MILLIKEN INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

Date: 04/2018

INSTALLATION
INSTRUCTIONS
MILLIKEN INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Date: 04/2018

MILLIKEN MODULAR CARPET CUSHION /

COMFORT PLUS® / FUNCTION PLUS®
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

Contents
1. Introduction 5. Installation methods: Monolithic & Omni, 8. TractionBack® additional requirements
2. Temperature and Storage Half Drop, Brick, Quarter Turn 9. Appendix 1 – Creating a Chalkline
3. Floor Preparation 6. Stairs Vertical Surfaces & Transitions 10. Appendix 2 – The scribe cutting method
4. Adhesive 7. Post Installation Protection and Clean Up

Introduction • There is no chemical incompatibility between Comfort Plus /

Function Plus / TractionBack® and any existing floor covering
A comprehensive guide to subfloor preparations is contained in the adhesive, or floor material. The only requirement is to smooth
Contract Flooring Association’s “Guide to Installation of Floorings.” the old adhesive layer until residual trowel notches are less
than 1mm.
These instructions are NOT intended as a comprehensive guide to
carpet tile installation, but point out areas where recommendations • For installation with under floor heating, the temperature of the
may differ from other methods. Milliken will not accept liability on floor must not exceed 28°C. The heating must be turned off 48
any issues relating to poor fitting of the carpet. hours before laying the tiles.

The installation contractor is responsible for reasonable inspection

of the product prior to installation and for maintenance of batch Recommended Adhesives
integrity during installation. Milliken will not be responsible for
visible defects after the carpet has been installed. • The following tackifiers are recommended for standard use.

• Milliken Modular adhesive

Temperature & Storage • F.Ball Styccobond F41
• Uzin Universal adhesive
• Store materials in a clean, warm, dry and well ventilated place,
kept in original packing until conditioning commences. • These release adhesives allow modules to be removed from the
floor - they are not permanently adhered. The adhesive must
• Ensure floor temperature is a minimum of 15°C. Condition be completely dry before modules are installed. To test whether
modules to 15-32°C for at least 24 hours prior to installation. the adhesive is dry: firmly press a tile into the adhesive and
Before, during and after laying, maintain temperatures and then uplift it; there should be no transfer of adhesive to the tile.
humidity approximately at levels which will prevail after the
building is occupied. • In areas of heavy traffic/ rolling traffic and on ramps, etc, a
stronger tack to prevent lateral movement may be required.
We recommend F.Ball Styccobond F40.
Floor Preparation • On stair treads the standard modular adhesive is suitable.
A permanent contact adhesive is required for stair risers.
• Ensure sub floor is smooth, level, (not undulating) to within
We recommend F Ball Styccobond F3.
6mm across 3.5m with no abrupt changes, hard and dry,
It should be free from dirt, grease or other contaminants.
Cracks and holes in excess of 3.2mm should be filled with
a floor patching material, such as Latex screed or Ardex Adhesive Application
“Featherfinish” (or similar). Gypsum based compounds are
not recommended. • Apply a full spread of adhesive using a short nap paint roller or
spray in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations and
• All floor preparation is the responsibility of the installer. application rates.

• When installing on new wet-laid bases, ensure that the drying • Take care not to allow adhesive to penetrate raised access
aids have been turned off for 4 or more days. Then, test the flooring joints - it is good practice to stay 25mm away from
moisture content using a hygrometer in accordance with BS panel joints.
5325 A or BS 8203 appendix A, as recommended by the C.F.A.

• Take readings in various points over the area being tested.

Do not lay coverings until all readings show 75% relative
humidity or less.

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MILLIKEN INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Date: 04/2018

Installation & Layout Monolithic - Arrows on the back indicate pile direction.
These should all be in the same direction.
• Start near the centre of the area, at a point chosen to give
maximum perimeter cut module size. Omni - Tiles are delivered randomised. It is recommended that the
arrows on the back of the tiles do not all point in the same direction.
• Snap a chalkline parallel to the major wall, and the second When laying Omni product, lay tiles randomly.
chalkline exactly at the right angles. (See Appendix 1 Chalkline
Application for detail instruction if required)
Installation – Half Drop Layout
Begin installation of the first tile where the chalklines cross and work
outwards using the pyramid method shown. This method gives three A third chalkline should be snapped parallel to Chalk line #1, half a
alignment checkpoints on each tile placed and helps control spacing or tile length below it. (250mm)
“growth”, and keeps the entire layout closely referenced to the chalk lines.
Modules should be installed starting from the centre, using the
• Suitable installation methods for each product /design are pyramid method. Modules must exactly follow the chalklines.
stated on product box labels & merchandising and are indicated
by the following icons: The pyramid method for half drop is illustrated below: -

