Tips & Recommendations For Installation
Handling solid oak flooring
Solid oak flooring must be stored in a dry place which is protected against moisture. Do not open packages until you are ready to lay the flooring. The oak flooring should be fitted after completion of all tiling, plastering and masonry work. An indoor climate of 18-20 C and 50–60% relative humidity should be maintained during flooring installation and after the floors have been installed. An appropriate indoor climate is important for the well-being of the flooring as well as people. Wood is a natural material with naturally occurring differences in colour, graining and characteristics. Since wood is hydroscopic, it expands when it absorbs moisture and contracts when it dries.
General installation recommendations
The sub-flooring must be checked to make sure it is ready for installation based on the type of installation. The sub-flooring should meet the specified requirements of evenness, surface strength, free of cracks, cleanliness and dryness in observance of regulations.
Always lay the first board with the groove side against the wall. Use wedges to maintain a minimum expansion on joint of 15mm between installed board and the wall. Make sure the boards are at right angle to the wall. Subsequent rows are to be laid parallel to the first row laid. The solid oak flooring can be installed in endless combinations: that means that the segment cut from the prior row of boards can be used as the first piece of the next row. Joints of adjacent boards should be at least 30 cm apart. Installing the boards in this way minimises the number of times the boards must be cut. After laying the expansion joints along the wall should be covered with skirtings or mouldings. The skirting should be attached to the wall and not the floor.
Installation methods
Nailing
The solid wood flooring should be installed on dry floor joists(35–45cm spacing), battens or directly onto a wooden subfloor(plywood, existing floor) It is important to make sure the surface the flooring is installed on is dry (max. 10% moisture). When necessary, a moisture barrier can be laid to protect against moisture. Lay the barrier on the ground with a 10cm allowance flush against the walls and cut to fit with a sharp knife after the skirting or mouldings have been installed. The barrier should be laid on the ground with about 30cm overlapping. The boards should be hammered together with a tapping block and nailed (screwed) at a 45 degree angle diagonally over the tongues. The nails (screws) should be placed in such a way as to not crush the tongues. The appropriate drill or multidrill chosen to make the preliminary holes should correspond to the size of nails (screws).
Glued down
The solid wood flooring can be glued to any professionally produced base (cement, anhydrite, sheet asphalt, OSB and dry screed) with the appropriate adhesive agent (Lechner Polibond Elastic adhesive). The allowable screed moisture should not surpass 2% CM for cement screed, 0.5% for CM for anhydrite screed. The adhesive should be applied throughout with a suitable serrated trowel and to manufactures guidelines. The flooring should be laid immediately and tapped in. pay special attention to avoid overlapping boards. Newly laid areas should not be walked upon for the first 6-8 hours. Any adhesive left over on the surface must be removed immediately while fresh.
Our recommendations are based on careful testing and collected data. We are free of liability regarding the specific working conditions at locations since they are outside of our influence. If you have any doubts, we suggest that you test application under the conditions of your location.
