Installation Guide

moisture content, and the subfloor should be within 4% of flooring m.c. (2% on 3-1/4”
or wider flooring). In no case should any wood moisture reading exceed 12%.
Concrete: (refer to NWFA Installation Guidelines, Sec.II, Ch. 5 & 6)
Somerset solid hardwood flooring may be installed over concrete subfloors when using
a plywood over concrete system; refer to NWFA for details on alternate installation
methods. NWFA Installation Guidelines, Section I, Ch. 3, Part 3 should be consulted
carefully.
Installation (NWFA Installation Guidelines, Sec. III, Ch. 9)
Preparation
Allow 3/4” expansion space between the wood flooring and any walls or other
obstructions. Undercut doorjambs, casings, drywall, etc. Over the subfloor, install a
layer of #15 building felt (or equivalent perm rating), overlapped 4” at the seams. See
NWFA, Sec. I, Ch. 3, Part 2-A for more detail on acceptable moisture barriers.
Layout
The best appearance is usually achieved by installing parallel to the length of the room,
but always install perpendicular to the floor joists unless special subfloor conditions are
met (see wood subfloors). While each job is unique, it is critical
to establish a primary working line for the entire job (usually through the longest
continuous area to be installed) and reference all flooring layout from that line. Always
rack out the flooring before installing to avoid clustered end joints and repeating
patterns. Rack out the entire job to assure you have enough flooring to complete the
entire job and that the stain color is consistent. End joints of adjacent rows should be 6”-
8” apart also avoid a stair-stepping appearance of joints and H-Joints when possible
Multiple Width Products
Some products produced come with 3 separate widths, the cartons are packaged so that
there is the same linear feet of each width in each carton. The pattern to be followed
most be a combination of the 3 separate widths (for instance, if you product comes in
widths of 3”, 4”, 5”, then the pattern should be 3”,4”,5”3”,4”,5”, etc or combination of
the 3 repeating widths). If the pattern calls for 5” plank for instance next to a wall or
other obstruction, Do not substitute a narrower width, otherwise you may run out of
the required width in your pattern when completing your installation