Installation Guide

INSTALLATION GUIDELINES

3 | P a g e A M 0 0 4 – D e c - T e c D I Y I n s t a l l a t i o n G u i d e – v.03

SUBSTRATE

• Install only on recommended plywood or concrete substrates. All surfaces must be moisture free

structurally sound, solid, and stable. Substrate should be clean and free of dust, dirt, oil, grease,

paint, curing agents, waxes, sealers, loosely bonded toppings, loose particles, old adhesive

residues, and any other substance or condition that may prevent or reduce adhesion.

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can be installed over existing sheet vinyl surfaces that are well-bonded to the

subfloor. All traces of wax, other surface coatings, or foreign matter must be removed in a way

that does not damage the integrity of the existing flooring or hinder a proper bond of the new

flooring.

• Note: The responsibility of determining if the existing substrate is suitable to be installed over

rests solely with installer or DIYer on site. If there is any doubt as to suitability, the existing

substrate should be removed, or an acceptable underlayment substrate installed over it.

INSTALLING OVER CONCRETE

• On or below grade concrete ideally would have a polyethylene plastic film moisture barrier

installed between the concrete and the ground.

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should not be installed on concrete floors where there is danger of hydrostatic

pressure or water seepage.

• All cracks in the concrete should be filed with a latex cement-based patching compound. Patched

areas need to be primed when dried. Do not use gypsum-based patching compounds.

• For uneven concrete use cement-based leveling compounds.

• It is highly recommended that proper moisture tests be carried out on any concrete slab before

installation. Tests can be conducted using the Calcium Chloride Moisture Vapor Emission

(MVER) Test with test results not exceeding 5 lb. per 1000 sf. in 24 hrs., or by using the Internal

Relative Humidity (RH) test with test results not exceeding 85%.

INSTALLING OVER PLYWOOD

• Minimum 5/8” thick, Tongue and Groove APA, C-D grade, Exposure 1 rated plywood.

• Must be sturdy, flat, and have minimal deflection.

• Wood substrate can be tested for moisture content using a simple pin-type moisture meter. The

ideal moisture content (MC) of plywood at the time of installation is 9% - 14% @ 70% relative

humidity / 68 deg. F (20 deg. C).

• Wood subfloors over a crawl space should have a minimum of 18" of cross-ventilated air space

between the ground and the floor joists. In an area of high humidity due to ground moisture, a

polyethylene plastic film should be laid over the ground in the crawl space with over-lapped

widths and lengths, to serve as a moisture barrier in addition to the cross-ventilated air space.

INSTALLING OVER OTHER SUBSTRATES

• Oriented strand board (OSB), particle board, poplar plywood,

Luan, panels with medium density overlay (MDO) or high-density overlay (HDO), or any type of

treated plywood (i.e. fire treated, pressure treated, or panels with field or edge sealants) either

factory or field applied are not recommended. If going over these types of substrates one might

expect to experience a lack of adhesion, potential discoloring of the membrane due to pulling

through chemicals and oils from the substrate or other.