PLEASE READ ALL INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN INSTALLATION. IMPROPER INSTALLATION WILL VOID WARRANTY.
BEFORE INSTALLATION
- Always check Extruded Waterproof Core Luxury Vinyl Plank and Tile (EWC LVT) panels for defects such as chips and color or sheen differences under well-lit conditions in good light. Also check that the click channel is clean and free of debris. Always work out of multiple boxes to mix product to achieve proper pattern repeat and color appearance. Color variations between flooring, samples, and replacement material are expected and not a product defect.
- If the appearance of a board is questionable for either dimensions or appearance, the installer should not use this piece. A replacement carton can be obtained through your dealer in a reasonable time.
NOTE: EWC LVT can be installed above, on and below grade. The product may be installed either as a floating floor or by direct glue down method on approved wood or concrete subfloors. Direct glue down applications require a full spread adhesive manufactured exclusively for LVP and LVT only. Never use an adhesive that is recommended for multiple products. Follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions when full spreading our EWC.
Walls, subfloors, and installed floors in buildings and houses move. A minimum of ¼” gap for expansion is recommended between the EWC LVT and any adjacent perimeter wall, vertical structure, or wood based floor (laminate or hardwood).
PREPARING FOR INSTALLATION
SUBFLOOR PREPARATION
EWC LVT is a waterproof product. Moisture will not damage the product. When installed, it does not produce a moisture barrier nor does it protect the walls or structure of the home. Only installing a moisture barrier in a crawl space or under the EWC LVT over a concrete floor can insure this.
JOBSITE PREPARATION
The responsibility for installation of EWC LVT is with the local job site installer. Every plank and/or tile must be inspected prior to installation for color variation, finish condition, sheen variation, and quality. This inspection should be conducted with proper lighting available. Any boards that are not acceptable SHOULD NOT BE INSTALLED. Contact your dealer immediately to obtain replacement boards. Palmetto Road is not responsible for the installation of flooring with obvious defects.
It is the responsibility of the local job installer to insure that the jobsite and subfloor meet the requirements of these installation instructions. Palmetto Road is not responsible for failure of this EWC LVT flooring caused by unsatisfactory jobsite and/or subfloor conditions.
Minimum crawl spaces of 18” are required from the ground to the underside of the joists. A vapor barrier of 6-20 mil thick polyethylene film with 6” sealed lap joints is needed. Moisture resistant tape should be used as the vapor barrier sealant at the lap joints. Venting for the crawl space should be at least 1.5% of the crawl space square footage. Vents should be located for cross-ventilation of the crawl space. Local regulations should prevail at all times.
Before floor installation, the room conditions in the installation area (temperature and moisture) should be at normal year-round conditions for at least one week prior to and during flooring installation. Recommended installation room conditions are temperatures between 55-100 degrees F. Never install below 45 degrees or above 105 degrees F.
SUBFLOOR REQUIREMENTS
All subfloors must be dry, structurally sound to support the floor, free of debris and foreign matter, and flat to 3/16” in a 10-foot radius.
For concrete floors, the subfloor should be firm, flat, dry, and clean. This includes both old and new concrete floors. New concrete slabs must cure in well-ventilated conditions for at least 60 days minimum before installing the floor. Concrete should have a minimum-6mil polyfilm moisture barrier between the concrete and ground. Maximum moisture level per the Calcium Chloride test method is 8lbs. per 1000 square feet in 24 hours. The maximum level of relative humidity per ASTM 2170 test method is 85%.
EWC LVT subfloors must be dry and properly secured to accept a top floor. The subfloor must be secured every 6” along joists with nails or screws to avoid squeaking. The floor must be leveled and flat. High spots must be ground down and low spots must be filled with a Portland cement leveling compound.
Please note that EWC LVT is not approved for installation over any type of carpet.
