Installation Guide

Drop & Lock Glueless Floating Floor Installation Instructions Page 2 of 6 Revised 8/12/14
moisture should be completed before flooring installation. Water and wood do not mix. Installing flooring onto a wet
subfloor will most likely cause cupping, tip & edge raising, telegraphing of core and subsequent gapping.
Crawl spaces must be a minimum of 18" (46 cm) from the ground to the underside of the joists. A ground cover of 6–20
mil black polyethylene film is essential as a vapor barrier with joints lapped 6" (15 cm) and sealed with moisture resistant
tape. The crawl space should have perimeter venting equal to a minimum of 1.5% of the crawl space square footage.
These vents should be properly located to foster cross ventilation. Where necessary, local regulations prevail.
Room temperature and humidity of installation area should be consistent with normal, year-round living conditions for at
least one week before installation of flooring. Optimum room temperature of 70° F and a humidity range of 30-50% is
recommended during installation. Humidity levels below 30% will most likely cause movement in the flooring, including
gapping between pieces and possible cupping and checking in the face.
Store the flooring in the installation area for 72 hours before installation to allow flooring to adjust to room temperature. Do
not store the boxes of flooring directly on concrete. These floors need adequate acclimation for moisture equalization prior
to installation and should not be installed from just-opened boxes. Shuffle the boards for best visual mix of lengths and
color.
PRE-INSTALLATION SUBFLOOR REQUIREMENTS
All Subfloors must be:
•
Dry and will remain dry: Subfloor must remain dry year-round. Moisture content of wood sub floors must not exceed
11%. Concrete must be tested for moisture content using the Andydrous Calcium Chloride test method, a non-
invasive moisture meter, or a pin/probe moisture meter.
•
Structurally sound
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Clean: Thoroughly swept and free of all debris
•
Level: Flat to 3/16" per 10-foot radius
Wood subfloors must be dry and well secured. Nail or screw every 6" along joists to avoid squeaking. If not level, sand
down high spots and fill low spots with a Portland Based leveling patch.
Concrete subfloors must be fully cured, at least 60 days old, and should have minimum 6-mil polyfilm between concrete
and ground. Subfloor should be flat and level within 3/16" per 10' radius. If necessary grind high spots down and level low
spots with a Portland leveling compound.
All concrete should be tested for moisture prior to installation using the Andydrous Calcium Chloride test method, a non-
invasive moisture meter, or a pin/probe meter. When using a Calcium Chloride Test, the result must not exceed 3 lbs per
1000 sq. ft. in a 24 hour period.
Ceramic Tile, resilient tile and sheet vinyl must be well-bonded to subfloor, in good condition, clean and level. Do not sand
existing vinyl floors, as they may contain asbestos.
A moisture test must be performed to ensure that the concrete slab is dry. Remember, a concrete slab on/below grade
that measures dry today may become moist in the future due to rising groundwater. Installing a moisture barrier now may
be viewed as an insurance policy against concrete becoming wet in the future. USFloors is not responsible for site related
moisture issues.
For additional protection, you may want to consider applying moisture barrier compound system.