Healthier Choice CHOICE Hardwoods - Manual (Page 2)

PRE-INSTALLATION
PRODUCT INSPECTION
Hardwood flooring is a natural product and variations in color, grain, pattern and texture occur normally and are not considered
defects. Prior to installation, inspect all the hardwood flooring for visible defects. Do not install defective flooring. Choice Hardwood
will replace defective flooring that exceeds the allowable 5% tolerance, above, provided that it has not been installed. Once installed,
visibly defective flooring is not covered by warranty. You may discard or trim and use such defective flooring in hidden areas. Choice
Hardwood is not liable for any defective flooring that results, in whole or in part, from any job-site or sub-surface condition that is not in
compliance with standard industry standards, these instructions, or environmental conditions.
There are inspections that must be performed before installation including careful examination of the flooring for style, grade, color,
finish, dimension and quality, job-site and environmental conditions. In order to understand how the floor will look after installation, it is
important that the installer and owner review the control samples to ensure the owner’s expectations are met as to:
Grade: Since grade may vary slightly from batch to batch, the flooring to be installed should be reviewed for the proper grade.
Color & Graining: Determine whether light or exotic grained pieces need to be culled to meet owner’s expectations?
Color Change: Choice Hardwood proudly manufactures all 3/4” hardwood floors within strict tolerances accepted by the industry,
which allows for up to 5% defective product (natural or manufacturing related) based on the original hardwood flooring purchase. Be
sure to order at least 5% additional flooring material beyond actual square footage requirements to allow for cutting and grading of
material. If your installation will be on a diagonal, order 10% - 15% extra material.
JOBSITE INSPECTION
Ensure that the job-site environment and sub-floor surfaces meet all applicable local codes and standards as well as construction and
material industry standards [laying the floor should be the last step of your installation]. The building must be structurally complete
and properly enclosed with all doors and windows installed. Installer must cull or cut off defective flooring material prior to installa-
tion. Concrete, plaster, masonry, drywall, paint, wall coverings, and the sub-floor must be completely dry so as to not raise moisture
(humidity) content within the building. Ensure that exterior grading is complete, with drainage directed away from the structure and
all gutters and down-spouts should are installed and functional. Wood floors are not recommended in full bathrooms. If flooring is
to be installed on a sub-floor under which is a crawl space, the floor of the crawl space must be at least 18”- 24” from the ground to
underside of joists, a ground cover of 6 mil black polyethylene must be utilized as a vapor barrier and joints must be overlapped 6”
and sealed with moisture-proof tape. The crawl space must also have perimeter air venting equal to 1.5% of the crawl space square
footage.
SUB-FLOOR REQUIREMENTS
Recommended Sub-Flooring: 3/4” (19mm) CDX Grade Plywood or 3/4” (23/32”) OSB PS2 Rated Underlayment with a minimum 40 lbs.
density Minimum: 5/8” CDX Grade Plywood with a minimum 40 lbs. density. CAUTION: Do not use particleboard or similar products,
including gypcrete.
DOORWAY AND WALL PREPARATION
Undercut or notch-out door casings 1/16” higher than the thickness of the flooring being installed to avoid difficult scribe cuts during
installation. Also remove existing base and shoe molding as well as doorway thresholds; each can be replaced after installation is
complete.
EQUALIZING AND ACCLIMATION OF YOUR WOOD FLOORING
During the final pre-installation inspection, sub-floors must be checked for moisture content using the appropriate metering device for
wood. All solid wood flooring must be properly equalized before installation. Wood is porous material which expands as it picks up
moisture in most environments relative to the humidity present in the surrounding atmosphere. It is this movement which can cause
cracks, separation, and warping of your wood floor if not properly equalized before installation. Solid wood flooring should be stored
in the environment in which it is expected to perform. Near the time of installation, the flooring should only be delivered to an environ-
mentally controlled site and handled with care. All wood will eventually acclimate itself to its environment, reaching the “equilibrium
point” or equilibrium moisture content. If the wood is neither gaining nor losing moisture, an equilibrium condition has been reached.
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