INSTALLATION PROCEDURES FOR MANNINGTON’S
INFINITY AND INFINITY RE MODULAR CARPET TILE
SITE AND MODULAR MATERIAL CONDITIONING
Floor temperatures must be a minimum of 70° for 24
hours prior to installation. Floor temperature can usually vary
5-10°
lower than room temperature. Modules must be
conditioned to room temperature for 24 hours prior to
installation. Relative
humidity must be between 12% - 65% maximum for 24
hours prior to installation. These conditions must also be
maintained for 48 hours after completion of
installation.
SURFACE PREPARATION
Dust, dirt, debris, and noncompatible adhesive
must be removed before installation begins. Surfaces must be
smooth and
level with all holes and cracks filled with a
latex based Portland cement patching compound.
LATEX ADHESIVES
Must be removed and floors sanded or covered with
a skim coat of Portland patching compound. Latex adhesive may also
be
covered with ENcapSeal adhesive sealer
(800-747-2722).
Note:
Failure to remove or seal
old latex adhesive may cause
installation failure, plasticizer migration,
shifting, buckling or edge curling; these conditions will not be
covered under
warranty.
CUT BACK ADHESIVES
Must be wet scrapped and covered with ENcapSeal
(800-747-2722).
Note:
Failure to remove or seal
old cut back adhesive
may cause installation failure, plasticizer
migration, shifting, buckling or edge curling; these conditions
will not be covered
under warranty.
MOISTURE TESTING
Subfloor surfaces must be tested for moisture
content. It is the responsibility of the general contractor to
perform moisture
test prior to starting the installation.
MANNINGTON recommends calcium chloride tests be performed to
detect the
presence of moisture. Acceptable results require
that moisture content does not exceed 3lbs. Per 1,000 square feet
per 24
hours. Contact Technical Services for
recommendations for readings over 3 lbs. Mannington will also
accept the Relative
HumidtiyASTM-F-2170 test method. Acceptable
moisture levels are 75% maximum relative humidity. Alkalinity must
have
a maximum Ph level of 9 or less. Contact Technical
Services for corrective measures for substrates that test over 9
Ph.
Note:
Moisture emissions in excess of the recommended
levels can cause the adhesive to chemically break down and fail.
This
condition can result in shifting, bucking, or edge
curling of the modules.
SUBFLOORS
New Concrete
– New concrete must be
fully cured and free of moisture. New concrete requires a curing
period of
approximately 90 days. Test for moisture and
alkalinity must be performed. pH should register between 5 and 9.
Old Concrete
– Old concrete should be
checked for moisture. Dry, dusty, porous floors must be sealed
with an appropriate
dust sealer.
Wood
– Wood floors must be
smooth and level. If floor is uneven, an approved underlayment may
be required. Old finishes
must be tested for compatibility with adhesives or
removed and porous wood sealed.
Terrazzo / Marble
– Level all grout lines
with a latex based Portland cement patching compound. Glossy
surfaces must be
sanded for adhesive bond.
Hard Surfaces
– Tiles must be well
secured to the floor or removed. Broken, damaged, or loose tiles
must be replaced. Wax
must be removed from VCT before applying adhesive.
Existing sheet vinyl is not a suitable substrate for modular
installation
and should be removed.
OLD CARPET
Remove old carpet and check adhesive for
compatibility. If unsure remove or cover adhesive with a Portland
based patching
compound or encapsulate with ENcapSeal
(800-747-2722)
FULL ADHESIVE METHODS
MANNINGTON recommends a full spread adhesive
system for the most trouble free installation. Modules can easily
shift
during the installation process or by heavy
rolling traffic if not fully adhered to the substrate. Fully
spread Mannington’s MT-
711 pressure sensitive adhesive in starting
quadrant using a
"U" notch trowel
1/16 x 1/32 x 1/32
(1/16" notch width, 1/32"
notch depth, 1/32" tooth tip width) or an
equivalent that will achieve the proper coverage. Allow to dry so
adhesive does not
transfer when touched. Proceed with tile
placement. Spread rate should be approximately 25 sq. yds. per
gallon for trowel
on applications.
