Healthier Choice CHOICE Hardwoods User Manual
PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATION RECOMMENDED
Nail-Down Installation Instructions
(Including Various Widths Such As 3 1/4”, 3 5/8”, 4 3/4”, 5”)
Thank you for choosing Choice Hardwood Flooring. Choice Hardwood features exotic wood species that bring beauty and charm to
your home. In order to meet warranty requirements and to ensure a successful installation, review these guidelines carefully. Installation
of hardwood oors requires special tools and conformance to specic methods that are dependent upon many criteria including site-
specic attributes such as the type of sub-oor. For these reasons Choice Hardwood recommends that installation be performed by
certied trained installers procient in the Installation of hardwood ooring. It is the responsibility of the purchaser to select a suitable
installation company. The National Wood Flooring Association is one resource that may help in identication of installers in your area.
The guidelines that follow are not intended to be step-by-step instructions but rather as important guidelines for both end-user and
installer.
READ CAREFULLY
LIMITED WARRANTY COVERAGE APPLIES ONLY TO PROPERLY INSTALLED AND MAINTAINED CHOICE HARDWOOD FLOORING.
The owner and/or installer assume all risks with respect to examination of ooring, job-site and environmental conditions as well as the
installation.
CAUTION! SOLID WOOD FLOORING IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH BELOW GRADE INSTALLATIONS.
TEST MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE SOLID HARDWOOD FLOORING TO VERIFY PROPER ACCLIMATION.
DO NOT INSTALL THIS FLOORING OVER RADIANT HEAT FLOORING.
WOOD FLOORS ARE NOT RECOMMENDED IN FULL BATHROOMS.
If you require additional or more detailed information on the installation of hardwood ooring, please contact the National Wood
Flooring Association (NWFA) at 1-800-422-4556 or visit www.nwfa.org
NOTE TO OWNER
Installing hardwood ooring is considered a highly skilled operation and it is critical that the owner choose an installer carefully.
Choice Hardwood recommends choosing a certied trained installer with references that can be contacted. Also, the installer should
demonstrate previous job experience and have the proper business licenses for your particular area. The contract for installation is
exclusively between the owner and the installer. Choice Hardwood is in no way responsible for the owner’s choice of installer or any
failure by the installer to satisfy the owner.
NOTE TO INSTALLER
The owner should be made aware of how wood will change color over time. Issues with gloss-level and appearance of the nish
should be reviewed and the owner should be informed that the nish will scratch and wear over time and proper installation and
maintenance are important to maintain its beauty.
RECOMMENDED MATERIALS & TOOLS
NOTE: 3/4” is meant for nail-down or staple-down (with 2” fasteners) installation only.
1. Measuring tape
2. Chalk line reel
3. Rubber mallet
4. 4d-6d Flooring nails
5. 15 lbs. asphalt felt
6. 3M Blue Tape
7. Broom
8. Putty knife
9. Floor protectors
10. Pencil
11. Jamb saw or hand saw
12. Table saw or band saw
13. Crowbar or last plank puller
14. Hammer
15. Powernail manual 45 T&G Powernailer, pneumatic
16. 445 Powernailer or other machines designed or
adapted specically to 3/4” solid wood ooring.
17. Quality moisture meter with manufacturer’s relevant
18. Exotic species calibration gures.
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PRE-INSTALLATION
PRODUCT INSPECTION
Hardwood ooring 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 ooring for visible defects. Do not install defective ooring. Choice Hardwood
will replace defective ooring that exceeds the allowable 5% tolerance, above, provided that it has not been installed. Once installed,
visibly defective ooring is not covered by warranty. You may discard or trim and use such defective ooring in hidden areas. Choice
Hardwood is not liable for any defective ooring 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 ooring for style, grade, color,
nish, dimension and quality, job-site and environmental conditions. In order to understand how the oor 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 ooring 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 oors within strict tolerances accepted by the industry,
which allows for up to 5% defective product (natural or manufacturing related) based on the original hardwood ooring purchase. Be
sure to order at least 5% additional ooring 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-oor surfaces meet all applicable local codes and standards as well as construction and
material industry standards [laying the oor 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 ooring material prior to installa-
tion. Concrete, plaster, masonry, drywall, paint, wall coverings, and the sub-oor 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 oors are not recommended in full bathrooms. If ooring is
to be installed on a sub-oor under which is a crawl space, the oor 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 ooring being installed to avoid difcult 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 nal pre-installation inspection, sub-oors must be checked for moisture content using the appropriate metering device for
wood. All solid wood ooring 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 oor if not properly equalized before installation. Solid wood ooring should be stored
in the environment in which it is expected to perform. Near the time of installation, the ooring 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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