MAINTENANCE FOR HARDWOOD & LAMINATE FLOORING

1. Regular maintenance of non-commercial installations involves simply sweeping, dry buffing or vacuuming the floor, along with spot wiping stubborn dirty spots using an approved soap-free wood floor cleaner (preferably PH neutral for wood floors). Very occasionally the floor may be mopped with a fully wrung-out very lightly damp mop & an approved floor cleaner (eg. BONA FLOOR CLEANERS). These measures reduce loose dirt or grit from scratching your floor’s wear surface. Ink & other stains can be removed by spot wiping with acetone (nail polish remover) & a cotton cloth. Commercial locations require a more regular maintenance routine, which varies with the amount of foot traffic. Dougall Flooring offers cleaning & maintenance products including a BONA SPRAY MOP. This is the best cleaning/maintenance product for hardwood, laminate & tile flooring because it introduces minimal moisture to wood by spraying a light mist of cleaning solution in front of the mop. Standard mops (or cloth) must be thoroughly wrung out. Never introduce excessive amounts of water on your wood floor. A BONA DUSTING PAD should be used to remove dirt/debris before using the Bona Spray Mop. Never use scouring substances, abrasive cleaners, waxes or any unapproved floor polishes (especially self-shining) on your wood floor. The use of floor waxes and polishes hinder the successful application of more top coats of polyurethane in the future if needed. Waxes & polishes will need to be thoroughly removed either with a specially designed floor polish remover / cleaning agent, or the finish must be fully sanded off prior to the application of a new coat of polyurethane varnish – otherwise the new varnish will not adhere successfully.

2. Use FLOORTEX entrance & chair mats (sold by Dougall Flooring). Entrance mats remove dirt from shoes & chair mats protect the floor from scratches from desk chairs. Round Floortex mats should be placed under planter pots to protect from water damage. High traffic areas should have protective floor mats or rugs.

3. FELT PADS (sold by Dougall Flooring) must be affixed to the bottom of all furniture legs. Movable furniture must be fitted with wide rubber rollers. Be very mindful to cover any sharp edges (especially metal) as these will cause maximum damage. Never drag furniture.

4. Wet spills must be removed immediately to avoid liquid penetrating into the seams of the floor.

5. Use caution when moving large appliances such as refrigerators etc. & remember not to drag!.

6. It is normal for seasonal weather changes in humidity (or air conditioning) to cause gaps or ripples to occur at the seams of wood flooring.

INSTALLATION FOR “UNFINISHED” HARDWOOD FLOORING & FINISHED LAMINATE FLOORING.

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Dougall Flooring Ltd., 21 Ardenne Road, Kingston 10                                        INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS                                     October 2018 MAINTENANCE OF HARDWOOD & LAMINATE FLOORING 1) Maintenance of wood/laminate flooring involves regular sweeping, dry buffing or vacuuming the floor, along with spot wiping stubborn dirty spots using an approved soap-free wood floor cleaner (preferably PH neutral). Very occasionally the floor may be mopped with a fully wrung-out very lightly damp mop & an approved floor cleaner (eg. BONA FLOOR CLEANERS). These measures reduce dirt that scratch the floor finish. Ink & other stains can be removed by spot wiping with acetone (or nail polish remover) & a cotton cloth. Commercial locations require more regular maintenance. Try to avoid / reduce moisture. Dougall Flooring offers cleaning & maintenance products including the BONA SPRAY MOP. This is perfect for hardwood, vinyl, laminate & tile flooring because it introduces minimal moisture. Instead it sprays a light mist of cleaning solution in front of the mop. Standard mops are dangerous because they must be thoroughly wrung out. Never introduce excessive amounts of water on your wood floor. A DUSTING PAD (eg. from BONA) should be used to remove dirt/debris before using a spray mop. Avoid scouring substances, abrasive cleaners, waxes or floor polishes (especially self-shining) on your wood floor. It is best to avoid floor waxes and polishes which will hinder the successful application of future top coats of polyurethane. Waxes & polishes will need to be thoroughly removed either with specially designed floor polish removers / cleaning agents, or the finish will need to be completely removed (sanded off). 2) Use entrance mats to remove dirt from shoes & chair mats to protect floors from chairs. Mats should be placed under planter pots to protect wood from water damage. Floor mats or rugs could be used in high traffic areas for added protection. 3) FELT PADS (also sold by Dougall) must be affixed to the bottom of all furniture. Movable furniture should be fitted with wide rubber rollers. Be mindful to cover sharp edges (especially metal and hard plastic) as these will cause scratch damage. Never drag furniture. 4) Wet spills should be removed immediately to avoid liquid penetrating into the seams of the floor. 5) Use extreme caution when moving large appliances such as refrigerators. 6) It is normal for seasonal changes in humidity (or air conditioning) to cause some gaps or ripples to occur at the seams of wood flooring.

