Installing solid wood flooring…

September 11, 2008 – 1:26 pm

How to install Floorell’s Solid Wooden Flooring from Grundorf

 Getting ready

Let’s get off to the right start. At least 3 days before installation you should store/lay the solid wood planks wrapped in foil in the centre of the room. The room must be air-conditioned/heated/ dry (to approx. 20degress (C) and approx. 60% relative air humidity). This helps it to acclimatize to your room. It means you’re less likely to get problems later on, so it’s well worth the effort. Take the solid wood planks out of the sealed wrapping just before you want to install it. Carry out installation work only under the room climate conditions stated above.

 

It’s not a good idea to fit solid wood planks with under floor heating systems and not at all in damp rooms such as saunas and bathrooms. We don’t recommend it, and it’s not covered in our warranty, but if you do really, really want under floor heating then please ask our Sales Team for information on how to best install and use your flooring.

 

Before you begin, check all the planks to make sure you are happy with them. If use solid wood planks which are visibly defective or damaged, we can not be held responsible if you have laid them.

 

Get you Sub-floors ready for installation:

Your sub-floors important. Before use Floorell’s solid wood planks, the sub-floor must be:

• It must be dry (cement floor under 2% CM, anhydrite floor and anhydrite flow floor under 0.5% CM).
• Cracks in the wash floor must be sealed before installation. The underlying floor must be permanently dry and protected against moisture. If this requirement is not met, the planks can swell, shrink and warp. Please ask for our liquid moisture barrier - just ask our Sales Team for it.
• The underlying floor must be level (increased requirement, indentations must not be greater than 2mm per linear meter). If required, the sub-floor has to be levelled with high grade levelling compound or appropriately sanded.
• The sub-floor must be hard. When the sub-floor is too soft, it is not possible to guarantee the stability of the installed surface.
• The sub-floor must be clean, old adhesives must be completely removed and other grime such as paints and grease must be completely removed. We recommend you vacuum the entire area.

 

Let’s get installing

So now you’ve done all the preparation, it’s time to start installing. You must remember that wood is a natural product with natural differences in colour, typical characteristics, grains and properties.

To ensure you get the look you want, it’s a good idea to open all the packs and choose planks from several packs to create a uniform pattern in the installed surface.

 

Leave the right amount of spacing - Planks must be installed with a sufficient expansion gap of 15mm to the walls and all other upright building components (door casings, heating radiators pipes, offsets etc). Solid wood planks need space for setting because solid wood has the tendency to shrink/swell depending on the humidity of the air. When the wood swells, the floor can be pushed upwards if not enough space is left for expansion of the sides.

 

If you want to install the wood in very large rooms, expansion joints must be placed along the planks from 10m and across the planks from 6m. Expansion joints in front of raised parts (e.g. steps) are covered with transition and finishing profiles.

 

The degree to which the solid wood floor sets depends on the room climate, i.e. on the humidity of the air. By maintaining a room climate which is also healthy for people, (avoiding overheating, airing regularly, keeping house plants, we recommend installing a humidifier), the reaction of the floor can be limited.

 

An optimum room climate is given at a relative air humidity of 50%-60% and a room temperature of 20 degrees (C). This applies particularly to heating periods and in the summer. Long periods of dryness may lead to the formation of gaps.

 

Important things you need to know

Due to their size, solid wood planks can vary slightly in dimension. This is not a reason for complaint but is considered a typical characteristic of solid wood planks. Remove wedge spacers after installation is finished and don’t forget to attach skirting profiles to cover the required remaining expansion joints. They must be connected only to the wall and not to the floor. Fill in visible expansion joints with joining filler or cover with floor profiles.

 

We recommend and point out that solid wood planks are alive and have a natural appearance. Their individual character (e.g. knots, sapwoods, shades of colour) as well as their physical properties with regards to changes in temperature (e.g. hair cracks caused by dryness) can still lead to slight deviations from the specified grades despite the meticulously conducted tests.

