Thank you for choosing an Amati^TM hardwood floor. You have selected a quality product that will provide you with warmth and comfort for many years to come. To preserve the beauty of your investment, carefully read the recommendations in this document.
Natural Variations

Amati^TM hardwood flooring is manufactured under the highest and most rigorous quality control standards. As hardwood is a natural product, you can expect certain naturally-occurring imperfections. Industry standards limit this quality variation to 5%. Thus we will replace, free of charge, any material in excess of this 5% tolerance (excluding labor costs and shipping fees).

Amati^TM Structural and Finish Warranties

We provide a lifetime structural warranty for your properly installed Amati^TM floor as long as you own your home. We also guarantee that the finish of all our Amati^TM products will not flake or peel for a full 25 years from the date of purchase, as long as the floor receives normal residential wear and regular preventative maintenance.

IMPORTANT: INSPECT BEFORE INSTALLING
If the installer and/or the owner judge that the material is not acceptable, you must contact your authorized dealer immediately, before installing the floor.

The installer and/or owner assume final responsibility for inspecting the product quality. All flooring should be inspected prior to installation.

Carefully examine flooring for colour, grade, finish and general quality before installing it. If the installer and/or the owner judge that the material is not acceptable, you must contact your authorized dealer immediately, before installing the floor. Once a strip of flooring has been nailed down, it is deemed accepted by the installer and/or owner.

Important Installation Notes

To ensure that your hardwood is installed properly, we recommend that you read and closely follow these installation procedures, whether you do it yourself or hire a professional installer.

Note: If you are not having our authorized personnel install your floor, we cannot be held responsible for the quality of the installation.

If you decide to hire an independent installer, it is your responsibility to ensure the capability and common sense of the installer. The installer should use good judgment in assessing the quality of the wood, and arrange floorboards according to the natural colour variations of the selected species. We cannot be held responsible for any unpleasant results due to the installer’s poor taste or lack of judgment.

The installer and/or owner should inspect boards carefully, and discard or cut out sections with obvious defects, or else put them in hidden or inconspicuous part of the floor.

Humidity Level

Hardwood is an organic material which reacts to changes in relative humidity. It absorbs and releases moisture before and after it is installed, depending on variations in the environment. Hardwood expands in summer and shrinks in winter. To prevent excessive expansion or shrinkage of your hardwood floor, we recommend maintaining the relative humidity level in your home at the average for your area (usually between 40% and 50%) throughout the year.

Preparing for Installation

Before you begin, make sure any plastering or concrete work is completely dry. The heating system should be working and the house heated for at least 5 days to 22oC prior to delivery of flooring.

Once the flooring is delivered, it should be stored at room temperature and humidity for at least another 48 hours.

Red Oak, Maple, and Eucalyptus should be installed with nails or staples only. They require a board or plywood sub-floor over joists. Do not nail Amati^TM floors into particle board or similar products. Bamboo and the Tiger series installed over a board or plywood sub-floor may be nailed or stapled as above. If the bamboo is to be glued down, we strongly recommend that the installation be handled by a professional installer, experienced in glue-down applications. A non water-based glue is required over concrete. Please see your dealer for more information.

When installed on 12” (30.5 cm) centre joists, plywood subflooring should be at least 5/8” thick. For 16” (40.65 cm) centre joists, plywood subflooring should be at least 3/4” thick.

Measure the moisture content on the subfloor using an approved moisture meter. It should be between 6% and 12%. If moisture content is over 12%, turn up the heat and open basement windows a little bit. If the moisture content is below 6%, use a humidifier.

Remove baseboards or door sills. This must be done because the installation requires a 3/4” space between the flooring and the wall for natural expansion. This gap is usually covered by baseboards, which are removed and reinstalled above the level of the flooring. An alternative is to leave the baseboards in place, install the flooring 3/4”

from the baseboards, and then install a quarter-round moulding over the gap after laying the floor.

Screw the subfloor down securely to avoid movements and creaking. If necessary, install a double layer of 15 lb (6 kg), or single layer of 30 lb (14.5 kg), felt floor liner or construction paper.

Using a handsaw, cut the bottom of the door frames 3/4” (2 cm) to allow space for sliding in flooring material.

Figure: Saw Cutting Door Frame

Required Tools and Materials

• Hardwood floor nailer and rubber mallet
• Electric drill and bits
• Tenon-saw, circular saw or handsaw
• Claw Hammer and nail punch
• Screw shank flooring nails
• Measuring Tape
• Chalk Line
• Before Starting

Before you begin, you should practice using the hardwood nailer to avoid damaging the planks when you install them. Make a few hammering tests in a piece of scrap wood to get the feel of how much force it takes to drive the nails.

Your hardwood floor should be installed at a 90 angle to the floor joists (or diagonal to them) for maximum support.

