INSTALLATION

BACKGROUND

Premium quality LVP/LVT, unlike other types of flooring, offers different installation methods which can vary depending on the thickness of the plank or tile you have chosen to install and your own personal preference for laying the planks into position. But do not be concerned because the installation of our LVP/LVT is extremely simple which makes it the perfect DIY enthusiasts go-to product and a contractors dream. This guide will help you to choose the installation method that is best suited to you.

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INNOVATIVE CONCEPT OF THE EXCELSIOR FLOORING LUXURY VINYL PLANKS AND TILES

Excelsior Floorings LVP/LVT does not expand or contract out of tolerance when installed correctly, and does not have a locking system. It is not a "floating" floor like Laminate, WPC or SPC. Our LVP/LVT does not need to float to absorb dimensional changes and therefore, it does not need the traditional expansion gap around the perimeter. Instead, our LVP/LVT should always be installed tight fitting to the boarders of your room, be it up against the base boards or wall edges and thereafter, all planks and tiles should fit snug and tight to one another throughout the floor area.

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INSTALLATION OPTIONS

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PERIMETER ADHESIVE - 5.0mm, 4.5mm and 4.0mm SPECIFICATIONS ONLY

Use a pressure sensitive adhesive to secure the outer perimeter planks or tiles of your room into position. Your inner planks or tiles will not require the use of adhesive when fitted tightly together and will remain in place. The perimeter adhesive will only need to be laid to a depth of just 6” to 9” from the sides of the room. Remember, no expansion gaps required.

Note: On occasion and for peace of mind for some consumers, you may decide to periodically lay a few strips of adhesive or tape within the inner floor areas. Think of it as if you were locking pieces of a jigsaw into a more permanent, fixed position. This concept is optional.

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FULL- SPREAD ADHESIVE - ALL SPECIFICATIONS

This is recommended for commercial installations but optional within residential installations. Always use a pressure sensitive adhesive for the benefit of;

1. Repositioning or replacing single planks or tiles that are accidentally damaged at a future date. Each plank or tile can be individually lifted without affecting the positioning of surrounding planks and tiles.

2. Lifting the planks or tiles which may have been affected by flooding or general water damage. These can be dried and re-used once the sub-floor area affected by the water is moisture free.

 

The full-spread pressure sensitive and permanent adhesive installation methods are recommended for utility/laundry

rooms, washrooms/restrooms, bathrooms, or general high- traffic commercial applications.

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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

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BEFORE INSTALLATION

Check the box to make sure that you have received the right specification ordered, the correct color and quantity and ensure there are no obvious defects before starting the installation process.

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For the best result, our product should be acclimatized to room temperature ideally between 18C/64F and 22C/72F for 24-48 hours onsite before installation. Relative Humidity should be within a tolerance of 35% - 55% and moisture content between 6 – 10%. Put boxes separately on your floor or even take products out of boxes for quicker acclimatization. If you are going to use adhesive, please refer to the manufacturers adhesive instructions.

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FLOOR CONSTRUCTION

Subfloor construction, when using glue down or looselay Luxury Vinyl Flooring (LVP/LVT). The following floor construction is recommended for compliance to the product material warranty. 

 

On new wood frame builds, the preferred floor construction is a 3/4” flooring grade plywood over a joist spacing, with either solid sawn lumber or I-Joists, of 16” on center (oc). This provides the most stable surface for LVP/LVT to be applied over.

 

On new builds and renovation flooring projects where OSB is in place, or will be the product used as a subfloor replacement,

we recommend the following construction:

• 16” oc joist spacing: A 1/2” OSB subfloor is sufficient

• Up to 19.2” oc joist spacing: Use a 23/32” OSB

• Up to 24” oc joist spacing: Use a 7/8” OSB

• Up to 32” oc joist spacing: Use a 1 1/8” OSB

 

LVP/LVT, because of its supple nature will conform with the subfloor and should be the flooring surface used over framed subfloors with larger joist spacing.

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SUB-FLOOR PREPARATION

A well prepared sub-floor, eliminating humps and bumps, cracks and holes, will always produce the best looking results for our product. Fill in obvious holes and cracks with a floor patching compound from manufacturers such as Mapei’s Planipatch or Ardex’s Feather Finish. It is recommended that the sub-floor preparation is as smooth as possible prior to the laying of the planks or tiles. Our product is very conforming to uneven surfaces due to the nature of the material fabrication and becomes more forgiving to slight imperfections. A heat gun set on ‘low’ may be used to conform product to ramps and drains. However, standards dictate the following specifications for a perfect sub-floor preparation;

 

Sealing the subfloor for sound performance and waterproofing. While LVP/LVT flooring is manufactured to be waterproof, when installed, they are not sealed membranes and water will, if left standing on the surface for a length of time, migrate through the walls or any gap in the floor planks down onto the subfloor. Most flooring is manufactured with soundproofing characteristics; however, it may be insufficient to meet customer demand and/or building code requirement therefore requiring the application of additional sound proofing treatments such as underlayment mats or painted on products such as gypcrete. To ensure best installation results and mitigate issues that affect the flooring warranty we recommend the following installation practices for glue down and looselay LVP/LVT:

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• The sub-floor must be professionally installed and constructed to prevent unnecessary vertical or horizontal movement that may interfere with the planks and tiles positioning.

