Modular Carpet
Installation Instructions
Ecoflex® AIR Cushion Back
Ecoflex® ICT Vinyl Back
Ecoflex® NXT PVC Free Back
160 South Industrial Blvd. Technical Services Department
Calhoun, GA. 30701 508 East Morris St.
www.mohawkgroup.com 800.833.6954
Dalton, GA 30721
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Carpet Installation Check off List
1. Newly poured concrete floors generally will take 30 days per inch to cure. Moisture should not
exceed 5 lbs. /1000sf per 24 hours or 80% relative humidity as determined by current ASTM
standards. If the results are more than 5 lbs or higher than 80% RH, do not proceed with the
installation. Gypcrete or substrates with excessive dust must be cleaned, and then primed with
an approved primer, such as a latex milk additive.
2. The alkalinity or pH in a concrete slab should be between 5 and 9 for a glue -down installation.
3. The floor and room temperature must be acclimated by maintaining the temperature at 65° F and
85° F, and the humidity between 30% and 65%, for at least 48 hours before and during
installation. In addition, the carpet and adhesive should be stored under these conditions for at
least 24 hours before installation. The installation site must be acclimated with HVAC in
operation.
4. When the installation is complete, the jobsite must be maintained at normal service temperature
and humidity.
5. Existing adhesive must be properly prepared prior to any installation of Mohawk Group’s
modular carpet. See note #1.
6. Mechanically remove all wax, dirt, grease and paint. DO NOT use solvents to clean the flo or. DO
NOT use oil based sweeping compounds. Fill cracks more than 1/16” wide with a Portland or
cement based patc hing compound. The floor must be flat to within 1/8” in 10 feet. Use leveling
compound when required. Patched areas may need to be primed ( consult patch manufacture for
requirements) with an approved primer. DO NOT install over resin or silicate based curing
compounds.
7. Inspect all carpet prior to cutting and contact your sales representative before installing the
carpet if you discover any problems. No claims will be allowed for visible defects after the carpet
has been cut and installed.
8. Never cut carpet over carpet as this can result in over penetration of the blade and cutting loops
on the lower carpet.
9. Carpet should be protected fr om heavy traffic and construction dust with a non -staining building
material paper. Never use plastic sheeting as it will trap moisture and prevent proper curing of
the adhesive. Plastic may also leave residues that can result in rapid soiling after removal.
10. If any of the above conditions are not attainable, contact Mohawk Group Technical Services at
800-833-6954.
Please Note
1. Asbestos-containing floor tiles, any adhesive possibly containing asbestos, or other asbestos containing fl oor coverings require special preparation, handling, and removal procedures.
Consult the appropriate local or state authorities or the Resilient Floor Covering Institute before
disturbing any suspected asbestos-containing material.
2. Installation of Mohawk Group’s modular carpet on a floor outside the scope of the guidelines in
this document will void all applicable warranties.
3. The Mohawk Group is not responsible for any product failure due to improper floor preparation
and/or installation procedures. The required adhesives are Moh awk Group’s family of adhesives.
4. When installing carpet tiles over raised access floor panels, start installation by overlapping the
access panel joints to prevent the seams of the tiles from lining up with the access panel joints.
Additionally, all access panels should be sou nd, level and edges firmly secured to the raised
flooring pedestals.
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Required Equipment
The following items may be purchased from a local carpet wo rkroom supplier:
Razor Blades Razor Knives
Straight Edge Chalk line
Mohawk Group’s Adhesives Scissors
Framing Square Floor Scraper
Cushion Back Cutter 75 lb. Roller or 100 lb. Roller
Tape Measure Portland Patching Compound
1/16” x 1/16” x 1/16” square notch trowel (Ecoflex AIR Cushion)
Heavy Duty Frame Paint Roller with 3/8” Nap Roller or a 1/16” x 1/32” x 1/32” U-notch
trowel (Ecoflex ICT and Ecoflex NXT)
Floor Priming
Concrete: Prime if floor is extremely porous or has excessive dust. Note: Any existing sealer
or primer must be tested for compatibility with Mohawk Group’s adhesives. Terrazzo, Marble,
Vinyl Tile (VAT or VCT), Linoleum and other smooth nonporous surfaces do not require priming.
Damp mop only, if patching is required on these areas, prime the patched areas if required by
patch manufacture.
