Engineered floors are very dimensionally stable allowing them to be installed over most types of sub floors. They are suitable for all areas of the house except bathrooms and wet areas. They are also suitable for use over underfloor heating. Engineered floors can be installed as either a floating floor or by full glue down.

Tongue & Groove Floating Installation

Floating Installation is the most common and DIY friendly installation method because it is the easiest and the fastest to do, can be installed over any type of subfloor and it does not require any special skills or prior experience in installing floors. Tongue & groove floors are fixed together by running a bead of PVA glue down the groove and knocking into the tongue of the next board.

All flooring installations must use an approved underlay. Over a concrete subfloor you will need to use and underlay which has a built in damp proof membrane like Barrier Plus, while over a wooden subfloor you can use the standard Barrier underlay. For installations over underfloor heating we recommend using Tuplex underlay.

You will need to leave a 10mm expansion gap around the perimeter of the room. To maintain this gap during installation spacers are provided in the installation kits (purchased separately). After you have installed the floor you can cover this expansion gap with scotia / beading or new skirting boards The 10mm expansion gap also needs to be left in doorways where the floor follows through from one room to another; we have a full range of door profiles available to match your floor.

Full Glue Down Installations

Glue-down installation requires the use of an adhesive applied directly onto the subfloor and can be laid onto both concrete and wooden subfloors.

If you are laying over a concrete subfloor you will first need checked the concrete moisture, if the floor has a moisture content of over 4% then either wait until the sub floor dries to meet this level or use an appropriate moisture barrier, we recommend Mapeproof ESM to ensure no damp rises up into your new floor. To ensure a correct bond of the Adhesive to the wood floor and also the concrete subfloor we always recommend using the Mapeproof ESM

Also note that new concrete slabs require a minimum of 60 days drying time before covering them with a wood floor.

All Concrete sub-floors must be dry, smooth, level and free of structural defects. If the concrete sub floor is uneven we recommend using a self leveling compound to level the subfloor out. The concrete must also be free of paint, oil, existing adhesives, wax grease, dirt and curing compounds. These may be removed chemically or mechanically, but do not use solvent-based strippers under any circumstances. The use of residual solvents can prohibit the satisfactory bond of flooring adhesives. It is important to ensure a proper bond between the adhesives and concrete and wood panels.

If you have a wooden subfloor you will need to lay a 1/2" plywood base over this before installation, this will then give you a smooth and level surface for you to install you wood flooring onto.

Another important consideration in using glue-down installation is your choice of adhesives as some are only suitable for floors up to a small width. To avoid warranty issues and the possibility of future problems we recommend Mapei Ultrabond P990 1K which is used to fully bond the floor down or Mapei Ultrabond P990 1K Sausage which is used to bond the floor down with the use of an applicator gun to run beads of adhesive on the subfloor at 150mm intervals.

You will need to leave a 10mm expansion gap around the perimeter of the room. To maintain this gap during installation spacers are provided in the installation kits (purchased separately). After you have installed the floor you can cover this expansion gap with scotia / beading or new skirting boards The 10mm expansion gap also needs to be left in doorways where the floor follows through from one room to another; we have a full range of door profiles available to match your floor.

The above is a brief guideline on the installation of engineered flooring, always refer to the manufactures installation guidelines contained within packs of floor. View Manufactures Installation Guides.

ATTENTION – INSTALLER/OWNER RESPONSIBILITY

Inspect all materials carefully before installation. Wood is a natural product containing variations in colour, tone and graining. Some variation in colour is to be expected in a natural wood floor. Beautiful hardwood floors are a product of nature and therefore not perfect. These floors are manufactured in accordance with accepted industry standards, which permit a defect tolerance of 5%. Even though our product goes through many inspections before it leaves the plant, it is the responsibility of the customer and installer to perform a final inspection prior to installation. Any warranties offered with this product do not cover materials with visible defects once the product is installed.

JOB SITE CONDITIONS

It is the responsibility of the owner/installer to determine if the jobsite sub-floor and job site conditions are environmentally and structurally acceptable for wood floor installation. The installer/owner is responsible for wood failure resulting from or connected with sub-floor, subsurface, job site damage, deficiencies or using inadequate accessories after the hardwood flooring has been installed.

PLEASE NOTE:

Always read the full manufactures recommended installation guides before installation which you will find in every 3rd pack of flooring.