Installing a solid engineered wood floor
Engineered solid wood flooring is quick and simple to lay and has a high quality look and feel your customers will really appreciate, whichever of these two installation methods you choose. Better still, the specially engineered boards create a floor that's remarkably stable and resistant to temperature change and moisture.
> Floor Preparation
> Installing a Floating Floor
> Installing a Glued Floor
Floor Preparation
- Check the moisture content in the ground. It is recommended that the moisture content for a concrete surface is no more than 2%, 8% for wood and 0.5% for anhydrite surface. However, it is always advisable to follow the manufacturer's fitting guidelines.
- Make sure the surface is even, using a minimum 2 metre measuring rod or a spirit level. The level difference should not exceed 2mm over 2 metres of the floor. If the difference is larger it must be evened out first.
- Insert the gently lifted fragment of the floorboard tongue-in-groove and press it by hand towards the floor.
- Protect the floorboards if necessary. If the moisture content of the concrete base exceeds 2-3%, anti-damp isolation using 0.2mm polyethylene foil is recommended to protect the flooring from damp. It should be laid with an overlap of 200mm, with secure joints.
- Decide the direction in which the floorboards will be laid. This is determined by the dimensions of the room. If no side exceeds 8m, lay the floorboards along the direction of the sun's rays - perpendicular to the sunniest window. In spaces larger than 8m or for long narrow room such as corridors, the floor should always be laid along the longest side of the room.
Installing a Floating Floor
- Lay the first row of floorboards with the tongue side facing the wall. Individual floorboards should be joined along the shorter side (front) by sliding the profiled elements of the joint (tongue-groove) parallel into the following floorboards.
- Begin the following row of boards with the cut-off fragment of the floorboard remaining from the first row, provided its length exceeds 50cm. Maintain a minimum 50cm flexibility between the ends of floorboards in the neighbouring rows.
- Insert the gently lifted fragment of the floorboard tongue-in-groove and press it by hand towards the floor.
- Tap the floorboard lightly with a wooden block to the previously laid row of flooring. The subsequent floorboard should be installed in the same manner, maintaining a distance of 5 to 8mm between the fronts of the floorboards. The floorboard would be tapped with the hammer and the assembly jig at the shorter side, thereby joining the floorboards frontally.
- Lay each subsequent row of floorboards by pushing from the front side of the board (alongside, in order to eradicate gaps in the front joints) with the help of the assembly jig. Insert wedges into the gaps along the walls.
- To deal with obstacles such as central heating pipes, a fragment of the board which requires additional manoeuvring to make it fit should be marked appropriately, cut and fixed. Always remember to maintain the 10mm expansion gap around the pipe or other obstacle. Cover any resulting gap between the pipes and the floor with a rosette (available within the Barlinek System). No assembling belts should be used in assembling the floor.
- Measure the last row of boards very carefully prior to laying. If it is too wide, selected boards should be narrowed accordingly along the groove side. After fitting, push the boards with the help of the assembly jig to eradicate the gap between the freshly laid boards. Ensure a 10-15mm expansion gap remains along the wall.
Installing a Glued Floor
- Prime the ground according to the manufacturer's instructions. Use the paint roller to spread the primer evenly over the ground, without creating puddles, then wait for 12 to 24 hours before beginning the glueing. Polyurathane and synthetic glues suitable for use over floor heating are recommended for ready-varnished flooring. Never use dispersion glue. Glue contains solvents, so keep the room well-ventilated and wear protective rubber gloves during installation.
- Prepare the glue ingredients following the manufacturer's recommendations. Spread the adhesive with a corrugated spatula. The glue must cover at least 60% of the floorboard surface. The ground should comply with the following resistance requirements: minimum peel strength 1MPa, minimum compression strength 25MPa. Floorboards can shrink or swell after glueing, so adequate expansions gaps are essential.
- Lay the floorboards by firmly pressing towards the glue-treated ground, ensuring that the glue does not leak onto the surface of the floorboard.
- Assemble the floor as per the instructions for a floating floor.
- Load the freshly-laid floor for 12 hours after assembling. You can walk on it after 6 hours.