 

Off-cuts continually needed for endless and random installations should be deliberately/ selectively chosen and defects that are not desired on the plank should therefore be removed. These off-cuts can then be used either at the beginning or at the end of a row of planks. Taking the recommended procedure into consideration, a professional installer should allow for a waste quantity of 5%.

 

Our installation instructions are based on extensive experience but do not claim to have gone into all our application possibilities and particularities. They serve as advice based on the assumption that professional installers possess the required installation know-how. In case of doubt, we recommend you contact us. Binding information must be given in writing. Please cover the floor with a breathable protective cover in case there is building work going on after you finished installation.

 

Caring for and maintaining your floor

After all that hard work, you want to make sure you keep your floor looking great. After the installation of our surface treated solid wood planks (oil treated or lacquered) the floor must be treated with our care and maintenance products suited and recommended for this. The basics for correct treatment of the floor are our corresponding care and maintenance instructions for oil-treated or lacquered surfaces.

After installation of our untreated solid wood planks, the professional installer will sand treat the solid wood planks with oil or lacquer as arranged with you.

Our Sales Team will also be able to tell which products are suited for the care and maintenance of your particular flooring. You can see the full range on our website, as well great top tips on how to keep your floor looking great.

 

Checklist of tools you’ll need

Before you begin, its’ useful to have the following things handy.

• Tools
• Spirit level
• Hammer (min. 1,000gr.)
• Tapping block
• Drill/cordless electric screwdriver
• Pencil
• Dimpling punch (for nails)
• Compass saw, hand saw, circular saw if required
• Measuring rod or tape
• Installation rod
• Angle
• Plumb line
• Suitable flat head nails or suitable countersunk head screws
• Wedge spacers
• Drill with suitable countersunk head

 

Accessories

• PE Film or liquid moisture barrier
• Profiles (transition, finishing, adapter)
• Radiator pipe trims
• Skirting
• Oil (natural, white)
• Stain remover
• Intensive cleaner
• Sealing lacquer
• Wood floor cleaner (soap)
• Sika Bond filler
• Sika Bond T 54 or T 52. No liquid battens

 

 

(Separate section - installing wooden flooring)

 

Professional Installation with Elastion

 

Suitable for: Professional installation of solid wood planks on any level, any hard dry sub-floors such as cement floors, poured asphalt, installation boards (chipboards, OSB boards - at least 22mm thick) and old planked floors, PVC, linoleum, stone and tile floors - as flooring installation on Elastion only.

 

1. Preparation of the sub-floor

Generally a moisture measurement must be carried out on all mineral sub-floors. The following residual moisture of the cement floors must not exceed:

1.  
   • Cement floor  below 2.0%CM
   • Anhydrite floor below 0.5%CM

 

Uneven sub floors (over 2mm per running meter) must be levelled out with a levelling compound.

 

1. Installation

If you’re installing solid wood planks in a large room, expansion joints must be placed along the planks from 10m and across the planks from 6m. Expansion joints in doorways or in front of raised parts (e.g. steps) are covered with transition and finishing profiles.

 

Prior to installation on cement or stone floors, a moisture barrier (PE Film 0.2 mm) or a vapour barrier (PE Film from 1.2mm, especially on floors without a basement) must be laid out as protection against moisture. The underlay must stand at least 30mm to the walls. The joints of the moisture barrier must overlay by at least 200mm and be taped to each other. PE film must not be installed on wooden sub-floors. Please make sure that no moisture can affect the new floor by checking the construction of the underlying structure.

 

The Elastilon mat is unrolled at right angles to the direction of the installation of the planks in sheets next to each other with the protective film upwards. At the wall where you begin installation, the protective film on the individual sheets must first be pulled back approx. 40cm and loosely overlapped/ folded back doubly back towards the centre of the room (Fig 1.).

 

Now cut off the Elastion strip exposed with the glue layer (Fig 2.), Push the sheet again up to the wall and unroll the Elastion backwards to the opposite wall. Cut it to the required length and begin with the next sheet again as described above. Please make sure that the sheets do not overlap.