NOTE: When non-asbestos containing cut-back or any incompatible adhesive is
present, existing adhesiv e has evidence of plasticizer migration, or EcoFlex ICT
(PVC) products are being installed, the existing adhesive must be properly
removed and Mohawk Group’s OptiSeal must be applied over the adhesiv e
residue. Chemical adhesive removers cannot be used to remove old existing
adhesives.
A bond test must be perfo rmed over concrete substrates with unidentified sealers or primers:
Adhere a small area of 2-3 feet of carpet and allow it to dry completely. Let it set for 24 hours.
If the adhesive is bonded tightly, proceed with installation.
Plywood Floors: Plywood Floors must be completely primed. Plywood substrates must be no
less than 3/4” thickness. Particleboard or thin plywood is not an acceptable substrate.
Site Layout
1. The starting point in a modular installation must be as near to the center of the room as
possible and must be positioned to utilize the largest perimeter cut module size.
2. Snap a chalk line pa rallel to one major wall bisecting th e starting point. It will be necessary
to offset the center chalk line to assure perimeter modules will be at least half size.
3. A second chalk line must be snapped from the starting point at 90° to the first line. This can
be accomplished using a 6-8-10, or larger triangle, depending on the room size. (See
below) Meters or feet will be used to lie out the triangle in these proportions. Framing
square can also be used.
10’ 6’
8’
Pallet and Box Sequencing
It is very important to install carpet tiles in the order they were manufactured. This is easily
accomplished by selecting pallets in sequential order.
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Adhesive Application
EnPress Adhesive Application
Ecoflex ICT requires EnPress PSA adhesive
Ecoflex NXT requires EnPress NXT adhesive
Ecoflex AIR either EnPress PSA or NXT adhesive
Other adhesives may not be compatible an d will void product warranties.
For Ecoflex ICT and Ecoflex NXT carpet tiles, apply the adhesive with a heavy -duty
frame paint roller with a 3/8” nap. A trowel can also be used (1/16”x1/32”x1/32” U
notch minimum) For Ecoflex AIR tiles, apply the adhesive with a 1/16 x 1/16 x 1/16
square notched trowel.
The adhesive must be applied in a FULL SPREAD – NOT grid.
Ensure the proper amount of adhesive is applied to the sub-floor. Prior to installation,
mark off a small area of the su b-floor and determine the adhesive spread rate. This
will allow you to determine the proper coverage level and amount of pressure to
apply to the roller during installation.
On smooth surfaces, be careful not to apply too little adhesive. Just because a
surface is sm ooth and/or sealed, it still requires a proper coating of adhesive.
Allow the adhesive to dry to a clear and tacky state. Tiles must be installed
immediately after adhesive has dried. To determined if the adhesive is dry, press
finger into adhesive. Whe n dry, adhesive must not transfer to finger.
For installations that involve both Ecoflex ICT and Ecoflex NXT tiles use EnPress PSA
adhesive. Roll the adhesive on under the PVC tile and trowel the adhesive under the
NXT tile. If that isn’t practical, toweling the adhesive for all tiles is acceptable. Use a
1/16”x1/32”x1/32” U notch trowel.
Set-up tim e is approximately 45 to 90 minutes depending on the climate and humidity.
Spread Method
Ecoflex AIR Cushion Tiles 1/16x1/16x1/16 Square notch
Ecoflex ICT Tiles 3/8” Roller or 1/16”x1/32”x1/32”
Ecoflex NXT Tile s 3/8” Roller or 1/16”x1/32”x1/32”
1/16”x1/16”x1/16” square notched trowel
(Ecoflex AIR Cushion Tile) 16 - 22 square yards per gallon
3/8” Nap Roller Approximately 35 - 40 square yards per gallon
1/16”x1/32”x1/32” 25 - 30 square yards per gallon
(Ecoflex ICT and Ecoflex NXT)
Spread Rate
Adhesive
Ecoflex AIR Cushion Tiles EnPr ess PSA or EnPress NXT
Ecoflex ICT Tiles EnPr ess PSA
Ecoflex NXT Tile s EnPres s NXT
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Tile Installation Methods
Before you begin the installation consult product specification to determine which installation
format(s) are approved. Shown below are some common installation formats.
