Armstrong Do-It-Yourself Sheet Flooring Installation System
Guaranteed Installation Guide
OUR 'GOOF-PROOF' GUARANTEE
Guidelines
1.
2.
3.
Purchase Armstrong Do-It-Yourself 12' wide sheet flooring.
Purchase an Armstrong Guaranteed Installation Kit, and follow all recommended installation procedures
in the Installation Guide. The Guaranteed Installation Kit must be purchased at the same store as the
flooring or the Do-It-Yourself Guarantee is invalid.
If you make a mistake and miscut or damage the new flooring (i.e., incorrectly tracing the outline of your
room onto the new flooring, miscutting the material, or damaging the floor when fitting it into your room),
return both the flooring and used kit, with your paper pattern, to the place of purchase within 30 DAYS
along with the original dated sales receipts.
If you meet these guidelines, the retailer will replace the floor (maximum 26 square yards) with another floor
of the same design, color, and dimensions as the original floor and give you a new Guaranteed Installation
Kit - FREE.
NOTE: The Do-It-Yourself Guarantee does not cover any other type of damage, misuse, or improper
installation due to improper adhesive or subfloor conditions. Limit of one free replacement floor per
customer.
WHAT'S IN YOUR KIT
Your Installation Kit includes 26 square yards of pattern paper, a serrated trowel/spreader, a layout transfer
guide with trimming blade and a special tracing tool that can be used with both adhesive-based and taped
installations.
What you'll need that's not in your kit:
Essentials
•
•
Pen
Masking Tape
Depending on the type of flooring you've selected, the size of your room and what you're installing over, you
may also need the following tools and supplies:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ruler or Tape Measure
Carpenter's Square
Saw
Scissors
Utility Knife
Hammer
Metal Straightedge
Screwdriver
Putty Knife
Short-nap Paint Roller
Rolling Pin
Sanding Block #6 and Medium Grit Sandpaper
S-564 or S-595 Armstrong Seam Coating Kit
You won't be using most of these materials to actually install your new flooring, but to prepare the subfloor
that's already in place. A "subfloor" is the surface you're going to be covering. It could be concrete/ceramic,
plywood or even old vinyl flooring.
ABOUT SUBFLOORS
If you have a plywood or concrete/ceramic subfloor, you'll also need:
•
Armstrong S-194 Patch, Underlayment and Embossing Leveler for patching or for filling and
leveling textured surfaces.
•
Armstrong S-185 Latex Primer - creates a better bond over concrete or wood subfloors for
installations that require adhesives.
If you're installing over an old vinyl floor, you'll need:
•
Armstrong New Beginning Floor Stripper & Cleaner - removes dirt and wax build-up for better
adhesion.
•
Armstrong S-199 Embossing Leveler - fills and levels the embossing on the old vinyl.
No matter what type of subfloor you're about to cover, there are a few basic steps you need to take
in order to get your floor ready for its "facelift".
•
Old vinyl subfloor - the vinyl must be noncushion-backed and firmly bonded. Check for loose
vinyl, gapped seams, tears, gouges, etc. Remove any dirt or wax build-up and trowel on
Embossing leveler to create a smooth surface. Lightly sand rough areas of Leveler as needed.
•
Plywood subfloor - the plywood should be APA Underlayment Grade (fully sanded, veneer faced).
Check for loose panels, gapped joints, knots, nail holes or other damage. If needed, trowel on
underlayment and sand ridges or high spots. Roll on Armstrong primer (unless you are installing
Sundial or Sentinel flooring which is installed with Glass-Tac tape or, Bracton Ultra, Ashton,
Premier, or Kempton flooring which are installed with Vinyl Flooring Tape instead of adhesive).
•
Concrete or ceramic subfloor - Make sure the subfloor is clean and dry. Check for cracks,
scaling and other damage. Existing tiles should be firmly bonded and porous. Patch, level, sand
and prime, as you would with a plywood subfloor.
WARNING!
Removing Existing Flooring
REMOVING AN ENTIRE EXISTING RESILIENT VINYL TILE OR SHEET FLOOR IS DIFFICULT AND
TIME-CONSUMING. DO IT ONLY IF ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
It's often easier to cover existing flooring completely with a new underlayment. Use approved underlayment
grade plywood or Armstrong S-199 Embossing Leveler.
WARNING! If you must remove an existing sheet vinyl floor, any part or all of a tile floor, and the residual
adhesive, refer to the Tip Sheet F-7151 Recommended Work Practices for Removal of Resilient Floor
Coverings included in the Guaranteed Installation Kit or ask your flooring retailer for advice.