• On all subfloor surfaces including cement, OSB, plywood and gypcrete, we recomment the application of a flooring primer to seal the subfloor and to improve plank or tile adhesion to floor with approved adhesives.

• Apply a membrane coating around areas where water might overflow, like the tub or toilet.

• Use waterproof underlayment If installing over concrete, use a waterproof underlayment to prevent moisture from damaging the planks.

• You can install Gluedown or Looselay LVP/LVT over many types of subfloors, including concrete, wood, or existing vinyl. However, you should avoid installing LVP/LVT over floating laminate or LVP/LVT. You should also avoid installing LVP/LVT over flooring that has been treated with varnish, sealant, or paint.

• The sub-floor must be free of dust, dirt and any debris caused from sub-floor repair or preparation.

• Wood substrates must have a minimum of 18” between the sub-floor and the ground. All crawl spaces must be ventilated.

• The sub-floor must be dry. Do NOT lay our product over an area that shows signs of moisture content as this will eventually

transfer through to the flooring in the form of mold. Maximum acceptable emission levels of moisture from newly laid and cured concrete is 3lbs of hydrostatic pressure per 1000 s/f per 24 hours with the moisture level being no higher than 75% - 80% Relative Humidity (ASTM2170) and between 5 and 9 on the pH scale.

• Wood based sub floors such as plywood, OSB or OFB, should only contain 10% or less moisture in all areas before product can be installed.

• Newly laid concrete should have settled for a minimum of 28 days and moisture content for a cement screed must be less than 2.5%.

• Please use an electronic moisture indicator to accurately measure the moisture levels within newly cured concrete to ensure that the sub-floor meets the required specification before flooring is laid, and an electronic pin meter for wood substrates for the same purpose.

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Our 5.0mm, 4.5mm and 4.0mm products are designed to be laid over electric and hydronic (water) radiant floor heating. For electric installations, be sure to encapsulate the wire under a self-levelling concrete base to a thickness as stipulated by the manufacturers instruction. Either heating system must be turned OFF at least 2 hours prior to the installation of flooring and the environment must be at room temperature. Following the installation of flooring, leave the heating system off for a further 2 hours and be sure to operate at a temperature as stipulated by the manufacturers instruction.

 

For flexibility with installation, repositioning or future replacement of accidentally damaged planks or tiles, use a full spread pressure sensitive adhesive as opposed to a permanent bond. Remove all dust and debris from the floor area before laying the adhesive and our product.

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INSTALLATION

Our product is extremely stable which means it does not expand or contract out of tolerance due to temperature fluctuations when installed correctly and in accordance with the guidelines. With no click or locking system necessary, simply ensure that each plank or tile is laid tightly against one another during the installation process, checking periodically across the expanse of the floor area, making sure that no obvious gaps are visible.

Note: You DO NOT need expansion gaps for the borders of the room or between planks. Each plank or tile butts up tight to one another and around the perimeter wall or baseboards.

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Do NOT lay our product onto the following surfaces;

• Plywood which has been laid directly onto a concrete slab or is delaminating.

• Floating floors such as laminate, WPC or SPC.

• Plywood which is not an approved underlayment grade material.

• Hardboard.

• Screed flooring systems.

• Strip plank wood flooring.

• Surfaces contaminated with oil, chemicals, grease, mildew, mold or other compounds.

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Our product can be laid over certain other existing flooring by paying careful attention to ensure that any holes, cracks, gapping or obvious damage to the older floor below is repaired. Ceramic tiles will probably be grouted. We recommend that the grouted areas be filled to the same level as the tiles to form a flat subsurface for your new flooring to be laid upon. Please note that any large holes, cracks or gapping between the original old flooring may ‘telegraph’ through to the surface of the newly laid floor over time, affecting the image, if they are not suitably repaired.

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• Tools – Broom & dustpan, vacuum cleaner, straight edge and square edge rule, tape measure, razor knife / claw knife and / or box cutter knife, trowel or paint roller and long handle, and consider a small hand guillotine for speed of cutting planks.

• Prepare, patch and clean the floor from dust and debris.

• Our product can be laid directly against existing baseboards or against the outside perimeter wall with baseboards fitted

afterwards. The more square the perimeter walls are, the better the finished appearance.

