New Construction
A Field Superintendent and/or Project Manager from DMA and the General Contractor agree to meet before the start of the floor covering work to review and agree in respect to the following conditions.

1. Temperature* (75º ± l0ºF) and humidity* levels (50% ± 10%) should be achieved 48 hours prior to installation; maintained during installation; and, held for 48 hours after the installation is completed.  

Temporary controlled air is not acceptable and will void manufacturer and installation warranties.  Use of electric heat, fans and de-humidifiers will facilitate required site condition levels allowing flooring products and adhesives to work properly. (*Required by ASTM F 1869-98 in respect to VET testing & by most flooring manufacturers)

2. Concrete slabs should be permanently dry, clean, smooth, flat (3/16" in 10 ft.) and structurally sound. They should be free of dust, solvent, paint, wax, oil, grease, residual adhesive, adhesive removers, curing, sealing, hardening, or parting compounds, alkaline salts, excessive carbonation, mold, mildew, and other foreign materials that might prevent adhesive bond. (ASTM F 710-98 – Standard Practice for Preparing Concrete Floors)

(Most specifications now require VET testing to be done in accordance with ASTM F 1869-98 – Standard Test Method for Measuring Moisture Vapor Emission Rate of Concrete Subfloor Using Anhydrous Calcium Chloride.) 

7. In the event that the concrete slabs moisture content is above the manufacturer’s requirements, remedial action is to be by the general contractor and/or owner.  Permanent HVAC, dehumidifiers and time will be required to bring the moisture content down.  Should a moisture sealant need to be applied to bring the slab into compliance that work can be done at an additional cost. 

8. All preparation work will be done on a time and materials basis unless otherwise stated in bid proposal and/or contract documents. Surface cracks, grooves, depressions, control joints or other non-moving joints, and other irregularities should be filled or smoothed with a cementitious patching compound recommended by the resilient flooring manufacturer. Patching compound should be moisture, mildew and alkali-resistant and achieve compressive strength of 3,500 PSI.  We recommend Ardex products.  Expansion joints are to be treated by the general contractor and should not be filled with patching compounds but cleaned and filled with appropriate sealant as specified in Division 03300, Concrete or 07900, Joint Sealers. (Requirements of ASTM F 710-98) 
BACK TO TOP

9. Door frames and trim must be in before installers can install base materials. The wall installation contractor should finish the walls to the floor leaving no more than 1/4" of clearance. This will make the walls acceptable for wall base.  Also, ceiling work and painting/wall coverings should be completed prior to start of floor covering installation.

10. Flooring installers need room to work. Many jobs are not bid by the piece and schedules cannot be met if other trades impede progress. We need a minimum number of coverable square feet per day which will be specified in the bid proposal, contract documents, or as agreed upon in project coordination meetings.  Spaces to receive new floor coverings are to be free and clear of all other trades.

11. Please be aware that you may need to do minor paint touch up the baseboards & walls after installation.


BACK TO TOP

• Electronic equipment such as computers, fax machines, copiers, postage machines and large printers are all recommended to be moved by the customer.  If DMA is to handle these items, they are to be disconnected and reconnected by the customer and DMA cannot be held responsible for damages that may occur.  Please remove all extending items such as collators, paper trays, paper feeders and paper receivers.  These items are made of plastic and will easily crack or break.  Leased items may need to be serviced by your leasing company. 
• File cabinet contents should be boxed and labeled by customer. At a minimum the top sections should be emptied to lighten the units enough to be handled safely. In many cases 100% empty is not necessary. As a rule, vertical file cabinets do not need to be emptied; lateral cabinets – you will need to unload the top 2 drawers of 4 drawer or 5 drawer cabinets.  Wood cabinets of all types will need to be emptied. Keep in mind the lighter the unit, the less stress we put on it when it is moved. 
• Personal items, books, and desk/office contents should also be boxed by customer.  Office furniture will be up-ended when it is moved.  Please lock all drawers closed and keep the keys.  
• If furniture will need to be taken apart to fit through the door, please label both pieces (i.e. desk with return). 

• Any other items that will affect DMA’s access to the floor should also be boxed by customer.  Boxes should be clearly labeled so that we know where to return them.  Include the floor, room number per the DMA floor plan and your name on the labels. 
• For cubicles, the bulk weight in the overhead bins (phone books, manuals, large quantity of paper, etc) will need to be packed in boxes.  Valuable items, such as pictures and breakables should also be packed.  The computer and monitors in cubicles do not need to be unplugged, but should be turned off.  All other desk/office items should be packed as described above.

• Any vending or drink machines that need to be moved are to be handled by the customer.