Installation Instructions for Engineered Wood Flooring

PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS IN THEIR ENTIERTY BEFORE BEGINNING THE
INSTALLATION.

Installer's/ Owners Responsibility

As a natural product, hardwood contains inherent variations in color, grain and appearance and
other visual imperfections. Permwood is manufactured in accordance with industry standards
which permit a defect tolerance not to exceed 5%. These defects may be the result of
manufacturing or naturally occurring characteristics of the material. It is recommended that a 5%
cutting or grading allowance be added to the total sq footage when calculating the quantity of the
flooring required.

It is the sole andjoint responsibility of the installer and owner to conduct a quality inspection of
all the flooring prior to installation. All pieces of flooring should be examined for quality of
manufacture, finish and color. If the product quality is deemed unacceptable, it should not be
installed. Flooring that has been installed will be deemed to have been inspected and accepted by
the installer and owner.

It is the sole responsibility of the flooring installer to ensure that the job site, subfloor and
installation tolls and materials meet or exceed industry standards. Permwood voids all
responsibility for problems arising from incorrect or improper site preparations or installations
procedures.

Recommended Use

Grade Type	Nail Down	Glue Down	Float
Above Grade	Yes	Yes	Yes
On Grade	Yes	Yes	Yes
Below Grade	Yes	Yes	Yes

Sub-floor Type	Nail Down	Glue Down	Floating
Concrete	No	Yes	Yes
Plywood & OSB	Yes	Yes	Yes
Old wooden floor, particleboard, pressed board, non-wood sub floor	No	No	Yes

Site Preparation:

Prior to installing a wood floor, make sure of the following:
-The building is completely enclosed with all outside doors and windows in place and secured.
-All concrete, masonry, plastering, drywall, texturing, painting and other wet work is complete
and has been allowed to cure and dry completely.
-Basements and crawlspaces are dry. Crawlspaces must have no standing water and have a vapor
barrier installed in accordance with local building codes.
-Exterior surface drainage is directing water away from the house.
-Interior heat and humidity levels can be controlled and maintained at recommended levels for the
duration of the acclimatization and installation period.
-Sub-floor is properly prepared for installation.
-Radiant heat must tested and in operation for a few weeks, glue down installation is the only
recommended method over radiant heat

Flooring Acclimatization and Climate Control

Climate control at the job site must be maintained with the temperature between 68-72°F and
humidity at 35-55% before and during the installation. These conditions should be maintained for
the one week prior to installation.

Flooring material should not be delivered to job site until the site has been acclimatized as detailed
above. After delivery, the flooring must be allowed to acclimatize on the job site for 72 hrs prior
to installation. Do not open packages during the acclimatization period; leave boxes sealed until
ready to start installation, and then only as needed.

Subfloor Preparation

The installer and customer are jointly and solely responsible for ensuring that the subfloor is
suitable for the flooring application and properly prepared for installation.

All sub-floors must be clean, dry structurally sound and flat to within 1/8" in 8'. All subfloors
must be tested for moisture content according to NWF A guidelines.

Plywood sub-floors must meet local building code requirements. They must be secure to the
joists, free of squeaks ad protruding fasteners. SuBfloor moisture content must not exceed 12%
and the variance in moisture content between the subfloor and the flooring boards must not exceed
4%.

Expansion Space

Hardwood flooring will expand and contract with changes in ambient temperature and humidity.
To allow for this, during installation leave a ½" expansion space around the entire perimeter of the
floor between the flooring and the walls. Also leave a ½" expansion space where the flooring will
meet and vertical obstacle, such as stairs, pipes, door sills, tiles, cabinets, etc.

Note: In climates with extreme variations in humidity, it may be necessary to leave a larger
expansion space.

Color Racking & Installation

Real hardwood contains natural color variations, and in any quantity of hardwood flooring there
will be noticeable variations in color between the boards. In order to prevent color "grouping" in
the finished floor, it is recommended that boards be racked (visually sorted) before installation to
create a satisfactory and pleasing color arrangement. Immediately prior to installation, unpack 4
or 5 cartons to get a sense of the range of color variation and arrange the boards to achieve a
satisfactory appearance. Leave the rest of the packages sealed and only open them as needed.

When racking, inspect all boards for visible manufacturing defects. Boards with manufacturing
defects in excess of industry standards (5% of total quantity) may be replaced by the dealer under
the terms of the product warranty. Once installed, boards will be considered to have been
accepted by the customer and will not be eligible for replacement.

After inspecting and racking the boards, set the first row in place with the groove side facing the
wall. For the first one or two rows, proximity to the wall will hinder use of the nail gun, and these
rows will have to be fastened using other tools.

