*Château Old World Flooring Inc. strongly recommends that installation be done by a professional flooring contractor familiar with wide plank flooring.

Jobsite Conditions

Wood flooring is one of the last jobs of any construction project. Prior to delivery of the wood flooring a site evaluation should be done. Check for the following:

The building should be completely enclosed.
All outside doors and windows must be in place and have latching mechanisms.
Surface drainage should direct water away from the building.
All concrete, masonry, plastering, drywall, and other wet work should be completed and thoroughly dry.
All texturing and painting primer coats should be completed.
In warm months, the building must be well ventilated each day.
Be sure the flooring will not be exposed to extremes of humidity or moisture. Interior environmental conditions must be near the average for the geographical area.
Basements must be dry.
Crawl spaces must be dry.

Acclimation

Allowing wood moisture content to become at equilibrium with the environment in which it will perform is crucial to quality installation. Acclimation depends on geographic location, interior climate control and time of year.
Flooring should be arranged to allow air to circulate through the stack. Allow at least one week and monitor moisture.
Sub flooring moisture should be no more than 2% different than that of the flooring.

Sub Floor

Preferred Sub Flooring: 3/4” (23/32”, 18.3mm) CDX Plywood subfloor/underlayment (Exposure 1), 4’X 8’ sheets; OR 3/4”(23/32”,18.3mm) OSB subfloor/underlayment, with joist spacing 19.2”(475mm) on center or less.
The subfloor should be flat to within 1/4” in 10’ or 3/16” in 6’.

Sub floor must be flat, clean, dry, structurally sound and free of squeaks and free of protruding nails/staples.
Moisture content of sub floor should be within 4% of average area environmental conditions and should be no more than 2% different than that of the flooring.

Installation

Factory finished solid plank should be installed perpendicular to the joists or on a diagonal for any single layer sub floor. (Exception, diagonal, solid sub floor boards, install perpendicular to joist or sub floor direction).
CAUTION: When laying 3/4” solid plank flooring parallel with the floor joists either add an additional layer of minimum 1/2”(15/32”) CDX plywood underlayment to the existing sub floor (as previously recommended) or brace between joists with 2” X 6”or wider boards every 24”minimum. Sub floor must be within 2% moisture content of the hardwood floor before installing.
A moisture barrier is needed for plywood sub flooring on concrete. Use 15 lb. asphalt saturated felt paper that meets ASTM Standard D4869 or a building paper with an equivalent permeance over wood sub floor.
Château Old World Flooring, Inc. recommends the use of a combination of nailing and Bostik best adhesive for any floors that have planks 5" and wider.
Snap a working line parallel to the starting wall allowing 3/4” expansion space between the starting wall and the edge of the first plank run. A 3/4” expansion space must be left around the perimeter and at all vertical obstructions.
Plank is laid out in the same manner as strip flooring, alternating courses by widths. Start with the widest board, then the next width, etc., and repeat the pattern.
Racking rule of thumb: Stagger end joint a minimum of 6” between pieces on adjacent rows. Avoid H joints.
Blind nailing, using manual or pneumatic nailing machines every 6" is sufficient for plank flooring. Use a piece of duct tape on the plate of the nailer to protect finish from being damaged.
Add each additional row of flooring, watching the pattern repeat and offsetting or staggering the end joints at least 6 inches.
On floors wider than 20’ to minimize expansion: More or less spacing may be needed depending on geographical area, interior climate control and time of the year. In some areas, additional spacing may not be necessary. (Consult a local flooring contractor for your areas information)
Where spacing is required: Use a washer or removable spacer to leave additional space every few rows and/or start in center of room and work out to both sides.
Upon completion of installation, the floor should swept and vacuumed.
If an additional coat of finish is desired, buff the floor with a maroon pad and apply the finish according to manufacturer’s specifications. Our finish is compatible with any other water-based urethane in the market.

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