Designers' choice

UNICLIC is a revolutionary system for installing laminated flooring without using glue. Uniclic uses an ingenious form of tongue and groove to click the panels together. The UNICLIC system enables you to work 50% faster than with traditional, glued laminated flooring, and because there is no glue, Uniclic is much easier and cleaner to work with. To achieve the best results and get the most our of your warranty it is essential that you following the instructions closely and use only the following UNICLIC ACCESSORIES:

There are two ways to click together panels with the UNICLIC system:

Besides the traditional tools used for installing laminate flooring, such as a hammer, saw, crowbar or a pinchbar with a protruding edge to use the hammer on, and spacers (1-8 mm (0.039"-0,315")), it is essential that you use the UNICLIC TAPPING BLOCK. Use any other tapping block and you are sure to damage the panels during installation. Use a fine-toothed handsaw, a jigsaw or a crosscut saw to saw the panels. To achieve a clean cut the pattern side should face down when you use a jigsaw and up when you use a handsaw or a crosscut saw (figure 2).

Allow the laminate panels to acclimatise for 48 hours in the original sealed pack in the room you intend to install them. Place the packs in the middle of the room, never against a wall or in a corner, and never directly on the floor.

The base floor must be perfectly clean before installation. It also needs to be sufficiently level and stable. Any unevenness greater than 2 mm/m (1/12" / 39"1/2) must be smoothed out. Depending on the situation, remember the following:

Wood is the primary constituent of UNICLIC laminate floors. Room humidity can vary according to season, so it is vital that the floor is able to expand and contract. The floor may expand up to 2 mm per metre (1/12" / 39"1/2). Obviously, the larger the surface area, the larger the play required. The floor has to be able to expand or contract in ANY direction. To allow this, the expansion gap at walls needs to be at least 8 mm to 10 mm (1/3" - 3/8"). This gap is also necessary wherever there is a through pipe or a threshold. Larger surface areas require a wider gap under double walls for example. Remember that the floor may move in one direction. Provide expansion gaps under doors etc wherever possible. These gaps are covered with a profile attached to the base floor rather than the laminate. You can install the tiles in any direction. Always start at one of the corners. Install the tiles from left to right unbonded (with a continuous seam) or in stretcher bond (figure 6). Placing tiles unbonded is a little more exacting, so we’ll explain this method here in detail. An expansion gap is recommended between each individual room if the floor is to be installed in several rooms without a break. This is covered with a fitting expansion profile. An extension joint is also recommended if the floor extends more than 12 metres (13.2 yards) in a single room.

To get the best effect your tile floor should be installed symmetrically in the room. The tiles along the edge should be the same width along all the walls. To ensure you realise this symmetry, be sure to follow these instructions: Place the fist tile in the lefthand corner of the room (around 15 cm (5,9") from the wall) with both tongue sides facing the wall (figure 1a). Complete the first row by angling preferably unsawn tiles together one at a time. Try to install the tiles so that they form a single line when you click them together. Minor inconsistencies can be corrected with the tapping block. To do this, place the tapping block on the seam between two tiles and gently tap the tapping block with a hammer. The tiles can be made to form a perfectly straight line in this way (figure 1b). Now move the row of tiles so that the first and last tiles are approximately the same distance from the wall (figure 1c). It’s now time to install a row of sawn tiles between the wall and this first row of tiles (see F on figure 2). This ensures that your floor is symmetrical. You can work out the length of the sawn tiles F as follows. Measure the breadth of the room as indicated in figure 2. B1 is from the first tile and B2 from the last tile.

… cm (B1): 39.4 cm = …… (C1) (decimals of C1 = D1) … cm (B2): 39.4 cm = …… (C2) (decimals of C2 = D2)

D1 x 39.4 cm = ….. cm (E1) D2 x 39.4 cm = ….. cm (E2)

[……. cm (E1):2] min 1 cm (expansion gap) = ……cm (Fb) [……. cm (E2):2] min 1 cm (expansion gap) = ……cm (Fe) e.g. 5 metres Æ 500 cm : 39.4 cm = 12.69 cm(C1) 0.69 (D1) x 39.4 cm = 27.2 cm (E1) (27.2 cm : 2) = 13.6 cm (– 1 cm = 12.6 cm (Fb)

… inch (B1): 15.52 inch = …… (C1) (decimals of C1 = D1) … inch (B2): 15.52 inch = …… (C2) (decimals of C2 = D2)

D1 x 15.52 inch = ….. inch (E1) D2 x 15.52 inch = ….. inch (E2)