Tiles including ceramic, resilient, and sheet vinyl must be well bonded to the subfloor, must be level and flat, and must be clean. Existing vinyl floors should not be sanded as they may contain asbestos.
INSTALLATION TOOLS
EWC tapping blocks
¼” Spacers Pull bar Saw
Utility knife
Pencil
Tape measure
Ruler
Acceptable subfloor types:
CDX Underlayment Grade Plywood (minimum of 5/8” thickness) Underlayment Grade Particleboard (only for floating installation)
OSB (minimum ¾”, 23/32” thickness)
Concrete slab
Ceramic Tile
Resilient Tile – one layer well bonded
Sheet Vinyl – one layer well bonded
Laminate – one layer glued down and well bonded
Wood – one layer glued, nailed, or screwed down, well bonded
NOTE: There are 2 different types of tapping blocks to be used with our EWC planks. Tapping block (black in color) number one is to be used with our standard 4 foot long planks. Tapping block number two (white in color) is to be used for use with our EWC XL long board. XL and Long Board products have a specially designed larger Unilin lock and require a larger tapping block for proper installation.
BASIC INSTALLATION OF EWC LVT
While EWC LVT is dimensionally stable, buildings, walls, and existing hardwood and laminate floors will expand and contract. Because of this, we recommend for all installations, both floating floors and glue down types, that an expansion gap of ¼” be left for expansion between EWC LVT, any vertical surface, an adjacent perimeter wall or wood-based floor (laminate or hardwood).
As stated earlier, always work out of multiple boxes to mix product to achieve proper pattern repeat and color mix for the look of natural wood. A minimum of 3 boxes of product is recommended. Inspect each plank or tile in good light for visual defects. If they show visual faults or damage, do not install them. It is the responsibility of the installer to insure that the appearance of the finished floor meets the consumer’s expectations.
EWC LVT is an indoor product. It will not be warranted when installed in locations or conditions not recommended for this product.
Recommended use temperatures are between 55 – 100 degrees F.
Waterproof Flooring Installation
The use of an acceptable underlayment is recommended under the EWC LVT floor in installations where sound abatement is needed. If the product is purchased with attached pad, additional underlayment is not needed. If the product does not have attached pad but needs one to be installed for sound, we recommend the use of EWC LVT Silencio Solutions RY1010 underlayment for sound reduction. Run the foam underlay in the same direction as the EWC LVT panels. Underlayment should be butted side by side with no overlap. Tape the butted seams together. Diagram 1.
Remove the tongue on the side of the panels that face the wall. This is to ensure that the decorative surface of the EWC LVT floor is well under the finished trim when installed. Use a utility knife to score through the tongue several times until it easily snaps off.
Start in a corner by placing the first panel with its trimmed side facing the wall. Use space along each wall to maintain an expansion space of 6mm (1/4”) between the wall and the flooring. Diagram 2.
To attach the second panel, insert the end tongue of the panel into the end groove of the first panel at a 20 degree angle. Lower the panel flat to the floor. Line up the edges carefully. Diagram 3.
Continue connecting the first row until you reach the last full panel. Fit the last panel by rotating the panel 180 degrees with the pattern side upward, place it beside the row, and mark it. Diagram 4.
Saw off the excess plank. Attach as described above. Diagram 5.
Begin the next row with the off cut piece from the previous row to stagger the pattern. Pieces should be a minimum of 20cm (8”) long and joint offset should be at least 20cm (8”). Diagram 6.
Start the second row by pushing the long side tongue of the panel into the long side groove of the very first panel at about a 20 degree angle. When lowered, the plank will click into place. Diagram 7.
Attach the second panel of the new row on the long side as described above. Push this panel as close as possible to the previous row. Diagram 8.
To attach this second panel to the previous panel, lightly tap the end using the EWC tapping block. Continue along in the same fashion. Diagram 9.
To fit the last row, lay a panel on top of the previous row. With the tongue to the wall, lay another panel upside down on the one to be measured and use it as a ruler. Don’t forget to allow room for ¼” spacers. Cut the panel and attach it into position. Diagram 10.