Regulations affecting the removal of resilient floors containing asbestos
Various government agencies regulate removal of in-place asbestos-containing materials. If you plan to
remove a resilient floor covering that contains (or is assumed to contain) asbestos, you should determine
whether such regulations apply.
WARNING! Do not sand, dry scrape, beadblast, or mechanically pulverize existing resilient flooring,
backing, lining felt.
These products may contain either asbestos fibers or crystalline silica. Possible cancer and respiratory tract
hazard by inhalation. Avoid creating dust. Smoking by individuals who have been exposed to asbestos
fibers greatly increases the risk of serious bodily harm. Armstrong's Recommended Work Practices for
Removal of Resilient Floor Coverings are a defined set of instructions addressed to the task of removing all
resilient floor covering structures.
Asbestos-containing asphaltic "cutback" adhesive
Some in-place asphaltic adhesives may contain asbestos fibers that are not readily identifiable. In the
removal of asphaltic "cutback" adhesives, do not use power devices which can create dust. The inhalation
of asbestos dust may cause asbestosis or other serious bodily harm. Assume that all in-place asphaltic
"cutback" adhesives contain asbestos.
SUBFLOORS THAT DON'T MAKE THE GRADE
Armstrong vinyl flooring can be installed over most types of floors, but we do not recommend
installing over:
•
•
•
•
•
Carpet
Cushioned-vinyl Tile
Strip Wood or Plank
Particleboard or Waferboard
Single-layer STURD-I-Floor Panels
ADHESIVES OR TAPE
Most Armstrong vinyl sheet floors are installed by using an adhesive, such as Armstrong S-235
Residential Sheet Flooring Adhesive. But there are two exceptions.
If you are installing an Armstrong Sundial or Sentinel floor you'll be using Glass-Tac tape, or installing an
Armstrong Bracton Ultra, Ashton, Premier, or Kempton floor, you'll be using Vinyl Flooring Tape, instead of
adhesive.
Either way, the steps mentioned earlier concerning subfloor preparation still apply. Sundial, Sentinel,
Bracton Ultra, Ashton, Premier or Kempton installation instructions to follow.
GETTING YOUR NEW FLOOR READY
We've already discussed the steps you need to take to get your subfloor ready. Now let's see what
your new floor needs to look and perform its best.
•
First, always keep your new vinyl sheet flooring rolled, design side out, until you're ready to work
with it.
•
Keep an eye on your thermostat! Both the flooring and the room itself should be at a minimum of
65ºF for the 48 hours preceding installation, during installation and for 48 hours after installation.
(Just like people, vinyl floors don't function as well in rooms that get colder than 55ºF.)
•
Just prior to installation, lay the flooring out flat, so it can "relax".
TIP
Here's a time-saving tip: The pattern paper in your Installation Kit will be easier to
work with if it's unrolled the day before you use it. Reverse roll the paper, then allow it
to lie flat, preferably overnight.
PREPARING THE ROOM ITSELF
•
It may seem like an unnecessary step, but installation is quicker (and neater) if you can fit the new
flooring under existing moldings and base trims. You can use a thin screwdriver and a wide putty
knife to remove quarter-round baseboard moldings, doorway moldings, etc.
•
Remove doors for easier access to door trim. Where possible, cut out the bottom of doorway
moldings so the new flooring can slip underneath. This can be done with a carpenter's saw held
flat.
•
Finally, remove all furniture and portable appliances.
USING YOUR INSTALLATION KIT
Make a Paper Pattern
This is where your new floor actually begins to take shape!
•
Starting in one corner, place the first sheet of pattern paper flat on the floor, 1/4" to 1/2" away from
the walls.
•
Overlap adjoining pieces of paper, taping along the edges. Keep the paper smooth and flat as you
go along.
•
Tape smaller pieces together to "fill in" small areas.
TIP
* A great tip - to keep paper from shifting and moving around, cut small triangular
holes in the paper and tape over the holes, through to the exposed subfloor.
•
When you encounter pipes, radiator legs or other obstacles, simply cut the paper to slip around the
object and cut out an exact opening around the object.
•
If you have sawn out the bottom of doorway moldings, slide the pattern paper under the molding
and cut to fit. If the moldings have not been sawed out, press the paper into the crease where the
molding meets the floor.
Ready, Set, Trace!
•
Your tracing tool has two pieces - a disk and a ring. If you are installing a Sundial, Sentinel,
Bracton, Ashton, Premier or Kempton floor, use both the ring and tracing disk to allow for more
expansion and contraction. For all other floors, "pop out" and use the tracing disk, discarding the
outer ring, which says "GLASS FLOORS ONLY".
•
Insert a ballpoint pen into the tapered hole of the tracing disk and place the disk against a wall.
