1. Inspection responsibility
Solid wood flooring is produced in precise working steps in one of the most modern
production sites. All products will be constantly and strictly controlled. Despite
our strict quality controls, damages on single panels can occur, i.e. transportation
damages. Always check the panels before and during the installation.
Attention! Check every board carefully before installation for any manufacturing
blemishes. We cannot consider any claims regarding product defects after installation.
Solid wood flooring is not suitable for installations in wet rooms such as bathrooms,
saunas or in similar rooms.
2. Sub floor requirements
2.1 All sub floors must be prepared for installation in accordance with normal sub
floor preparation procedures and accepted tolerances within the flooring industry.
2.2 Before installing solid wood flooring there are the following points to consider:
Moisture test – The test will be carried out using a CM-device and should not exceed
the following moisture level: for cement based concrete 2%CM for anhydrite concrete
0.5%CM Evenness test - Evenness requirements are based on industrial typical standards.
Maximum tolerance of 3mm per/m dependent on installation method, please read below.
Load capacity - Timber batten must be kiln dried at the maximum CM 12-14%. They
should be placed at 400mm intervals. Heavy loads such as pianos are place in areas
where this is reducing to 300mm. Cleanness test - The sub floor has to be in a clean
and vacuumed condition. Test the climate condition in the room where the
flooring will be installed – The following conditions should be fulfilled before,
during and after the installation:
- a room temperature of a minimum of 18°C (64°F)
-
a floor surface temperature of a minimum of 15°C (59°F)
- a relative humidity between
40% and 70%
3. Sub floors
3.1 Solid flooring can be installed on all sub
floors, which meet the above-described requirements. Here are some examples: All types of concrete sub floors,
timber battens, ply board, particleboard sub floor constructions, any wooden surface.
3.2 Unsuitable sub floors are: textile surfaces, carpets, hot water radiant sub floor systems,
PVC, linoleum, natural stone slab, ceramic tiles.
3.4 Please note the following rules for the different sub floor types:
3.4.1 Concrete sub floors. If solid wood flooring is installed over a concrete sub floor, you
have to consider that possible rest moisture in the sub floor will seep to the surface of the
sub floor. Based on the above-mentioned reason it is always necessary to use a two-part,
epoxy surface membrane over concrete sub floors.
4. Installation preparations
4.1 Acclimatisation of the panels; before starting the
installation the flooring has to be brought into the room where
it will be installed or in a room with the same climate condition. The acclimatisation
will be carried out as following: in sealed unopened boxes for a time period of
at least 7 days flat laying with at least 50 cm distance to the walls at a room
temperature of at least 18°C at a floor surface temperature of a minimum of 15°C
at a relative humidity between 40% and 65%
4.2 Installation direction; Solid flooring
looks its best when the solid wood flooring panels are installed parallel to the
light coming in through the windows. The only required installation direction is
if you install solid flooring over hardwood flooring boards. In this case you have
to install the solid flooring at a 90degree angle to the existing hardwood flooring
boards or apply a hard board or ply board sub floor.
4.3 Planning the first row;
after determining the best layout of the flooring and the starting wall, measure
the width of the room and divide it by the width of the solid flooring panels to
determine the number of rows and the width of the last row. If the last row is determined
to be less than 60mm wide, it should be adjusted by cutting the first row lengthwise.
4.4 Planning of expansion gaps; since solid wood flooring is made of organic
materials, it is subject to certain movement behaviours (shrinkage/expansion) due
to changes in climate conditions. It is necessary to leave gaps of 15mm for the
expansion in all parts of the structure i.e. walls, doorframes, stairs, around pipes.
4.5 Planning of transition mouldings; through the shrinkage and expansion behaviour
of solid flooring you have to install transition mouldings in the following areas:
at all door throughways at all passageways single room length and/or with more than
10 m (33 ft)
5. The Installation
Check all panels for possible damages/defects. Ensure you understand the difference between
the tongue and the groove on the panel. Begin installing the first row from the left-hand
corner of the room with both tongue sides of the panels pointing towards the wall. Place
spacers between the flooring and the wall to provide the correct space for expansion.
5.1. Glue down – recommendation
5.1.1. Subfloor preparation for concrete floors
"Sealdeck" epoxy surface membrane, for suppressing residual construction moisture in
both power floated concrete and sand/cement floors. For floors tested in accordance with
BS 8203 using a surface hygrometer the following degrees of protection are required:
Relative Humidity = number of coats.
- Up to 85% - 1 coat
- between 85% and 92% - 2 coats
- between 92% and 97% - 3 coats
Any readings above this please consult Technical Services. Primarily specified for
suppression of residual moisture in floors incorporating a base DPM it can be used where
no DPM exists but a specification should be requested from or Technical Department.