Determine your starting location. In most cases, you start your installation from the longest and straightest wall of the room, which is most commonly an outside wall. However, if you must use finishing mouldings (reducer or stair nosing), it is probably best to start installing your floor from the moulding and work your way toward the facing wall. It is often easier and more elegant to rip a floorboard along a wall than in a doorway.

Step by Step Installation

1. Measure out from the wall (at both ends of the room) the width of the strip, plus 3/4” (19 mm) expansion space, plus 1/4” size of the tongue. Mark the distance on the subfloor with a chalk line. This guide line must be at a 90o angle from the adjacent wall. The tongues of your first flooring strips go along this line. The 3/4” expansion space near the wall can be covered over later either with baseboards or quarter round moulding.

Figure: 3/4” separation, 90 line

2. Select the planks, and lay them out on the floor in the general pattern you plan to install them. Choose the very straightest planks for the first and second rows. Always select with care. Any planks with flaws can be re-cut, using a short remaining pieces for starter boards at the end of a row.

3. Lay the tongue edge of the plank on the chalk line, leaving 3/4” (19 mm) space between the grove edge and the wall for expansion. This space can vary between 1/2” (13 mm) and 3/4” (19 mm) depending on the humidity level of your home.

4. The first row must be secured to the floor using 2” screw shank flooring nails. Drill holes in the surface of the planks at 1” (2.5 cm) from the edge approximately 12” (30.5 cm) apart. Next, secure the board using a hammer and punch. Measure and cut a plank the required length to finish the first row (ending 3/4” from the wall). The remaining portion will be used to start the second row. (The final plank selected for the first row must be long enough to yield a remaining portion of adequate length).

5. Start the second row with a plank at least 6” (15 cm) shorter or longer than the plank used in the first row; This will avoid aligning the joints. Before cutting the strip to complete the new row, make sure that the end joint of the new row is at least 6” (15 cm) away from the preceding end joint. Select a strip to complete your row that will allow you to keep the desired spacing of end joints. Keep this space in mind as you are installing the rest of the strips. See figure 1-1. Avoid H joints, see figure 1-2.

6. Subsequent rows must be installed in the same manner, but using a hardwood floor nailer. Set the plank in place, drill a hole on the tongue edge at 45o angle and then nail at every 8” (20 cm) or 10” (25 cm).

7. The last four or five rows must be installed in the same manner as the first two rows. Using the hardwood floor nailer is impossible since the last rows are too close to the wall. Planks in the last row should be ripped to leave a 3/4” space between them and the wall. Once all planks are nailed down, fill all surface nail holes with a wood filler that best blends with the colour of your flooring.

8. Replace baseboards and door sills. Install quarter-round moulding if necessary. Clean your floor with a damp mop. Move your furniture back in place and enjoy the beauty of your new hardwood floor.

CONGRATULATIONS
ON A GREAT JOB!

Preventative Maintenance

IMPORTANT

Your Amati^TM floor is made of fine hardwood, and its finish is designed to protect it and bring out its natural beauty. By following these simple instructions you can extend the life of your floor and finish for many years to come.

Maintain proper humidity conditions inside your home. We recommend that the humidity level stay in the recommended range for your region throughout the year. Problems related to humidity level variations can be minimized by proper ventilation, dehumidifying, or heating.

Vacuum the floor regularly to prevent sand or abrasive dust from accumulating and scratching the finish.

Never wash your Amati^TM floor with a lot of water, and do not leave water or any other liquid to dry on your hardwood floor.

Never use wax, household detergents, or soap to clean the floor, as they will leave a greasy film.

Avoid wearing high heels on your hardwood floor.

Use adequate floor protection (felt pads) under all furniture and chair legs to facilitate repositioning and prevent scratching the floor. Use protective mats at doorways.Protect the floor when moving heavy pieces of furniture. Carry them or place them on an overturned rug, and then slide the rug.

Warranty Exclusions

The Amati^TM warranty does not apply for gouges, scratched, or damage caused by water, erosion, insects, pets, spiked heel shoes, neglect, misuse, abuse, insufficient protection, improper maintenance, not maintaining proper humidity conditions, or failure to follow our written instructions.

We cannot guarantee against fading due to sunlight. As time goes by natural exposure to sunlight will slightly change the colour of any hardwood floor. This discoloration is normal and is not due to a manufacturing defect. To alleviate the problem, shift your mats or rugs occasionally to allow for more even exposure to sunlight.

Since hardwood is a natural product, your hardwood floor will continue to shrink and expand depending on the season, humidity and heating conditions. Even if your hardwood floor is well installed, the strips may shrink a little, depending on the time of year. Any small gaps that might occur between the strips are normal and not covered by this warranty.

We disclaim any responsibility if our products are installed in a basement, on concrete floors (except for African Bamboo), or in rooms equipped with radiant heating.

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