Timberflor LTD / Original Timber Installations Recommendation
Pre-Installation
Acclimatising your new wood floor
We recommend acclimatising your new wood floor for 48 hours in normal installation circumstances ie no underfloor heating or not a property partially open to the elements or undergoing wet trades where excessive moisture is present (see underfloor heating instructions where applicable).
Site Conditions
The site in which the floor is to be installed must be weather tight, heating system in operation and all wet trades work must be fully dry. Any damp problems must be remedied in advance of installation taking place. At the time of installation, and thereafter, conditions should be within the range expected when the building is in use. The Relative Humidity (R.H.) of the air should be between 45° and 65° R.H. The temperature should be between 18C and 21C. These figures also apply once the floor is installed. This climate is coincidentally also the most comfortable for people to live or work in. The installer/owner assumes all responsibility for the final inspection of both the site suitability and product quality prior to installation in order that the requirements of these instructions are fully complied with. Claims of any nature will not be accepted if a fault was visibly noticeable prior to installation.
Your engineered wood floor is suitable for use with underfloor heating systems subject to the accepted compliance by the manufacturers of the heating system in its suitability for use with timber flooring. Always check this compatibility with a qualified heating installer.
Sub Floors
This flooring can be laid on most types of substrate flooring which is clean, dry and level, eg sand and cement screeds, timber floor boards, chipboard, ply, ash-felt, bitumen etc. It is the responsibility of the flooring contractor to check that the site condition is in a satisfactory state for the installation to take place including all moisture related readings.
Concrete & Screed Sub Floors
It is vital that the installer check the moisture content of the concrete/screed and to satisfy himself that it is dry enough for the flooring to be laid. If measured directly with an appropriate moisture meter, the moisture content should not exceed 4% or the relative humidity of the air over the screed and should be between 40° and 65° RH @ a temperature of 18C–21C. The screed must be levelled to a tolerance of no more than a 3mm gap showing under a 3M straight edge. On ground floors a surface moisture barrier such as a combination underlay or 1000g polythene must be used with joints over lapped and taped.
Timber Sub Floors
Wooden sub floors should not have a moisture content of higher than 12%.
Floor boards, O.S.B, plywood or battens are suitable for installing engineered flooring on top of. Ensure if the floor is over joists that adequate ventilation is provided as per UK building regulations. The same level tolerance of 3mm applies.
Note: if installing on existing tongue and grooved flooring, make sure all old floorboards are secure and free of infestation, it is then recommended that you lay the new flooring at 90º to existing floor in order to stabilise any subsequent movement within either of the timbers.
UNDERFLOOR HEATING INSTRUCTIONS
When installing flooring over underfloor heating the following must be observed:
• Heating must be operating as normal and have been operated for at least 2 weeks prior to installation of flooring.
• Maximum permissible sub floor surface temperature must not exceed 27ºC and maximum output must not exceed 60W/m²
• Heating must be turned off 48 hrs prior to installation and remain off for 48 hrs after installation (during this period room temperature must be maintained with portable heat).
*Please note the wood flooring must be acclimatised to 7-8% moisture content before installing over underfloor heating.
When underfloor heating is turned back on, the temperature must be increased by no more than 1ºC per day starting at 18 ºC until the normal operating temperature is reached (Maximum 27 ºC sub floor temperature). It is not unusual to see some gapping/cupping of boards due to the varying moisture levels. DO NOT COVER the floor with any rugs/matting as this will create ‘hot spots’ in the flooring.
The sub floor temperature (NOT air thermostat) must be set and regulated by a thermostatic subfloor probes so the temperature hitting the back of the flooring boards does not exceed 27ºC. This must be a consistent regulation over the whole of the sub floor. Your customer must also use a humidifier to replace lost moisture, especially in the winter months.