PREPARATION - Ensure the sub floor is clean, structurally sound, surface dry and free from
dust, dirt or any other contaminant that may prevent adhesion to the subfloor. Remove all
surface water prior to application. Highly polished and/or highly contaminated surfaces will
require shot blasting. Attention! Ensure all the short ends are staggered at least 500 mm.
It is vital to maintain a minimum of at least 500mm to assist penetration and/or adhesion. If the concrete contains either a curing agent or surface hardener, these must be removed by either shot blasting or abrasion.
APPLICATION – One Coat Application
apply by medium haired lambs wool roller. On a smooth
power floated slab coverage must not exceed 20m2 per unit. Where the sub floor has a
textured or profiled finish coverage must not exceed 15m2 per unit. In either case it is
essential that the Sealdeck coating is visually pinhole free.
APPLICATION – Two+ Coat Application
apply the first coat by medium haired lambs wool roller
in one direction, ensuring that the mixed Sealdeck is well worked into the subfloor. When
the first coat has cured (usually overnight) apply the second coat in a direction at right
angles to the first. It is important to maintain a coverage rate of 20m2 per unit for each
coat. Add a third coat in the same manner if required.
5.1.2. L18 PU Wood Bond
A flexible adhesive for batten bonding wood flooring. A one-part moisture
curing polyurethane adhesive. This high performance, elastic adhesive has a long open time
and develops high bond strength. It also absorbs sound vibration and timber movements
associated with seasonal climatic changes.
USES –For batten bonding most types of solid wood. Can be used to bond wood to: concrete,
surface membranes, cementitious screeds, flooring grade plywood, chipboard and hardboard,
calcium sulphate screeds, and smoothing and levelling compounds.
PREPARATION – All phases of installation should comply with the latest editions of: BS 8201
Code of Practice for flooring of timber, timber products and wood based panel products.
BS CP102 Code of Practice for protection of buildings against water from the ground.
SUBFLOOR – Ensure the sub floor is clean, sound, dry and free from contaminants that may
hinder adhesion, this includes paint, old adhesive residues and plaster spots. The sub
floor should be tested in accordance with British standards, using a properly calibrated
and insulated hygrometer. A reading of 75% RH or less confirms that the sub floor is
satisfactorily dry. Where this had not been attained, it is necessary to apply a Sealdeck
epoxy surface membrane to suppress residual moisture. Ensure the timber is acclimatised in
accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, in the environment in which it is to be laid .
APPLICATION – For optimum performance apply L18 PU Wood Bond in ambient temperatures above
15°C. 600ml Sausage: Insert sausage into gun. Pierce the top of the sausage with a sharp
knife and screw on nozzle. Ensure that the nozzle is cut to give the correct bead size as
indicated below. For optimal product performance and to ensure a uniform thickness apply the
product in the form of a triangular bead approximately 10mm high x 8mm width. Extrude a series of beads of adhesive each separated at a distance of 10 to 15cm apart. Lay the wood at right angles to the adhesive before the adhesive skins – typically within 45 minutes of application.
Minimum depth of adhesive after compression – One of the advantages of using L18 PU Wood Bond
is that it accommodates for unevenness in sub floor. As a result, the depth of the adhesive
after compression can be variable. To ensure adequate bond strength the minimum depth of the
adhesive after compression must be 1.5mm. 600ml Sausage: Approximately 1.5m2 to 2.3m2 depending on distance between beads.
5.1.3. L16 Woodblock Bond
A one-part moisture curing polyurethane adhesive. This high performance, elastic adhesive has
a long open time and develops a high bond strength. It also absorbs sound vibration and timber movements associated with seasonal climatic changes.
USES - For batten bonding most types of timber including: engineered parquet, wood mosaic panels, wood laminate flooring, and some solid wood*. Can be used to bond wood to: concrete, surface membranes, cementitious screeds, flooring grade plywood, chipboard and hardboard, calcium sulphate screeds, and smoothing and levelling compounds. Suitable for use with most underfloor heating installations* (surface floor temperature must not exceed 27°C). Keep heating off for 48 hours before and after installation and gradually increase the heat after this period. *Please consult Laybond Technical Services for the suitability of L18 PU Wood Bond with solid wood and underfloor heating.
PREPARATION – All phases of installation should comply with the latest editions of: BS 8201
Code of Practice for flooring of timber, timber products and wood based panel products.
BS CP102 Code of Practice for protection of buildings against water from the ground.
