Before You Begin

• Adherence to installation guideline is mandatory to validate warranty.
• Adherence to Maintenance & Care Guideline is mandatory to validate warranty. Care & Maintenance can be found at www.kennedyfloorings.com.
• Flooring products must be acclimatized for at least 72 hours prior to installation in the installation area that meets the Suitable Environment guideline.
• Flooring products must be installed on a surface that meets the Suitable Surfaces guideline.
• In the rare event of visually defective material, Kennedy Floorings will not be held responsible for the installation of material with visual defects. It is the responsibility of the installer to visually approve material before it is installed.
• Kennedy Floorings will not be held responsible for the installation of an incorrect product. It is the responsibility of the installer and the end user to double check that the product to be installed is from the correct product collection and is the correct decor.
• Kennedy Floorings Luxury Vinyl flooring products are manufactured in accordance with recognized industry standards allowing manufacturing tolerance of 2%; therefore, the installer/owner must use reasonable selectivity and allow for defects accordingly. Pieces of flooring with noticeable flaws such as slight film contamination are generally used for cuts or for installation in closets, along walls or areas covered by furniture.
• The installer/owner assumes full responsibility for the final inspection of this product. Inspection should be done prior to installation and should include: print/colour/texture, factory finish and milling. If the product is not acceptable, DO NOT INSTALL IT. Contact your dealer immediately for assistance. Flooring that has been installed will be deemed to have been inspected and quality accepted.
• Kennedy Floorings accepts no responsibility for product failure extending from or related to failure to meet job area/environment and sub-floor requirements. If the installation is for a newly built home or construction, the installer/owner must ensure all windows and doors are installed and that wall and floor boards are completely dry and that the homes HRV/heating/air-conditioning system is functional and running at living conditions to which the floor will be maintained. It is recommended that flooring be the last stage in a construction project.
• Before starting installation, it is important you read all instructions and warranty information. By starting installation of this product you are agreeing that you have read and understand all installer/owner’s requirements and responsibilities and are aware that deviating from the instructions and recommendations in this installation guide may result in voiding the product warranty.

→Maintenance Guide

→Warranty Information

Suitable Environment

• Installation area must be climate controlled with an operating air conditioner and heat source that is operational for a minimum of 7 days prior to installation. Climate controlled conditioning is expected to remain operational during and after installation.

• HVAC must remain operational before, during, and after installation. If the installation environment is undergoing renovations or is under construction, it is up to the owner to ensure that trades are not inadvertently turning off the HVAC system.

• Luxury Vinyl products are "live", meaning that they can and will expand and contract with the changes in the environmental conditions. 

• Installation of Luxury Vinyl flooring in front of large windows and doors are susceptible to expansion and contraction: it is highly advisable that flooring installed in these areas be 'wet-set' with a high-shear luxury vinyl adhesive.

• Installation area is expected to remain stable between 16ºC and 28ºC.

Suitable Surfaces

Adequate sub-floor preparation is necessary to ensure a successful installation.

• Sub-floor must be lightly textured, porous, and well-bonded. The sub-floor must be dry, smooth, level, clean, and dust-free, with a tolerance not exceeding more than 1/8’’ in a 6’ span.

• All sub-floor and underlayment patching must be done with a non-shrinking, water-resistant Portland cement patching compound.

• Holes, grooves, expansion joints, and other depressions must be filled with a Portland cement-based underlayment and troweled smooth and feathered even to the surrounding surface.

• If installing on a concrete slab, it must be dry, clean, and well-cured (cured for at least 6 weeks prior to installation). Concrete must be free from dust, powder, flaking, solvent, paint, wax, grease, oil, and other erroneous compounds that will effect the adhering qualities of the adhesive. Concrete moisture content must be less than 75% relative humidity. New concrete slabs must be dry and cured for at least 6 weeks prior to installation.

• Installing on wood and wood composite panels (plywood, OSB, flake board, and particle board) can be used provided they are smooth, flat, structurally sound, and free of deflection.

• It is acceptable to install over an existing ceramic tile provided it be made smooth by applying a cement overlay such as patching or leveling compound to smooth out grout joints to prevent telegraphing.

UNSUITABLE SURFACES

• Luxury Vinyl cannot be installed over rough and uneven sub-floors. Heavily textured and/ or uneven surfaces may telegraph through the luxury vinyl and distort the finished surface.

• Luxury Vinyl cannot be installed over cushioned vinyl floor, vinyl floor consisting of multiple layers, or a sub-floor with multiple layers of existing flooring.

• Sub-floors soiled with dirt, dust, powder, solvent, paint, wax, grease, and oil are not suitable for installation.

Radiant Heated Subfloors & Sunrooms

Loose Lay Luxury Vinyl can be installed with concrete embedded radiant heated floors.