Chalk line
No.2

Arrow direction 21

11
Monolithic Quarter Turn Omni-directional
20
Random Lay
10 19
12
4 13
9 18
3 8 17
5 14
90⁰ 1 6 15 Chalk line No.1
2 7 16
Half Drop Brick 250mm Chalk line No.3
Entrance to room

Installation – Brick Layout

• Follow the method as per Half Drop, but with arrow directions
Plank: Ashlar Random Plank: Herringbone at 90°.

If you have any queries regarding correct installation method,

please contact Customer Services on +44 (0)1942 826 073. Installation – Quarter turn
carpetenquiries@milliken.com
• Follow the method as per Monolithic, but with alternate tile
turned 90°.
Installation - Monolithic & Omni Random Lay
The pyramid method is illustrated below:-

Chalk line
No.2
16
15 17
7 14 18
6 8 13 19
2 5 9 12 20

90⁰ 1 3 4 10 11 21

Chalk line No.1 Page 3

MILLIKEN INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Date: 04/2018

Installation Carpet Plank layout options

• Half drop follow the method as per Half Drop with the third chalkline #1 a half tile width below it (500mm)

• Ashlar, follow the set up method as per Half Drop to place the 1st tile, subsequent tiles to be randomly spaced with a minimum of
250mm difference

• Herringbone

Planks Herringbone: A

Use set square to

frequently check
alignment and
squareness

CHALK LINE #2

Planks laid at
90 degree angle CHALK LINE #1

Planks Herringbone: B
18cm gap between chalk line #1 and #5
CHALK LINE #5

CHALK LINE #1

Second plank here

CHALK LINE #2
DI HA

Lay first plank here

#4

C
AG LK
LI L
K NA
NE

O LI
NA N
AL GO

L E#
CH IA
D

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MILLIKEN INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Date: 04/2018

General Notes • Use Plywood to protect the carpet where heavy furniture or
supplies are moved through the installation.
• Modules should be slid into position from the side to avoid
trapped tufts. • The carpet may be cleaned prior to handover using an upright
rotating brush-type vacuum cleaner.
• Tiles should be butted tightly together to ensure good
seamability. • Adhesive residues may be removed from the carpet pile using
a solvent such as Prochem Solval (used according to the
• Wherever possible, (for Monolithic, Brick or Half drop designs) manufacturer's instructions) and Capture dry cleaning powder
install modules with the arrows pointing along, not across, the (or equivalent).
heaviest trafficked walkway. Unless it is unavoidable, arrows
should not run across hallways. It is important for subsequent
maintenance of the carpet. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODULAR
• At the perimeter of the room cut tiles using the parallel or
CARPET WITH TRACTIONBACK®
scribe method (see Appendix 2) to create a good fit.
General
• Cut tiles from the face using new/sharp blades with firm
pressure to create a clean cut. Old / worn blades may lead to MILLIKEN MODULAR CARPET WITH TRACTIONBACK® IS
frayed edges. DESIGNED TO BE INSTALLED WITH NO ADHESIVE.

• When installing Comfort Plus products on and around floor Milliken recommend a qualified installation contractor install this
boxes, it MAY be necessary to remove the cushion backing product. As a first preference, Milliken strongly recommends the use
before adhering the carpet to the lid (subject to site levels and of a Milliken Preferred Partner to install TractionBack® products.
conditions) to reduce any trip hazard. The cushion backing can
easily be removed with a Fein Multimaster MSx63611 using the To be fully functional, this backing system requires stringent floor
178 scraper blade. preparation guidelines to be followed.

