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When you have questions regarding installation of hardwood flooring and you are looking for guidelines on installation, go to the National Wood Flooring Association’s Hardwood Flooring Installation Guide for general instructions. You can visit them online at www.woodfloors.org.

Inspection of any hardwood flooring as to the product’s size, color and overall quality falls to the installer. The installer should inspect the flooring for moisture content with a reliable moisture meter that will calculate each specie. He should also inspect for average length and grade before starting the installation. Any concerns the owner may have with the flooring should be discussed prior to the installation.

 The installer should prepare the site as follows:

• Clean the floor of all debris.
• Make sure the sub-floor material is dry and level at all joints.
• Flooring needs to acclimate to the climate in which the home will be lived in. We recommend the heating and A/C be installed before installation and to spread the flooring throughout the house for a minimum of two (2) weeks. If the job site isn’t ready to receive the flooring, keep the flooring covered with plastic in a dry environment.

Travis Creek Wood Products will not be liable for installation issues. Broken tongs and grooves from using the wrong mallet or hammer, and pressure points or pre-finished flooring from using the wrong mallet can create damage to the
pre-finish. Flooring with bumps in the floor where the mallet has pushed up the compressed wood and finish can also create damage. Inappropriate air pressure settings or pneumatic fastening machines can do the same.

Always test your settings and finishes before installation. A professional flooring installer always has a few homes for you to view their work. Be sure to take the time to see what you are getting for your dollar.

When nailing solid pre-finished and unfinished flooring in both ½ and ¾ hardwoods, we recommend that all pieces are nailed approximately 2” to 3” from each end and a minimum interval of 8” to 9”.  There is no warranty on any tong and groove product that is nailed or screwed in an exterior environment.  Decks, sunrooms, porches, tong and grooved flooring is for interior use only.

Most Important:
Installer/Owner has final inspection responsibility as to grade, manufacturing and factory finish (pre-finished). Reasonable criteria must be applied when holding out or culling of pieces with defects.

Flooring Disclaimer:
Natural characteristics pertaining to each specie are not considered a defect in that particular specie. To identify these natural characteristics per specie, contact the National Hardwood Lumber Association in Memphis, TN (901-377-1818) and purchase a current issue of rules for the measuring and inspection of hardwood and cypress. This booklet explains the natural characteristics involved in each specie. Samples handed out or mailed may look different than those in pictures or on actual job sites due to oxidation from UV rays. In other words, variation in color is not a defect or covered under our warranty.

The warranties on flooring will be voided due to the following conditions:

• Improper storage, handling or installation of flooring (including improper installation of joists and sub-floor or improper surface preparation.). Improper storage will range from lack of maintenance, neglect, abnormal use or misuse, negligence, application of solvents, corrosives or other chemicals to the flooring, color change, fading or damage due to exposure to the sun, excessive pivot and point-loads, spike-heeled shoes, unpadded furniture feet, water, damage from sand, pebbles or other abrasives or other unintended uses
• Insect infestation after shipment from the point of origin
• Stains and finishes
• Improper alterations of original manufactured product
• Moisture problems (including sub-floor moisture, leaks, rain, wet mopping, etc.), excessive dryness or heat
• Settlement or movement of the structure to which the flooring is attached
• Natural events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and floods
• Variations in color, grain and markings that exist in the flooring when new or that develop over time because of varying exposure to sunlight or UV light
• Installation over radiant floor heating with a surface temperature in excess of 85° F
• Installation of flooring with visible defects

This warranty extends to the buyer, to the owner of the first structure in which the flooring is installed and to all subsequent owners of the structure during the warranty period.