Solid Wood Floor

INSTALLER/OWNER RESPONSIBILITY

Beautiful hardwood floors are a product of nature and therefore, not perfect. HAWA solid wood floors are manufactured in accordance with accordance with accepted industry standards which permit a manufacturing defect tolerance not to exceed 5%. The defects may be of a manufacturing or natural type.

•The installer assumes all responsibility for final inspection of product quality. This inspection of all flooring should be done before installation. Carefully examine flooring for color, finished and quality before installing it. If material is not acceptable, contact the seller immediately.
•Prior to installation of any hardwood flooring product, the installer must determine that the job-site environment and the sub-surfaces involved, meet or exceed all requirements as stipulated in HAWA’s installation instructions. Hawa solid wood floors declines any responsibility for job failure resulting fro or associated with Sub-surface or job-site environment deficiencies.
•The installer/Owner of HAWA solid wood floor has final inspection responsibility as to grade, manufacture and factory finish. He/She must use reasonable selectivity and hold out or cut off pieces with glaring defects whatever the cause.
•Use of stain, filler or putty stick for defect correction during installation should be accepted as normal procedure.
•When HAWA solid wood flooring is ordered, 5% must be added to the actual square footage needed for cutting allowance.Should an individual piece be doubtful as to grade manufacture or factory finish, the installer should not use the piece.

INSTALLERS ADVISE YOUR CUSTOMER OF THE FOLLOWING

CARE AND PRESERVATION OF YOUR HARDWOOD FLOORS
•Building interiors are affected by two distinct Heating and Non-Heating. Recognizing that wood floor dimensions will be slightly affected by varying levels of humidity within your building. Care should be taken to control humidity levels within the 35-55% range. To protect your investment and to assure that you floors provide lasting satisfaction, we have provided our recommendations below.
•HEATING SEASON (DRY)-Humidifier is recommended to prevent excessive shrinkage in wood floors due to low humidity levels. Wood stoves and electric heat tend to create very dry condition.
•NON-HEATING SEASON (HUMID, WET) –Proper humidity levels can be maintained by use of an air conditioner, dehumidifier or by turning on your heating system periodically during the summer months. Avoid excessive exposure to water from tracking during periods of inclement weather. Don’t obstruct in any way the expansion joints around the perimeter of your floor.
•FLOOR REPAIR-Minor damage can be repaired with a Touch-Up Kit. Major damage will require board replacement which can be done by professional floor installer.

JOB-SITE INSPECTION  

TOOLS & ACCESSORIES
• Hardwood flooring should be one of the last items installed. All work involving water or moisture (plumbing, acoustical ceilings, dry wall taping, etc.) should be complete prior to wood flooring being installed.
• Important pre-installation information ¾” solid oak planks are for on or above grade installation only.
• Do not install below the outside soil line. Flooring should not be delivered until the building has been closed in and cement work, plastering, painting and other materials are completely dry. Concrete and plaster should be 60-90 days old. Check basements and under floor crawl space to be sure they are dry and well ventilated to avoid damage caused by moisture.
• Flooring should be at the job site at least 72 hours prior to installation
   • Tape Measure
• Broom
• Chalk Line and Chalk
• Hammer
• Nail Punch
• Prybar
• Circular Saw
• Miter or Table Saw
• Power Nailer
• Mallet
• Clean ‘n’ Strip
• Cleaner
RECOMMENDED NAILING MAC    
• Primatech ( Model 100 or 100C) and Powernail Model #45
• Stanley-Bostitch Pneumatic Floor Staple Moldel #MIIIFSM		   **Use only a flooring nailer that engages the top profile over the tongue at the appropriate angle.

Make sure that the flooring nailer is flat against the bard to prevent top edge damage. Plate in contact with floor must be smooth and free from nicks or scratches.

