Installation Guide

04.4.2018 | Page 5
Flexco Floors | 1401 E. 6th St. - Tuscumbia, AL 35674
P: 800.633.3151 | excooors.com | Made in the USA
TECHNICAL DATA SHEET
VINYL STAIR TREADS, RISERS & STRINGERS
Vinyl Treads
based product prior to installation.
Stringer substrates must be smooth, flat,
flush, full and complete for the entire
stairwell, in order to provide completed
and adequate support for the stringer
material. Ensure any minor gaps between
steps and stringer substrate are free of
any dirt, dust and debris. Ensure substrate
is suitably repaired and/or prepared
prior to installation, as manufacturer is
not responsible for substrates that are
inadequate or have not been properly
prepared.
Ensure adhesive is approved for use
with stringer material and that proper
trowel or applicator type and size is used,
as manufacturer is not responsible for
any and all adhesion issues related to
improper adhesive selection or usage.
Stringers are designed to be scribed and
trimmed on-site by freehand trimming or
using a pattern scribing method. Freehand
trimming is extremely difficult and should
only be attempted by experienced
installation technicians.
PATTERN SCRIBE METHOD
Prior to stringer installation, determine the
height of the stringer from the top edge
of the top and bottom steps. Mark height
on stringer substrate and create a chalk
line from the top step to the bottom step,
ensuring bottom chalk line meets the top
of the wall base along the bottom wall.
Use a light color chalk to avoid staining
substrate.
Using builders felt or equivalent, rough
cut a template using the height, width and
length of steps. Ensure that the top edge
of the template is a factory edge to mimic
straight edge of stringer material. Using
previously created chalk line, tape the top
edge of the template to the top edge of
the stringer substrate. Rough cut template
material within 1/2" of step, riser and step
nose. Cut several triangular holes in the
center of the template and tape template
to stringer substrate to hold in place
while trimming. Template should be flat,
flush and must not contain any creases
or ripples to ensure that final template is
accurate. Carefully trim template to match
step, riser and step nose.
Place the stringer template over the
stringer material and mark cut lines using
suitable marker. Rough cut using a suitable
knife that is intended for resilient flooring
materials. All final adjustments must be
made prior to installing adhesive. Stringer
should be flush with all step surfaces.
Apply adhesive according to instructions
for specific product in use. Be sure to follow
instructions based on substrate porosity
(porous or non-porous). Replace trowels
and/or applicators at recommended
intervals to maintain proper trowel ridge
and spread rate. When installing into
adhesive using a wet-set method, avoid
disrupting material until adhesive has
cured for light foot traffic.
Carefully position stringer to ensure that
stringer material is flush with steps. Roll
material with a hand roller or equivalent
within 30 minutes of installation, crossing
in a perpendicular direction after initial roll.
Visually inspect installation to ensure that
material has not shifted and that adhesive
has not been squeezed out of joints or
compressed onto surface.
5. STAIR TREAD & RISER
PREPARATION
Prior to trimming and installation, confirm
material installation pattern per design
specifications or work order, especially
when installing profiled treads or butting
treads. If patterns need to be centered or
aligned, ensure that stair treads are long
enough to allow for trimming on either
side of tread.
Inspect all stair treads and risers prior
to trimming or installation to verify that
there are no visible defects, damages
or excessive shading variations. Some
products, colors and textures have latent
and acceptable color and shade variations.
If there are concerns regarding shade
or color variation, do not install material
and consult sales representative and
manufacturer’s technical staff.
Due to natural variances in stairwells
and steps, all Distinct Designs stair tread
and riser installations are intended to be
scribed and trimmed on-site to conform
to each step, using one of the following
scribing methods. Prior to trimming and
installation, ensure stair tread nose fits
the substrate, especially when installing
round nose treads or square nose treads
that are not adjustable, as nosing may not
conform to steps that are not designed
for the specific stair tread in use. Do not
install stair treads that do not conform to
the substrate or alter the interior stair tread
nose to conform to steps, as this could
result in premature wear and damage,
as well as void any and all expressed or
implied warranty.
Prior to trimming stair treads and risers,
ensure that specified stringer materials
are installed and that adhesive has cured
for light foot traffic to avoid stringer
adhesion issues. When scribing stair
treads and risers, start from the bottom
of the stairwell to ensure that stair treads
and risers are properly trimmed. Be sure
to protect stringer materials from sharp
edges, such as a sharp edge of a divider,
during stair tread and riser trimming and
installation.
THREE SIDE SCRIBE METHOD
Determine the center of the stairwell and
mark a center line on the riser portion of
each step. Determine the center of each
stair tread and mark a center line on the
back edge of the tread for alignment
during trimming and installation. When
necessary, rough cut stair treads to within
1/2" - 2" of step dimensions to make
scribing and trimming easier.
Align the stair tread to the right side of
the step and set divider to the distance
between the center mark on the step
riser and the center mark on the stair
tread. While applying firm pressure to the
stringer material with divider, mark the
stair tread with the divider to determine
scribe line. If using a One-Piece Tread &
Riser, scribe the riser portion of the tread
as well. Use a suitable knife to trim stair
tread along scribe mark and create a slight
undercut to ease final installation.
Once the right side of the tread is scribed
and trimmed, reposition the stair tread to
align to the left side of the step. Reset
the divider to the distance between the
center mark on the step riser and the
center mark on the stair tread. Use divider
to scribe stair treads as before and trim
stair tread along scribe mark, creating a
slight undercut. Ensure that stair tread
fits step snugly against stringers without
over-compressing tread material.