• Flooring must be installed using an embedded hydronic radiant heat system or electric radiant heat system that utilize embedded cables within the sub-floor.

• Radiant heat systems must be covered by a self leveling concrete and separated by the flooring at a minimum of ½”.

• Radiant heat must not exceed 29ºC, and changes in the thermostat must be made gradually by 2ºC per day to prevent sudden temperature spikes which may result in expansion or contraction in the luxury vinyl.

• Flooring with radiant heat must be wet set installed using a high-shear adhesive.

Tools & Supplies

You will need a few tools to ensure a successful installation:

1. Measuring: straight edge, framing square, tape measure.

2. Cutting: exacto knife, laminate cutter, miter saw, or table saw.

3. Safety: safety glasses, and a N95 respirator if using a power tool to cut the flooring.

4. Floor Roller: 50 lbs - 75 lbs.

Adhesive

Our Shamrock Surfaces adhesive must be used in order to validate the warranty. Kennedy Floorings supplies a premium adhesive that is void of fillers to ensure a successful installation of your flooring.

• “Flash over” of adhesive refers to allowing the adhesive to become tacky to the touch, without any adhesive transferring onto your finger.

• Adhesive related problems with an installation is not a product issue.

PS-90 Adhesive

Shamrock Surfaces PS-90 is a pressure sensitive flooring adhesive designed to be used with Luxury Vinyl flooring products. PS-90 is for full adhesion installation only.

• PS-90 pressure sensitive adhesive is typically used for residential applications. Pressure Sensitive adhesives react by grabbing the flooring product harder as pressure is applied. This allows planks to be pulled up and placed back down during and after installation. This is beneficial as damage caused by the user is easily remedied by replacing individual planks if damage occurs (reapplying adhesive is typically not required if the adhesive still has “grab”).

• Only use PS-90 adhesive for resiential installations.

• PS-90 is simple to use, just follow the instructions found on the pale.

• A 1/16” x 1/32” x 1/32” U-Notch trowel is required for PS-90 adhesive.

HSV Adhesive

Shamrock Surfaces HSV is a high sheer vinyl flooring adhesive designed to be used with Luxury Vinyl Flooring products where an aggressive adhesive is recommended to handle volatile conditions such as areas with high traffic, rolling loads, and volatile environmental conditions such as in and around entrances and large windows.

• HS-V adhesive is recommended for commercial applications and is mandatory for areas that experience volatile conditions.

• HS-V adhesive is mandatory for Loose Lay installations in residential settings.

• Application of HS-V is simple, just follow the instructions found on the pale.

Installation

• It is highly recommended to sort through at least 25% of your flooring material by categorizing each visual variation into its own pile to ensure a successful “blend” of the flooring. Failure to do this crucial step may result in an unsatisfactory installation as certain areas may contain more of one image variation than another.

• It is mandatory that the Luxury Vinyl floor has been given a minimum of 72 hours to acclimatize in the climate controlled installation area.

Residential Installation

• Residential installations may follow a full adhesion or Loose Lay installation format.
• Installation in front of large windows or installation environments prone to environmental changes must be installed using the Full Adhesion method with a high-shear Luxury Vinyl Adhesive.

Commercial Installatio

• Commercial installation of Loose Lay Luxury Vinyl flooring products require a full adhesion installation using our HS-V adhesive or our PS-90 adhesive.

• HS-V must be used and wet set in volatile areas that see high traffic, rolling loads, and extreme temperature variations such as entrances. This will ensure the stability of the flooring under extreme conditions.

• Follow adhesive instructions found on the adhesive pale.

Cutting the Flooring

• Luxury Vinyl flooring can be cut using a high quality sharp utility knife using multiple, consistent cutting strokes.

• Luxury Vinyl flooring can be cut using a laminate cutter.

• Power saws (circular saw, table saw, miter saw, or jigsaw) can be used to cut the flooring, but planks or tiles should always be cut away from the installation area in a well ventilated space in order to prevent debris from affecting the installation site.

• Always wear safety glasses and a N95 respirator when using a power tool to cut the flooring.

BEFORE BEGINNING INSTALLATION ENSURE THAT SUITABLE ENVIRONMENT AND SUITABLE SURFACES GUIDELINES HAVE BEEN MET. NEGLECTING TO MEET GUIDELINES MAY RESULT IN A VOIDED WARRANTY

Full Adhesion Installation

Full adhesion installations will yield the best results and is recommended by Kennedy Floorings for residential applications. The full adhesion installation method must be used with Dryback Luxury Vinyl floor products.

• Full adhesion for residential applications can use either PS-90 or HS-V adhesive.

• Our HS-V adhesive can also be used and is highly recommended for volatile areas. HS-V will adhere the flooring to the sub-floor in a more aggressive manner as the adhesive cures making the installation more dimensionally stable.