Door frames and heating vents also require expansion room. First cut the panel to the correct length. Then place the cut panel next to its actual position and use a ruler to measure the areas to be cut out and mark them. Cut out the marked points allowing the necessary expansion distance on each side. Diagram 11.
Door frames can be trimmed by turning a panel upside down and using a handsaw to cut away the necessary height so that panels slide easily under the frames. Diagram 12.
INSTALLING UNDER A DOOR JAMB:
1. Installation under door jambs may require that the top of the groove be reduced in size.
2. Using a small plane, chisel or knife shave off the ledge of the groove.
3. Place a bead of glue on the bottom lip of the groove then set the board in place and tighten with a pull bar.
4. Insert the tongue into the groove and engage with a pull bar. Hold the board in place with 3M Scotch-Blue™2080 Tape only as all other tape may damage the finish of the flooring. Diagram 12.
Remove the spacers and you are ready to install finishing molding.
FINISHING MOLDING
Reducer molding is used to finish flooring when the adjoining surface is lower than the EWC LVT flooring or when flooring meets carpet. For Aqua-Loc and ProTech Collections only: Position the U track 7mm (1.4”) between each edge of the flooring. Screw, nail or glue down the track directly to the subfloor and then insert the reducing strip into the track.
T-molding is used to finish flooring and add expansion when two level surfaces meet in doorways. Install the same as above. Residential Installations do not require the use of T Moldings.
Commercial Installations will require the use of T Moldings in all doorways and anywhere the flooring continues from one room into another room.
Landing molding is used to finish flooring on landings or stair edges. Moldings need to be glued and screwed down to the sub-floor for safely and stability. Color fill should be used to cover counter sunk screws.
To finish the perimeter of the room install quarter round molding using finishing nails. Quarter round molding is nailed directly into the baseboard.
RADIANT HEATED FLOORS:
This EWC LVT floor can be installed over certain types of radiant heated floors either as a floating floor or glued down. Follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions when full spreading our EWC with an approved glue.
When installing over a radiant heated floor:
1. A newly installed radiant heated floor must be operational for at least four (4) weeks prior to EWC LVT installation with the temperature set between 55 to 85 degrees F to insure that the subfloor has been dried.
2. Existing radiant heated floors should be set to a minimum temperature of 65 degrees F (18.3ºC) for a minimum of 4 days before, during and 48 hours after the completion of the installation. This will insure that the EWC LVT will acclimate properly before the installation begins. Upon completion of the installation, gradually increase temperature in increments of 5 degrees F per hour until desired temperature is achieved. Never exceed 85 degrees F.
3. Wood subfloors should never exceed 10% moisture content as measured by a calibrated wood moisture meter.
4. Concrete subfloors must be “dry” using the mat test, a calibrated concrete moisture meter, Calcium Chloride Test or a RH Probe.
5. Ground floors using the radiant heating system should have a proper moisture barrier beneath it.
6. The recommended range of relative humidity is 35%-55% and the room temperature should be between 55-85 degrees F for the delivery of the flooring, acclimation, and installation.
7. The EWC LVT must acclimate at the stated temperature range for at least 48 hours prior to installation in the room to be installed.
8. Keeping the temperature of the room constant will keep a stable environment for the flooring as well as the home.
9. The floor surface temperature must always stay below 85 degrees F.
10. At no time should the relative humidity in the room with the installed laminate fall below 30% during the life of the product.
NOTE: Electrically heated radiant mats not embedded in the subfloor and installed directly under this EWC LVT are not recommended for use beneath this product. The installation of electrically heated radiant floor heating mats could void the warranty of the installed floor in case of a heating system failure.
AFTER INSTALLATION
Once the floor has been installed, keep your new waterproof floors in excellent condition with our waterproof care & maintenance tips.