Natural Cork Flooring

Installation Guidelines for Natural CORK Floating Floor

If the following instructions leave any unanswered questions or if additional information is required, please call Natural Cork, Inc. toll free at 800-404-2675 (706-733-6120). You must read and understand these instructions completely before beginning installation. Responsibility for the suitability of Natural Cork Floating Floor and accompanying products for each individual installation cannot be assumed by Natural Cork, Inc., since Natural Cork, Inc. has no control over the installer's proper application. Should an individual plank be doubtful as to appearance or dimension the installer should not use this piece. Natural Cork will send replacement in a timely manner.

Cork is a natural product. Just like wood, cork parquet tile and plank will vary in shade or pattern definition. Also, while not as prevalent as with wood, cork is subject to the normal behavior of minor expansion during periods of high humidity and minor contraction during periods of low humidity (usually the heating season). With cork, expansion and contraction can be kept to unnoticeable levels by stabilizing the building through temperature and humidity control, allowing for proper acclimatization of the product prior to installation, and providing the recommended expansion space mentioned below.

Installation of floating floor is not recommended in bathrooms or any areas with high moisture concentration.

INSTALLATION ON CONCRETE SUBSTRATE: Natural Cork Floating Floor can be installed over concrete that is above grade, on grade or below grade. Concrete substrates are required to be sound, smooth and level. Tolerance of level must be within 1/8" in 10'. Check concrete slab for moisture with Calcium Chloride moisture test. Moisture content cannot be more than 3 pounds per 1,000 sq. ft. per 24 hours. Fill any low spots with Portland based leveler and scrape any high spots. Before installing Natural Cork Floating Floor, cover concrete floor with 6 mil polyethylene sheets, run up the wall 3”, overlap seams 8", and tape the sheets together. Install plank over this moisture barrier.

INSTALLATION ON UNDERLAYMENT-GRADE PLYWOOD AND MAN-MADE BOARD SUBSTRATES: Subfloor must be clean and level. Fill any low spots with appropriate filler and sand any high spots. Tolerance of level must be within 1/8" in 10'. Subfloor must not exceed 14% moisture content (electrical resistance method). Check basements and under floor crawl spaces to be sure they are dry and well ventilated to avoid damage to planks caused by moisture. For buildings with crawl spaces, Natural Cork recommends use of 6 mil polyethylene sheeting as ground cover over the earth.

IN-FLOOR RADIANT HEATING SYSTEM: With radiant heat, heat source is directly beneath the flooring, so flooring may gain moisture or dry out faster than in a home with conventional heating system. For this installation, once slab has cured, turn heat on, regardless of season, and leave it on for at least 5-6 days before installation. Maximum surface temperature should never be more than 85 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius).

NATURAL CORK FLOATING FLOOR MUST BE ACCLIMATED: Store cork flooring out of the box at job site for a minimum of 72 hours. During storage and installation, maintain temperature and relative humidity to level consistent to the conditions that will prevail when building is occupied. Heating or air conditioning should be used for an appropriate length of time prior and during installation. With improper acclimation, the floor could noticeably expand or contract after installation. Ideal conditions are 68 temperature and 50-60% humidity.

NOTE: A run of Natural Cork Floating Floor exceeding 30 feet in any direction will require installation of an expansion joint. The same will be true when transitioning from one room to another.

CLIC INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

CLIC is a revolutionary system for installing floating floors without glue. CLIC uses an ingenious form of tongue & groove to “click” the planks together. The CLIC system enables you to work 50% faster than similar glued flooring, and because there is no glue, CLIC is much easier and cleaner to work with.

Start installing the floor in one corner, preferably parallel to the longest wall and following the direction the light falls. It is equally possible to work from left to right or right to left.
Always insert the tongue into the groove, not the other way around.

1. String Line: Choose the longest wall that will be parallel to the plank floor. Tap a nail part way into the old floor 1/2" from the wall at each end of the room. String a line between the nails 3/4" above floor level. Use this string as a guide-line for the first row of planks. The 1/2" space from the wall allows room for expansion. Shuffle Natural Cork Floating Floor planks for best visual mix. Mix planks from various cartons to maintain natural color and pattern variation.

2. First Row: Facing the guide-line, place the first plank at the left-hand end, tongue side facing wall, starting ½” off the wall. It is necessary to remove the tongue from all planks lining the starting wall. Use ½” spacers at the end and along the wall (2 to a plank) while keeping the planks aligned with the string. Spacers keep planks from shifting when subsequent rows are added. Using Natural Cork tapping block and a hammer, place block FLAT on floor, with the side up that is labeled: “This Side Up For Tapping On Groove”, tap on block gently until the ends of the two planks are firmly joined, with the joint completely closed up. Continue this process until you reach the end wall. Cut the last plank to fit allowing for a 1/2" perimeter expansion space on all sides. IMPORTANT! To do this, you will need a hammer and the SPECIAL NATURAL CORK TAPPING BLOCK. DO NOT USE ANY OTHER TAPPING BLOCK. Using any other tapping block may result in damage to the cork wear layer. You should not attempt to knock the CLIC joint into place with one hit. Once the two planks have “clicked” together, DO NOT tap them again as this can cause the joint to be too tight and result in peaking.

3. Next Rows: If the cut-off piece from the previous row is more than 10” long it can be used to start the next row so long as end-joints between adjacent rows are always staggered by at least 10”. Firmly holding row 1 in place, (a weight such as a full pack of planks may be helpful).

	a)		Position the long side of the plank to be installed at an angle of 20-30° to the plank already installed. Move the plank to be fitted slightly up and down at the same time as exerting forward pressure. The planks will then click into place.
	b)		Using Natural Cork’s tapping block, use a number of smaller taps on the short edge, until the planks click together completely.
	c)		In some cases, the planks cannot be rotated into one another, for example under a doorframe. In cases such as this, the planks can be fitted horizontally. For the long edge, you should tap them together gradually: begin tapping lightly at the corner of a plank until the join is made, then repeat the process every 12” until the entire long edge of the plank has clicked in with the other. In order to cut around pipes, take a drill bit with a diameter similar to the diameter of the pipe + 1/4” for expansion.

4. Last Row: Usually the last row will require all planks be cut lengthwise. Measure each plank at several places along the length to ensure a proper fit. Remember to allow a 1/2" expansion space along the wall side. Use floor pull bar and mallet to click the long side of planks. The short edge can be joined using the tapping block.

5. Finish: After installing your floor, you can immediately walk on it. This is one of the major benefits of the Uniclic system. Remove all spacer blocks. Fix the skirting board over the extended polyethylene sheeting. Never attach skirting board to the floor itself, but allow space for the floor to expand and contract beneath the skirting board. In order to fill in the expansion gap around pipes and any other areas not covered by trim, use a flexible caulk.

Installation Material Checklist

Material to be provide by the Installer		Material Recieved from Manufacturer
	Table Saw and measuring tools		Cork floating floor
	Hammer		Natural CORK Tapping Block
	Floor pull bar
	1/2" Spacers
	6 mil polyethylene sheeting
	Flexible caulk
	Cleaning supplies
	Trim

We would like to thank the installer for taking pride in this installation and striving to meet our mutual client’s expectations. We could not be successful without you.