Installation Guide

All grout lines and irregularities must be filled and
troweled flush with a suitable primer and patch such as
the Excelsior NP-230 and CP-300 to prevent
telegraphing of the existing floor. All existing flooring
substrates that are outside of flatness tolerances that
cannot be repaired with the Excelsior CP-300 patch
should be leveled with the SU-310 self-leveling
underlayment to achieve a smooth, flat substrate.
All existing flooring substrates must have any and all
site-applied finishes and/or waxes completely removed
prior to flooring installation in order to ensure a proper
adhesive bond. For mechanical removal, use a low-
speed buffer and 40-60 grit sandpaper. Properly
prepared substrates should not have any remaining
gloss or sheen. For chemical removal, ensure chemical
treatments will not disrupt adhesion of the existing
flooring to the substrate. Be sure to rinse the existing
flooring adequately with clean, potable water to remove
any and all chemicals from the surface of material.
Do not install flooring until any moisture on, between or
below existing flooring has completely dried. Ensure all
dust; dirt and debris are removed prior to flooring
installation.
RADIANT HEATING SUBSTRATES
Recycled rubber flooring products are not recommended
for use over radiant heating systems.
5. CRACKS, JOINTS & VOIDS
All cracks, joints and voids, as well as the areas
surrounding them, must be clean and free of dust, dirt,
debris and contaminants and be repaired with a suitable
cementitious patch.
Due to the dynamic nature of concrete slabs,
manufacturer
cannot
warranty installations over
expansion joints, cracks or other voids such as control
cuts saw joints and moving cracks. Do not install flooring
or use adhesives directly over any expansion joints.
All expansion joints should have a suitable expansion
joint covering system installed to allow expansion joint to
freely move.
6. INTERLOCKING INSTALLATION
Ensure substrate is suitably prepared prior to installation,
as manufacturer is not responsible for substrates that
have not been properly prepared and tested for
moisture. Indoor installations of interlocking tile are
recommended to be loose-lay without adhesive. All
outdoor installations, of all thicknesses, as well as indoor
installations of 5/32" and 1/4” interlocking tile are
required to be fully adhered using one of the approved
adhesives above; use square edge tile installation
instructions for these installations.
Square installation area using the 3-4-5 squaring rule or
similar method to ensure acceptable installation and
establish initial installation starting line. Some flooring
products, colors and textures have latent and acceptable
color and shade variations.
Dry-lay material prior to installation to verify that there
are no visible defects, damage or excessive shading
variations. Some flooring 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 a sales representative
and manufacturer’s technical staff. This material
contains skive marks from the manufacturing process on
the surface. We do not consider this defective; if the
marks are not acceptable, do not install material.
Installation of material signifies acceptance of the
material.
Observe directional arrows, (this side up) on face of tile
to ensure arrows are installed in the same direction. If
there are concerns regarding shade or color variation, do
not install material and consult sales agent and
manufacturer’s technical staff.
Whenever possible, avoid installing flooring seams
directly over seams in the substrate. Borders and
perimeter pieces should be no less than ½” the width of
the tile and should be no less than 1/8” from the wall,
depending on depth of wall base or trim, to allow for
expansion.
Borders and other specialty cut tiles should be undercut
to fit snugly, not tightly, against thresholds, transition
strip, fixtures, door jambs or other obstacles; forcing
incorrectly sized tiles into smaller areas will cause the
tile to buckle.
Roll material with a 3 section, 100 lb. to ensure all tiles
are properly interlocked, crossing in a perpendicular
direction after initial roll. Use a hand roller in areas that
cannot be reached with larger roller. Visually inspect
installation to ensure that material has not shifted and all
seams are tight and flat. To finish open edges of
interlocking tile or areas intended to but to another
flooring material, use a straight edge to remove male
ends of tile and install appropriate finishing accessory.
7. SQUARE EDGE INSTALLATION
Ensure substrate is suitably prepared prior to installation,
as manufacturer is not responsible for substrates that
have not been properly prepared and tested for
moisture. All installations of Square Edge both indoors
and outdoors must be fully adhered.