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1611 Fourth Street San Rafae l, CA 94901 t (415) 258-8454 f (415) 258-8455 ww w.ecotimber.com

Beautiful Floors
Environmentally Sound
Prefinished Engineered Australian Chestnut Flooring
Installation Instructions

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS THOROUGHLY BEFORE BEGINNING INSTALLATION. IN ADDITION TO THESE INSTRUCTIONS, WE RECOMMEND
THAT THE INSTALLER FOLLOW ALL INSTALLATION GUIDELINES AS SET FORTH BY THE NATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION.

082505


PRE-INSTALLATION JOBSITE REQUIREMENTS

EcoTimber cannot be held responsible for site conditions.

Carefully examine the flooring prior to installation for grade, color, finish and quality. Ensure adequate lighting for proper
inspection. If flooring is not acceptable, contact your distributor immediately and arrange for replacement. EcoTimber cannot
accept responsibility for flooring installed with visible defects. Prior to installation of any flooring, the installer must ensure that
the jobsite and subfloor meet the requirements of these instructions. EcoTimber is not responsible for flooring failure resulting
from unsatisfactory jobsite and/or subfloor conditions.

Hardwood flooring should be one of the last items installed in any new construction or remodel project. All work involving water
or moisture should be completed before flooring installation. Water and wood do not mix. Installing flooring onto a wet
subfloor will most likely cause cupping, tip & edge raising, telegraphing of core and subsequent gapping.

Room temperature and humidity of installation area should be consistent with normal, year-round living conditions for at least
one week before installation of wood flooring. Room temperature of 65-75°F and a humidity range of 30-50% is recommended.
Humidity levels below 30% will most likely cause movement in the flooring, including gapping between pieces and possible
cupping and checking in the face.

Store the wood flooring in the UNOPENED boxes at installation area for 24 -72 hours before installation to allow flooring to
adjust to room temperature. Do not store the boxes of flooring directly on concrete. These engineered wood floors DO NOT
need any moisture equalization prior to installation and should be installed from just-opened boxes. DO NOT OPEN more than a
few boxes in advance of installation and only the number of boxes that will be installed within the next few hours. Only open
enough boxes to ensure a good mix of lengths and color.

PRE-INSTALLATION SUBFLOOR REQUIREMENTS

All Subfloors must be:
Dry and will remain dry: Subfloor must remain dry year-round. Moisture content of wood sub floors must not exceed 11%,
concrete must not exceed 3 lbs. per Calcium Chloride Test.
Structurally sound
Clean: Thoroughly swept and free of all debris (If being glued down, subfloor must be free of wax, grease, paint, sealers, & old
adhesives etc., which can be removed by sanding)
Level: Flat to 3/16 per 10-foot radius

Wood subfloors must be dry and well secured. Nail or screw every 6 along joists to avoid squeaking. If not level, sand down
high spots and fill low spots with an underlayment patch.

(continued)




E coTimber® Prefinished Engineered Australian Chestnut Installation Instructions Page 2 of 6




Concrete subfloors must be fully cured, at least 60 days old, and should have minimum 6-mil polyfilm between concrete and
ground. Subfloor should be flat and level within 3/16 per 10 radius. If necessary grind high spots down and level low spots with
Ardex® K-15 Portland Leveling Compound.

All concrete should be tested for moisture using a Calcium Chloride Test, and the result must not exceed 3 lbs.

If gluing down on concrete (even if you believe it is dry) which is on or below grade, it is highly recommended to install sheet
vinyl first and then glue the wood flooring on top of the vinyl, as this provides an effective permanent moisture barrier. Another
alternative to sheet vinyl is to use the Bostik® or Franklin® Moisture Barrier Systems, which are warranted by their
manufacturers.

Remember, a concrete slab on /below grade that measures dry today may become moist in the future due to rising groundwater.
Installing a moisture barrier now may be viewed as an insurance policy against concrete becoming wet in the future. This will
lead to subsequent floor failure. EcoTimber is not responsible for site related moisture issues.