Nail Down Installation

PLEASE NOTE WHEN INSTALLING ½" ENGINERED FLOORING, A MANUAL OR
PNEUMATIC NAIL GUN OR PNEUMATIC STAPLE GUN DESIGNED FOR USE WITH½"
ENGINEERED FLOORING MUST BE USED.

Ensure plywood sub-floor is suitable and properly prepared. Verify moisture content is within
allowable guidelines. A layer of 15 lb roofing felt or building paper should be laid over the entire
sub-floor to help retard moisture and minimize flooring noise.

Select your starting wall and snap a guideline parallel to it to set your first row. Allow ½"
expansion space along all walls.

Top nail along the length of the board parallel to the starting wall, 1/2" in from the edge of the
board (these nails will be covered with molding). Use a pneumatic finish nailer with 18 gauge
brad nails. Alternatively, drill pilot holes and set 2" finishing nails with a hammer.

"Blind nail" along tongue edge of the first row using 2" finishing nails driven through the tongue
at a 45° angle. Set nails every 8 to 10 inches along the length. Ensure a nail is set 2 to 3 inches in
from each end of the board, but to prevent splitting do not set nails less than 2 inches from the end
of the board. Countersink the nails to ensure the heads do not protrude and impede the fit of the
tongue and groove joint. At the end of the row. cut a board to fit ensuring board length is not less
than 8", and ensure every board is secured by at least two nails along its tongue edge. Allow 1/2"
expansion space to end wall.

Sort and lay the next row along the first. (You can use the off cut from the first row to begin the
second, if desired.) Stagger all joints by a minimum of 6". Gently set the tongue and groove joint
by tapping against the tongue side of the new row with a white
rubber mallet or a hammer and wood tapping block. (Never hit the edge of the board directly with
a solid hammer.) Blind nail along the tongue edge as before.

By the third row, you should have room to use the nail or staple gun. Set the joint as before, and
blind nail the row into place using 2" flooring cleats or staples driven through the tongue at a 45°
angle. Space nails every 8" to 10" along the length of the board. Ensure a nail is placed 2" to 3"
from each end of each board, but to prevent splitting do not set nails less than 2" from the board
ends.

Continue with subsequent rows. Do not use boards of less than 8" in length, stagger all joints by a
minimum of 6", and ensure every board is secured by at least two nails. Ensure 1/2" expansion
space is maintained at all perimeter walls and other vertical obstacles.

In the last couple of rows, resort to hand nailing as there will not be space to use the nail gun. Use
the same procedure as before, blind nailing through the tongue with 2" finishing nails. For final
row, rip boards to required width (allowing expansion space at far wall) and top nail into place
using a pneumatic finish nailer with 18 gauge brad nails. Alternatively, drill pilot holes and set 2"
finishing nails with a hammer.

Install moldings and transitions as required. Ensure baseboard moldings are affixed to the wall,
not the floor.

The floor may be used immediately.

Glue Down Installation

Permwood engineered flooring can be glued directly to concrete sub-floor or wood sub-floor, on
the ground floor and second floor or below grade. Not to be installed over vinyl. Sub-floor must
be clean and free of any wax, paint, oil, etc.

Use a moisture-cured urethane adhesive specially designed for wood flooring installation.
Recommend Solvent based urethane adhesives: (Dura Pro Purfloor UL2130 adhesive, Franklin
811, StaufUltra-Mastic PUM-950, Bostik's Best. BST and EFT adhesive, Capital woody 600.)
Follow the installation procedure recommended by the adhesive manufacturer including spread
rate, trowel size, open time, working time, and flash time as necessary. Spread the adhesive as
instructed up to and along the working line. Use proper cleaners for the glue type selected to
ensure that no glue or adhesive residue is left on the finished flooring after installation.

Select your starting wall and snap a guideline parallel to it to set your first row. Allow ½"
expansion space along all walls. Glue the first row in place and spacers against the wall.

Continue installing flooring. Only spread enough glue to install what can be set in 45 minutes.
Planks can be set directly into wet glue. Work your way out of the room. Use a 100-150 lb roller
to apply pressure and insure good adhesive contact. After installations, keep the floor free from
foot traffic for a minimum of 24 hours.

Floating Installation

Permwood is suitable for floating installation at any grade level.

Use a chalk line to trace starting line with 1/2" expansionjoin at the side and 1/4" at row ends.
Install first plank on starting wall and continue placing expansion spacers every 12" along walls to
prevent movement. Apply bead of glue (D3 rated PVA glue) to upper inside groove. Use pull bar
to tighten endjoint and knocking block for the side. Once entire surface is covered, remove the
expansion spacers to install moldings to cover expansion joint. After installations, keep the floor
free from foot traffic for a minimum of 24 hours.

