Flooring Products

Application Guidelines

Subfloor Preparation:

All substrates must be clean, dry, structurally sound, properly cured and free of dirt, oil, paint, old adhesive, wax, sealers and curing agents. General scouring with 20 grit or #3 1/2 open-coat sandpaper will remove most compounds. All loose materials must be vacuumed from the surface after scouring. The subfloor must be flat to a tolerance of 3/16” in a 10’ radius. Grinding concrete floors is preferred over the use of filling compounds. If filling/flattening compounds are used, they must be Portland cement based and have a compressive strength equal to or greater than 3000 psi when cured. Moisture level in concrete subfloor will fluctuate. Any cementitious material used must be rated for the highest moisture content possible. Consult the cementitious material manufacturer’s application directions. Use of product over light weight concrete and all gypsum based materials requires the use of Titebond Concrete Primer or equivalent prior to application of adhesive.

Installation:

Follow all instructions for subfloor preparations. Titebond 741 Choice must be installed using the “wet lay” method. This product cures and builds strength very quickly. Do not trowel more adhesive than can be installed within 30 minutes. Use recommended trowel for installation (see trowel recommendations). In the “wet lay” method the adhesive is not flashed. Begin laying the wood flooring immediately after the adhesive has been troweled. The wood flooring should be installed immediately into the wet adhesive. To reduce slippage, secure the first starter row with Titebond Tape. Remaining planks must be placed firmly into adhesive. Planks which are not flat should be weighted for several hours. Normally, ultimate strength will be reached within 24 hours. Wait at least one day before finishing an unfinished floor. Do not walk on the floor during installation.

OPEN TIME
Open time is 25-45 minutes depending on exposure to moisture and temperature. DO NOT FLASH ADHESIVE!

Cleanup:

Wet adhesive may be cleaned up with a dry towel, a towel soaked with water or mineral spirits, or Titebond Adhesive Remover Cleaning Wipes. Do not allow adhesive to cure on surface of the flooring, tools or equipment. Follow solvent manufacturer’s directions when working with solvents. Cured adhesive will be difficult or impossible to remove. For specific cleaning instructions, call Franklin Technical Service at 1.800.347.4583.

Limitations:

Titebond 741 Choice may be used for above-, on- and below-grade applications and on all substrates listed in this specification guide. Please note that because of dimensional stability with solid and bamboo flooring below-grade applications are limited to engineered flooring. All applications are susceptible to moisture and should be tested for moisture prior to installation in several locations within the installation area.

For best results Titebond 741 Choice may be installed on a concrete subfloor with a moisture reading not greater than 3 lbs./1000 sq.ft./24 hours on a Calcium Chloride Test or greater than a reading of 4.5 on a Tramex Concrete Moisture Encounter or 75% RH per an in-situ probe test (ASTM F2170). Moisture readings above these measurements please use Titebond 531 or 531 Plus Moisture Control Systems.

Acceptable conditions of wood substrates are a moisture reading of less than 12% or no more than 4% different from the flooring being installed when using a Tramex, Delmhorst or equivalent wood moisture meter.

If subfloor moisture conditions do not meet above guidelines at the time of flooring installation or they could exceed them at any time after installation, then a Titebond moisture control system should be used.

Franklin International will honor the applicable terms of any wood floor manufacturer’s current published adhesive warranty or subfloor moisture warranty (where applicable) when the flooring was installed using Titebond 741 Choice Premium Wood Flooring Adhesive in accordance with product instructions and the instructions of the wood floor manufacturer.*

Franklin International will also warrant Titebond 741 Choice to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of manufacture, if the product has been installed in accordance with the Franklin Specification Guide and the installation instructions furnished with the product. In the event of loss of adhesion of Titebond 741 Choice due to product defect, Franklin International will reimburse the customer for the cost of labor and materials necessary to repair or replace the affected area(s) of the installed wood flooring.

*Any and all addendums or changes to the wood floor manufacturer’s warranties will be reflected in the execution of Franklin International’s warranty immediately upon release by the wood floor manufacturer. The effective date of said changes and addendums will dictate coverage by Franklin International in relation to the date of installation. As Franklin International is honoring the applicable terms of all wood floor manufacturers’ current published warranties, Franklin International will also require the same jobsite preparations and installation instructions that accompany each warranty in question.

In the case of subfloor moisture warranties, Franklin International will cover cupping and buckling of the wood floor when the wood floor manufacturer names coverage of these phenomenon explicitly in their subfloor moisture warranty (where applicable), if all installation and subfloor preparation guidelines have been followed.