Hickory Designers Choice 3-1/4 Sierra SPF

NAIL & STAPLE DOWN INSTALLATION GUIDE

GENERAL NOTES

Inspect all materials carefully before installation. Warranties do not cover materials with visible defects once they are installed. It is the responsibility of the installer/owner to determine if the jobsite sub floor and jobsite conditions are environmentally and structurally acceptable for wood flooring installation. We will decline any responsibility for wood floor failure resulting from or connected with sub floor, subsurface, jobsite damage or deficiencies after hardwood flooring has been installed.

Wood is hydroscopic. It will absorb and expel moisture based on its environment. With our multi-ply construction, these changes are greatly reduced. However temperature and humidity must be brought to normal usage levels at least 96 hours before installation and maintained at those levels after installation.

Time at which to install your hardwood flooring: Lay only after sheetrock and tile work are thoroughly dried and all but the final woodwork and trim have been completed. The building interior should have been dried and seasoned and a comfortable working temperature should exist prior, during and after the installation.

PREPARATION
Remove paint, wax oil, plaster,” sheetrock mud” and other foreign materials, as well as surface irregularities. Heavy grit open coat paper may need to be used to grind a concrete floor. This will loosen any dirt, loose concrete or contaminates. Sweep or vacuum thoroughly. All previously or existing glue or adhesives must be removed before installing new hardwood flooring. All sub floors and sub floor systems must be structurally sound and must be installed following their manufacturer's recommendations. Our warranty does not cover any problems caused by inadequate substructures or improper installation of said substructures.

Evaluate the job site. Always check the job site for satisfactory conditions. The sub floor must be clean, dry, firm and flat. Refer to the NWFA Technical Manual for required conditions. When you are ready to begin, open a few cartons and inspect each plank for quality.

MAKE SURE ALL WORK AREA’s ARE DRY
Interior walls should be dry enough to be painted and a room temperature as required by adhesive manufacturer with a relative humidity of 25-40% should be provided before any installation is begun. If plywood is used as an overlay over an existing sub floor, the thickness of the overlay material much is such as to yield a total ¾” sub floor thickness.

New wood type sub floors should also be checked for moisture using a moisture meter. In general, wood or plywood sub floors should not exceed 11% moisture content or 4% moisture content difference between wood flooring and sub floor.

SUB FLOOR PREPARATION
Sub floor irregularities and undulation may cause any wood flooring installation to develop hollow spots between the flooring and the sub floor. These hollow spots are not the result of any wood flooring manufacturing defect and are not covered by the Owens Flooring warranty. As part of your sub floor preparation remove any existing base, shoe mold or doorway thresholds. These items can be replaced after installation, but should be replaced in such a way as to allow room for expansion around the perimeter of the room. All door casings should be notched out or undercut to allow for expansion and to avoid difficult scribe cuts. This is easily done by placing a piece of the engineered product on the sub floor as a height guide for your handsaw of jamb saw.

PROCEDURES
Wood is the primary constituent of this flooring. Because the humidity of the room can vary, due to differences between the seasons for example, the floor must be able to expand in all directions. The floor must be able to expand or contract on ALL sides. To facilitate this, an expansion gap is provided at all walls of 1/2". A gap must also be provided around pipes or at thresholds.

Take account of the fact that the floor may move in one direction. Where possible, provide expansion gaps, for example, under doors. The moldings are not fixed to the real wood floor but to the base floor or the wall cover these gaps.

Choose a wall to start on. Place expansion shims against the entire perimeter of the room. Lay the first with the groove against wall. Nail or staple tongue in the nail pocket of the first row. Nailing pattern should be every 6” or closer. You may want to face nail the first row close to the wall so the base molding will cover when finished.

After the first row is secure, engage the planks, one at a time to start the second row. Nail/staple each plank in the tongue nail pocket as you go to secure into position. Proceed by sliding each individual board into place making sure both the tongue and groove are tight, along with the butt joints. To ensure a random pattern, make sure butt joints are at least 6” from the butt joint of the prior row. Proceed with this procedure until you have come to the final row to complete the room.

When you have reached the final row, you will need to measure the width of the final planks. You may need to rip the planks to match the width of the space remaining. Make sure the expansion shims are in place and take the shim width into consideration when ripping the final row. The tongue for the final row will need to be removed for a clean fit. Slide the planks groove into the tongue and use a pry bar to snug the last row of planks with the completed second to last row. You again will need to face nail close to the wall to secure. Make sure you nail close enough to the wall so that the base molding will cover nails.

FINAL INSPECTION
After the floor has been cleaned, inspect the floor for nicks, scratches, gaps, or planks that may have moved during installation, as well as any other imperfections that need attention. Touch up nicks and scratches with touch-up products.

FLOOR PROTECTION DURING CONSTRUCTION
Always protect the surface of the installed flooring during construction by laying a quality rosin paper or other paper that will allow the floor to breathe, over the floor and taping it to the baseboards. Never use plastic or polyethylene sheeting to cover the floor since they will trap moisture that will damage the flooring.