Parquet Installation

PART I Parquet Patterns

A. Parquet patterns often take their names from famous people or places. The Monticello pattern, for example, is based on floors in Thomas Jefferson’s home, and the Jeffersonian is a variation on that pattern. Others, such as Brittany, Bordeaux, and Canterbury, are named for places where they are thought to have originated.

B. There are also geometric patterns like herringbone, chevron, rhombus, and standard block- pattern parquet. Custom parquet patterns can also be created.

C. Parquet material thickness varies from 5/16” to 3/4” and may be solid or engineered. Parquet typically is made up of individual pieces, assembled into panels held together by wire, mesh, tape, or paperface (on the surface). Check with the manufacturer for specific installation instructions.

D. When ordering parquet, base your measurements on the actual dimension of the pattern. The quantity of parquet tiles, blocks, or pieces necessary will be dictated by the jobsite layout, and the repetition of the pattern itself.

PART II Substrate Requirements

Parquet wood flooring may be installed over many substrates, as long as they meet the minimum requirements as detailed in the applicable chapter. Inspect the substrate to ensure it meets all requirements for the flooring being installed, and the method in which it is being installed.

A. Wood subfloors (refer to the Wood Subfloors chapter for more detailed information).

Inspect the wood subfloor to ensure it meets all flooring and adhesive manufacturer requirements.
Test the wood subfloor material for compatibility with any wood flooring adhesive being used. (Some types of wood flooring adhesives do not adhere to some high-performance OSB panels.)
Check that the type and integrity of the wood subfloor is appropriate for the wood floor installation. This includes subfloor thickness and joist/floor truss spacing requirements, maximum vertical deflection requirements, and that it is sound and free from squeaks and noises. Due to the varying grain orientation and pattern direction of parquet flooring, the joist/floor truss direction is not relevant to the installed parquet pattern direction.
Flatness: The standard for flatness with parquet installation methods on a wood subfloor is 3/16” in 10’, or 1/8” in 6’.
When testing for moisture, both the wood flooring and the wood subfloor should be evaluated and documented (refer to the Moisture Testing Wood chapter for testing information).

B. Concrete subfloors (refer to the Concrete Subfloors chapter for more-detailed information)

Inspect the concrete subfloor to ensure it meets all adhesive and flooring manufacturer requirements.
If any subfloor toppings such as self-levelers, skim-coatings, patches, trowelable underlayments, or floor-fills exist, ensure any sealers or adhesive products are compatible with these toppings.
Flatness: The standard for flatness for a concrete subfloor with parquet glue-down installation methods is 3/16” in 10’, or 1/8” in 6’.
Moisture test the concrete subfloor in relation to the flooring being used. Refer to the Moisture Testing chapter for more information. When testing for moisture, both the wood flooring and the concrete subfloor should be evaluated.

C. Solid board subfloors (refer to the Wood Subfloors chapter for more detailed information)

When gluing down parquet over solid board subfloors, installation of minimum 19/32 subfloor panels is required as an overlay to achieve a suitable substrate.

D. Screeds/sleepers (refer to the Screeds/Sleepers chapter for more detailed information)

1. Full-spread glue-down and nail-assisted glue-down installation methods are appropriate over properly prepared screeds/ sleepers embedded in concrete, or when screeds/sleepers have been overlaid with the appropriate wood panel subfloor.

E. Radiant heat (refer to the Radiant Heat chapter for more detailed information)

When gluing parquet over any radiant heating system, refer to the Radiant Heat chapter for more information.
Confirm the adhesive system being used is compatible with the radiant heating system.
Reduce or turn off heat during installation of the flooring to avoid loss of open/working time, premature drying, and skinning-over of the adhesive. Check with the adhesive manufacturer for minimum/maximum subfloor temperature limitations during the installation.

PART III Parquet Layout

A. In general, when a wood floor is laid out in a repetitive pattern, such as with parquet, the pattern should be balanced within the space. When the parquet pattern is installed wall-towall in a room that is not symmetrical, or when the pattern flows from one room to another, the floor pattern may not be balanced in all rooms.

B. With any parquet patterned floor, use the center-layout method to transfer and adjust your starting lines according to the most aesthetically or architecturally important elements in the rooms, taking into consideration doorways, fireplaces, cabinets, and transitions, as well as the dimensions of the pattern and the overall squareness of each room. (Refer to the Layout chapter for more-detailed information.)

C. In order to properly layout the parquet pattern within the given space, the dimensions of the pattern should be taken into account.

