Installation Guide
Tools & Materials Vinyl / Sheet Vinyl
• Laminate installation kit (including spacers, tapping • If existing flooring has underlayment it must be removed.
block, and pull bar) • Vinyl must be well secured, level, and in good condition.
• Premium grade laminate flooring underlayment (for • If subfloor under the vinyl is concrete you must install a 0.006
flooring without an attached pad). inch age-resistant, non-permeable polyethylene vapor barrier
• Hammer over the floor. Tape seams with an adhesive tape. The vapor
• Table or hand saw barrier should be installed up the wall by 1 inch.
• Carbide-tipped circular saw blades
Radiant Heating Systems
• Vacuum
• Tape measure • Laminate flooring can be installed on under-floor radiant
heating systems if the heating element is installed into wood
• Duct tape or concrete subfloors.
• Wood Glue (where modifying the profile is necessary) • Lower heating system to 60ºF for 1 week before installation.
• Sandpaper • After installation, slowly increase the temperature in
• Level increments of 10ºF per day.
• Age-resistant, non-permeable polyethylene vapor barrier • Surface temperature must not exceed 85ºF.
(0.006 inch) - for installations over concrete • Follow installation instructions for wood or concrete as
• Moisture Meter outlined above.
• Felt Furniture Pads
• 100% Silicone Sealant Room & Material Preparation
• Caulking Gun • Remove all existing moulding.
• 3/8” Foam Backer Rod • Allow laminate flooring to acclimate to room temperature
• Gloves (between 60ºF -80ºF) by placing the packaged flooring flat in
• Safety glasses the room for a minimum of 48 hours prior to installation. Do
not remove the plastic wrapping. [1]
• Dust Mask or Respirator
• Flooring should be installed and maintained in a climate
Caution: use safety glasses, gloves, and a dust mask or respirator controlled environment with ambient temperature between
when cutting this product. During the cutting process, laminate 60ºF - 80ºF and a relative humidity of 35% - 70%.
may create wood dust; install in a well-ventilated area. • Check door clearances and make necessary adjustments
before laying the flooring. Door mouldings (jambs) should be
General Requirements for all Subflooring undercut to accommodate the thickness of the flooring as
Substrates should be structurally sound and immobile. Before well as the underlayment (whether pre-attached or installed
installing flooring, ensure the subfloor is leveled within 3/16 inch in separately). [2]
10 feet. Irregularities in the subfloor should be smoothed using a • For product without underlayment; install premium grade
leveling compound. laminate flooring underlayment per the manufacturer’s
instructions. DO NOT install more than one layer of
Wood underlayment. Doing so will void the warranty.
• Suspended wood subfloors should have a minimum of 18 Important Information Before Starting
inches of well-ventilated air space above the ground.
• The moisture content of the wood subfloor should not • If room has electric baseboard heaters, leave a minimum of
exceed 12%. 1/2 inch between the surface of the flooring and the bottom
of the heaters, allowing heat to circulate.
Concrete • Use T-mouldings for rooms wider or longer than 40 feet and
openings less than 4 feet.
• New concrete subflooring should be cured for at least 90
days prior to installation. • Determine which direction to lay the planks. If installing in
narrow hallways or small rooms, the area will appear larger if
• A moisture test should be performed on the subfloor. Using flooring is laid parallel to the longest wall.
a calcium chloride test, values for moisture vapor shall be <5
lbs./1,000 sq. ft. /24 hours per ASTM 1869. • Inspect each plank for defects prior to installation. Do not
install defective planks; installation of defective planks implies
• You must install a 0.006 inch age-resistant, non-permeable acceptance of material. Work out of several cartons at the
polyethylene vapor barrier over the concrete subfloor. Tape same time to ensure a mixture of color and shade.
seams with an adhesive tape. The vapor barrier should
be installed up the wall by 1 inch. • A 3/8” spacer must be used along any vertical surface. When
the project is completed these spacers will be removed
Carpeting leaving a 3/8” expansion gap. This gap is necessary because
laminate expands and contracts with temperature and
• Remove all carpeting and padding prior to installation. humidity changes. The gap provided will prevent your
flooring from being damaged during those changes.
• To provide a flush edge, any plank edge that would contact a
spacer can have its profile cut off.
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• The minimum length of a plank to either begin or end a row is Installing Around Moldings and Door Jambs
8”. The minimum joint offset between rows is 12”. [3]
• When assembling the planks, especially in the first row, you In challenging areas such as door moldings where planks can’t
must make sure that the pieces are locked in square and flush. be installed at an angle it may be necessary to modify the joint.