  

 
PREPARE SUBFLOOR & JOBSITE 

1. SUBFLOORS TYPES:

• APA approved 5/8”, exterior grade plywood
• ¾ ”OSB, PS-2-92 APA rated Sturd-I-Floor
• When installing approved plywood, refer to specific structural panel manufacturer’s instructions.
• Concrete slabs require an additional sub-floor (see “Concrete Slabs” below).
• Existing wood floors ( installed at right angle only)
• Resilient tile and sheet vinyl (staple or nail over an above mentioned subfloor only).

2. SUBFLOORS MUST BE:

• CLEAN - Scraped or sanded, broom clean, e free of wax, grease, paint, oil and other debris, smooth.
• LEVEL/FLAT - Within 3/16” in 10’ and/1/8” on 6’. Sand high areas or joints. Fill low areas (no more than 1/8”) with a cement type filler no less than 3000 p.s.i.
• DRY – Check moisture of subfloor. Moisture content of subfloor must not exceed 14% on a wood moisture meter, or read more than a 5% difference than moisture content of product being installed.
•.CONCRETE SLABS: Must have a minimum of ¾” plywood with vapor barrier secured to the slab. All concrete subfloors should be tested for moisture content. One method to test for moisture is to tape down a 2’x2’ polfilm squares, ( a garbage bag or plastic drop cloth will do ) in several places on the floor and leave them for 24-48 hours. If moisture or condensation has accumulated on the bottom of the plastic you must use a moisture barrier system on top of the concrete. Always test several areas especially near exterior walls and walls containing plumbing. Another recommended method to test for moisture is to use the Tramex Concrete Moisture Encounnter. The meter is designed to identify if the concrete has a low enough moisture content to begin installation.Concrete moisture content must not exceed 4.5% s read on the upper scale of the meter. Visual checks are not reliable. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CONTAINED IN EACH CARTON OF FLOORING FOR RECOMMENDED PROCEDURE ON HOW TO DEAL WITH MOISTURE.
• MOISTURE BARRIER SYSTEM: If moisture is present, please contact a professional hardwood flooring installer to install your moisture barrier system.
 DRY SLAB AS DEFINED BY THEST TESTS CAN BE WET AT OTHER TIMES OF THE YEAR. THIS TEST DOES NOT GUARANTEE A DRY SLAB. ALL CONCRETE SLABS SHOULD HAVE AMINIMUM OF 6 MIL POLYFILM MOISTURE BARRIER BETWEEN THE GROUND AND THE CONCRETE.
•.PIER AND BEAM: For pier and beam foundations, vent openings totaling 1 ½% per 100 s.f. of the area of the first floor should be provided in the foundation walls, to assure adequate cross-circulation of air (figure #1). The vents should be left open at all times year round. In winter construction, building should be heated (60-72°) for a period of time that will allow the building to reachits near normal moisture state before flooring is installed (at least one week).

In summer construction: if building will have an air conditioning system, it should be operated prior to installing the floor. For homes without basements, install ground cover (6mil polyethylene or 55-lb. Rolled roofing) in crawl space. Overlap plastic 6” and tape seams. In climates with extreme humidity or areas with excessive soil moisture(heavily wooded lots, waterfront sites, etc.) consider including expansion within the floor (as well as at the wall lines). This is done by suing steel washers or putty knives as spacers.In large rooms, 16’ or wider, also consider using added field expansion and starting the installation from the center of the room. Use a slip tongue and install in both directions.

If you have any question regarding installation and handling moisture or moisture problems, please contact your retail salesperson or call HAWA at 732-390-1818 technical services to answer any of your questions.

Plywood – Do not install over particle board, Subfloor should be constructed of a minimum of 5/8” plywood or ¾” OSB when installing directly over 16” on center joists. Plywood sheets should be laid with grained outer plies at right angles to joists. Adjacent rows staggered four feet. And nailed every 6” long each joist with 7D, or larger nails. When installing directly over old wood or strip floor, sand any high spots, renail old floor to eliminate squeaks or loose boards, and install new plank at right angles to old floors. Should you prefer to install new planks in the same direction as the old floor, overlay old floor with ½” plywood gapped 1/8” at edges an nailed with 7d or larger nails, every 6’ at edges and very 12” in both directions and through the interior of each sheet of plywood, The moisture content of the wood or playwood subfloor should not exceed 14%.

