Before You Begin

• Adherence to Installation Guide is mandatory to validate warranty.

• Adherence to Care & Maintenance Guide is mandatory to validate warranty.

• Flooring products must be acclimatized for at least 48 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 STONE CORE 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 subfloor 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

• Flooring utilizing a 2G locking system is intended for indoor use only.

• STONE CORE flooring can be installed in environments with a temperature variation of -40ºC and +40ºC.

• The temperature variation during its occupied use is assumed to remain between 16ºC and 40ºC.

• During installation the installation area must be climate controlled at a temperature between 16ºC and 25ºC with the product given 48 hours to acclimatize to the climate controlled installation area.

Suitable Surfaces

• Adequate sub-floor preparation is necessary to ensure a successful installation. It is the sole responsibility of the installer/owner, prior to installation, to assure that the planned installation area is suitable for flooring utilizing a 2G locking system.

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

• All sub-floor and leveling patch 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 leveling compound and troweled smooth and feathered even to the surrounding surface.

• If installing on a concrete slab, it must be dry, clean, and well-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. Moisture content of concrete subfloor should not exceed 5%.

• 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 water-resistant Portland cement overlay such as patching or leveling compound to smooth out grout joints.

• Moisture in the sub-floor will not damage the flooring, but excessive moisture may cause mold or mildew in the sub-floor and surrounding structures, so ensure that the subfloor is free of excess moisture.

• Flooring utilizing the Unilin 2G locking system can be installed over existing non-cushioned resilient flooring, ceramic tile, and existing wood floors, as long as the floors are clean, level, well bonded to the sub-floor and free of cupping and deflection.

• Kennedy Floorings accepts no responsibility with product failure or issues caused by an underlying flooring or failure to meet subfloor requirements.

Radiant Heated Subfloors & Sunrooms

STONE CORE flooring can be installed with concrete embedded radiant heated floors with the following exceptions below.

• 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 temperature settings must be gradual at 1ºC everyday until the desired temperature is reached.
• It is recommended that transitions are used between areas with and without radiant heat.
• Do not allow sun rooms to exceed 40ºC.

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. Installing: spacers, tapping block, rubber mallet, and pull bar.

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

Installation

Kennedy Floorings flooring with the Unilin 2G Angle-Tap-Click locking system is engineered to be installed utilizing the floating installation method.

• Do not install cabinets or fixed objects on top of the flooring.

• Verify locking profile prior to installation, checking for debris or damage.

• Can be installed up to 100’ by 100’ before requiring a transition.

• 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.

Cutting the Flooring

• STONE CORE flooring can be scored and snapped using a high quality sharp utility knife.

• STONE CORE flooring can be cut using a laminate cutter.

• Power saws (circular saw, table saw, miter saw, or jigsaw) can be used to cut the product, 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 saw.

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

Planning the Installation

1.  Determine the direction you want the flooring to run. Typically the herringbone “pattern” of the flooring will run with the length of the room or the length of the floor plan.

2.  Before starting the installation, we recommend sorting the material into two separate piles - the “A” pieces and the “B” pieces.

3.  The herringbone installation should start along the central “Y” axis of the room; use a chalk line to mark the “Y” axis at the centre of the room. This is the central point from which the herringbone pattern will build off of in both the right and left direction of the “X” axis of the room along the wall.

4. A 1/4” expansion gap off the wall plate must be used throughout the installation. This gap will be covered by the dry wall and baseboard.

Installing with the Unilin 2G Locking System

Kennedy Floorings STONE CORE flooring products that utilize the 2G Angle-Tap-Click locking system are installed in such a manner that the tongue joint
of the plank is “seeded” into the receiving (groove) joint and is then engaged with a tapping block and rubber mallet. When tapping the joints together,
excessive force may damage the locking system, and not enough force may not allow the locking system to fully engage; finesse is required here.

5. Follow these instructions when using the locking system:

a. Angle in the tongue of long joint into the receiving long joint of the plank that is parallel. Planks that run parallel should be designated both
as the same “A” or “B” plank.

b. Next, slide the plank down to so that it meets the plank that is perpendicular. Planks that run perpendicular will be designated differently from
each other, that is “A” and “B”.

c. Drop the plank down so the tongue end joint is seeded into the receiving long joint of the perpendicular plank. Dropping a plank into the
locking system should yield little to no resistance; forcing this step may damage the locking system. Note that the tongue end joint should be
resting on top of the receiving end joint; both planks should be close to being flush with a small gap that is a 1mm or less.

d. Next, fully engage the locking system by tapping along the entire long joint with a tapping block and rubber mallet, then moving to the end
joint.

6. Diagram 1 illustrates the pattern in which the planks should be installed; the orientation of the “A” and “B” planks will always remain the same. The receiving joints should always face away from the starting wall along the “X” axis.

7. Begin the installation by assembling the triangles as shown in Diagram 2, cutting planks to make each piece of the triangle; A1, A2, B1, B2, and B3. Following the steps from Diagram 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d, assemble the triangle following the instructions of the locking system.

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