Before installation is started, it is required to check whether the walls which finish along the lengths of the planks are straight. If they are not straight, the longitudinal courses of the walls must be transferred to the planks (distance to the wall always 15mm) and the planks must be re-sawed accordingly.

 

Measure the room depth, if the width of the last plank is under 5cm, then distribute the available residual measure evenly among the first and last row of planks. Now you can start installation. Now you can begin to lay out the first two rows of planks on the loose overlap (Fig 3.). The first row of planks is first fitted into place with the groove towards the wall. The minimum length of the end piece must not be less than 200mm and the distance between the end joints must not be smaller than 400mm.

 

The expansion gap of the first row of planks form the wall (15mm) is secured with wedge spacers with are removed after installation. The last, sawed to size plank is fitted with an installation iron. The first row of planks is aligned straight and secured on the side along its length with wedge spacers to prevent slipping.

 

Start the installation of the second row with the off-cut of the first row. With the aid of a tapping block, the following rows of planks are tapped with their groove into the corresponding tongue of the first plank. After the first two rows are in position with spacers on the doubly folded back protective film, the film below is pulled from underneath the boards (Fig 4.).

 

Attention:

Make sure the film is not pulled off so that the glue layer in front of the second row of planks is exposed.

(If the planks are glued prematurely during insertion, the following planks can not be tapped tightly into each other because bits of glue left sticking on, residual foam or the mat folding up can prevent the light interlocking of the planks).

 

The two rows now lie tightly in the glue layer of the Elastion mat.

 

The rest of installation is carried out as described above. It is possible to lay out one or several rows which are fixed permanently on the Elastion mat before removing the protective film.

 

To obtain a tight surface, the planks should be clamped with tensioning belts before gluing them on the Elastion (fig 5.). Also stretching the Elastion at the same time as pulling the protective film is possible.

It is important to check whether the alignment is straight regularly.

 

The last row of planks, which is fitted using an installation iron, is tensioned my hand or belts, the protective film is pulled out completely. Now the installation of the floor is finished.

 

Screwing or Nailing down

 

Suitable for: Professional installation of solid wood planks on floor joists, installation boards and existing planked floors

 

Note: 20mm solids only can be installed on floor joists.

 

1. Preparation of the underlying structure

Floor joists, installations boards and old planked floors can be used as an underlying structure. Put a moisture barrier (PE film 0.2mm) or a vapour barrier (PE film from 1.2mm, especially where there is no basement) under the floor joints or installation boards and make sure that the existing plank flooring has this construction already. Do not put the PE film on top of the exiting wooden flooring, but always make sure that no moisture can affect the new floor by checking the construction of the underlying structure. Use dried floor joists (approx. 10% wood moisture) for the base structure. Appropriate standard formats are: 40×60mm, 60×80mm or 80×100m. The floor joists of up to an installation height of 60mm are fixed to the sub-floor. The floor joists above 60mm are installed floating on sound-damping strips, e.g coconut fibre damping strips or 2mm roll cork), that can be easily fixed to the underside and front of the floor joists with a stapler or glue. Uneven sub-floors (over 2mm per 1.00m) must be levelled out by lining the base construction. The spacing of the floor joists must not exceed 500mm. the floor joists should never be buffed, but laid out next to each other overlapping by approx. 200mm. the cavity between the floor joists is filled with a suitable filling/insulation. A cellulose filling is recommendable here. When a granular filling is selected, the use of protective cardboard is recommended. The top edges of the ends of the planks must not lie on the floor joists. The joint of the ends of two planks between two floor joists should however be secured in the next row by a continuous plank (top edge offset at least 400mm).

 

1. Installation

Should you want to install cut solid wood planks in large rooms, expansion joints must be placed along the planks from 10m and across the planks from 6m. Expansion joints in doorways or in front of raised parts (e.g. steps) are covered with transition and finishing profiles.