Firstly, follow the standard Milliken Floor Preparation guidelines,

paying particular attention to the requirement for the floor to be
Stairs and Vertical Surfaces smooth, level, dry and flat.
• See Adhesive recommendation for suitable adhesives.
In addition a thorough mopping of the floor is required prior to the
installation of TractionBack®. If the floor is coated with construction
• In addition nosings must be used when installing modules on
dust the TractionBack® will grip the dust rather than the floor.
stairs. Nosings suitable for the profile of Milliken’s cushion
backed carpets are available from www.Gradusworld.com
• In cases where modular carpet is removed prior to installing
carpet with TractionBack®, very little preparation is required.
• It is recommended that a 30 point visual contrast be achieved
The existing film of pressure-sensitive adhesive will not
between the nosing and the carpet LRV Y value (see Milliken
interfere with the TractionBack®. Pre-test several tiles to ensure
Light Reflectance specifications).
they will release from the old adhesive prior to installing large
areas. Ensure any residual trowel notches be reduced to 0.8mm
or less. In most cases, the removal of the existing floor covering
Transitions between flooring products accomplishes this.

• Appropriate transition strips MUST be installed wherever • Milliken modular TractionBack® carpet backings are
there is potential for an edge to be exposed, or where Milliken non-reactive and contain no P.V.C. or plasticizers. There is no
Carpet finishes to another flooring type. The total thickness of chemical incompatibility between Milliken modular carpet with
Comfort Plus backed products requires a transition treatment TractionBack® and existing floor covering adhesive, including:
capable of accepting the carpet without the necessity of “cutback”, asphalt emulsion, general-purpose adhesive, epoxy,
modifying or adapting the edge. Transition strips are available and any other commonly found flooring adhesives.
from Gradus, equivalent products from other manufacturers are
also acceptable. If your sub floor is contaminated with an oily residue, either
from removal of “cutback” during asbestos abatement or from a
Use of improper and/or inadequately installed transition previous end use such as metal fabrication, this residue MUST be
treatments may result in edge failure. Selection and installation of totally removed or covered prior to applying modular adhesive and
these products is the responsibility of the installation contractor. carpet. If residual adhesive (“cutback” or general purpose) has
been damaged/reactivated by previously installed PVC backed
carpet, please call Milliken Technical Services for guidance.
Post installation Protection and Clean-Up Our warranty does NOT apply in these situations.

• Protect the carpet using heavy plastic sheets, with joints taped.
Do not tape directly to the carpet, or use sticky backed plastic
as some brands leave adhesive residues which can be difficult
to remove.

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MILLIKEN INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Date: 04/2018

• NEVER scrape, sand or mechanically abrade any exposed In installation areas over which heavy wheeled equipment is used, we
black adhesive or any existing resilient floor. These may would recommend that modules be adhered with release adhesive.
contain asbestos.
Properly installed installations with TractionBack® can begin
• If residual adhesive is NOT black, scrape or sand until smooth receiving foot and rolling traffic as soon as they are finished and
and non-tacky, as required above, and follow with a thorough locked into the perimeter of the area. Exposed edges should be
mopping. protected when rolling heavy loads (such as pallets of carpet) across
the installed portion. Plywood or Masonite should be positioned on
• Some new towelled sand cement screeds may require sealing the carpet when heavy furniture or supplies are moved.
prior to installation of TractionBack® – we recommend a small
trial to determine suitability.
Transitions and Stairs
• Protruding objects must be removed. Floor must be flat. This
is crucial when it comes to TractionBack®, as there can be no Stairs should be installed using adhesive and nosing as per Milliken’s
differential adjustment of corner alignment, which is possible standard instructions.
when a general coverage of adhesive is present.

APPENDIX 1.
Installation Instructions
Creating your Chalklines
After thorough floor preparation, simply follow the standard Milliken
instructions for: The triangle method is illustrated below:-

• Temperature and storage

• Layout & Chalkline creation METHOD #1
Triangle Method Arc B intersection point
• Installation direction
– (Monolithic, Omni, Half Drop, Brick, or Quarter Turn)
• Pyramid method 5m
4m
• Scribe cut of perimeter pieces Chalkline #1 Point A
• Post Installation clean up

Point 2 Starting 3m Point 1

Point
Additional guidance for TractionBack ®
Repeat procedure on this side
of Chalkline #1 to establish
• Always SLIDE each module into position from the side to Chalkline #2 second intersection point
prevent trapped yarn. Set each module by firmly rubbing
both joints.
Parallel to wall

• Should TractionBack® become contaminated with dust, the back

of the module should be wiped with a damp cloth to remove
the contamination and restore the effectiveness. Chalkline #1

