THE ASSORTMENT COLLECTION

WARRANTY FOR CORK TILES AND CORK FLOATING FLOORS

NO RETURNS ON APC CORK FLOORING AFTER 30 DAYS

Our customers are important to us. We make every effort to ensure that your order is complete and correct. In order to provide our customers with a thorough understanding of Flooring Store Online ordering process, we are providing guidelines and an outline of key policies below.

Following is the Manufacturers warranty covering your product. This is a limited warranty that extends only to manufacturers defects. No other warranty, express or implied, is granted. You may contact the manufacturer directly or contact us and we will forward your claim to the manufacturer. We will make every attempt to expedite and resolve any issue you have with the manufacturers product.

All claims must be verified with digital or printed photographs supplied by the customer. If the photographs are inconclusive, a certified inspector may be sent out to review the product. If they determine there is no manufacturer defect, the customer will pay the entire cost of the inspection.

The manufacturer warranty ONLY covers the replacement of the defective product and does not include labor to remove or reinstall products. No cash refunds will be provided for any warrantied products.

Products not installed correctly, will not be considered defective and is the responsibility of the certified installer or customer. If your installer deems the product defective, STOP installation and call us immediately.

Cork flooring is a natural product. Differences in the structure and shades of cork flooring occur naturally and cannot be accepted as valid grounds for complaints.

Please read this text and make sure that you understand it. If you have any questions, please contact us via email at info@FlooringStoreOnline.com or by calling us toll free at (866) 504-8085. We will be happy to assist you.

Lifetime Residential Wear Warranty
A.P.C. Cork Tile and Floating Floors are warranted to be free from manufacturing defects. Should a defect occur, A.P.C. Cork will arrange a credit based on the original purchase of the product.

Warranty Coverage
Upon determination of a valid manufacturing defect, credit will be issued to the dealer and will be good toward the purchase of new A.P.C. Cork Tile or Floating Floors. Credit applies to the affected area and does not include labor.

These warranties apply in the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Canada. We exclude and will not pay consequential damages under this warranty. By this we mean any loss, expense damage other than the cork product itself that may result from a defect in the cork product. No implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose beyond the term of this written warranty, with the exception of our water damage warranty.

APC CORK Lifetime Residential Wear Warranty does not cover

• Problems due to moisture, mildew, alkaline substances or hydrostatic pressure.
• Dissatisfaction due to improper maintenance or installation. (See A.P.C. Cork Installation Guidelines)
• Damage due to scratches, gouges, scuffs, punctures, cuts, indentations, burns, accidents, lack of proper furniture rests or any intentional misuse of the products.
• Color variation between samples and/or illustrations and actual product.
• Noncompliance with installations and/or usage as recommended by A.P.C. Cork.
• Cracking, warping, soiling, fading, improper maintenance or abuse by items such as roller skates, golf shoes or pets.
• Floor covering installed on stairs or other inappropriate locations is excluded from the warranty.
• Exposure to UV light and sunlight will cause color variations to cork. This is normal and not a manufacturing defect. Area rugs and large furniture will block light exposure and cause uneven coloration. To minimize this, furnishings and floor coverings should be moved periodically.

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INSTALLATION OF CORK FLOATING FLOOR

Recommendations

• Cork is a natural product. Differences in the structure and shades of planks occur naturally and cannot be accepted as valid grounds for complaints.
• The cork planks should be acclimated by opening the boxes and leaving in the middle of the room in which they are to be laid for 48 hours.
• Upon opening the boxes, check that all planks are in the proper condition for installation.
• Do not install cork floors in humid room spaces such as bathrooms, saunas and laundry rooms.
• Always leave a gap of approximately 3/8" between the edges of the flooring and perimeter walls to allow for possible expansion and movement.
• If the room in which the panels are to be installed had under floor heating, the surface must not exceed a temperature of 82 degrees.
• Under floor heating can lead to the formation of cracks in the cork during long heating periods.

Surface Preparation:

• Should the floor surface require leveling, use a quick drying leveling plaster.
• Cement or cement-derivative floors should be made impermeable with 0.2mm thick polyethylene film in order to protect the panels from sub-floor moisture.
• Cork panels may be laid directly on top of PVC, linoleum or agglomerates.
• After laying down the moisture barrier, you can choose to use a cork underlayer in order to improve the sound insulation. When fitting the underlayer, take care that the joins do not coincide with the joins of the moisture barrier.
• The laying of the cork panels is so easy that one almost regrets when the job is finished!
• You will need a hammer, saw, crowbar or pinchbar with protruding edge and wooden wedges. (Tip: We use a cut piece of the cork floor as a wooden wedge).