 

Before screwing or nailing down is started, it is required to check whether walls which finish along the lengths of the solid wood planks are straight. If they are not straight, the longitudinal courses of the walls must be transferred to the planks (distance to the wall always 15mm) and the planks must be re-sawed accordingly.

 

Measure the room depth, if the width of the last plank is less than 5cm, and then distribute the available residual measure evenly amongst the first and last row of planks. Now you can start screwing/nailing down.

The first row of planks is first fitted into place with the groove towards the wall. The minimum length of the end piece must not be less than 200mm and the distance between the end joints must not be smaller than 400mm. The gap of the first row of planks to the wall (15mm) is secured with wedge spacers which are removed after installation.

 

The last, sawed to size plank is fitted with an installation iron. The first row of planks is aligned straight with a plumb line and screwed into the floor joists/ installation boards/ old planked floors in the edge area (groove side) form above. Screw or nail down with suitable rust-free screws/nails at an angle of approx. 45 degrees. Start in the corner of the tongue and the board. For screwing we recommend pre-drilling the screw-holes with a 4mm drill and fixing them with 3.5 x 35mm countersunk screws. Start the installation of the second row with the off-cut of the first row. With the aid of a tapping block, the following rows of planks are tapped with their groove into the corresponding tongue of the first plank and secured by pressing during screwing/nailing down. The screws/nails are covered because the groove of the next plank is pushed over the tongue. It is important to check whether the alignment is straight regularly.

The last row of planks, which is fitted using an installation iron, is screwed down again, like the first row of planks, from above.

 

Full-gluing

Suitable for: Professional installation of solid wood planks on sub-floors such as cement or anhydrite floors, installation boards etc.

 

The development status achieved in adhesives technology for wood floors enables the reliable gluing of solid wood floors. Two advantages of gluing solid wood floors are:

 

• When elastic glues are sued the solid wood plank floor reacts to the static and dynamic strains which it is exposed to without essentially leaving its intended installation bed. The elastic glue gives the formation of solid wood planks the flexibility required for variations in temperature and humidity. An optimum climate is room temperature of approx. 20 degrees (C) at relative humidity of 50%-60%, which must be maintained.
• Gluing solid wood floors suggests itself particularly for sub-floors which do not allow any large installation heights for the underlying structures. Thus less time is required for installation than for conventional installation by screwing or nailing down. Therefore this method is perfect for renovations. All our solid wood floorings are suitable for full gluing.

 

1. Preparing the sub-floor with Primer

 

All cement floors must be sanded until the surface is hard and has a good grip. Afterwards the surface is cleaned thoroughly with an industrial vacuum cleaner until it is dust-free. SikoGrund-P can be used as a dust binder and wash primer for sub-floors such as anhydrite, cement floors, chipboards, concrete and dry screed. Siko Primer MB must, however be used as the primer for poured asphalt.

 

1. Levelling compound

The floor levelling compound Siko-Level-P must be used for smoothing and levelling uneven screeds. SikoLevel-P must only be used in conjunction with SikoBond-T52 or SikoBond-T54. Just ask our Sales Team for more information.

 

In case of other structural sub-floors, we recommend contacting the adhesives manufacturer directly.

 

1. Glue

We recommend SikoBond-T52 as 1-C-PV solvent free elastic glue for gluing solid wood planks made of tropical woods (oil-containing ingredients).

We recommend SikoBond-T54 as 1-C-PV low viscosity, elastic glue for gluing commercially available hard woods and pine woods.

 

These glues are solvent -free, elastic and have a low viscosity. The glue is applied with a toothed spatula.

 

1. Sikofloor 156

Liquid moisture barrier must be used as a moisture barrier.

 

Important:

Specified building expansion joints must be taken over and covered with a transition profile afterwards.

 

Installation of the planks

Before gluing, it is required to check whether the walls which finish along the lengths of the planks are straight. If they are not straight the longitudinal courses of the walls must be transferred to the planks (distance to the wall always 15mm) and the planks must be re-sawed accordingly.