• If the installation area has radiant heat, it is mandatory to wet set the flooring using HS-V adhesive.

Loose Lay Installation

• Loose Lay installation is for residential applications only, and will follow a grid pattern of adhesive strips within the installation area.

• Loose lay installations without the use of any adhesive is not recommended as the sub-floor beneath the flooring and surrounding structure will move and shift over time from the extreme changes in climate that Canada undergoes each season, which may cause undesirable movement of the flooring.

• HS-V adhesive is mandatory for Loose Lay installation.

• The Loose Lay installation method can only be used with Luxury Vinyl flooring that is specifically advertised as 'Loose Lay'.

Map out where you will apply adhesive in a grid formation including the perimeter.

1. Working in manageable sections, apply the adhesive and wait for the adhesive to flash over before placing down flooring onto adhesive.

2. Apply strips of adhesive at the width of the flooring product.

3. Form an adhesive grid pattern following the preplanned map with strips of adhesive at a maximum of 12’ apart as shown in the diagram.

4. Loose lay installation cannot be used in areas with radiant heat.

5. Although unlikely, unexpected issues can arise from Loose Lay installations such as unwanted movement of the flooring caused by volatile and environmental conditions.Fully adhere the flooring if an issue arises in a trouble area.

6. Follow adhesive instructions found on the adhesive pale.

Planning the Installation

1.  First, determine which installation format your flooring will use: full adhesion or Loose Lay. Take note of the installation guide for your chosen installation format as you follow the steps under the installation guide that follows.

2.  Determine the direction you want the flooring to run. Typically the length of Luxury Vinyl flooring will run with the length of the room or the length of the floor plan.

3.  It is important to plan ahead in order to avoid narrow planks widths or short plank lengths near walls and doors. Using the width of the room, calculate how many full boards will fit into the area, and how much space remains that will need to be covered by partial planks (width of room in inches ÷ width of plank in inches = number of planks). Do the same calculation for the length of the room (length of room in inches ÷ length of plank in inches = number of planks). Adjust the starting plank as necessary to avoid a narrow row of planks along a wall or door.

4.  Flooring should be installed from one corner of the room working your way out row by row. Begin laying your floor at the corner of the longest wall. Lay a complete row of planks to determine the length of the final plank.

5.  If the last plank (fill piece) is shorter than 6’’, then adjust the starting point accordingly. This is necessary in order to achieve the correct staggered effect. The cut edge should always face the wall.

6.  To make any fill pieces, simply score the top of the surface of the Luxury Vinyl plank or tile using a utility knife and a straight edge, then snap downward.

7.  Start the next row. Planks should be installed randomly, staggering the end joints, no less than 6’’ from the previous row end joints. Keep planks and tiles squared and tight to the surrounding floor as it is being laid down.

8.  Stagger the joints a minimum 6’’ apart.

9.  All structures shift and move, this is why it is mandatory to have an expansion gap off all walls.

10.  Planks or tiles should be placed 1/4’’ off the wall plate. If an installation area is less than 20’ in the longest direction, an 1/8’’ expansion gap is sufficient. Drywall and trim will cover the gap.

11.  If you’re doing a Loose Lay installation in a residential application, begin the installation by applying a strip of adhesive around the perimeter of the installation section, making sure that you are working within manageable sections.

12.  As you continue to lay down flooring, apply adhesive around of the perimeter of the installation section, and strips of adhesive as you move out from the wall forming an adhesive grid.

13.  As you move through the installation, use a flooring roller over the areas where adhesive as been applied to ensure full adhesion transfer to the Luxury Vinyl.

CONTINUE LAYING THE FLOOR

14.  Continue to lay down the flooring following your chosen installation format (Loose Lay or full adhesion) taking care to spread the adhesive into manageable sections as you move along laying down the flooring.

15.  It is important to ensure that the adhesive flashes over before laying more flooring unless it is being wet set with HS-V.

16.  To fit air vents, door frames, etc., make a cardboard pattern as a guide and use this to draw an outline on the plank. Cut to shape and check that it fits. It should fit snugly and should not be forced into place.

STAIRS
For installation on stairs and landings, it is mandatory to fully adhere the flooring. Stair nosing should be metal, rubber, or you may use our coordinating trims available through your authorized dealer.

SUPPORT

• Product support is available through your authorized dealer, and you may also contact Kennedy Floorings directly through email or phone for any questions or concerns you may have.

• This is a comprehensive installation guide to ensure our customers experience a successful installation the first time, but does not cover all tricks and knowledge of a floor covering installation expert.

• Kennedy Floorings is dedicated in providing our customers the best flooring products available. All Kennedy Floorings products are rigorously tested to ensure our customers receive the best product possible.

Support by phone: (800) 665-7424

Support by email: support@kennedyfloorings.com