Installation: Important Tips To Remember

• Make sure you have acclimated your floor in the room to which you are installing for a minimum of 48 hours.
• It is advisable to "shuffle" the boxes (take a plank from the top of each box and rotate to evenly distribute the natural color).
• To achieve a clean cut, saw the pattern side down with a jigsaw and up with the hand or cross-cut saw.
• Check planks and do not install any defective material or they will not be covered on warranty.
• Stagger all planks on installation (aka as brick lay install).
• Because humidty in rooms can vary, the floor must be able to expand in all directions. The greater the surface area, the greater the room for expansion is required. It must be able to expand and contract on ALL sides. To facilitate this, an expansion gap should be provided at the room's perimeter and also around any pipes and thresholds. With larger surface areas, a wider gap must be provided. Where possible provide expansion gaps for example under doors. These will be covered by a profile that is not fixed to the cork floor but rather the base floor.
• Install the panels, preferably in the same direction as the longest wall. Start installing the floor on one corner or in the middle of the area. You can work from left to right or right to left. The easiest way of installing the floor is using the tongue into the groove.
• Position the plank into the previously installed plank at an angle. Move the plank to be fitted slightly up and down at the same time exerting forward pressure. The plank will then click into place. In some cases, the planks cannot be rotated into one another, for example, under a door frame, etc. In this case, the planks can also be fitted laying flat. IMPORTANT, to do this you need a hammer and tapping block, otherwise you may damage the panels to be fitted. Use a number of slight taps until the planks click into place. Do not try to fit the planks together with one hit.
• Continue with the rows in this manner. On the final row, there should be an expansion joint of approximately 3/8" between the row and the wall. In doing this, remember you have to saw off the long edges of the final row of planks, to fit. Place these planks one by one next to the planks of the last row and tap the long edges together using the crowbar and hammer. The short edges can be tapped together using a tapping block.
• After installation, you can immediately walk on the floor. This is one of the major benefits of cork floating floor.

Room Scenarios:

Whenever installing cork flooring in multiple areas that are adjoining through a doorway, it is recommended to physically separate the cork floors at the opening. For example, if you were doing a hallway and three bedrooms, you would be doing 4 smaller cork floors tied together with the T-molding. The tiles should be installed in such a way that when the T-molding is installed between them, it falls directly under the door when it is closed. If the opening has no door, simply place the T-molding in the center of the opening. Remember to maintain the gap between your cork flooring and the base of the T-molding.

Offices: If rolling chairs are used at desks, place a plastic floor mat under the chair. Be sure to use the mat that does not have the pointed nubs on the bottom that will puncture your cork flooring.

Existing Fireplace hearths: Fireplace hearths are an area that follows the same rules as walls and cabinets. A gap needs to be maintained between the cork floor and the hearth. Typically, a molding can be placed between your cork flooring and the hearth to give a nice finished look.

Installation over radiant heat: Only floating floors should be installed over radiant heat systems. Floating floors tend to go through normal contraction and expansion as a unit since they are not attached to the sub-floor. Glue down cork floors are not recommended due to the adhesive used to adhere the flooring to the sub-floor.

Finishing:

• Under normal use, no additional finishing is required for your APC cork flooring. But in the case it is deemed necessary to further protect the seams against water infiltration or humidity, another coat of varnish or urethane may be applied to the flooring. Only use a high quality hardwood flooring water-based or oil based polyurethane varnish (see manufacturer's instructions on label for product usage).
• When the finish begins to show signs of wear, you may clean the floor and apply a new coat.

MaIntenance and Cleaning:

• The type and frequency of maintenance to be applied to APC CORK flooring will vary depending on the type and amount of traffic on the floor.
• Sweep, vacuum or clean with a damp mop or cloth on a regular basis.
• Never pour water directly on the cork floor.
• Remove liquids and spills immediately.
• Protect floor covering by using felt protectors on chairs and other pieces of furniture.

On a "need to" basis, it is recommended that the floor be cleaned with a recommended floor cleaning solution. Example: A hardwood cleaner or any neutral floor cleaner (follow manufacturer's recommendation).

NOTE: Exposure to UV light and sunlight will cause color variations to cork. This is normal and not a manufacturing Defect. Area rugs and large furniture will block light exposure and cause uneven coloration. To minimize this, furnishings and floor coverings should be moved periodically.

MAINTENANCE

Regardless of what type of finish is on the floor - sweep or vacuum at least once a week. Spills and excess water should be wiped up immediately. Dust or damp mop in between weekly cleaning to help eliminate the fine particles of dirt or grit that act like sandpaper and will scratch any floor. Wring the mop out well before cleaning.

Use a mild detergent or neutral floor cleaner. Any liquid cleaner for wood flooring is acceptable to use.

• Avoid abrasive, alkaline or cheap cleaners
• Keep surface free of grit, sand and cinders
• Avoid flooding the floor with water
• Protect against indentations from furniture