 

Measure the room depth. If the width of the last plank is less than 5cm, then distribute the available residual measure evenly among the first and last row of planks. Now you can start gluing.

 

The first row of planks is first fitted into place with the groove towards the wall. The minimum length of the end piece must not be less than 200mm and the distance between the end joints must not be smaller than 400mm.

 

Apply the glue to the sub-floor evenly with the toothed spatula. Glue should be applied only to area of three plank widths. The gap of the first row of planks to the wall (15mm) is secured with wedge spacers which are removed after installation.

 

The planks are inserted into the adhesive bed and joined together with a tapping block. Additional glue must not be applied so that the shrink and swell behaviour of the individual planks is not restricted. The rows of planks are fixed at the ends with edge clamps/ wedge spacers.

 

Weigh down the first row of planks to ensure good adhesion to the sub-floor. The end and longitudinal edges of the planks must be checked for precisions as well as the straight alignment of the boards.

 

The last row of planks must be fitted with an appropriate installation iron. Allow the glue to dry completely for 2 days before you use or walk on the solid wood planks or put pieces of furniture and rugs on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommendation of Grundorf products over existing sub-floors

 

Laminates and Engineered floors

All existing non-wood based sub floors must incorporate an existing DPM

I not, then a two part damp proof epoxy must be applied. Two coats are recommended.

Should the sub floor have an existing DPM then a moisture reading should be taken of the sub floor as to British Standards to ensure that the existing DPM is indeed in good working order.

Further action must be taken if readings are suitable to ensure further protection to the Laminate flooring, this can be a poly membrane of 0.2 microns or a built in moisture barrier underlayment of which all joints must be taped. Laminate floors are designed for floating purposes only.

 

Correct underlay to be used is: PE FILM/FOAM COMBI UNDERLAY.

 

Wood based sub floors

It is important that all airbricks which ensure correct ventilation are in working order and no airbricks should be blocked, if so it is imperative that these are cleared.  A good quality underlayment (without a separate or integrated DPM) should be laid over the existing floorboards provided that these are in good condition and flat and all joints taped.

 

Correct underlay to be used is: FOAM INSULATION BOARD

 

Solid wood:

• 1) It is recommended that all concrete based sub floors have a two part epoxy DPM applied, even after testing; this is because a sub floor would have to read below 60%RH before installation, which would be very difficult to obtain. To avoid this situation a two part epoxy be applied and is now a recognized method by the trade in general.

 

• 2) Anhydrate screeds are normally associated with under floor heating and epoxy is not a recommended application. Drying this type of sub floor must be followed - ask our Sales Team for the information on wood and under floor heating.

 

• 3) With wood based sub floors, it is important that all airbricks which ensure correct ventilation are in working order. If they are blocked it is very important that you clear them, before you begin.

 

The floor boarded floor should have a reading not exceeding 12%m.c and action should be taken to ensure moisture does not get to the back of flooring. A Kraft paper (bitumen impregnated) should be laid over floorboards and joints. Overlap them and tape them using waterproof tape. Flooring must be laid at right angles to the floorboards or at a 45% angle. If you want the flooring to be laid in same direction of floorboards it is important that a minimum 12mm thickness plywood be overlaid -  any less and the nails will not have required holding power. Alternatively old floorboards can be uplifted and a minimum 18mm plywood be installed leaving 3mm gaps between joints and expansion of 12mm be left around all perimeters.  All plywood must be internal plywood kiln dried to a max of 12%m.c and again Kraft paper should then be overlaid onto this.

 

Gluing

Only one part urethane flexible adhesive must be used. Floor boarded areas must be overlaid using a min 9mm plywood and then flooring can be glued direct to this using the recommended trowel and coveridge. Flooring can be installed using this method - the same way as floorboards.

 

Please note that:

Solid wood flooring can only be installed using Nailing, Fully bonded using urethane adhesive, direct to joist or Elastilon. Floating of solid wood flooring is not recommended.