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Frequently asked
Questions

FAQ

Here are some of the most common questions people ask us.

General

It is the gap in the wood found running lengthwise through the annual growth rings. Checking can naturally be found in our Heritage and Rustic grades and is not considered a manufacturing defect.

Superior Flooring does not sell directly to the public, but we have 150 dealers across Canada and United States who carry our product and are more than willing to help you pick out your new hardwood.

Wood is a hygroscopic material, which means it always contains water. It is constantly exchanging water vapour with the ambient air, picking it up when humidity is high, and giving it off when it is low. As such the relative humidity levels should be kept between 35-50% for solid, and 30-65% for engineered. Household temperature should also be kept between 60-80 Fahrenheit (16-27 Celsius). This will help prevent issues such as gapping, cupping, crowning, and crackling/noisy floors.

Superior Flooring does NOT recommend acclimation of our product or that it be stored at the job site prior to installation. Please review the storage and handling section in our warranty, installation, and maintenance guide.
Yes, we do Superior sells square and round stair nosing, carpet reducers, vinyl reducers, and T-mouldings. We also sell matching vents for a finishing touch. All are available in the same finish and sheen levels as your flooring. See your local Superior dealer.

Our finish is 100% reactive which means that there are virtually no volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) emitted from the finish during the application process or afterwards. The finish material is also free of formaldehyde, isocyanate or other hazardous air pollutants. Our coatings are cured by UV light and are therefore 100% reactive which means that they don’t contribute significantly to ground level air pollution like common spray applications with organic solvent coatings.

The glue used in our manufacturing process is a hot melt glue and does not contain formaldehyde or measurable amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s).

Installation

Superior Flooring recommends 2 different types of vapour retarder to control the transfer of moisture.

  1. Silicone impregnated paper. E.g. Roberts Silicone Vapor Shield or All Globe Silicone Vapor Shield.
  2. Laminated Kraft paper and asphalt. E.g. Fortifiber Aquabar “B” Barrier Paper

Regardless of whether a vapor retarder is used, Superior Flooring requires that the humidity in the house remains with acceptable levels to comply with our warranty.

For wood sub-floors, be sure that hardwood is installed over industry standard sub-floors and underlayment, which as a minimum standard must be 5/8” A.P.A. approved C.S.P/D.F.P. plywood C.O.F.I. stamped, 23/32” or thicker O.S.B. underlay grade PS2-92, or 5/8” tongue and groove boards. Sub-floor moisture reading must be conducted prior to installation and be between 6%-12% maximum. Hardwood flooring strips must be under 2% maximum difference when compared to the sub floor. For further information, please see our warranty, installation, and maintenance guidelines.

We recommend Primatech cleat nailers with an adjustable shoe. Please see our warranty, installation, and maintenance guidelines for correct nails/cleats to use.

Bostik’s Best, BST, Franklin 811, or Acoustitech AD-316 AD-532 adhesives. Be sure to check the expiry date of the adhesive and use a metal trowel. Follow adhesive manufacturers guidelines for proper trowel size.

Our Superior Engineered and Enhanced Engineered products can be installed over a concrete slab with the use of glue down installation or floating floor installation. Please see our warranty, installation, and maintenance guidelines.
No, it is not recommended as it can cause shifting which can create spaces in your floor.  It can also cause a noisy floor or a floor with highs and lows if the subfloor starts to sag.

We allow our Superior Engineered and Enhanced Engineered products to be installed over radiant heat with the exception of our Enhanced 7” Hickory and 7” Maple. We do not allow any Superior Solid products to be installed over radiant heat. Please see the radiant heat information in our warranty, installation, and maintenance guide.

Care & Maintenance

Avoid dropping items on our flooring where possible. Dents are caused by the wood fibers being compressed when a hard and/or heavy object comes in contact with the flooring. Different woods will dent easier than others, check our Janka scale for wood hardness before you purchase your hardwood flooring.

Touch up markers can be provided to you from one of our Superior dealers. Board replacements will need to be done for large and/or deep scratches.

We recommend Ph neutral or alcohol based cleaners for our hardwood floors. Our prefered cleaner is Bona hardwood floor cleaner. Use Bona as a spray or with a terry cloth dry mop. Do NOT dilute/mix Bona with water as it can cause damage to the finish and structure of the wood. Avoid the use of any oil based soaps or cleaners.

Small particles of dust and dirt will filter through area rugs.  Most area rugs have a hard backing which allows them to move slightly when they are walked on.  This small amount of movement combined with small particles of dirt will cause abrasion over time and give the finish a dull look.  As such, we recommend the use of anti-slip rug pads which stop the rug from moving. It is also important to regularly clean underneath your rugs.   When possible rotate your rugs to help minimize discoloration in the wood caused by sunlight.

 

This is likely caused from using products not recommended for wood floors, such as oil soaps.

It is very important when purchasing products to be used on your hardwood floors that you carefully read the instructions. Remember, you never want to soak your wood floors with any kind of liquid.

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