This will make subsequent row assembly easier. Begin by removing a portion of the groove from the planks being
fitted to in the previous row by either planing or sanding. Once
Wet Areas the material is removed apply a small amount of wood glue to
the top of the subsequent planks tongue and install it by sliding
• Do not install in saunas, swimming pool areas and other it on the floor into place. Wipe up excess laminate glue with a
similar extreme wet areas. damp cloth and warm water.
Installation Procedure Care and Maintenance Do & Do Nots
1. Measure the width and length of the room. Determine the
width of your starting row so that the first and last rows in the Do Do Not
room are the same upon completion. Do vacuum using a soft Do not use vacuum with
bristle attachment beater bar
2. Flooring should be laid from left to right with the long side
groove facing you. Do use a humidifier, dehumidifier, Do not let your ambient temperature in the
or air conditioner to help maintain room fall outside the range of 60°F - 80°F
3. Using the predetermined measurements from step 1, cut the temperature and humidity levels and a relative humidity of 35% - 70%
first plank [4] and place it against the spacers along the wall. Do not use oil soaps, wax based
[5] In the event of an uneven wall, trace the contour onto the Do use cleaning solutions specially
cleaning solutions, or other chemicals
plank and cut. formulated for laminate flooring
that have abrasive properties
4. Prepare a second plank and place it’s short side tongue on
Do use a damp cloth, a well rung-out
the floor near (2-3mm) the short side groove of plank one. mop, or a residential steam mop where Do not use spray nozzle equipped
Tap the short side groove of plank two with the tapping the head is covered and steam does not mopping systems, or industrial steam
block and hammer in the direction of plank one to assemble directly contact the laminate surface to equipment.
clean up light spills and stains.
the joint. [6] Continue this process until the end of the row.
5. At the end of the row use a pull bar in place of a tapping Do clean up spills immediately Do not leave standing liquids of any kind
block to close the gap between the two planks to complete
Do apply cleaning solution directly to Do not spray liquids directly
the row [7] while leaving the proper expansion gap. [8] cloth or mop on floor
6. Begin installing the second row, from left to right, by angling
Do use protective mats under chairs
the plank to allow the tongue on the long side to slide into Do not try to slide heavy objects
with castors. Place felt floor protectors
the groove of the plank in row one. Maintain inward pressure under furniture legs across floor
(toward the previous row) while gently moving the plank up
Do not try sealing your floor with any
and down as you slowly push the plank to the floor. Do not Do use entry mats
aftermarket floor sealer
force the plank to the floor if the tongue is only partially
inserted into the groove. [9, 10, 11]
7. Install the next plank by placing it near (2-3mm) the previous Minor Repair Instructions
plank in the row and again angle the long side tongue to slide In the event that accidental damage occurs, minor scratches or
into the groove of the previous row. [12] Slowly push the dents can be repaired using a Flooring Touchup or Color-fill Kit.
piece to the floor.
8. Once the plank is lying flat gently tap the planks short Laminate Board Replacement Repairs
side groove towards the previous plank, to assemble the joint
and then tap towards the previous row to ensure joint is Laminate may be assembled and disassembled several times. In
locked. [13] the event a plank is damaged enough that it must be replaced
you can disable the flooring back the point of the damaged
9. Continue laying the floor from left to right completing rows. plank. Simply replace the damaged plank with the new one and
[14] reassemble your floor.
10. Trim the planks to be used in the final row to the desired
width while taking into consideration the necessary gap of
3/8” needed between the planks and the wall. [15]
Install the final row as described in the previous steps.
11. Remove all spacers.
12. Create a watertight seal by first filling the entire expansion
perimeter, T-molding spaces, and other open areas with 3/8 in
compressible PE foam backer rod. [16]
13. Next cover the backer rod and any remaining gaps with
100% silicone sealant. DO NOT use acrylic sealants.
14. Prior to installing the molding, apply silicone sealant to
the portion of the molding or transition that will contact
directly with the laminate flooring surface. Install moldings
and immediately wipe away any excess silicone sealant.
Apply silicone sealant at connections to door frames, T-Joint
moldings, or any other fixed objects.
15. Install moldings and immediately wipe away any excess
silicone sealant.
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Figure A Tongue
(Long side)
Tongue / Languette / Lengüeta Languette
(Short side / Côté court / Deslizador corto) (Côté long)
Lengüeta
(Deslizador largo)
Groove
(Long side)
Rainure
(Côté long)
Ranura Groove /Rainure / Ranura
(Deslizador largo) (Short side / Côté court / Deslizador corto)
60-80° F
16-27° C 2 3 4
>12”
>8”
5 6 8
3/8”
7
3/8”
9 10 11 12
13 15
Minimum starting/ending length is 8”
14 16