[……. inch (E1):2] min 0.394 inch (expansion gap) = ……inch (Fb) [……. inch (E2):2] min 0.394 inch (expansion gap) = ……inch (Fe)

e.g. 196.85 inch : 15.52 inch = 12.69 (C1) 0.69 (D1) x 15.52 inch = 10.70 inch (E1) (10.70 inch : 2) = 5.35 inch – 0.39 inch = 4.96 inch (Fb)

Angle the sawn tiles Fb and Fe into the row of tiles you have already installed. Ensure that the seam of the F tiles is at least 10cm (3,94") rom the seam of the row of tiles you have already installed. Now place the spacers b15. the wall and move the row of tiles you have already installed up against the wall (see figure 2). Now finish the whole row of F tiles by measuring and sawing all pieces (between Fb and Fe). When you’re done, remove the Fb and Fe tiles again and angle all of the F tiles into each other in the manner described in figure 1b. Align these tiles with the tapping block. Now angle the whole row of F tiles into the row of tiles you have already installed (figure 3). PLEASE NOTE! To ensure that the first full row of tiles stays aligned during the remainder of the installation procedure, you should make sure that the seam of the F tiles is at least 10 cm (3,94") away from the seam of the row of tiles you have already placed (figure 3). Do not forget to place spacers next to the F tiles to secure the expansion gap.

Calculate the length of the end pieces (G’) as follows. Measure G1 and G2

[[G1 (cm) + G2 (cm)] – 2 cm expansion gap] / 2 = G’ (cm) e.g. G1 = 11.5 cm and G2 = 12.2 cm [[11.5 + 12.2] –2 ]/ 2 = 10.85 cm G’ = 10.85 cm

[[G1 (") + G2 (")] – 0.7874" expansion gap] / 2 = G’ (") e.g. G1 = 4.52 inch and G2 = 4.80 inch [[4.52 + 4.80] –0.7874 ]/ 2 = 4.2663 inch G’ = 4.2663 inch

The end pieces are now ready for sawing. Do not place the G1 and G2 tiles yet. We advise you to re-measure G1 and G2 every time you install a new row, as the room with perfect right angles and the exact same breadth all down its length is yet to be built.

To install subsequent rows use the method described in point 7a. Always click the complete row into a new row (figure 1b) and try to align the tiles as well as possible. First correct minor

inconsistencies with the tapping block. Then angle the complete new row of tiles into the row of tiles you have already placed (figure 4a). Use the tapping block as described in 7a. Always ensure that the seams of all panels join perfectly together. Also ensure that the individual rows are aligned so that the seam of the tiles form a perfect straight line. You can do this by placing the tapping block or a crowbar at the end of the first two complete rows, next to the joint between them. Tap a few times to align both rows perfectly (figure 4a). Now install the sawn G1 end piece, again around 10 cm (3,94") from the start of the first two complete rows. Don’t forget to place spacers next to the G1 tile to secure the expansion gap (see figure 4b).

By following this procedure you can complete installation of the floor row by row. If the space between the wall and the installed floor is too small to hit the tapping block with sufficient force, you can place the crowbar on the tapping block and tap the crowbar.

Leave an expansion gap of 1 cm (3/8") between the last row and the wall. Keep this in mind when you are sawing the last row of tiles. Angle this last row of tiles into each other, align them and angle them into the previous row (see figure 5a)

Now it’s time to move the end pieces around the edges so that they are in the right place and to measure, saw and install the missing pieces.

You will have to angle out the first row of end pieces (Fb, Fe, etc), move them and then angle them back in again, so that the seams of all the tiles are aligned. Now angle out the end pieces breadthwise (G1). Click them together with the H1 and H3 corner pieces to make a single row and then angle this row back in again. Repeat the procedure with the G2 end pieces and the H2 and H4 corner pieces. (figure 5B)

To ensure the tile hugs the pipe, work as follows: 1) Take a drill chuck with a diameter equal to the diameter of the pipe + 18 mm (3/4") for any expansion. 2) Drill the tile at the spot where the pipe will run through it. 3) Carry on drilling to the edge of the tile to create a slit as wide as the pipe. 4) Place the tile around the pipe. 5) Saw a piece out of another tile that fits into the slit as snugly as possible. 6) Now finish with a neutral sealant.

When sawing the panels ensure that the expansion gap after installation is at least 10 mm (3/8"). If you are unable to angle the panel, use a crowbar or tapping block and hammer to tap the panels together.

You can walk on your floor as soon as it’s installed for immediate finishing. That’s one of the Uniclic system’s major benefits.