INSTALLING “UNFINISHED” HARDWOOD FLOORING & LAMINATE FLOORING: Hardardwood wood & Laminate Flooring must be installed in a dry place. The moisture content of the sub-floor, especially a concrete sub-floor must be in equilibrium with the moisture content of the atmosphere around it. Equilibrium can be tested by taping down pieces of clear plastic sheeting approx. 2ft x 2ft at several locations on the sub-floor & not removing them for two weeks. Use strong duck tape on all sides. If the moisture content is suitable, no condensation will appear under the plastic & no change will occur in the colour of the sub-floor (concrete) under the plastic. Only under these moisture equilibrium conditions can wood flooring be installed on the sub-floor. A wood floor must be protected from rain, from high atmospheric moisture and from ground water under the sub-floor. The sub-floor must be flat to within 3mm (1/8”) in 3 metres (10’). A minimum 16mm (5/8”) gap must be left between the floor & all walls / vertical objects to allow for expansion. The amount of expansion (or contraction) is difficult to determine, so it is recommended to install skirting two weeks after the floor is installed so the floor can be cut back (if necessary). All wood should be acclimatized to its new environment prior to installation. A minimum two weeks is recommended but longer is preferred. Wide flooring (eg. 5”) will expand and contract more than narrow flooring (eg. 2 ¼”) and so may need more time. Stack bundles of flooring in its new room and allow air flow on all sides. For Laminate flooring, remove the packaging and allow at least 72 hours prior to installation. The installer and customer are responsible for final grading during installation. Defective pieces including pieces with sapwood should not be installed. Installers are also responsible to select colour, grain, and lengths to satisfy individual customer preferences. Any flooring deemed unsuitable or undesirable should not be laid & instead returned. Hardwood flooring is sold in a mix of lengths usually. Excess flooring must be returned in full bundles.

