Warranty Guide

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PREPARATION

Tools Required for Assembly (not included): Broom or vacuum, chalk line, tapping block, hammer, wood

ﬂ ooring surface cleaner, hand or electric jam saw, miter saw, moisture meter, safety glasses, straight

edge, table saw, tape measure, square, utility knife and pry bar.

If installing the item using the glue-down method, you will also need a non-water-based wood ﬂ ooring

adhesive and trowel.

JOBSITE CONDITIONS

Permanent HVAC should be on and operational for a minimum of 5 days prior to delivery, during

and after installation of the ﬂ ooring. The room temperature must be maintained between 60 - 80ºF,

with a relative humidity of 35 - 60%. These environmental conditions are speciﬁ ed as pre-installation

requirements and must be maintained for the life of the engineered wood.

Basements and crawl spaces must be dry. Use of a 6 mil. black polyethylene membrane is required to

cover 100% of the crawl space earth. Crawl space clearance from ground to the underside of the joist

should be no less than 18 in. and perimeter vent spacing should be equal to 1.5% of the total square

footage of the crawl space area in order to provide cross ventilation.

It is the responsibility of the installer/owner to determine if the jobsite subﬂ oor and conditions are

environmentally and structurally acceptable for wood ﬂ oor installation. The manufacturer declines any

responsibility for wood failure resulting from or connected with subﬂ oors, subsurface, jobsite damage or

deﬁ ciencies after hardwood ﬂ ooring has been installed.

SUBFLOOR PREPARATION

The ﬂ oor must be ﬂ at to 3/16 in. in a 10 ft. radius. If the ﬂ oor requires correction, the high areas can be

ground down and the low areas may be ﬁ lled by ﬂ oating latex fortiﬁ ed Portland leveling compound. The

leveling compound must be allowed to dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions before the ﬂ oor is

installed over it. The use of sand or extra padding to ﬁ ll low areas is not acceptable.

Wood subﬂ oors must be free of paint, oil, existing adhesives, wax, grease, dirt, urethane, varnish, etc.

IMPORTANT: Do not install cabinets or walls on top of the ﬂ ooring when using the ﬂ oating

installation method.

CONCRETE SUBFLOORS

New concrete slabs require a minimum of 60 days drying time before covering them with a wood ﬂ oor.

Concrete subﬂ oors must be dry, smooth (level within 3/16 in. in a 10 ft. radius and 1/8 in. in a 6 ft. radius)

and free of structural defects. Hand scrape or sand with 20-grit #3-1/2 in. open-face paper to remove

loose, ﬂ aky concrete. Grind high spots in concrete and ﬁ ll low spots with a leveling compound with a

3,000 PSI minimum.

IMPORTANT: Concrete must be free of paint, oil, existing adhesives, wax, grease, dirt and curing

compounds. These may be removed mechanically, but DO NOT use solvent-based strippers under any

circumstances. The use of residual solvents can prohibit the satisfactory bond of ﬂ ooring adhesives. It is

important to ensure a proper bond between the adhesive and the concrete, and planks or strips.

WOOD SUBFLOORS

Solid Wood Subﬂ oors (Direct Glue or Floating)

Must be minimum 3/4 in. thick with a maximum width of 6 in. installed at a 45˚ angle to the ﬂ oor joists.

For direct glue-down applications add 3/8 in. approved ﬂ oor panel underlayment.