Instructions For Fitting Engineered Wood Flooring

People have chosen an engineered wood floor which we are certain you will certainly cherish for years to come. Please examine these instructions and tips before proceeding with installation or unpacking. Engineered wood has a natural solid wood top layer and a manufactured plywood foundation. This approach makes an engineered board dependable and not liable to expansion and shrinkage. It is critical that some simple rules are implemented to ensure a trouble free set up and future satisfaction.

Before Installment

Ensure that the cartons are piled horizontally and flat. Almost all our panels are kiln dried to 8.5% moisture content and the plywood base has also been dried to “balance” the boards at the manufacturing stage. Engineered boards do not need to acclimatise and should be put in immediately after delivery .This will ensure that an engineered board will maintain its stability and provide an individual a problem free installation. If you cannot lay down the floor instantly then keep the cartons stacked with the shrink wrap film in place.

The following is extremely important

* All wet trades like plastering and wallpapering must be finished
* All the plaster must be totally dry
* Floor and wall tiles have been completely installed for at the very least 2 weeks
* Radiators are bled with all leaks fixed
* The concrete sub floor has a moisture content of under 10%
* All windows and doors are fully fixed
* All painting is completed
* All other trades have finished

In most houses we now have concrete floors and these must be checked for damp proof courses and humidity.

Sub Floors

The surface should be firm, clean, level and grease free. If there is some possibility of dampness then use proper flooring care products to seal the floor. If the concrete floor is sloping by more than 2mm then you could use a self levelling compound but in this particular situation an individual will not be able to glue the floor down as the glue may lead to the levelling compound to separate away.

In older households generally there is usually an air gap below the joists, in this particular case lay a damp proof membrane beneath before installing your engineered floor to ensure that the floor stays warm and won’t absorb the moisture below.

When you are fixing aged floor boards an individual need to make sure that they are securely set and that there are no loose boards or protruding nails.

If you want to lay your new floor over an current one then add screws to the old boards along with nails to help make it secure

* In case you want to take the old floor boards up then ensure the joists are sound and remove all the nails you can.
* If the old floor boards are substandard and you want to lay the new boards in the identical direction then either get additional wide boards or screw down a plywood sub base that you can then glue down your new floor. This will ensure that you do not have “creaky” boards and your new floor will be totally flat and secure.
* If you put your new floor directly onto present boards in the same direction you are likely to get problems in the future unless they’re wide boards which will cross over any join. Typically it is often best to lay the boards lengthways in a room and not across the shortest space.

Installing

You will find three primary methods used to fix your engineered floor described below. Prior to starting your installation you need to open up several packs so that you can mix the packs to get the best layout. Random lengths necessarily mean that you will get a total range of different lengths in each pack; each pack will not always have the same length boards. If you choose more lengthier boards then you should buy 1 carton of long boards to every four cartons of random lengths.

Wood is a natural product and nature always surprises people so you may get different color hues and grain variation even from the same tree. Each and every board and each floor is unique and it is important that the layout is correct so that you can appreciate your floor for years to come and regard it a piece of beauty and art. With engineered boards you should preferably leave an expansion gap approximately 5mm to 10mm.

Gluing: Companies typically suggest the Bona R850 adhesive as it dries like a hard rubber and is simple to use. Companies provide this at below trade price with a comb to spread the adhesive. When you use this approach you glue the boards directly on to your old floor boards, concrete floor or plywood subfloor. Remember to follow the manufacturer’s instructions cautiously which you will locate on each tube of adhesive. You do not need to glue the tongue and groove.

Nailing or Screwing: This method is the conventional approach and all boards should be firmly nailed or screwed at an angle of 45% through the top of the tongue. Most manufacturer’s have a detailed traditional installation guide shows this in diagrammatic form. You must use the lost nail heads and a pneumatic nail gun preset to the appropriate angle which you can buy from any good tool shop. For some very hard species of hardwood flooring you may need to use a small drill to create a guide hole so that you don’t split the tongue when nailing through.

Floating Floors: This is where there is normally an underlay and the boards are just put on top with just the tongue and groove glued together using a PVA glue, this will make sure that the boards stay together and should stop any creaking. Frequently make certain that you purchase the best quality underlay.

AFTER INSTALLATION WOOD CARE

Lacquered Flooring: Purchase a maintenance kit for pre finished or engineered UV coated hardwood floors. A swift hoover or dry dust mop will eliminate dust. For hard to clean stains use a standard mop with a special cleaner and replenishing solutions.

UV Oiled Floors: These hardwood floors also demand minor maintenance as they have been sealed and heat treated at the factory. Also there is a particular UV oil maintenance kit and also soap oil which is often used every 6 months depending on the level of traffic. This will keep the floor looking excellent.

Natural Oiled Floors: Wooden flooring which includes natural oils require to be taken care of regularly, the new soap oil and maintenance kits are the perfect solution.

NEVER USE AGRESSIVE CLEANING PRODUCTS CONTAINING AMMONIA, BLEACH OR SILICONES, AND NEVER LEAVE SURPLUS WATER ON THE FLOOR.

* Make sure you protect chair and furniture legs with felt pads
* Position mats at entrances to absorb grit and dirt from outside
* Clean with the proper maintenance kits or just wipe with a moist sponge
* Engineered flooring can effortlessly be sanded down as they also have a thicker top layer
* See the wooden floor maintenance kits available

Remember: Hardwood or Engineered Flooring is a attractive natural product and due to this the industry standard reports that up to 5% might not exactly be practical for the planned reason.

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