FAQ

Thanks to the floor’s angle-angle click system, Audacity is fast & easy to install directly over most hard surface subfloors, with minimal subfloor preparations, no telegraphing & no acclimation!

Audacity flooring can be installed in any room inside the house where the floor is solid and flat, including full bathrooms, laundry rooms and basements. Special precautions should be used when installing in moist areas, such as bathrooms or laundry rooms, by adding a silicone sealant in the expansion spaces at the perimeter and all vertical interruptions. Audacity should NOT be installed in rooms with sump pumps or floor drains, or in motor homes, boats or planes.

Audacity floors’ s surface is waterproof; however, special precautions should be used when installing in moist areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, by filling the expansion spaces with a 1/2″/ 10 mm compressible PE foam backer rod and covering with a flexible 100% silicone sealant to the entire perimeter of the installation. Do not use an acrylic sealant.

Water Block Warranty guarantees that the Audacity flooring will not be damaged from localized topical moisture resulting from a normal household spillage, e.g. from wet shoes, liquid spills or dripping while exiting a bath tub or shower, provided they are removed within 72 hours. However, flooding is NOT covered by the warranty, which means standing water must be avoided at all times.

Very few: a room with a floor drain, sump pump or one that is exposed to the elements.

• Ensure that the subfloor is flat and level (3/16” / 5mm within a 10ft / 3m span).
• The subfloor moisture level must be max. 2.5% moisture content (CM method).
• Crawl space and/or basement should be ventilated and dry. A minimum 6-mil / 0.15mm poly sheeting should be used as a moisture barrier.
• Acclimate Audacity in the room in which you intend to install it a minimum of 48 hours before the installation.
• For floor surfaces exceeding 4000sq.ft2 / 400sqm2 and or lengths exceeding 65ft / 20m and overlaps to new rooms and floor surface which do not join symmetrically, use expansion joints to divide the floor sections.

• For installation instructions and tips, please see our detailed Audacity Installation Manual.

For the best result, it is recommended to acclimate Audacity floor prior to installation. Keep the boards in room temperature for at least 48 hours in unopened package before you start the installation. The room temperature must be between 60°to 95°F / 15° to 35°C before, during and after installation. Relative Humidity Levels of your room should be maintained at 30-65 %.

Although Audacity is very rigid and can hide minor subfloor imperfections. However, the subfloor must be clean and leveled to 3/16” / 5mm within a 10ft / 3m span.

Install parallel to incoming light from any windows or if lighting is not a concern, parallel to the longest wall in the room.

The recommended expansion space for all Audacity floors is 1/2″ / 10mm for all vertical interruptions, be they the walls, moldings, pillars, HVAC vents, flooring receptacles, masonry, toilet flanges, pipes, etc.

Audacity installation allows up to 65ft / 20m, in either direction, with no unsightly transition moldings needed as long as the flooring can freely move. Or a total of 4000sq.ft2 / 400sqm2. Make sure to respect the 1/2″ / 10mm expansion space around the perimeters of the room.

As long as you are within the limit that does not require transition strips, those transitions are fortunately not required either. Audacity installation allows up to 60ft / 20m, in either direction, with no transition moldings needed. Make sure to respect the 1/2″ / 10mm expansion space around the perimeters of the room.

Audacity floors can be installed over most existing hard surface flooring, including wood, concrete, and vinyl sheet. You can also install over tiles, as long as it is NOT a floating installation.
The exceptions are laminate, floating floors of any type, loose lay, and perimeter fastened sheet vinyl. These types of flooring should be removed prior to installing Audacity. The existing floors still have to meet the level requirements, which is no more than a 3/16” / 5mm difference in a 10ft / 3m span.

Moisture barrier needs to be installed over concrete substrates. In the case installation is done over a wood substrate on or below-grade a vapor barrier must be installed if there is not a vapor barrier existing in a well-ventilated crawl space. A minimum 6-mil / 0.15mm poly sheeting should be used as a moisture barrier.

Yes, Audacity is compatible with water-based floor heating systems. You should ensure the radiant heat surface temperature doesn’t exceed 81°F / 27°C.

