MOISTURE
TEST
It is essential that moisture tests be taken on all concrete and wood
floors regardless of the age or grade level. Concrete should be tested
with a minimum of three tests for the first 1,000 square ft. The test
should be conduced according to ASTM F1869-98.One test should be conducted
for every 1,000 sq. ft. of flooring. The test should be conducted
around the perimeter of the room, at columns and where moisture may
be evident. The moisture emission from the concrete shall not exceed
5.0 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. in 24 hrs. Wood should be tested with a
digital moisture meter and should have a content not lower than 5%
and not higher than 10%. If your results exceed these limits, please
contact Stagestep Inc. for more information. It is not the floor installer’s
responsibility to conduct the test. It is, however, the floor covering
installer’s responsibility to make sure these tests have been
conducted with proper results prior to installing the floor covering.
When
moisture tests are conducted, it only indicates the conditions at
the time of the test. The flooring contractor cannot be held responsible
if moisture is present in the future and causes a failure.
JOB CONDITIONS
The installation of flooring should not begin until the work of
all other trades has been completed, especially overhead trades.
Areas
to receive flooring shall be clean, fully enclosed, weather-tight
with the permanent HVAC set at a uniform temperature of at least
68ºF. The flooring material should be conditioned in the same
manner. Maximum temperature should not exceed 100ºF after installation.
Areas
to receive flooring shall be adequately lighted to allow for proper
inspection of the substrate, installation and seaming of the flooring,
and final inspection. NOTE: Conducting a moisture test prior to
having a controlled environment may change drastically once a controlled
environment is established. This could result in an installation
failure due to created temperature inversions in the interior environment.
MATERIAL STORAGE AND HANDLING INSPECTION
OF MATERIAL
Material should be delivered to the job site in its original unopened
packaging with all labels intact.
Store
all rolls vertically, labels up.
Material
should be stored in areas that are fully enclosed, weather-tight
with the permanent HVAC system set at a uniform temperature of at
least 68ºF for 72 hrs. prior to, during and after installation.
Material
should always be stored and transported rolled face out on a heavy
tube. Material should always be visually inspected prior to installation.
No labor cost will be covered on claims based on visual defects
that could have been seen prior to installation.
COLOR MATCHING
When more than one roll of a color is being installed, all material
should be from the same batch and the rolls must be installed in
consecutive order. If material from more than one batch is to be
used, the job should be laid out so that different batch numbers
are not installed side by side.
When
installing Stagestep vinyl, all sheets must be installed running
in the same direction.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For more extensive guidelines and stances of the mentioned topics,
Stagestep would encourage you to contact the following associations:
•
APA - -American Plywood Association -- 253-565-6600
• ACI -- American Concrete Institute --
248-848-3700
• PCA -- Portland Cement Association --
800-868-6733
• RFCI -- Resilient Floor Covering Institute
-- 301-340-8580
• ASTM -- American Society for Testing
and Materials - -610-832-9500
|
