Burke Flooring Rubber Tile and Stair Tread Installation - Manual (Page 4)

Page 4
Burke Flooring Products, a Division of Burke Industries
2250 South Tenth Street, San Jose CA 95112
(408) 297-3500
Sources include:
Ardex, Inc., 400 Ardex Park Drive, Aliquippa, PA 15001
(412) 264-4240.
Mapei Corp., 1144 E. Newport Ctr Drive, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
(954) 246-8888; (800) 426-2734.
10. Do not use gypsum based leveling or patching compounds under any
circumstances. Rubber tile is extremely resilient and will cause all
gypsum or plaster-based patching compounds to crack or split. Use only
cementituous based trowel-able patching or self leveling compounds!
11. Expansion Joint. No attempt should be made to lay Rubber tile over an
architectural concrete expansion joint that is designed to move. Instead, the
tile should stop before the joint on both sides. The joint should be protected
with a metal cap fastened on one side allowing the joint to move without
restriction. Use expansion joint systems as manufactured by C/S Group,
Muncy, PA 17756 (570) 546-5941; (800) 233-8493.
12. Exposure to extreme heat. Extreme heat from sun, blowers or radiant heat
during the adhesive cure will cause the tiles to expand and peak. During the
period of 24 hours before installation and throughout the adhesive curing
period, the sub-floor temperature should be at 72ºF (24ºC) and must not be
colder than 59ºF (14ºC) or warmer than 85ºF (29ºC). Refer to cure time chart
in Section IV B.2. Direct sunlight should be blocked during installation and for
the first 8-12 hours of adhesive cure time.
B. Wood Sub-floors
1. Exterior grade plywood with a minimum total thickness of 1" should be used
with smooth plugged side up. Hardboard, Luan, MDF, chip boards or other
engineered wood substrates, are not strong or stable enough and are not
recommended.
2. Wood sub-floors will require ventilation when laid over concrete to avoid wet
and dry rot. At least 18" of airspace and air circulation between an on grade
or below grade concrete sub-floor and the wood sub-floor is mandatory.
3. Planked wood floors used as a sub-floor may "telegraph" through a rubber
tile installation. It is best to install plywood over plank floors.
4. Unevenness of wood sub-floors should be planed or machine sanded.
Remove all dust by vacuuming.
5. Loose sub-floor panels should be refastened with screws.