Ceramic tile, resilient tile and sheet vinyl must be well-bonded to subfloor, in good condition, clean and level. Do not sand
existing vinyl floors, as they may contain asbestos.

EcoTimber flooring is NOT WARRANTED FOR USE OVER RADIANT HEAT. While many customers have used
EcoTimber® flooring successfully over radiant heat systems, EcoTimber cannot be held responsible in situations where the
radiant heat system was not operated properly. After a floor has been damaged, it is impossible for a manufacturer to verify
conclusively whether or not improper use was the cause. If you do choose to void the warranty by using radiant heat, use only a
floating installation method. The subfloor should never exceed 80°F. Check with the radiant heat manufacturers suggested
guidelines to limit the maximum water temperature inside heating pipes. Switch off heating system one or two days before
flooring installation and bring heat up slowly after installation. If the system is turned off and on, always bring the temperature
back up slowly. Damage may result from rapid heating and/or rapid shedding of moisture that the wood may have taken on while
the system was off.

INSTALLATION TOOLS

For all installation methods:
Tape measure



Wood or plastic spacers (3/8)
Tapping block (trimmed piece of flooring)
Crosscut power saw
Pencil



Hammer
Pry bar



3M® Blue Tape
Flooring pull bar or power shunting device
Chalk line





For glue-down installation method (recommended), youll also need:
Flooring adhesive: EcoTimber® Zero-VOC Adhesive or Bostik® Best
(Note: Use only urethane adhesives DO NOT USE WATER BASED MASTICS as they will cause this floor to fail)
On concrete slabs, which are on/below grade, we strongly recommend installing sheet vinyl first and then installing the wood
floor on the vinyl or using the Bostik® or Franklin® Moisture Barrier Systems.
Trowel per flooring adhesive manufacturers recommendations.

For nail-down installation, you will also need:
Bostich® MIIIFS Industrial Flooring Stapler air stapler/nailer with 9/16 Naildown adapter, Bostich® 1/2 x 1-1/2 staples
for the Floor Runner stapler










E coTimber® Prefinished Engineered Exotics Installation Instructions Page 3 of 6


Aus.Chest.Install-082505
Air compressor

For floating installation, youll also need:
EcoTimber® Floating Floor Pad or equivalent 1/8 thick underlayment
6-mil polyfilm (if installing on or below grade and not using EcoTimber® Floating Floor Pad)
Eurobond® D3 T&G Adhesive or Franklin® Titebond 2 PVAC glue
Duct tape

Acceptable subfloor types:
Plywood (at least 1/2 thick)
Underlayment grade particleboard - floating/glue-down only)
OSB (at least 3/4 thick)
Concrete slab (floating/glue-down only)
Existing wood floor
Ceramic tile (floating/glue-down only)
Resilient tile & sheet vinyl (floating/glue-down only)

STARTING YOUR INSTALLATION

Make sure subfloor is tested for moisture first and is properly prepared.

Since wood expands with any increase in moisture content, always leave at least a 3/8 expansion space between flooring and all
walls and any other permanent vertical objects, (such as pipes and cabinets). This space will be covered up once you reapply base
moldings around the room. Use wood or plastic spacers during installation to maintain this 3/8 expansion space. No area of
connected flooring can span greater than 40 feet in width or 120 feet in length. For larger spans, install T-moldings or other
transition pieces that allow the flooring to expand and contract.

Work from several open boxes of flooring and dry lay the floor before permanently laying the floor, but never open more than
a few boxes in advance. This will allow you to select the varying grains & colors and to arrange them in a harmonious pattern. It
also allows you the opportunity to select out very dark/light pieces for use in hidden areas in order to create a more uniform floor.
Remember, it is the installers responsibility to determine the expectations of what the finished floor will look like with the end
user first