• Modules should be tight but not compressed - peaking will • Regardless of method, chalk line one, also referred to as the
occur when modules are too tight. Too loose means that “baseline”, is snapped roughly parallel to some architectural
an installation will never achieve the best possible overall feature (outside wall, column line, etc.) and generally runs the
appearance, and, can show gaps over time as the looseness longer dimension of the area.
accumulates in one area.
• This is done by placing two, and only two, points on the floor as
• Tightness or “growth” should be determined by measuring far apart as possible within the area at the same distance from
the distance covered by 11 full modules (10 joints). This the selected architectural feature. (See Point “1” and Point “2”
measurement should be no more than 3.2mm over the on the diagram.) This distance is determined by the installer to
calculated distance for eleven tiles. In some cases, this distance optimise cut sizes and minimise waste.
may be less than calculated. This distance may also vary
between the length and width of the product. Starting point and chalk line #2
• When working with TractionBack® it is necessary to move Select a starting point somewhere on Chalk line #1. The location of
across the newly placed modules very carefully until the the starting point is usually, but not always, close to the true centre
installation can be locked in at the perimeter. of the area. It may be offset to optimise cut sizes.

• Note that larger TractionBack® installations may require a
minimal locking grid of adhesive.

• Edge cuts smaller than half a tile may require spray tackifier
to prevent uplift if tub vacuum cleaners are to be used.

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MILLIKEN INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Date: 04/2018

Using the largest possible multiple of a 3-4-5 triangle (6-8-10,9-12- • From points A & B, measure diagonally as indicated by the
15,12-16-20, 15-20-25, 18-24-30, 30-40-50, etc.) construct a chalk dotted lines, allowing the tape measure to feed out until you
line through the starting point exactly 90° to chalk line #1 as follows: are close to the side wall. Place a framing square or a carpet
module at the starting point aligned with chalk line #1, to act as
Note: in this example we will use a 3-4-5 triangle measured in metres, a visual guide to tell you when you are close to 90°. Once you
however, units of measure used do not affect the validity of the procedure. feel you are close, pick a distance and remember it.

• Measure exactly 3m from the starting point along chalk line #1. • Strike an arc (Arc #1) measuring the distance determined
above from point “A”. Now working from point “B”, measure
• Measure exactly 4m from the starting point approximately diagonally using exactly the same distance used to strike Arc
perpendicular to the line #1. Mark an arc (line) on the floor #1 and strike Arc #2. This intersection point connected to the
parallel to chalk line #1 approx. 10-15cm long, as indicated by starting point is a 90° angle to line #1.
Arc “B”.
As in the triangle method, this procedure should be repeated on
• Measure exactly 5m diagonally from point “A” to Arc “B”, the opposite side of line #1. Once accurate chalk lines are applied,
as indicated. begin installation at the intersection point of the two chalk lines.

• The point on Arc “B” exactly 5m from point “A” when

connected with the starting point gives a line exactly 90° to APPENDIX 2:
chalk line #1. For maximum accuracy, this procedure should be
repeated on the opposite side of chalk line #1. Cutting Using the scribe method

• A chalk line or a dry line should be stretched between the two The parallel or “scribe” cutting technique is one method of easily
intersection points created. If measurements are accurate, the and accurately cutting modular carpet (see diagram below).
string will go directly across the starting point. This method is valid regardless of backing system. This method
yields a good vertical cut that is snug but not compressed. This is
The double arc method is illustrated below:- essential on TractionBack® to properly finish the locking in of the
product. Any method that achieves this result is acceptable.

METHOD #2 Intersection of Arc #1

Double Arc Method and Arc #2

Chalkline #1 Chalkline #2

Starting
Point Point A and Point B
are equidistant from
Repeat procedure on Starting Point
this side of Chalkline #1
to establish second
intersection point

Parallel to wall

Chalk line #1 Contact

Same as in triangle method. Milliken Carpet

Beech Hill Plant, Gidlow Lane, Wigan WN6 8RN, England

Chalk line #2 Tel: +44 (0)1942 612 735

Fax: +44 (0)1942 826 570
Select starting point in same way as triangle method and proceed E-mail: carpetenquiries@milliken.com
as follows:

• From the starting point, measure any convenient distance in

both directions along chalk line #1, then mark point A & B on
the floor (see diagram). These points should be as close as The above instructions represent the best available data and are deemed
possible to the end walls of the area and must be the same to be correct and complete, however, Milliken assumes no liability for
distance from the starting point. installation related problems.

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