•
Slide or roll the disk along the walls, tracing the room's outline onto the paper. Keep the paper flat
while tracing and don't let the disk slip under irregular walls.
•
If you do encounter irregular walls (brick, stone, etc.), insert the ballpoint through the small hole in
your kit's transfer guide (glass or all other floors). With the pointed end of the transfer guide
touching the wall, move the guide to trace the outline. For accuracy, keep the guide perpendicular
to the wall's surface as you move. You are creating the "layout line".
•
Trace the edges of doorway moldings on the pattern.
•
For pipes, radiator legs, etc., double-check to make sure the area you cut out on the pattern fits
around the object. Make a note on the pattern, identifying the object.
•
When finished, removed the tape you used to hold the pattern in place to the subfloor and loosely
roll up the pattern.
Transferring the Pattern
•
Unroll your new flooring (design side up), then place your unrolled paper pattern on top. If your
new flooring has a distinct pattern, shift the paper so that the layout line for the most "noticeable"
wall runs parallel with the flooring's pattern. Secure the paper pattern with tape using the triangular
holes you previously cut.
TIP
To prevent distortion, don't unroll Sundial, Sentinel, Bracton, Ashton, Premier or
Kempton floors on carpeting or other soft surfaces.
•
Position the transfer guide from your kit, keeping one edge on the paper's layout line and the other
edge on the flooring.
•
Draw alongside the transfer guide with your pen until the room's entire outline has been reproduced
on the flooring. Be sure to reproduce the profile of moldings and pipes accurately.
•
To transfer irregular walls in curves, insert the ballpoint tip into the small hole in the transfer guide
like you did when you made the paper pattern. Keep the point of the transfer guide perpendicular
to the layout line, with the tip of the guide touching the layout line.
Hey, Mac! The Knife!
•
Trim out your new flooring with scissors, a utility knife or the blade in the transfer guide from your
kit. If using the transfer guide, slide the blade in until the plastic hub at the end of the guide is set in
the hole in the blade. Carefully remove the protective plastic film covering the blade before using.
•
If you're right-handed, trim with the scrap area on your right side (left-handed, left side). This helps
keep the proper bevel on the trimmed edge.
•
Cut out areas for pipes, etc., adding a straight cut to the edge of the flooring so it can slip around
the pipe.
•
When finished, re-roll the flooring, design side out, with any narrow portion on the outside of the
roll.
THE FLOORING MEETS THE FLOOR
Installing One-Piece Floors with Adhesives*
•
To apply the adhesive, follow installation instructions on the adhesive packaging and use spreader
provided.
•
It is recommended that you install your new floor within two hours of trimming and dry-fitting.
•
Pull back half of the flooring, then spread adhesive over that entire half of the subfloor.
•
Install flooring 10-20 minutes after adhesive has been spread.
•
Pull back other half, spread remaining subfloor with adhesive.
•
After installation, use a heavy roller to ensure a good bond between the adhesive and the floor
backing. Start at the center and work outward to remove any bubbles. A rolling pin or a short nap
paint roller can be used, but the new floor must be rolled!
* Does not apply to Sundial, Sentinel, Bracton, Ashton, Premier or Kempton floors.
Installing One-Piece Sundial, Sentinel, with Glass-Tac Tape, or Bracton Ultra, Ashton, Premier or
Kempton Floors with Vinyl Floor Tape
Sundial, Sentinel, Bracton Ultra, Ashton, Premier and Kempton flooring are designed for a modified "looselay" method of installation that allows for expansion and contraction in response to changes in temperature
and humidity. (Do not use the Glass-Tac tape or Vinyl Flooring Tape around the entire perimeter of the
room!)
TIP
Your subfloor may expand or contract with temperature and humidity changes, but
Sundial, Sentinel, Bracton Ultra, Ashton, Premier or Kempton floors do not. Don't
install your Sundial or Sentinel floor with Glass-Tac tape, or Bracton Ultra, Ashton,
Premier or Kempton floor with Vinyl Flooring Tape around the entire perimeter of the
room, or pin it down with moldings, heavy furniture, cabinets or appliances.
•
Sundial, Sentinel, Bracton Ultra, Ashton, Premier and Kempton floors must be trimmed to allow for
a 3/16" to 1/4" clearance away from walls and other vertical surfaces. If you used the tracing ring
and disk supplied in your kit, you allowed for the proper amount of expansion when you made your
paper pattern.
•
Apply the appropriate tape at doorways, centered under seams and in non-overlapping "X" patterns
wherever heavy appliances will be located.
•
Keep the release liner in place on the top side of the tape and press the tape firmly onto the
subfloor. Again, do not overlap tape.
