The following guidelines may vary by manufacturer:

A temperature range of 65°F to 100°F must be kept for the floor covering, room temperature and adhesive, for at least 48 hours before, and 48 hours after installation. In some cases when epoxy adhesive is being used, temperature should not exceed 85°F.

Flooring material should be permitted to adjust to the temperature of the installation area for no less than 48 hours in advance.

Begin with a clean job site, make sure to prepare the subfloor and remove anything that might damage a completed installation. Substrates must be smooth, clean and dry and free from oils, paint, wax, varnish, adhesive, solvents, any prior flooring or other foreign matter.

It is important to properly prepare your subfloor. The wrong type of subflooring can cause many problems with the finished flooring product. This will not only be unattractive, but will cause uneven wear. A plywood subflooring should be used that is rated as an underlayment panel. These panels are meant to provide a smooth working surface, however they are not designed to correct or properly cover structural deficiencies.

Certain types of nails, such as standard steel nails, someresin, and cement coated or rosin coated nails, may cause the vinyl flooring to become discoloured. It is recommended that only fasteners that are non-staining be used with underlayment panels.

Before beginning installation, be sure to inspect the boxes to insure the right colour, style and pattern number is included. Next, check and make sure that the dye lot numbers on all of the boxes are all the same. You will want to know if the boxes do not match before you begin installation. This will allow you time to replace the incorrect boxes. Should you discover that many of the boxes are not the same, the whole shipment may need to be returned.

After all of the cartons have been checked, the planks or tiles should be mixed from each of the cartons. This will minimize the variation of shades.

Read over the installation instructions from the manufacturer to make sure that your subfloor is the correct type to install the new product over. Residual asphalt should almost always never be used as a subfloor, if it is used, less adhesive should be applied as the adhesive may bleed through onto the new flooring. Be sure to completely cover all areas of adhesive and remove any excess before proceeding with the installation.

It is recommended that the manufacturers adhesive always be used to insure the manufacturers warranty remains in effect.

During installing, it is important to take precise measurement while laying out the tile. All tiles should be laid in the same direction, and all directional arrows should be pointing in the same direction. When laying out planks, it is also important that the plank format is balanced. Correct layout and planning will prevent narrow plank widths at wall junctures. Make sure to accurately measure the room to establish the center line, adjust this established line to accommodate a balanced lay out and then transpose this line to a comfortable width away from the starting wall (approximately 2’ to 3’ wide). You should then apply adhesive to this area and begin installation of the planks.

It is important that the overall concept and pattern should be considered when determining the proper layout for mixing tile and planks for custom installations before beginning the installation. Be sure to carefully calculated the pattern and lay it out in order to achieve a successful installation.

Upon completing installation, a minimum 100-pound three-section floor roller must be used to roll floors immediately after installation. The flooring should be rolled in both directions to firmly seal the tile into the adhesive.
After Installation

The following guidelines may vary by manufacturer:

After installation, in order to allow the adhesive to dry completely, there should be no foot traffic or furniture on the floor for a minimum of 24 hours.

After installation, the floors may not be washed until after 48 hours has passed.

To remove the adhesive residue that may be left on the floors after installation, mineral spirits can be used.

Floor covering subjected to excessive heat and light exposure is subject to thermal degradation. Be sure to use appropriate precautions in order to minimize the potential adverse affects on the floor covering.

Oil or petroleum based products may cause surface staining. Make sure that asphalt, driveway sealer or automotive oil drip is not tracked in or onto the vinyl floor covering.

Throughout the life of the floor, the temperature should never drop below 55°F