Note:
Inadequate amounts of
adhesive can cause modules to shift and move and will not be
covered under
warranty. Strictly adhere to recommended spread
rates. Use the recommend notch trowel or an equivalent that will
achieve
the proper coverage.
Note:
For Mannington’s 15-year bond warranty MT-711 must be used.
Mannington will not be
responsible for the adhesive bond where other
adhesives have been used.
MEASUREMENTS
Measure area to be carpeted to determine best
staring positions. Chalk two lines that intersect these positions
at right angles.
Proper planning should avoid trimming perimeter
tiles more than ½ their width (9 inches for 18" x 18" tiles).
TILE PLACEMENT
Starting in the corner of one quadrant, install
tiles in a pyramid fashion. Install by butting edges together
evenly, being
careful not to compress modules (this can cause
peaked edges). Arrows are embossed or printed on the module
backing to
show pile direction. Unless instructions are
stated for quarter turn installation, always lay tile with the
arrows in the same
direction. To ensure proper alignment, check
spacing every ten modules. Measure ten 18-inch modules for a total
of 180
inches; proper spacing should be within ¼ inch.
Continue to check spacing every ten modules throughout the entire
installation.
PALLET AND BOX SEQUENCING
It is very important to install MANNINGTON Modular
tiles in the order they were manufactured; this is easily
accomplished
by selecting pallets in sequential order and
following the numbers located on each carton of tiles. Typically
an installation
will begin with the lowest carton numbers and
progress through the highest numbers until project is complete.
Installing
MANNINGTON Modular tiles by carton sequence will
assure the most even uniform look possible.
CUTTING / TRIMMING
Carpet modules will require cutting at perimeters,
floor electrical outlets, and door openings. Whenever modules are
cut or
trimmed, adhesive must be used. Loop pile modules
may require some trimming or clipping of tufts. This is typical of
this
type construction and is not a manufacturing
problem. Small pieces of carpet tile should also have glue applied
to the
backing to help hold them in place.
FLATWIRE CABLE / TRENCH HEADERS
Flatwire cables are easily accessible when carpet
modules are used. Cable should be centered under modules and no
adhesive
used unless approved by the manufacturer. Trench
headers require a control grid of adhesive on either side of
header panels
to prevent movement.
STAIRS
Use a raised stair nosing and cut tiles to fit
nosing, both step and riser. Use full spread adhesive under
modules.
FINISHED INSTALLATION
When heavy furniture and wheeled traffic is moved
over tiles, use plywood runner to avoid tile shifting. Roll entire
job with
75-100 lb roller after completion of installation.
CHAIR PADS
Chair pads are recommended for use under chairs
with roller casters. Casters should be the flat round type with
5/8" to 1"
width minimum. If chair pads are not used, the
appearance of the modules will decrease and maintenance and/or
shifting of
the modules may be required more frequently.
LOOP PILE CONSTRUCTION
Carpet modules with loop pile constructions may
experience yarn blossoming at the edges, which is consistent with
this type
of construction. Clipping or shearing the yarn
edges can remedy this condition.
TILE ARRANGEMENT
Some carpet styles require more attention from the
installers during installation. Due to the light row, dark row
construction
of these products, dark lines may appear at the
edges.
This
is not a manufacturing defect.
These products will require
shifting tiles around to avoid dark lines at the
edges.
Some carpet tile constructions are designed for
random installation. This type of carpet tile installation is very
installer
friendly because it eliminates having to locate
the directional arrow on back of the tile. There is still a
possibility of having to
shift the tiles around to avoid dark lines at the
edges.
REPLACEMENT TILES
On occasion, it may be necessary to replace
damaged or heavily soiled modules. Modules can be replaced with
new
MANNINGTON tiles from on-site inventory or from
another areas of the installation. A difference of appearance may
be
noticed when modules are replaced; this difference
usually diminishes in a short time.
The procedures listed above are our best
recommendations for installing INFINITY MODULAR (Carpet Tile)
Backing. This
document and other literature are available upon
request. If you have further questions or require additional
information,
please contact our Technical Services Department
at 800-241-2262 Ext. 3.
ModularTileInstRev. dg – db/kp 06/08/05 (RE
10/25/05) trowel kp 5/4/07
