WOODEN FLOORS
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR FLOATING BOARDS

PRE-INSTALLATION PREPARATIONS:

• The sub-floor needs to be even ( max +/- 2 mm per m2 ) dry and solid
• If installing over concrete, make sure the concrete is dry and fully cured. Use a vapour barrier of at least 0,15 mm · Install an underlay before installation to even out the smallest of uneven spots.
• Store the flooring in the room it is to be installed in for 48 hours in unopened packages. Maintain as low humidity as possible, between 40 and 50%. Make sure the packages have ample air circulation around them.
• Just before installation, open as many packages as possible. Look through all the planks and sort for colour and texture to assure an even look when the floor is being installed
• Humidity in the room during and after installation should be maintained at 40 - 60% to prevent excessive shrinking and expansion of the boards.
• When boards are being inspected prior to installation, any boards with non-desired structure or small imperfections, should be cut and the end-pieces reserved for future starts or ends. Make sure that all the boards that are being installed are in perfect condition.

INSTALLATION:

• Leave a 10 mm opening around all walls and fixed points in the room. Increase this space by 1 mm for every meter the floor exceeds 6m in width and 10m in length
• We recommend installing the floor so that you can apply the glue on the tongue at the board already laid down. The glue should be applied on top of the tongue running over the edge. Glue should be applied in the groove, it should be on the lower side of the groove. Too much glue in the groove will cause the boards to be hard to put together
• When the proper amount of glue is used, a little bit of glue will come up between the boards during the installation. You should use about one litre of glue per 30 m2 of flooring.
• Clean up glue residue on the surface immediately with a clean damp cloth. On un-treated flooring planks, dried glue residue can be cleaned up light sanding. On treated boards, it is important to clean up all glue before it dries.
• Trim/beading pieces should not be mounted to the floor to allow the floor to float freely.

AFTER INSTALLATION:

• Because wood naturally expands and contracts in accordance with the humidity in the air, there will be some small openings in the top layer of some boards which might develop depending on humidity and temperature. Generally the floor is maintained best by keeping both temperature and humidity as constant as possible
• As with all our products, especially oak, it is a good idea to treat the floor with a maintaining oil after installation and then perhaps yearly
• The floor is inspected for all structural defects at the factory and should openings develop later after installation, this is a function of the natural movement in the material due to temperature and humidity changes and is considered a natural development of the floor.

  UNDER-FLOOR HEATING ( RADIANT HEAT )

• The sub-floor must be completely dry before installation and should be heated two weeks prior to installation. Turn the heat off two days prior to installation, but maintain a surface temperature of 60-65 Fahrenheit ( 15-18 Celcius )
• The heat must be evenly distributed throughout the floor and must be automatically controlled not to exceed 82 degrees Fahrenheit ( 28 Celcius ) on the surface
• Wood floors with under-floor heating have a greater chance of developing openings. We recommend heating the floor slowly each time it has been turned off · Wood floors should be controlled by thermostats in the sub-floor not in the room to assure an even heat under the floor.

MAINTENANCE

• As above all our floors should be treated after installation with a maintaining oil and then perhaps yearly
• The installed floor should be maintained by cleaning with real wood floor cleaner
• When cleaning pine, spruce or larch flooring spread the cleaning solution over a large area and allow it to be absorbed by the wood for a few minutes while scrubbing the floor with a brush. Dry up the remaining water with a damp mop rinsed in clean water
• When cleaning hardwood flooring, follow above but use less cleaning solution than for the floating boards and dry up just after washing Installation of 22 mm planks on joists, please follow the normal regulations. Max space between joists 60 cm. Only add glue at the end of each plank.