Hardwood Floors: Basic Overview

Tools and Materials Needed

• Pencil
• Measuring Tape
• Safety Glasses
• Hammer
• Glue
• 3/4" Blue Plastic Tape
• Circular Hand Saw
• Power Table Saw (recommended but not needed)
• Carbide-tipped Circular Saw Blades
• T-square
• Dry Cloth
• Foam Underlayment or Acoustic Underlayment
• Foam Underlayment with Moisture Barrier (for concrete)
• Duct Tape
• Flooring Cleaning Kit & Clean Cloth Acetone
• Perimeter Sealant
• Laminate Filler/Sealer

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Installation Tools:

• Professional:
• ProPac Floor System Clamps (Use of these clamps will ensure better seams and board alignment, as well as faster, successful installations.)
• Commercial Pull Bar
• Commercial Tapping Block
• Spacers

DIY: (Do It Yourself)

• Consumer Pull Bar
• Consumer Tapping Block Spacers

Installation Highlights

The product should be acclimated for a minimum of 48 hours prior to installation. Under climatic conditions with a large variance (warm, humid warehouse to a dry air conditioned home), longer acclimation times may be warranted. To acclimate the product, store it flat in the room where it is to be installed (or in a nearby room) with the wrapper intact. Do not stack over three cartons high and leave air circulation room between the stacks to improve the acclimation process.

Install Laminate Flooring over Foam Underlayment or Acoustic Underlayment. If installing the floor over concrete, use the Pickering Foam Underlayment with Moisture Barrier.

Laminate floors are "floating" floors meaning they are not attached to the subfloor. The boards are joined together with a bead of glue that should be no smaller than 1/16 of an inch and no larger than 1/8 of an inch. The glue should be applied to the upper lip of the groove to form a continuous surface.

Flooring generally would not be nailed, glued, or screwed to the subfloor. Leave a minimum of 1/4" space at the walls and other vertical surfaces to allow for expansion. As the area of installation increases, additional expansion space needs to be allowed.

Laminate Flooring should be installed under normal humidity and at 50 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer.
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