You must have a valid certificate from the underfloor heating installers/manufacturers confirming the system is suitable for wooden flooring and has been correctly installed not to exceed 27ºC sub floor temperature. Original Timber products are suitable for underfloor heating systems and will be subject to guarantee on the basis that our installation recom-mendations have been adhered to.
Please contact us for further information on underfloor heating.
Installation of Engineered Flooring
WE RECOMMEND THAT A PROFESSIONAL FLOORING INSTALLER IS CONTRACTED AND THAT THE INSTALLATION IS BY NAILING OR FULLY BONDING METHOD WITH A SUITABLE SPECIALIST WOOD FLOORING ADHESIVE.
On completion of the preceding tasks the following steps should be followed for installation.
1. Under cut the bottom of door frames, wardrobes, etc. to allow for the floor board to fit under it, plus always leave a full 15mm-20mm expansion gap around the full perimeter of the floor.
2. Open 4 or 5 packs and “shuffle” the boards to ensure an even distribution of colour and character.
3. The industry standard of 5-10% waste shall apply for defects and cutting.
4. If you discover a defective piece DO NOT LAY IT. You are the final judge of acceptable quality. Timberflor Ltd or its dealers will not be responsible for costs associated with installing, finishing and/or replacing of flooring installed with obvious defects.
5. Ideally boards should be laid “end on” to the incoming day light. The first board should be laid groove to the wall allowing for expansion of minimum 15mm between the wall and first board and continue all round with a minimum of 15mm expansion gap. Do not butt up against any fixed construction such as wall, door frame, pipes, partitions.
Nail Down Installations
It is recommended to use a professional flooring nailer for this product.
1. Our engineered flooring boards can be fixed directly onto suitable load bearing joists or battens. The joists or battens should be sound, rigid and level with moisture content no greater than 12% at the time of fixing the wooden floor. Where the engineered flooring is to be fixed to ground floor joists, adequate under-floor ventilation and appropriate protection against damp must be provided.
2. In the case of battens fixed to a concrete/screed base, the conditions described above should be met; i.e. the base must be dry. The battens should be structurally suitable for a fixed floor and of sufficient depth to accommodate the length of the flooring fixings. End to end joists between battens should be staggered throughout the floor area to avoid creating a line of weakness. Battens are usually laid at 300 – 400mm centres and fixed with either nails, clips or appropriate adhesive to the sub-floor.
Glue Down Installations
1. You must use a professionally formulated specialist wood flooring adhesive that is either alcohol or polyurethane based, always ensuring the manufacturer’s guidelines are strictly followed on application. Both trowel and glue batten systems are acceptable.
2. It is not necessary to further adhere the tongue and groove system with the above options
3. Always keep glue off the surface area of the boards and do not let any surplus glue dry on the finished flooring as this is very difficult to remove and will damage the flooring.
4. Installation clamp & strap systems are recommended to hold rows in place whilst the glue sets.
5. Starter boards from the off cuts of the flooring should be used at the beginning of each row to ensure that a stagger is created between the header joints of a minimum 500mm. This gives valuable added strength to the installation.
Finishing Off
1. The last board of the first row should be fitted using a puller bar ensuring a minimum 15mm expansion gap at the head of the board.
2. Tapping blocks should be used to tap boards together, direct contact of hammer or mallet on the board edge is not recommended.
3. All perimeter gaps should be covered with skirting or Scotia beading using profile cover strips at all thresholds between rooms.
Furniture
When installing your floor, consideration needs to be given to very heavy objects being placed on top of it. Certain types of furniture, ie stone kitchen islands, library stores, etc can restrict the flooring from naturally expanding and contracting. If this restriction occurs the flooring may crack or move unevenly during seasonal expansion cycles.
To reduce the risk of this situation occurring, we would always recommend fully bonding to the sub-floor. In some cases extremely heavy items should not be placed directly on the wood floor, instead we would recommend fitting the flooring around the item. Always use chair leg protection pads on the feet or legs of furniture and chairs and never drag items across the floor.