D. The layout includes finding the center of the pattern to help identify the best balance within the space. Base your working line measurements on these dimensions and the room characteristics where the flooring will be installed. Transfer lines as necessary to where the flooring installation will begin.

E. Use the dimensions of the parquet pattern to snap chalk lines across the subfloor indicating where each run will lie. This will allow you to know where to apply adhesive during the installation as well as to maintain straight lines during install.

F. Verify all measurements before proceeding with installation and application of adhesive.

PART IV Herringbone/ Chevron Installation

A. Glue-down installation: Herringbone/chevron patterns are often glued down. Refer to the Glue-Down chapter for glue down information.

B. Nail-down installation: Nail herringbone or chevron patterns using the appropriate nailing schedule for the flooring being installed as long as the pattern continues to have an exposed side tongue for nailing. Refer to the Nail Down Installation chapter for nailing schedule information, and glue-assisted installation methods. (Be extremely cautious of the impact from the pneumatic nailer on the herringbone/ chevron planks. The impact can force the planks out of their intended placement, knocking the pattern out of square.)

C. Nail-assisted glue-down:

With full-spread installations over wood subfloors, it is sometimes necessary or helpful to blind-nail the flooring into the wood substrate periodically.
This method may be appropriate where flooring needs to be driven tight during the installation. There is no recommended nailing schedule for this method, as the fasteners are strictly used as a supplement to the glue-down method.

D. Herringbone direction should be installed in accordance with client preference. The distinct directional pattern may look best with the points in the direction of the longest dimension of the room, or toward a major focal point.

E. Herringbone-patterned floors can be ordered with ‘left’ and ‘right’ pieces because the pattern is directional. When looking at the face of the boards, they are a mirror image of each other. A universal form has grooves on both ends and slip-tongue or spline is used at each end connection.

F. When laying out the floor prior to installation, be sure to work from multiple bundles or packages to ensure variation.

G. Laying out a herringbone pattern:

Using the center-layout method, measure the room for center and strike the main control, perpendicular, and diagonal reference lines, as detailed in the Layout chapter.
Find true center on the pattern to establish the working lines.

a. To find center of a herringbone pattern:

i. Divide the diagonal measurement by four. This is the dimension used to establish the working lines A and B on both sides of the control line.

ii. This measurement will vary according to the width of the flooring.

b. To find center of a chevron pattern, measure the entire pattern width and divide by 2. The mitered point is center.

3. Strike two working lines alongside the main control line. Working lines for herringbone should fall through the corners of each alternating slat. Working lines for chevron patterns should fall on the opposite mitered end of each picket.

4. Transfer the diagonal lines to the working lines.

5. Dry-lay a small section and measure to confirm a balanced layout.

6. The floor pattern is installed along working lines.

7. Once the working lines are established, the installation can begin.

8. To keep the installation square, cut a square piece of plywood the size of the herringbone pattern and anchor it at the intersection of the working lines and diagonal lines.

H. Installing a herringbone pattern:

The starting point must have working lines and diagonal lines.
For direct glue, do not spread adhesive over working lines.
Start with the tongue facing toward the build direction.
Install pattern one row at a time.
Periodically check alignment and squareness using a carpenters square at the head of the run as it progresses.

I. To continue the pattern:

Dry lay approximately eight boards
Lay a framing square from the points on the working line to the outermost point.
Record measurement A; this becomes your working line for the next course.

4. Once measurement A is established, the working lines can be repeated throughout the installation.

Radiant Heat for Engineered Flooring

Permwood engineered hardwood products can be installed over radiant heat systems that are
approved for specific product. All radiant heat system manufacturer instructions must be
followed.

In addition to specific manufacturer installation instructions Permwood suggests the following:
1. A whole house humidification system be installed, functional, and in use prior to
installation throughout the life of the floor.
2. A temperature and relative humidity recording device be installed, functional and
operational throughout the life of the floor.
3. Specific manufacturer installation instructions must be followed precisely. If
manufacturer's installation instructions do not specifically outline a detail, default to
NWF A installation guidelines on Radiant Heat Installations. (see NWF A Installation
Guidelines; Appendix H)
a. Each manufacturer has different guidelines for maximum subfloor or surface
temperature and range of relative humidity. Note the specific guidelines and post
in home after installation

Radiant heat subfloor systems are excellent systems designed specifically to have slight and
gradual changes in temperature. A gradual change in temperature of five degrees should take place
over a 24 hour period. Sudden and drastic changes in temperature and relative humidity can and
will have serious consequences to the look and structure of hardwood flooring. Exposure to
temperatures and relative humidity outside of the specific ranges provided by the manufacturer
can and will have similar consequences to the structure and look of the floor.

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