• Lay down the perimeter pressure sensitive adhesive or if preferred, the full spread adhesive method - depending on product

specification. Wait until the adhesive is tacky to the touch (flashes off) without leaving any residue on your hands, before laying the first rows of planks or tiles. As a reminder, pressure sensitive adhesive is the preferred bonding solution because it offers the flexibility to replace accidentally damaged planks or tiles at a future date, for ease of maintenance.

• The use of a permanent bond adhesive will not easily or conveniently allow for any adjustments or replacement of planks or tiles at a future date. In addition, the use of a permanent bond adhesive may negate the warranty for our LVP/LVT.

• A permament bond adhesive over OSB or Plywood will have an adverse affect on the performance of the sub-floor and LVP/LVT, negating the warranty.

• Start by laying the first row of planks or tiles from one corner of the room to the other. Upon reaching the far side of the room with each row, you may find that you have to trim the last plank or tile or trim a new one to fit the remaining space. This can be achieved with a simple "carpentry square rule" and box cutting knife OR you may be more comfortable with a hand guillotine tool. If you need to use a new plank or tile to fill this space, measure the length of the area that you need to cut in order to fill the gap. Push the cut plank or tile tightly into the space.

• When starting each new row, you may use the cut-off pieces of plank or tile to stagger the pattern within the next row. For the best appearance, we recommend starting each new row with a section of flooring that is no less than 6 inches in length.

• From time to time, step back and take a good look at the flooring you have laid. Do NOT be nervous of potential imperfections because the pressure sensitive nature of the adhesive means that you have an opportunity to adjust, remove and replace any planks or tiles you desire. The non-aggressive nature of the adhesive will allow you to make adjustments at any stage during installation. Remember, keep the gaps between the planks or tiles closed and tight for the best appearance.

 

PERIMETER ADHESIVE - 5.0mm, 4.5mm and 4.0mm SPECIFICATIONS ONLY

Lay down 6” to 9” of pressure sensitive adhesive from the edges of your room. No further adhesive is required thereafter unless you decide to periodically lock in the odd plank or tile throughout the floor area with a strip of adhesive, especially with expansive square footage. If you decide to do this, we recommend securing a row of planks or tiles as follows;

• For a room which is more than 10’ x 10’ (for example), you may wish to secure a few of the planks with adhesive or tape every 6’ – 9’ from the edge of the wall you started to lay product against.

• If a room is less than 10’ x 10’, you are not likely going to have to secure any planks.

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Remember, both of the above concepts are optional.

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Lay the first row of planks or tiles against the wall or baseboards tightly to one another, on top of the adhesive, fixing them into

position. Remember, no expansion gap is required around the perimeter of the room, therefore, fix the first row of planks or tiles tightly to the edge of the wall or base boards being sure to keep them in a straight line. A little trimming to the edge of some of the flooring may be required to form this straight line. Continue the same process of installation and positioning of each plank in exactly the same way across the non- adhesive floor area. Ensure that each plank or tile butts up tightly to one another, leaving no gaps.

 

Periodically, stand back and look to address any slight gapping that may have appeared and push planks or tiles tightly together to close any such gapping. By securing the flooring with the perimeter pressure sensitive adhesive or taping on the four sides of each room, it will be held tightly together across the entire area, including non-adhesive areas, and remain stable. Future, accidentally damaged planks or tiles can be quickly and conveniently removed and replaced in a matter of seconds.

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FULL SPREAD PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE - ALL SPECIFICATIONS

Choose your preferred pressure sensitive adhesive product and follow manufacturers instructions carefully. Apply adhesive to the floor area allowing sufficient access to lay the planks and tiles. The full spread of the adhesive must be left to flash off (tacky to the touch) but does not leave residue on the hands. The time it takes to flash off is dependent upon the manufacturers instruction, but is usually between 20 and 40 minutes.

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Lay the first row of planks against the wall or baseboards tightly to one another, on top of the adhesive, fixing them into position. A little trimming to the edge of some of the planks or tiles may be required to form this straight line. Continue the same process of installation and positioning of each plank or tile in exactly the same way across the entire floor area. Remember, no expansion gap is required around the perimeter of the room. Ensure that each plank or tile butts up tightly to one another, leaving no gaps.

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Periodically, stand back and look to address any slight gapping that may have appeared and simply lift and push planks or tiles tightly together to close any such gapping. The pressure sensitive adhesive (which is not a permanent bond) allows you to do this across the entire floor area. Future, accidentally damaged planks or tiles can be quickly and conveniently removed and replaced in a matter of seconds.

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Note: The use of a builders or painters masking tape on the surface of the planks or tiles is not encouraged to assist with the holding of the flooring in position whilst installing, as the adhesive residue from the tape may remain on the plank or tile after removal or partially delaminate the protective coating. This will negate the product warranty.

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Installation Video Tutorials - www.excelsiorflooring.com/tutorials

Specs / Warranty / Maintenance - www.excelsiorflooring.com/resources