•
For added accuracy, tape areas around pipes, etc., (and any seams) after the flooring has been
loosely set in place.
•
Carefully position unrolled flooring until it is laying flat, without excessive fullness or "buckles". Use
a push broom to smooth out flooring and "sweep away" and any trapped air bubbles.
•
Do final trimming as needed, making sure to keep an expansion area of 3/16" to 1/4" between the
wall and the edge of the flooring all around the perimeter of the room except at doorways, where
flooring should be allowed to slip under trim molding.
Time for some bonding...
Gently fold back the edge of the flooring at doorways, relief cuts and appliance locations.
•
Remove release liner to continue "the bonding process" until complete, then use a clean, dry cloth
and hand pressure to firmly seat the flooring atop the tape.
•
Flooring must be laying flat when positioned on top of the tape. If necessary, you can gently lift the
flooring to reposition.
Under severely cold and dry conditions, Sundial, Sentinel, Bracton Ultra, Ashton, Premier and Kempton
flooring can develop a slight buckling at a perimeter point. If this happens, the flooring should be gently
lifted and re-trimmed. Re-bond with a fresh section of tape, if necessary.
TWO PIECE TIPS...DRESSING A LARGE ROOM
•
If both dimensions of your room are greater than 12 feet, you'll need more than one piece of
flooring - which means you'll have to create a seam. It's easy... if you take it step-by-step.
•
Before transferring your paper pattern, lay out both pieces of flooring and overlap them where the
seam will fall, being sure to match the flooring's design so that it looks "seamless".
•
Put a protective board or pad under the top piece and cut through the material, using a utility knife
blade and a straightedge. It is important to cut the seam edge in a straight line, with the blade
held vertically to create a clean, 90º edge.
•
With the protective board or pad moved under the bottom piece of flooring, slide the piece you've
cut back on top - again, matching design elements. Use masking tape to hold the overlap in place,
then put heavy weights on both pieces and use masking tape to secure pieces to the subfloor to
prevent shifting.
•
Carefully remove masking tape from the seam overlap and place the straightedge on the bottom
sheet, up against the edge of the top piece. With the straightedge in place, roll back the edge of
the top piece and cut along the straightedge - again, holding the blade vertically.
•
Remove the cutting board and tape the seam together. Remove any weights placed on flooring
and make sure both pieces are laying flat for the pattern transfer and cutting stages. When those
processes are done, the pieces can be separated again for moving to the installation area. Then
rejoin with masking tape.
•
Apply adhesive as you would with a one piece installation. Press entire section down firmly, with
masking tape still on top. Finally, use a roller over the seamed area several times. Armstrong
Seam Coater should be applied at the point.
Two Piece Sundial, Sentinel, Bracton Ultra, Ashton, Premier or Kempton Installations
•
Follow the preceding cutting instructions. Then apply the appropriate tape to the subfloor, not to
the flooring.
•
Center the tape along the line where the seam will fall.
•
Remove the release liner from the top of the tape in 3' to 5' sections.
•
Lay the flooring on top of the tape, taking care to line up the pattern along the seam.
•
Install all seams before bonding doorways or other areas.
Seam Coating
•
Clean dirt and adhesive residue from any seams of installed floor.
•
If using S-564 or S-595 Seam Coating Kit, follow instructions for preparing the seam and mixing S570 Seam Coating with Accelerator.
•
Carefully remove 1/32" from the tip of the applicator nozzle.
•
Tilt the applicator to an angle of about 30º and apply a 1/8" bead on top of the seam.
TIP
Practice applying the coating on a piece of scrap material to get a consistent 1/8"
bead.
THE FINISHING TOUCHES
•
Replace baseboard moldings or install new Armstrong Colorite Vinyl Wall base; install metal
threshold strips in doorways. Remember! Be careful not to pin down glass floors too tightly.
•
Fasten moldings to vertical surfaces; do not nail into flooring or into any "expansion zones" you've
created.
•
After adhesives have been allowed to dry thoroughly (4-5 days), wash with a liquid detergent such
as Armstrong Once 'n Done Cleaner.
NOTE: Use the Armstrong floor protectors available from your retailer. Most damage to new floors is
caused when you're "moving back in". Don't let heavy kitchen appliances and furniture legs catch and tear
your new floor; move them into place by using hardwood panels to protect the floor.
LIVING WITH YOUR NEW FLOOR
Care instructions
•
Sweep or vacuum regularly.
•
Wash regularly with a no-rinse floor cleaner such as Armstrong Once 'n Done Floor Cleaner.
•
Do not use soap-based detergents, abrasive cleansers or "mop and shine" products. They can
leave a film on your floor.