INSPECTION:  Carefully inspect all material before installation.  Any material installed with obvious defects will not be warranted.

GENERAL CONDITIONS:  Temperature and humidity must be brought to  normal usage levels at least 72 hours before installation and maintained at those levels after installation.  Flooring should be allowed to acclimatize on site for as long as possible before installation.

APPLICATIONS:   May be nailed or glued down over wood sub-floors or glued directly to concrete sub-floors on, above or below grade surfaces.  May also be floated over a foam pad such as PEVA foam or equal, approximately 1/8" thick, with our 72" x 6 3/8" boards.

SUB-FLOORS:  Surface must be clean, dry, smooth and free of dirt, wax, oil, paint, curing agents and other contaminants that would interfere with an adhesive bonding.  Old resilient floors can be installed over, provided above conditions apply.  Wood sub-floor joints must be sanded level prior to new installation.  Concrete sub-floors must have all cracks and holes filled with a cementitious patching material.

NAILED DOWN:  Planks should be started square with the room and parallel to its longest dimension by positioning with a chalk line, leaving 1/4" expansion joint from the base plate or wall.  Make sure that starter rows are firmly in place by wedging or face nailing. Once initial rows are secure, second and further courses should be blind nailed directly above the tongue at a 45 to 50 degree angle to the face.  Fasteners should be spaced at 10 to 12 inch intervals with a minimum of 2 fasteners  per piece.  NOTE:  HG will not guarantee flooring installed by nailing over or onto particleboard, (OSB is the exception).    

GLUED DOWN:  Where possible moisture conditions may exist now or in the future, use a moisture barrier wood flooring adhesive like "Bostik's BST" or "Franklin 811 Plus".  Spread with a 1/4" x 1/4" square notched trowel.  Planks should be started square with the room and parallel to its longest dimension by positioning with a chalk line, leaving 1/4" expansion space from the base plate or wall.  Make sure that starter rows are firmly in place by a wedge or spacer.  Once initial rows are secure, use adhesive in a "Wet-Lay" method of installation.  Remove spacers once the job is complete.

WET-LAY METHOD:  Apply adhesive to substrate with a suitable trowel.  Immediately place flooring onto "wet" adhesive.  Use a releasable tape to hold boards together until glue is set, (generally 1 1/2 to 4 hours depending on humidity).  This will keep the boards tight to avoid cracks.

MOISTURE:  While bamboo flooring is much more stable than most wood, it is still subject to damage when in direct contact with a constantly wet slab. The bamboo must be isolated from this type of slab by use of a reverse vinyl, sleeper sub-floor or a floating system over a non-absorbent pad such as PEVA foam.  Urethane adhesive may fail when vapor pressure exceeds 3 pounds per square foot in 24 hours and therefore bamboo flooring cannot be glued down under those conditions.  Check urethane manufacturer directions and warranty for details.

NOTE:  In extremely dry climates, care should be taken to avoid shrinkage by allowing flooring to acclimatize under actual use conditions.  Remove the planks from the box and expose to local conditions for several days.  Maintain the moisture in that location as you would on any wood floors with a humidifier.  Keep humidity no less than 30%.