Installation of Shaw Contract Modular Carpet

Prepare the Concrete

• Concrete floors should be cured, clean of dust and debris and have the right moisture and alkalinity level. Shaw recommends using anhydrouscalcium chloride testing kits to discover the moisture level in the concrete. The recommended moisture content level is 5.0 pounds per 1000 square feet during a 24-hour period. Alkalinity should measure between 5.0 and 9.0. Not measuring, verifying and documenting the moisture and alkalinity content could cause problems down the road. Shaw does not claim responsibility for installation problems when guidelines have not been followed. In addition, Shaw Contract recommends installing on concrete floors that are between 65 and 95 degrees. Maintaining the temperature of the room between 65 and 95 degrees and at a humidity level no higher than 65 degrees for 24 hours prior to the installation will enable the adhesive to stick properly. Adhesives do not stick well to cold concrete.

Use Correct Adhesive

• Shaw Contract requires the use of its proprietary pressure sensitive adhesive -- Shaw Contract 500 or 5100 Adhesive. A foam paint roller works well to apply the adhesive. Shaw recommends allowing the adhesive to dry completely before beginning the installation. Applying the modular tile to wet adhesive will bond the tile to the subfloor permanently instead of allowing the removal and replacement of the tile on a dry adhesive. Tiles can bubble and warp when installed on a wet adhesive.

Lay Out the Site

• Start the modular carpet installation by locating the center of the room. When settling on a center point for the room, Shaw recommends checking that perimeter carpet tiles will be at least half size when installed. This will require laying out the tiles on a scaled drawing or laying a row of tiles on the floor to verify placement. Identifying an existing perimeter wall to measure from is helpful. A chalk line should be snapped that is parallel to the perimeter wall and at the appropriate distance. A second chalk line should be snapped that intersects the first at a 90 degree angle.

Installation of Modular Tiles

• Installation begins at the point where both chalk lines meet. The modular tiles are placed per quadrant -- once the first quadrant is placed, an adjoining quadrant is installed. Placing each quadrant according to the pyramid technique allows the installer to catch a misalignment of the tiles. Instead of working in rows, the pyramid technique aligns the first tile at the corner where the chalk lines meet. A tile is placed on either side of the first tile, then a tile on either side of each of the new tiles -- which would add three new tiles -- and then on each side of those new tiles, which would mean placing four new tiles. The installation grows in this manner until the quadrant is complete.

Handling Misalignment

• A misalignment is easy to see using the chalk lines. When tiles begin to creep over the edge of the chalk lines the alignment is off and the installation must be checked. Carpet yarn that gets caught between tile can cause a misalignment; sliding tiles instead of dropping them into place can help reduce this problem. Shaw recommends measuring the installation after placing 10 full sized tiles. Measure the length of 10 tiles placed in a row -- the measurement should not vary by a quarter inch of the overall length of the tile size times 10. For example, 10 modules measuring 20 by 20 inches should measure between 200 and 200-1/4 inches in overall length.