Introduction

When buying flooring, in order to protect your investment, it is extremely important that you understand this information prior to beginning, since improper installation can void all manufacturing warranties.

These installation guidelines should be strictly followed. If one of the following recommendations is not followed, the floor and installation may fail.

These instructions are for the qualified, experienced hardwood flooring installer. For more details on the basics of installing hardwood flooring, please contact the National Wood Flooring Association at 800-422-4556, or visit www.nwfa.org.

As a natural product, hardwood flooring can have boards that are defects that occur during the manufacturing process or naturally as a characteristic of the wood species. Accepted industry standards allow for up to 5% defective product (either natural or manufacturing related) based on the original hardwood flooring purchased. At least 5% - 8% additional flooring product should be ordered above actual square footage to allow for cutting, grading and culling of the material. For #2, #3, or Rustic grades, order an extra 10% - 12%.

Once the end user receives the product, the manufacturer and seller have no control over where the product was stored, or if it was placed in a damp area, or on a concrete substrate that was giving off moisture vapors. Do not store in the garage or outside. This is the precise reason that all manufacturers and industry installation guidelines insist that the installer and end user must properly acclimate the wood flooring to bring it to within 2% of the wood sub floor or concrete substrate. In addition, the installer must check the moisture content of the boards to make sure they are not too dry or too wet and that the sub floor is not producing excessive moisture. This is not the responsibility of the manufacturer or the seller. It is clearly one of the installer.