1. It is the responsibility of the installer to ensure that each piece is properly & neatly installed before installing the next piece, as it is usually difficult to go back & correct defective or incorrectly installed pieces. Customers / installers must discuss the direction of the floor with each other before installation begins (usually the grain of the wood runs straight ahead when viewed from the entrance to the main room). When preparing a new concrete floor on ground level, a plastic moisture barrier must be installed between the “fill” (the earth) & the concrete subfloor itself. It is necessary to place another plastic moisture barrier on top of the concrete subfloor. This second layer is between the concrete subfloor and the pine sub-frame. This is especially important for new construction (see next section for details).
2. HARDWOOD FLOORING must be installed only after sheets of 6 mil construction plastic are laid on a level concrete floor. A 15cm / 6” overlap should be used and the edges taped down. This will create a moisture barrier. The next step is to nail down dressed 1” x 3” treated pine laths (3/4” x 2 ¾”) onto the concrete floor to create a pine sub-frame. The pine should be dry. Concrete nails and screws should be used. Nail through the wood and moisture barrier. Maximum spacing of 75mm – 100mm (3” – 4”) edge-to-edge should be used for the pine frame. Less space is always better. Use a maximum 75MM (3”) spacing for ALL 15mm (5/8”) thick flooring and ALL flooring with short average lengths (for example ALL 1ft or 1ft to 2ft flooring). Closer spacing is necessary to provide sufficient joint support, especially for short pieces! Closer spacing reduces movement and squeaking due to greater support and more fasteners per square foot. A layer of 6.8 kg (15lb) roofing felt MUST be used on the pine sub-frame (under the hardwood) to reduce squeaking. Nail the hardwood floor into the sub-frame through the tongue using a specialized floor nail gun and “secret” flooring nails. A PVA GLUE should be applied on the ends of all flooring in the groove side. Adding glue increases strength and reduces squeaking. After laying is complete, allow as much time as possible before sanding & finishing to permit the wood floor to adjust (acclimatize) to its environment. The necessary amount of time will vary with wood specie, the location & environment. We recommend a minimum two weeks, but longer is better. Dougall Flooring offers water based and oil based floor finishes. GORI 51 (water based) is recommended because it is durable. The floor should be sanded by a professional installer using specialized wood floor sanding machines. All finishes & stains should be applied by a professional installer with adequate experience. BONA MIX & FILL grout is an elastic joint filler recommended for grouting all hardwood floors before the finish is applied. If staining is desired, use BONA FLOOR STAINS (oil based) and always ensure the floor finish is compatible with the stain. Check with the manufacturers for compatibility. Follow manufacturer instructions carefully and always do a physical test area before the entire floor. The correct amount of stain should be applied and allowed to dry properly. Follow strict drying times carefully and test before applying the varnish.
3. LAMINATE FLOORING must be installed on top of an approved underlayment (usually 2mm thick foam) and plastic moisture barrier. Start against one wall, and lay the floor outwards using standard chalk lines to ensure squareness. The subfloor must be level and dry and adequate spacing left around all edges/verticals on the floor.
4. ORDERED QUANTITIES:- The amount of materials purchased is the sole responsibility of the installer & customer. Sufficient due diligence must be done by both parties to determine the materials needed before work begins. All customers must endeavour to understand the installation process. Estimated quantities on quotes are only a starting point & must be verified by the installer & customer. Returns must be in full packs, in good condition & will be subject to a 10% restocking fee.
5. INSTALLER DISCLAIMER: Other than under exceptional circumstances with commitments given in writing, Dougall Flooring does not install any type of flooring. Dougall Flooring earns no money from installation, & therefore does not warrantee the installation of any of its floor products. Customers often do not know who is in the business of installing flooring and therefore rely on Dougall Flooring to link them with a person or persons who offer this service. When this is done, it is a free service offered by Dougall Flooring and does not constitute any form of warrantee or recommendation. Dougall Flooring usually links customers with one person offering installation services as experience tells us that this is the wish of most customers. However, customers are encouraged to independently seek out persons in the installation business, and/or to ask Dougall Flooring for a list of persons/companies in this business, and interview and get quotes from several of them. Our experience is that customers often do not want to take the time to exercise normal commercial due diligence when selecting an installer, but we encourage customers to do so. As many persons involved in installation do not have offices, fax machines, or computers, Dougall Flooring offers free services to both its Customers and Installers by often assisting installers with the preparation, typing & emailing or faxing of their installation quotations, & often provides a location for customers to collect quotations and leave payment for the installers to collect. Installers often visit our showroom. If a customer meets an installer in our showroom, this does not constitute a recommendation or referral from Dougall Flooring. We emphasize that Dougall Flooring is not involved in installation, & does not warrantee the work done by any installer, no matter how an installer was identified or selected, and no matter what free services Dougall Flooring offered to assist either the Customer or the Installer.
6. TERMITE DISCLAIMER: When Dougall Flooring purchases hardwood lumber from which we manufacture hardwood flooring, or when we purchase finished hardwood or laminate flooring, we do not receive a Termite Guarantee from our suppliers. All products are untreated and we are not aware of any High Density Hardwood or Laminate Flooring available anywhere in the world is treated for termites. Hardwoods are generally too dense to treat (impregnate) so we try to purchase hardwoods with as much natural resistance to termites as possible. However, our hardwoods must meet other criteria such as colour, attractive grain structure, stability, availability, and price. The balance between all these criteria is difficult to achieve in spite of our considerable efforts. Consequently, when we sell hardwood & laminate flooring we do not sell them with a Termite Guarantee, & neither to the best of our knowledge does any other company in the world. We do purchase several hardwoods that are described as being Highly Resistant to Termites. Some of our woods have never been eaten by termites to the best of our knowledge. For most of the hardwoods we sell, we have the benefit of many years of experience and/or studies on their termite resistance. Any member of the Dougall family listed below would be pleased to share this knowledge, which we require that you request in writing to avoid the risk of misunderstanding. Generally, upper floors are less susceptible to termites than ground floors. Laminate flooring is not termite proof, but our experience is that it is not readily eaten by termites. Skirting for laminate flooring is more susceptible to termites as it is made from Medium Density Fibreboard whereas laminate flooring is usually made from High Density Fibreboard.

“Unfinished” hardwood flooring means: hardwood flooring that does not have a finish at the time of laying (installation). The finish is applied after laying by the installer. “Unfinished” hardwood flooring displayed in our showroom(s) or shown to customers usually has a “finish”. This “finish” is therefore only to show customers the grain of the wood. It is not designed to show customers the exact look and gloss level of the finish that will be on the floor after it is finished by the installer (there are many options). The desired look and gloss level of the finished floor must be discussed with the installer before the finish is applied and it is recommended to do samples where there is uncertainty.

It is very difficult for us to control the accuracy of information given to customers by each and every person in the Dougall Flooring organization. Therefore, the only persons authorized to give any official information pertaining to Dougall Flooring Limited and its products are Anna, Jonathan, Anthony & Alex Dougall. To avoid misunderstandings, conversations will not be considered official unless they are confirmed in writing by one of the above persons.