Installation & Assembly
INSTALLATION
1. Floors shall be smooth, permanently dry, clean, and free all foreign material such as dust, wax, solvents, paint, grease, oils, and old adhesive residue. The
surface must be hard and dense, and free from powder or aking.
2. Concrete slabs must be dry with no visible moisture.
3. Required Moisture Testing - maximum moisture level per ASTM 1869 CaCl is 8 lbs. and ASTM 2170 In-situ Relative Humidity90% per 1000 sq.ft. in 24
hours.
4. Do not install over concrete with a history of high moisture or hydrostatic conditions. Excessive moisture in the suboor could promote mold, mildew,
and other moisture related issues like the trapping of moisture emissions under the ooring, which may contribute to an unhealthy indoor
environment. Shaw Industries does not warrant nor is responsible for damage to oor covering due to moisture related issues.
5. pH level of concrete should be between 7-10.
6. The nal responsibility for determining if the concrete is dry enough for installation of the ooring lies with the oor covering installer.
NOTE: IT MAY NOT BE THE FLOOR COVERING INSTALLER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO CONDUCT THESE TESTS. IT IS, HOWEVER,
THE FLOOR COVERING INSTALLER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THESE TESTS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED, AND THAT
THE RESULTS ARE ACCEPTABLE PRIOR TO INSTALLING THE FLOOR COVERING. WHEN MOISTURE TESTS ARE
CONDUCTED, IT INDICATES THE CONDITIONS ONLY AT THE TIME OF THE TEST.
LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE
All recommendations and guarantees as to the suitability and performance of lightweight concrete under resilient ooring
are the responsibility of the lightweight concrete manufacturer. The installer of the lightweight product may be required to be
authorized or certied by the manufacturer. Correct on-site mixing ratios and properly functioning pumping equipment are
critical. To ensure proper mixture, slump testing is recommended.
Lightweight aggregate concretes having dry densities greater than 90 lbs. per cubic foot may be acceptable under resilient ooring.
Concrete slabs with heavy static and/or dynamic loads should be designed with higher strengths and densities to support such loads.
Surface must be permanently dry, clean, smooth, free of all dust, and structurally sound.
Perform Bond testing to determine compatibility of adhesive to the substrate. Shaw 9050 primer can be utilized to promote adhesion.
Three internal relative humidity tests should be conducted for areas up to 1000 SF. One additional test, for each additional 1000 SF.
Radiant Heating: Radiant-heated suboor systems can be concrete, wood or a combination of both.
The heating systems components must have a minimum of 1/2" separation from the ooring product. The system must be on
and operational for at least 2 weeks prior to installation to reduce residual moisture. Three days prior to installation lower the
temperature to 65 degrees, after installation gradually increase the temperature in increments of 5° F to avoid overheating.
Maximum operating temperature should never exceed 85°F. Use of an in-oor temperature sensor is recommended to avoid
overheating. Contact the manufacturer of your radiant heating system for further recommendations.
Electric Radiant Floors: consist of electric cables (or) mats of electrically conductive materials mounted on the suboor below the oor covering. Mesh
systems are typically embedded in thin-set. When embedding the system components, use cementitious patching and leveling compounds that meet
or exceed Shaw’s maximum moisture level and pH requirements. Use of gypsum-based patching and/or leveling compounds which contain Portland or
high alumina cement and meet or exceed the compressive strength of 3,000 psi are acceptable.
Hydronic Radiant Floors: pump heated water from a boiler through tubing laid in a pattern under the ooring. Typically installed in channels under a
wooden suboor (or) imbedded in concrete slabs. Requires the installer follow a specic nailing pattern to avoid penetration of the heat system.
C. Existing Floor Coverings
Flooring can be installed over most existing hard–surface oor coverings, provided that the existing oor surface is fully
adhered, clean, at dry structurally sound and free of deection.
Existing sheet vinyl oors should not be heavily cushioned and not exceed more than one layer in thickness. Soft underlayment and soft substrates will
compromise the product's locking ability as well as diminish its indentation resistance.
Installation is NOT allowed over any type of carpet.
Do NOT install over wood oors adhered to concrete.
Never use solvents or citrus adhesive removers to remove old adhesive residue. Solvent residue left in and on the suboor may affect the new oor
covering.
This product can be installed over existing ceramic/porcelain tile products with up to a 1/4 inch wide grout joint. If the grout joint width exceeds 1/4 inch,
a cementitious patching compound should be used to ll the grout joint to make it smooth with the surface of the tile.
RAISED ACCESS PANEL SUBFLOORS
Raised access panels must be stable, level, at, free and clean of existing adhesives
24" x 24" panels are recommended.
Lippage (variation of height) between of panels must not
exceed 0.295” (0.75 mm)
Gaps between panels must not exceed 0.039” (1mm)
There should be no deection of the individual panels – Concave less than 0.0295” (0.75 mm)
Flatness 1/8” in 10’
Stagger the ooring tiles/planks to overlap the access panels
Telegraphing of access panel seams may be visible and is not considered a product defect nor warranted by the ooring manufacturer.
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