Monolithic Quarter-Turn
Brick Ashlar, 3-Step 8-Inch Offset
Vertical Ashlar, 3-Step 8-Inch Offset
Ashlar Formats
In the Ashlar installation formats, each row of
carpet tiles is shifted 8 inches, either in a brick
format or vertically (see diagrams to the left). This
is a three-step process, i.e. each successive row of
tiles must be offset one-third the length of the tile. It
is not acceptable to shift the tiles only one-half the
length of the tiles (two-step process). This
installation method maintains the random
appearance of the carpet tiles, eliminating line-online or dark-on-dark effects that can create a
skewed look in the finished installation.
Please Note: Carpet tile products installed in the
Ashlar format will not have the same finished
appearance as the same product in a broadloom
(12’ width).
Multi-Directional
Multi-Directional Format (Follow No Order)
Tiles are to be placed without being concerned
with the arrow direction (random). Mixing tiles
from various boxes during installation will further
blend color and design elements. This process is
essential for achieving optimal aesthetics.
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Chalk line 1
Chalk line 2
Starting Point
Tile Installation
Make sure to inspect Mohawk Group’s tiles for dye lot, style, quality and shipping damage
prior to installation. Do not install any product that has visible problems. For concerns,
please contact Technical Services at 800-833-6954.
1. Start from the intersection point in the center of the
floor. Install the tiles in one quadrant using the
chalk lines as guidelines. Fill in the area in
between the two chalk lines using the stair step
method.
2. Continue to install tiles in a stair step or pyramid
pattern, starting at the center point. Check to
ensure tiles are properly aligned at edges during
the installation. (See figure to right).
3. Fit the tiles together by sliding them together, being
careful not to trap face yarns between or under the edges
of the ti le. Press or roll the tiles into the adhesive.
IMPORTANT: When installing Ecoflex NXT tiles, the 10 tile measurement must be
between 240 3/16” to 240 7/16”. As the tile is placed into position , start with a lower corner
and press the tile into place in an upward motion with the palm of the hand. The entire tile
must be pressed with the installers’ palm. Do not try to put both corner s down at the same
time. Do not jam or force the tiles too tightly.
When installing Ecoflex ICT tiles, the 10 tile measurement must be between 240 – 240 1/4”.
As the tile is placed into position, slightly apply pressure making sure the seams are tightly
joined together.
Please Note: Tiles that are trimmed against the walls, baseboards, columns, etc. must be
cut flush, but not too tight where they are forced into position. Ensure that the adhesive
spread is within 1/2” of walls and other obstructions.
4. All carpet tiles must be rolled with a 75 lb. or 100 lb. roller.
5. Use a seam roller to blend and enhance the seams. The loop pile modules will have som e
yarn blossoming at the edges. The face yarn will require occasional trimming.
Cutting Border Tiles
Cuts are made from the back. Install border tiles by placing the tile face down exactly on top of
the last row of field tiles, keeping the arr ows pointed in the same directions. This will be your
cut tile. Using another tile, butt it against the wall allowing it to lie on top of the tile that is to be
cut. Using this tile as a reference tile, score a line on the back of the tile that is to be cut. Cut
the tile along the reference line being careful not to cut through th e installed tile below. Install
the cut tile with the cut edge along the wall. Use this same technique at doorways and other
objects that must be cut around. The NXT tile must have the backing cut slightly shorter by
cutting the backing at a slight angle. A transition strip must be used to protect any exposed
edges.
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Stairs
Modular Tiles Are NOT Recommended For Stairs
Chair Pads
Chair pads are not required, but are recommended for use under chairs with roller casters.
Casters must be the flat round type with 5/8” to 1” width minimum. If chair pads are not used,
the appearance of the carpet tile will decrease. Maintenance and/or shifting of the modular tiles
will be required more frequently when pads are not used.
Replacement Tiles
Occasionally, it will be necessary to replace damaged or heavily soiled tiles. Tiles can be
replaced with on site inventory or from another area of the installation. A difference of
appearance will be noticed when the tile is rep laced, however, this difference usually
diminishes in a short time.
Please Note: The use of Mohawk Group’s branded adhesives are required to ensu re optimum
results and are the only approved adhesives that the Mohawk Group will warrant. Failure to use
our branded adhesives can result in warranties being null and void.
This information, offered as a customer service, is based on Mohawk Group's engineering tests
and field experience. It is intended for installers with professional experience to be used at their
discretion and risk. The Mohawk Group does not guarantee results and assumes no liability in
connection with these installation instructions.
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