INSTALLATION

Installing a prefinished hardwood floor isn’t so difficult when you follow the right steps. Safe operation of power tools is the first step in installing a hardwood floor. Safety glasses should be worn at all times during the cutting phase of the installation. In addition to these safety precautions, the following steps below should ensure the owner in a successful installation of any hardwood floor.

Installation Instructions:

The use of particleboard as a sub-floor will automatically void the warranty. Do not install St. Lawrence hardwood floors below grade, but above the soil level of the building. Do not install on concrete unless proper sub-floor has been built and a dehumidifier is used to remove excess humidity.

The installation instructions below offer a proper way of installing your hardwood and must be followed for our warranty to be valid.

Open the boxes and allow the wood to acclimatize for 48-72 hours (at approx. 21 degrees C, 72F) with a relative humidity of 35%-48% before you install.

Tools Needed:

A list of tools needed are: pencil, tape measurement, chalk line, nail punch, hammer, table saw, motorized miter saw, skill saw, hardwood floor nailer with rubber mallet, 2” cleats, 2” finishing nails, underlay paper, power drill.

In preparing your sub-floor: a minimum 5/8 A.P.A. approved, C.S.P./D.F.P.-C.O. F.I. Stamped Plywood, minimum 23/32 O.S.B. Underlay Grade PS2-92 rated or 5/8 tongue and groove boards.

Remove protruding nails, carpet glue and staples, and foreign particles. Make sure the sub-floor is securely screwed down. Repair or replace any damaged areas to eliminate problems. Carefully remove baseboards (numbering them helps if you want to reuse them). Using a handsaw, cut all door jams and casing up to ¾” to slide floor planks beneath.

Step by Step Installation:

Following these step by step instructions will help you lay down your hardwood floor. Lay down the underlay paper. Planks must be laid at right angle to your floor joists. It is best to start on the longest straightest wall.

After leaving a ½” – ¾” gap from the wall for wood expansion (which will be covered later with baseboard and quarter round), measure from the point the width of your plank at both ends of your straight wall. Snap a chalk line. This will mark the starting line for your first row.

Your First Row:

Use long planks for your first row to ensure the straightest line. Nail the first row with the tongue edge to your chalk line.

Pre-drill holes on top of the first row of planks ½” inside from the groove side at a distance 8”-10” apart. Nail with 2” finishing nails and counter sink the nails with a nail punch.

Still on the first row, pre-drill and nail on a 45 degree angle on top the tongue at 6”-8” apart along the first row. Again, use a nail punch to set the nails without damaging the edges of the planks.

As you continue to lay plank, always keep in mind to offset the end joints by 6”-8”. Interlock the boards tightly on the sides and ends. Always have a nail 2” from the end of each plank.

Blind nail the second row on a 45 degree angle at 8”-10” centers. Proceed with 3 or 4 rows in this way until there is enough room to use a power nailer. Lay out 6 or 7 rows at a time to mix lengths and variation of color and to ensure end joints never line up. Always tap boards gently together to ensure a nice tight fit.

Upon reaching your last few rows where you can no longer use the power nailer, start by blind nailing on a 45 degree angle on top of the tongue on 6”-8” centers.

Your Last Row:

The last row will also require you to leave between a ½”-3/4” gap from the wall for expansion. Drill and face nail the last row every 8”-10”.

Counter sink nails in first and last rows. All counter sunk nails can be filled with appropriate color wood filler to match the floor.

The consumer must add an additional 5% to their measurements (depending on the area and the type of installation) when ordering material to compensate for waste generated when boards are cut to fit.

Installation Liability:

St. Lawrence Collections quality standards comply with industry standards in terms of material and finishes and does everything possible to ensure that boards sold are consistent with the material’s grade and species. However, hardwood is a natural product that may present certain imperfections. A defect rate of 5% and less of the quantity of boards purchased is considered normal. This rate includes both natural flaws and manufacturing defects.

The installer and or owner must make sure that the work site and subfloor comply with conditions specified under the installation conditions specified under the installation section of this guide. It is the installer and/or owner’s responsibility to inspect St. Lawrence Collections’ flooring boards prior to their installation. The installer and/or owner must check board grade, quality and finish.

The installer must select boards in a reasonable manner and, and when necessary either discard, install in a less conspicuous place or cut boards presenting any type of flaw that is too noticeable. During installation, it is expected as normal procedure to correct minor flaws using small amounts of stain, wax pencil or marketing pen.

If the installer is in doubt as to the grade, quality or finish of a board and is unable to install it is an inconspicuous location or eliminate the flaw, then the board should be discarded. Once the board has been nailed down, it is deemed to have been accepted by the installer and/or owner. St.Lawrence Collections will not cover any costs associated with the faulty labour or installation of floor resulting from the improper use of tools.