Due to the speed of sudden temperature changes, which has the potential to negatively affect laminate flooring construction, it is not recommended to install over any electrical radiant heating system.

For detailed instructions regarding the installation over water based heating systems, please refer to Audacity Installation Manual.

Yes, you can. Many designer use Audacity for partial wall installation because of the unique and highly realistic color available in the Audacity selection.

For wall and ceiling installation the planks need to be fully glued down on the substrate. For this job, we recommend Taylor 2091 (for commercial applications) and Henry© 650P glues.

Note: The Audacity warranty does NOT cover wall installation

An additional underlaymentis recommended in order to improve acoustic performance and absorb some irregularities on the substrate. Best results can be expected with an underlayment thickness not more than 1/8″ / 3 mm.

•Sweep or vacuum daily using soft bristle attachments.

•Clean up spills and excessive liquids immediately.

•Damp mop as needed and use cleaners recommended for laminate flooring. Avoid using too much water.

•Use proper floor protection devices such as felt protectors under furniture.

•Place a walk-off mat at outside entrances to reduce the amount of dirt brought into your home. Do not use mats with a latex or rubber backing since these backings can cause permanent discoloration.

•Do not use scouring powder products, steel wool, abrasive cleaners, bleach or wax to maintain the floor.

•Do not drag or slide heavy objects across the floor.

•Never wax, polish or use soap. Doing so may damage the wear surface, causing it to be slippery or to have unattractive smudges

Yes, ordinary vacuuming or sweeping is usually sufficientto keep the floor clean. If needed,the floor may be cleaned with laminate cleaner. Do not allow for moisture to remain on the floor. Pet stains (including urine, feces and vomit from domestic cats and dogs) need to be cleaned within 24 hours.

For chocolate, grease, juice and wine stains, use lukewarm water and a non-abrasive cleaner. Nail polish, tar, markers, crayon, lipstick, ink and cigarette burns can be removed using nail polish remover or denatured alcohol. For candle wax and chewing gum, scrape carefully with a blunt plastic scraper. 

While no similar flooring is guaranteed against scratching or loss of gloss, the surface of Audacity is textured with a medium graining and a tough wear layer for durability. We warrant that Audacity will not stain from pet (domestic cat or dog) stains, including urine, feces and vomit, providing it is cleaned within 24 hours. 

No, it resists staining, is easy to clean and requires no waxing. Waxing is not compatible with this product and using wax will void warranty. 

Support furniture with wide-bearing, non-staining floor protectors. Ideally, the protectors should be at least one inch in diameter, made of non-pigmented, hard plastic and rest flat on the floor. Non-staining felt protectors are also acceptable. Casters with a minimum 3/4″ / 20mm flat surface width or floor protectors are recommended for all moveable furniture. Make sure any metal protectors are rustproof. Replace your narrow-dome furniture rests with wide-bearing ones.

Audacity floors feature AC-4 scratch resistant commercial rating, which is highly scratch resistant but not scratch proof. Here is some information that might help you to prevent or minimizes scratches down the road: 

• Use felt pads on the bottom of all chairs/tables/sofas; 
• Change all plastic or metal casters on rolling furniture to rubber casters; 
• Do not drag heavy furniture across the floor; 
• Trim pet nails frequently. 

To repair scratches, small chips and dents color fill kits, wood finish repair sticks or putties are easy to use. If significant plank damage, an option may be to replace a plank. Plank replacements can be challenging to the average do-it-yourselfer, we recommend you contact your retailer or a flooring professional who has the proper tools and training for plank replacements. 

No. Laminate flooring cannot be refinished or sanded. 

If you feel that you have a warranty related problem, you should take your original purchase receipt, back to the retailer where you purchased the floor and file a warranty claim with that store. The store will then contact us to begin the warranty process. An inspector may come to your home to evaluate the conditions and determine what caused the problem. Once an evaluation is completed you will be contacted with the results. The whole process could take up to 20-30 business days, depending on the circumstances, although most issues are resolved much faster.