SUBFLOOR – Ensure the sub floor is clean, sound, dry and free from contaminants that may
hinder adhesion, this includes paint, old adhesive residues and plaster spots. The sub
floor should be tested in accordance with British standards, using a properly calibrated
and insulated hygrometer. A reading of 75% RH or less confirms that the sub floor is
satisfactorily dry. Where this had not been attained, it is necessary to apply a Sealdeck
epoxy surface membrane to suppress residual moisture. Ensure the timber is acclimatised in
accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, in the environment in which it is to be laid .
APPLICATION - For optimum performance apply L16PU Wood Bond in ambient temperatures above 15° C. POROUS SURFACES: Spread evenly over the floor surface with a triangular notched trowel cut 2mm deep x 6mm for woodblock and parquet panels and 2.7mm deep x 5mm for woodstrip and woodplank (for floors that are not smooth the notch size may need to be increased.) Spread the adhesive with a sweeping motion at a 60o angle and place the wood into the adhesive while it is still wet. This will be within 10 – 15 minutes of application and to facilitate this, it is recommended that only 1m2 is applied at a time. The wood should be pressed firmly into the adhesive to ensure good overall contact. The bonded wood should then be left overnight before any trafficking takes place.
NON / LOW POROUS SURFACES: When laying into non porous or low porosity surfaces apply a suitable Screedmaster smoothing compound to a depth of 3mm and allow to dry overnight. Application can then proceed as for porous surfaces.
5.1.4. Nail down – recommendation
Timber battens, ply board, particleboard sub floor constructions, any wooden surface should
be kiln dried at the maximum moisture content of 12-14%. They should be placed at 400mm
intervals. Heavy loads such as pianos are place in areas where this is reducing to 300mm.
Lay the first row of boards 15mm from the longest, straightest wall. The boards must follow
the contours of the wall. It the wall is not straight you must scribe in the first and last
row. Place spacers between the edge of the flooring panels and the wall to provide the correct
space for expansion. Face nail the first and last row nearest the wall 15mm into the board at
200mm intervals. Secret nail every board (including first row) with a portonailer at 45degrees
through the tongue 200mm – 400mm intervals. Start all subsequent rows with the off cut piece
from the previous row. Always make sure the off cut to start a new row is at least 400mm long,
if not then cut another piece which is greater than 400mm long.
Attention! Ensure all the short ends are staggered at least 400 mm. It is vital to maintain
a minimum of 400mm between the ends of boards in the adjacent rows (staggered).
5.1.5. Peel & Stick Underlay Floating floor – recommendation
Peel & Stick must be laid on a flat surface, which is dry, firm & level. Roll out the
underlay at 90o to the direction of the floor installation with the polythene side upwards.
Peel the polythene membrane back from the wall where the first row is to be installed. NB:
When peeling the membrane back only peel back to the 90% of the width of the first row of
flooring not forgetting the 10/15 mm expansion gap. DO NOT touch the exposed adhesive surface.
Now add the additional, loose membrane, which can be found in the pack with the ‘shiny’ side
face down on the adhesive. Fold the membrane with the crease facing the wall. The membrane
should fold out into the room leaving enough material to take hold of after the first row
has been installed. Install the first row ensuring the boards fit tightly together and the
row is straight. Once you have installed the first row it is time to remove the loose membrane.
Take a hold of the spare material and gently peel back the membrane keeping pressure on the
flooring to remain in place. Once the flooring is in contact with the adhesive on the underlay
it will not be possible to readjust its position. The loose membrane may now be discarded. You
may find that you need to reuse the loose membrane due to the width of your room. Install
further rows by laying the planks on top of the folded membrane and once in position peel back
the membrane from the underlay row by row.
Attention! A floor is considered level if the deviation height is less than 2mm over a distance
of 2.5 linear metres. Deviations above this level must be levelled out before laying the underlay.
Expansion gaps and expected movement with solid wood floors
It’s imperative all floors must have an expansion gap of 15mm around the entire perimeter of
the floor and all fixed points within the area of installation. Without this precaution the
floor will move and have nowhere to go. This can cause extreme levels of pressure pushing upward
and outwards, thus lifting the flooring. All solid wood floors will move a certain amount
even under correct installation due to moisture. It is normal to expect during certain times
of the year, as different levels of humidity occur, that the width joint between boards will
open and close. In warm weather the relative humidity will increase thus causing the flooring
expand. In the winter months relative humidity decrease thus causing the flooring to shrink.
Consequently the joints between the boards will increase and decrease accordingly. This cycle
will repeat over the years within the allow tolerances.
Attention! Each pack contains boards between 400mm and 1800mm, and we cannot guarantee the
distribution between the extremes. A 1.5% tolerance is allowed on size specifications with
this product in accordance with industry standard.
For special installation techniques, i.e. installation on stairs or for at any other questions,
please do not hesitate to contact technical help line on 0871 250 1066.
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