Supplies Needed:

Flooring, Molding, 1/2 inch spacers

4 D Finish Nails, Polyethylene Sheeting

Jigsaw, Hammer or Mallet, Pry bar

Back saw, Straightedge and clamps

• Installing a click-together floating floor is a simple process, there are a few guidelines to

follow. Cork flooring is appropriate for most spaces in your home however, it is not suitable to use

in wet areas such as bathrooms or mud rooms. This type of flooring has unglued seams that will

absorb water and cause it to swell and warp planks. Like all natural materials, cork expands and

contracts with the changes of weather.

• Find any vertical trim that will needs to be cut away. At doorways place a cork plank atop

the saddle, pry up the saddle before installing the flooring. Cut away the castings on the wall around

the door, using a cork plank to judge how much to trim. When making a kitchen installation, remove

the cabinet toekicks if possible so you can run the cork under the cabinets. With the kick being

stationary, plan to install the flooring within 1/2 inch of the toekick. Gap will be hidden in the finish step.

When installing over concrete remove any baseboards then cover the slab with polyethylene sheeting

and run it 3 inches from the wall. Overlap the sheeting's seam by 8 inches and seal them with tape.

• After sawing through each doorstop, pull away the cork floor plank and remove the waste

piece of wood. Before installing the cork flooring pry up the saddle and use the backsaw to trim

the casings on the wall around the door. Using a cork plank as a guide to judge how much of the

casting you need to trim away.

• After trimming the plank for the first course. Start laying the planks along the longest

uninterrupted wall, remember to subtract 1 inch for the expansion. Divide the remainder by the width

of a cork plank to calcuate the number of courses needed to cover the floor. When the last course ends

being less than half a plank, you'll need to cut the first and last courses narrower to balance the layout.

Add the width of the last courses to the full width of a plank. Divide the two to find the width of the first

and last course. Rip the first course plank to this width. Saw off the tongue of the first course to create

an unobstructed expansion gap at the wall.

• Piece the first course together, lift one plank off the floor at an angle, slide its end into the

end of another plank and gently press down until the groove and tongue click together. Continue

joining planks end to end until the first course is complete. Cut the last piece to length, use a jagsaw

and guided by a straightedged clamp.

Placing 1/2 inch spacers against the starting wall slide the entire first course, groove side

facing you, tight against the spacers.

When you cut the last plank in the first course, and if the leftover piece is longer than 10

inches, use the first piece in the next course. Set the end of the plank against a spacer at the

end wall, then push the tongue of the plank against the first course. With a tapping block against the

plank, fitting it around the groove. Use a mallet or an hammer to tap the block an coax the tongue

and groove to click together. Continue installing planks until you have filled the field.

• To finish the last course fit the final course, rip down the planks width, taking away from

the groove side. Don't forget to account for the 1/2 inch expansion gap. Angle each piece into place

and let it drop flat to the floor. Click and lock it to the previous row, hook it with a pry bar and

pull the bar toward you.

• The walls requiring molding should be measured cut the shoe molding to length using

miter box and a backsaw . For corners, join the molding at a 45-degree angle. Never nail the molding

to the flooring, which would prevent the cork floor from floating with changes in the weather. Drill 1/16 inch

pilot holes every 12 inches through the shoe molding to prevent your nails from splitting. Fasten the

molding to the baseboard with 4d finish nails. Reinstall any doorway saddle,if the saddle does'nt

sit flush on the floor in the next room, fill the gap with a narrow length of flat stock or quarter-round

molding. Trim the height of the cabinet toekicks by the thickness of the new floor and reinstall them.