INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS OF GLUE-FREE LOCKING SYSTEM 1/2007
The 14 mm tongue-and-groove boards should ideally be installed to form a fl oating fl oor without attaching them to the sub fl oor. If preferred, they can be installed by gluing to the sub fl oor; additional information can be found on the manufacturer’s website. The boards should be interlocked without glue along the tongueand- groove joint. This joining method requires you to tap the boards lightly on their long side. These boards are not suitable for use as a self-supporting fl oor.
READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY before starting the installation work. Our warranty requires that you adhere to our installation and maintenance instructions and warranty terms, which can be found on our website. to reduce the moisture in new buildings, the rooms should be heated and ventilated for no less than one month prior to the installation of the fl oor. The relative humidity (RH) of the room air should be 40 to 60 % and the temperature 18 to 24 °C during the installation as well as afterwards.
TOOLS
You need the following tools for the installation: a finebladed saw, hammer, knife, set square, possibly a drill and chisel, tape measure, pencil, wooden hitting wedge min. 30 cm long, wooden spacers and some PVAC glue.
SUBFLOOR
The subfl oor should be dry, level, solid and clean. Sub floors are usually concrete, wooden floor boards, chipboard
or plastic. Please note textile carpets are not suitable as underlay material. Before installing, ensure that the sub fl oor is suf fi ciently dry (see below) and clean to prevent the growth of mildew etc.
CHECK THAT THE SUBFLOOR IS LEVEL
Using a straight ruler at least 2 metres in length or a board, carefully check that the whole sub fl oor is level.
Any deviation in the sub fl oor’s level should not exceed 2 to 3 mm per 2000 mm length. If required, the sub f oor should be levelled or cut to meet these requirements. Loose fl oor boards etc. should be fastened and
uneven fl oorboards sanded. Uneven concrete fl oors can be recti fi ed using a self levelling compound.
MOISTURE BARRIER
When installing on concrete fl oors, or in warm and moist spaces, a durable 0.2 mm polyethylene membrane
should be installed between the boards and sub floor, with an overlap of at least 200 mm (max sub floor RH 80 % or max weight % 3.0 CM). On top of the polyethylene membrane, you should place a 2 mm sheet of cellular plastic or waved cardboard. To insulate from impact sound and humidity, you can use a Tuplex underlay (concrete humidity < 85 %) without using a separate plastic membrane. Adjacent Tuplex strips are joined together either by applying tape to their seams or using an overlap strip. Observe the current impact sound regulations. Ventilated ground floors and intermediate fl oor structures do not usually require a separate humidity barrier.
HEATED FLOORS
(Ask for separate installation instructions from your retailer or visit our website.) Tongue-and-groove boards may be installed on top of a fl oor heating system. Floor heat should be distributed evenly throughout the whole fl oor area. Start up the heating system at least two weeks prior to the board installation. Adjust so that the system reaches a level of 2/3 of maximum power before installation. This should be done whatever the time of year. Ensure the rooms are well ventilated. The floor heating system should be set to a lower temperature (around +18 °C) one to two days before the boards are installed and adjusted back to its normal temperature gradually one to two weeks after the installation is fi nished. With heated fl oors, the temperature of wooden fl oors should never exceed +27 °C. The maximum fl oor surface temperature variation within a day should be 5 °C. Take this into account, especially under carpets and with regard to water-circulated fl oor heating systems, by measuring the surface temperature at the beginning of the circulation system. Floor heating causes the fl oor surface to dry up and induces additional wood
contraction. The relative humidity of room air should be maintained at 40 to 60 % throughout all seasons to maintain the wooden fl oor in immaculate condition.
When the relative air humidity drops below 30 %, it may cause the boards and surface lamels to part and chip if the humidity continues to drop. Beech, maple and jatoba react more intensely to variations in relative air humidity than other wood species, making it inadvisable to install them on top of a fl oor heating system. Similarly, they are all particularly susceptible to the effects of external humidity (kitchen, foyer). Store the unopened packs in the installation area for 1 to 2 weeks.
Open the packs as the work progresses. Make sure that the boards are fl awless before installing them. Should you fi nd a damaged or defective board, do not install it. . The retailer is not responsible or the installation of defective boards. Installation waste is around 3 %. Wood is a living material and each board is unique, with natural colour and structure variations, characteristic of different species of wood. UV radiation alters wood colour over time; dark-coloured wood species darken; light-coloured species change less noticeably. Variations in colour in areas covered by rugs and furniture will even out in time as they are exposed to daylight. Colour changes occur the most during the fi rst year after installation.
