Hove Oak Flooring

Willowson MULTILAYER - Basic Preparation

• Make sure that the area where the flooring is to be installed is free from moisture by heating the room(s) some days before commencing.The sub floor must be dry (moisture < 5%), clean and level to within +/- 2 mm over a 1 metre run.
• Dents or rises of more than 3mm must be levelled. Uneven concrete floors can be levelled with self-levelling compound. Uneven floors of wood can begrinded or planed.
• New concrete floors should be allowed to dry at least 8 weeks before installation.
• The flooring must be acclimatised to the room temperature for at least 48 hours prior to the installation.
• Check all boards for faults or damage before you begin the installation.
• Sweep or vacuum the sub-floor. Ensure it is clean and level before you commence.
• In most cases an underlay with a DPM (Damp Proof Membrane) must be used.
• For added insulation and noise reduction, an Acoustic Fibre Board Underlay with 26db, can be used as an alternative product.
• Multilayer wood flooring is very versatile and therefore can be installed as a floating floor, glued down or nailed down and can also be fixed straight to joists.
• After installation, refit the skirting to the walls but never to the flooring.
• Decorative beading should be fixed to original skirting only.As this is a natural product, it will suffer contractions/expansions due to climate conditions therefore it is important to always allow expansion gaps of12 - 15 mm between the flooring panels, walls, columns, piping, stairways or any fixed element.

Tools and accessories for a correct installation:You will need a hardwood flooring nailer, rubber mallet, hammer, saw, wedges, pull bar, knocking block and adhesive.

LAYING

USING FLOOR NAILER:

1. Draw a line with a piece of chalk parallel to the wall where you will start. This should be at least 10mm away from the wall. Make sure that this lineis completely straight and check the angle to wall with a set square.
2. Choose the boards you will use for the first few rows and lay them on the floor in the way in which you will install them.
3. Boards with flaws may need to be re-cut and you may wish to place darker coloured boards more towards the edge of the floors.
4. Cut the board needed to complete the first row. The leftover board can be used to begin the second row.
5. Place edge of the board on the chalk line. The space between the board and the wall can be covered with either a moulding or a skirting board whenyou have finished laying the floor.
6. Use screw shank nails to install the first board. You will need to install first rows by hand and then, after use the floor nailer or correct adhesive forlaying hardwood floors.
7. Make sure that the joins in the boards are offset between rows. This can be easily achieved by beginning each row with a slightly shorter or longerboard than the previous.
8. After the first row, secure each board in place by nailing through the long tongue edge at 45degree angle at about every 25cm.9. Make sure each row is securely nailed down before beginning the next row.

FLOATING FLOOR:

1. In most cases the boards must preferably be laid along the length of the room with the groove towards the wall. Wedges must be placed betweenthe boards and the wall to create a 10mm expansion gap. A wooden floor must be able to move since it expands and contracts with the air humidity.If the walls are not fully straight, it is necessary to saw the first board line, so that it fits the wall.
2. All end joints must be glued on the whole tongue and groove and the boards are pulled together using a pull bar.
3. Begin the second row with the piece that was left over from the previous line. Remember that end joints in board lines, which lie against each other,must be displaced at least 50 cm.
4. The long side of the boards must also be glued with 10cm glue every 50cm. With this method your flooring can be moved. The glue line must belaid on the top side of the groove.
5. Knock the boards together using a straight knocking block, at least 25cm long, to avoid damaging the tongue. Make sure that the ends of each board are pushed tightly together before pushing the sides together.
6. Start putting the sides together at the far end of the boards and work towards the end.
7. The last board line must usually be sawn lengthwise. Place it exactly on the last board line and measure the width as shown in the diagram.
8. Glue as before and press the last board line in its place with a pull bar. Finally, do not forget the wedges.
9. When the glue is dry, the wedges are removed and the expansion gap is covered with a skirting board or an alternative expansion strip, such as ascotia beading. To complete the installation fix thresholds or expansion profiles where necessary.
10. At heating pipe, a hole must be drilled with a drill that is 20 mm bigger than the pipe, after that a wedge is sawn out (A1). When the board is in itsplace, the piece which was sawn out is fastened with glue (A2). Press it in its place with a wedge. The hole is covered with a pipe cuff around the pipe.B. Door frames are sawn off as shown in the picture so that the flooring board can exactly be placed under the frame.