time. Store cartons flat, never on edge. Insure that the
flooring planks are lying flat at time of installation.
• Installations of carpet, metal strips and other transition
moldings should not push fully into the flooring and should
allow for some slight movement wherever practical.
• Protect the floor from heavy-rolling loads, other trades,
and movement of appliances by using sheets of plywood
or similar.
• Luxe Plank/Tile with Rigid Core Technology should not be
exposed to direct sunlight for prolonged periods. It can
result in discoloration and excessive temperatures may
cause expansion.
• The use of drapes or blinds is recommended during peak
sunlight exposure. If expansion, due to sunlight exposure,
occurs in a specific area, we recommend adhering the
planks/tiles with Armstrong S-288 Adhesive using a fine-
notch trowel.
SUITABLE SUBSTRATES:
All substrates listed below must be properly prepared and
meet certain requirements. There may be other exceptions
and special conditions (as noted below) for these substrates
to be suitable for the locking installation system.
Over concrete subfloors on or below grade we recommend
using 6 mil polyfilm moisture barrier. We recognize that this
will help prevent mold and mildew growth. The product alone
should not be used as a moisture barrier, The polyfilm should
be over lapped six inches at the seams.
• Concrete – dry and smooth on all grade levels
• Suspended wood subfloors with approved wood
underlayments – must have minimum of 18˝ well-ventilated
crawl space underneath
• Suspended hardwood flooring that is fully adhered, smooth
and square edge without texture
• Single-layer, fully-adhered, existing resilient floors – must
not be foam-backed or cushionbacked
• Ceramic tile, Terrazzo, Marble
• Polymeric Poured (seamless) Floors
• OSB-3/4˝
• Particleboard 40lb. density or wafer board
For additional information relative to installation and subfloor
preparation please refer to the Subfloors and Underlayments
section of the Armstrong Guaranteed Installation System
manual, F-5061, or the Subfloors and Underlayments
subsection of the Resilient section on www.floorexpert.com.
DO NOT INSTALL OVER:
• Existing resilient tile floors that are below grade
• Existing cushion-backed vinyl flooring
• Carpet
• Hardwood flooring that has been installed directly over
concrete
• On stairs or in rooms with sloping floors or floor drains
JOB CONDITIONS/PREPARATION:
• Resilient flooring should only be installed in temperature-
controlled environments. It is necessary to maintain
a constant temperature before, during and after the
installation. Therefore, the permanent or temporary HVAC
system must be in operation before the installation of
resilient flooring. Portable heaters are not recommended
as they may not heat the room and subfloor sufficiently.
Kerosene heaters should never be used.
• All substrates must be structurally sound, dry, clean, flat,
and smooth with minimal deflection. Substrates must be
free from excessive moisture or alkali. Remove dirt, paint,
varnish, wax, oils, solvents, other foreign matter and
contaminates.
• High spots on the substrate should be leveled and low areas
filled with appropriate underlayments.
• Do not use products containing petroleum, solvents or citrus
oils to prepare substrates as they can cause staining and
expansion of the new flooring.
• For renovation or remodel work, remove any existing
adhesive residue so that 100% of the overall area of the
original substrate is exposed.
• Embossed existing resilient floors, ceramic tile floors,
ceramic and marble grout joints, and irregularities in
concrete should be filled and leveled using S-194 Patch,
Underlayment & Embossing Leveler mixed with S-195
Underlayment Additive to fill and smooth any embossing in
the old floor.
• The area to receive resilient flooring materials and
adhesives should be maintained between 65°F (18°C)
and 85°F (29°C) for 48 hours before installation, during
installation, and 48 hours after completion. Maintain
temperatures between 55°F (13°C) and 85°F (29°C)
thereafter.
• For concrete substrates, conduct moisture testing (moisture
vapor emission rate {MVER}) not to exceed 5lbs and/or
percent relative humidity 95% (in-situ probe). Bond tests
must also be conducted for compatibility with the substrate.
Please refer to Subfloors and Underlayments Section found
on www.floorexpert.com for details.
• Radiant heated substrates must not exceed a maximum
surface temperature of 85°F (29°C).
• The subfloor panels must have a smooth, sanded face and
show no swelling of edges or surface due to exposure to
weather conditions or construction traffic.
• There are numerous products available for use as floor
fills, patches, self-leveling underlayments, and trowelable
underlayments. They include proprietary blends of
compounds such as portland cement, calcium aluminates,
and gypsum-based products. These are recommended
by their manufacturers for smoothing rough or uneven
subfloors, enhancing acoustical and fire characteristics
of structures or as substrates to receive floor covering for
otherwise unsuitable subfloor conditions. If the subfloor
surface appears to be dusty then apply S-185 to the
surface.
INSTALLATION PROCEDURE:
Remove baseboard, quarter-round moldings, wall base,
appliances and furniture from room. For best results, door
trim should be under-cut to allow flooring to move freely
without being pinched. After preparation work, sweep and
vacuum the entire work area to remove all dust and debris.
Whenever possible, plan the layout so that the joints in the
planks do not fall on top of joints or seams in the existing
substrate. The end joints of the planks should be staggered
a minimum of 6˝ apart. Do not install over expansion joints.
Avoid installing pieces shorter than 8˝ (20.32 cm).
Determine which direction the plank will run. Find the center
of each of the end walls (the walls perpendicular to the long
dimension of the planks and place a pencil mark on the floor.
Connect these points by striking a chalk line down the center
of the room. Do a dry layout of planks from the center line to
the wall running parallel to the long direction of the planks
to determine the width of the last row of planks (refer to
Figure 1).
CENTER
OF ROOM
Fig. 1 – Dry layout to determine width of border plank.
Avoid having border pieces less than 3˝ (7.6cm) wide for the
6˝ (15.2cm) wide planks. If you find the border planks will be
less than 1/2 the width of the plank, the center starting line
should be shifted a distance equal to 1/2 the plank width.
This will “balance” the room and provide for a larger cut piece
at the wall.
1