EXPANSION GAPS
Similarly to other natural materials, wooden fl oors expand and contract in accordance with changes in air umidity. To accommodate this expansion, which typically occurs during the summer, you should leave an expansion gap of 7 to 10 millimetres. The gap can be covered with a skirting board or covering strip, between the fl oor and wall or other surface adjacent to the fl oor. Wedges should be used to maintain the appropriate gap when installing. In rooms of over 8 in width metres you should work on the basis of 1.5 mm expansion per metre of fl oor, measured cross directionally with regard to the boards. Ensure that any skirtings or cover strips are of suf fi cient depth to allow for the contraction of the boards that typically occurs during the winter months when your heating is used. A
similar expansion gap should also be left around pipes, thresholds, door frames and pillars. An expansion joint is required when the fl oor size exceeds 12 m in width and in open plan spaces. Expansion joints must be constructed in doorways, angles in the room or other suitable spaces and covered with a separate cover strip. Installing heavy furniture and kitchen appliances on top of fl oating fl oors is not recommended, since this may restrict the natural
movement of the wooden fl oor, causing gaps to appear between the boards.
INSTALLATION DIRECTION
The boards are usually installed in parallel with the direction of the room’s incoming daylight. In elongated spaces, we recommend that you install the boards in the room’s lengthwise direction. If the sub fl oor is wooden, the boards should be installed cross directionally to the existing fl oorboards.
INSTALLATION
Start by measuring the room’s width and calculating how many rows of boards are needed. If the width of the last row is less than 40 mm, saw the fi rst row of boards to a narrower width. The boards are installed by joining them together using the tongue-and-groove structure without glue. Start the installation from left to right on the side of the room’s intact wall by placing the first board with the long side tongue against the wall ( The distance of the boards from the wall can be adjusted later with wedges, after three or four rows have been installed.
NOTE! Always remove the tongues from the fi st row of boards to ensure the expansion gap is suf fi ciently wide. Take this into consideration with all the end joints facing the wall as well. Install the next board with its short side ) at an angle to the previous board and lower the board carefully onto the fl oor while pushing the end groove and tongue joints together. Proceed in this manner to the end of the first
Tip: You can “ease” the end joint into the locking position by slightly waggling the board up and down while installing it. Be careful not to damage the end cleat. Be careful not to bend the boards forcibly, since this causes microfractures in the varnished surface. Saw the last board of the row to size, taking the expansion gap into account, and install the board. If the starting wall is not straight, the shape of the wall can be traced on the starting row. Prop the boards up and cut the boards to correspond to the wall shape. Install the boards again from left to right, bearing the expansion gap in mind. Tip: You can achieve the correct length by turning the short side tongue to face the wall and marking the correct cut-off point . Start the next row with the left-over piece. The overlap for adjoining boards should be no less than 50 cm ); the overlap for short boards (1126 cm) should be 30 cm. Install the next row’s ) fi rst board at a slight angle to the previous row’s board and lay it on the fl oor. If there is a slight gap between the joints, make sure that the previous row’s board groove is clean. Push an installation wedge ) to a distance of around 50 mm from the end of the previously installed board. First install the next board’s short side at a slight angle to the previous board and then install the long side. Push the board simultaneously forward and downwards towards the fl oor at a similar angle to the previous board ). Remove the installation wedge and tap the boards into place with the edge of the wedge, making the side joints tight in the process.
FINISHED WOODEN FLOOR:
Reconditioning the varnished surface
You will
fi
nd instructions for revarnishing the
fl
oor on
the manufacturer’s website. We do not recommend
waxing the
fl
oor since it may hinder revarnishing.
OILED WOODEN FLOOR:
Cleaning and maintenance
During weekly cleaning, you should use Osmo Color
Wash & Care cleaning concentrate with water in accordance
with the manufacturer’s dose instructions. For
fl
oor maintenance, you can use conditioners designed
for oiled surfaces (e.g. Tikkurila’s Nostalgia conditioning
wax, Osmo Color Liquid Wax Cleaner or Trip Trap conditioning
oil) in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Remove loose dust and dirt from the
fl
oor
with a vacuum cleaner or
fl
oor wiper. Wipe the
fl
oor
one small area at a time with a cleaning cloth or
fl
oor
wiper moisturised with a conditioner.
Stain removal
You can also clean and maintain the abrasions and
scratches on the
fl
oor and remove persistent stains
with the conditioner. Apply a thin layer of conditioner
with a clean cloth to the surface to be cleaned and
scrub lightly until the dirt attaches to the cloth. Let the
conditioner dry for around 30 min and, if required, wipe
with a dry cloth. You can also use the Osmo Color conditioning
and cleansing wax spray.
Oil surface reconditioning
Remove loose dust and dirt from the
fl
oor with a
vacuum cleaner or
fl
oor wiper. Clean the worn or
damaged surface. There is no need to sand the surface.
Apply a thin layer of base oil (e.g. Osmo Color oil wax,
Tikkurila’s Nostalgia base oil or Trip Trap base oil) with a
clean cloth to the area to be reconditioned, scrub lightly
with a
fl
oor cloth and let it dry. If required, polish with
a soft cloth.