INSULATION OVER HEATING PLANT
For rooms directly over heating plant, use 30 lb. Asphalt felt joists over heating plant, or install ½” insulating board between joists, in both new and old buildings. Observe applicable fire codes.

Undercut door casings. Remove any existing base, shoe mold or doorway thresholds. These items can be replaced after installation.
All door casings (Figure #2) should be notched out or undercut to avoid difficult scribe cuts.

3. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTION

Step 1: ESTABLISHING STARTING POINT

  • Before beginning actual installation, provide proper layout of flooring by distribution short and long lengths equally over the areas to be floored. Flooring should be laid at right angles to floor joists.
  • Floor should be installed from several cartons at the same time to insure good color and shade mixture.
  • Align the first row of planks to be sure your have a good straight line from one side of the room to the other. Snap a chalk line at the desired distance from the wall to help align the planks. IMPORTANT: Leave at least ¾’ for expansion at all vertical obstructions; this space will be covered by base board and a quarter round (figure #3)

Step 2: INSTALLING THE FLOOR

  • Align first piece on chalk line. The groove side and end will be facing starting wall, be sure to allow ¾” expansion space (figure #3).
  • Predrill holes and drive 7D or 8D cut steel or screw type flooring nails into the face of the board every 12 approximately 1/2”-3/4” from the edge closest to the starting wall and within 2”-3” from the ends and in the darker gain of the wood (figure #3).
  • Edge nail the plank by driving the same type nails at a 45° angle through the tongue of the plank, spacing the nails every 8’-10’ and within 2”-3” from the ends. This process should be repeated for each piece in the entire first row. Upon completion of the first row, go back and sink the face nails with a nail punch. If it appears the holes are not to be covered by the baseboard molding, fill the holes with filler, which blends with your pre-stained floor.
  • Begin installing the second row by repeating the edge nailing. (Do not face nail as in the first row.) NOTE: Typically the first few rows must be edge nailed by hand rather than with a nailing machine due to vertical wall obstruction. When clearance allows, an edge nailing machine, which drives 2’ fasteners with an appropriate mallet, can be used to simplify and speed-up the nailing process.
  • Install each succeeding row of planks by edge nailing the tongue side every 8”-10” to within 2”-3” from board ends. Be attentive to staggering the ends of boards at least 6” in adjacent rows to avoid clustering end joints 9 figures $4 and 5). Upon reaching the last row to be installed, the planks should be ripped to allow a ¾” expansion space. The last rows must be fastened by face nailing approximately ½”-3/4” from the back edge of the board every 12”. The same process of counter sinking the face nails and applying filler should be repeated.
  • Refer to the floor care & maintenance section of this sheet for proper procedures for maintaining your beautiful new HAWA oak hardwood floor.
  • Clean HAWA aluminum oxide finish floors with wood floor cleaner.
  • Install any transition pieces that may be needed, such as basic reducer strips, T-moldings, or Baby Threshold. The products are available pre-finished to blend with your flooring .
  • Reinstall your base and/or quarter round moldings. Be certain to nail molding into the wall, not the floor.
  • Be sure to leave warranty and floor care information with the homeowner. Advise them of the product name and code number of the flooring they purchases.

Step 3: COMPLETE THE JOB

Warehouse Store/Showroom:
4000 Bordentown Ave., #4, Sayreville, NJ 08872, USA
Tel:1-800-699-HAWA Fax:1-800-699-8580
Email:hawabamboo@aol.com
Copyright @ HAWA Bamboo &Wood Product Corp. 2007