Instructions

detailed
Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring, as it is not glued, makes the installation process easier and faster. Thus, you only need a saw for the cuts, a lever for the last pieces, a Teflon block and separating wedges, the floor itself and the placement of the insulating foam.

IMPORTANT: It is essential that the surface on which the laminate floor is to be installed is completely DRY, CLEAN and LEVEL. Check that the conditions of the surface on which you are going to install the product are optimal. If there are unevennesses greater than 3 mm/linear meter, they must be previously repaired with leveling paste. Eliminate all irregularities that could cause the board to sit poorly on the floor.

Leave the packaging CLOSED for a period of at least 48 hours at room temperature in the room for which it is intended, in a horizontal position and away from the walls, before use. It can be installed directly on most existing floors (e.g. wooden floors, PVC, concrete, etc.) If there is carpet, it must be removed and ensure that the surface is level, dry and even. (<3 mm./m). The supporting subsoil must be very dry. Wood or wood-based materials must have a maximum relative humidity of 11%. The concrete or lightweight concrete floor must have a maximum relative humidity of 2.0% CM. Gypsum or gypsum-based flooring should have a maximum of 0.5% CM.

All types of concrete and lightweight concrete or ceramic tile floors require a moisture-wicking layer. Use a plastic sheet with a thickness of min. 0.2 mm. The film must be applied with a minimum overlap of 20 cm. or 10 cm., gluing the sheets with a 50 mm. adhesive tape; and it must extend over the entire surface of the floor and rise on all the walls about 5-6 cm., which will be cut when placing the skirting board.

SOIL BASE PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS. CEMENT FLOORS

The mortar must have a humidity of less than 2% CM by the magnesium method. When forced drying means are used, drying of the superficial layers may occur, leaving remaining moisture in the lower layers that, over time, will rise due to capillarity. Sufficient time must be allowed before making new measurements to avoid measurement errors. The drying time of the screed will depend on its thickness and the humidity of the premises. As a recommendation, it can be estimated that in conditions of 20°C and 50% relative humidity the drying time is calculated with the following formula: t= 2s2, where “t” is the time in days and “s” is the thickness of the floor in centimeters. If the slab is directly above the subfloor and it is a glazed area (galleries), it is recommended to install 10 mm sheets. of expanded polyethylene with a density of at least 35 kg/m3 to insulate the product from sudden and successive changes in temperature, due to cooling due to the humidity of the slab and heating due to the incidence of the sun.

Other types of floors. In existing wooden slabs it is recommended to remove a small perimeter of the old installation for ventilation of the battens. The installation of the floor, in this case, will be carried out at 90° to the old installation and never in the same direction as the old boards. In installations on wooden boards, they must have enough space for expansion between them and with respect to the walls (following the manufacturer's recommendations). They must be installed so that the joints of the boards do not coincide with the joints of the laminate flooring slats. It can be placed directly on perfectly watertight coverings (terrazzo, wood, cement, etc.), otherwise (carpets, felts, textiles, etc.) we must first remove these and their old adhesives to be able to install the laminate, as they can be susceptible to accumulating moisture and causing rot or incorrect leveling.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS IN CASE OF RADIANT HEATING

1. The installation of the underfloor water radiant heating system is completed.

2. After 21 days, the radiant heating installer can begin his protocol of heating-cooling the floor until the heating operation is verified and stabilized. It is important that you require a protocol for these tests. These tests refer in any case to the operation of the heating itself and are not carried out to achieve the necessary humidity in the slab.

3. Once the start-up and heating test protocol has been completed and duly accredited, the mortar should be dry and have a humidity of less than 1.5% CM. If it is higher, we will wait until this value is obtained.

4. Once optimal conditions have been reached, you can begin installing the laminate floor. We begin by heating until we reach a surface temperature of 18°C, which we will maintain for 3 days. We will prepare the boxes of material during those 3 days in the location to be installed.

4. We will proceed to install the floor, maintaining the base floor temperature (18°C).

5. At the end of the installation we will maintain the same temperature for 3 more days.

6. After that time we can increase the heating temperature gradually by 5° C per day. The surface temperature of the laminate floor must not exceed 28°C or 65 W/m² if it is an electrical system.

7. Using large rugs can overheat the area under them, which is detrimental to the laminate floor.

8. The ideal room temperature is ±20°C air temperature and a relative humidity of between 50-70%. In highly dry situations it is advisable to use a humidifier to raise the relative humidity.

9. Turning the heating on and off should always be done gradually and gradually, 5°C at a time, never abruptly.

The sum of underlay and floor must have a thermal resistance of less than 0.150 m2K/W to achieve good heat transmission. Consult their technical sheet to see which one best suits these needs. Other underlays available on the market may not be moisture insulating and have low heat transmission power, so the system would not be efficient. No claims will be entertained when the recommended underlays are not used, strictly following the installation recommendations.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

Before installing the product, it must be adapted to the temperature conditions (preferably between 15°C and 25°C) and ambient humidity (between 50% and 70%) typical of the room in which it is going to be installed. Leave the packaging CLOSED for a minimum period of 48 hours in the room for which it is intended, in a horizontal position and away from the walls.

Before starting to lay the laminate flooring, inspect the product, making sure that there is no surface flaw (changes in tone, decorative flaws, stains, etc.) nor has it been damaged in transport. Do not install damaged slats under any circumstances. Once installed, claims for these concepts will not be attended to if they are visible in accordance with the EN 13329 standard.

Once the boxes are opened, present the boards on the floor, make sure that no two boards with the same design or drawing coincide together. In this way you will obtain a more realistic and natural effect on your floor once the installation is complete.

IMPORTANT: Use spacer shims to ensure that a minimum of 10mm gap is left between the walls and the laminate pieces. throughout the perimeter of the assembly. This margin will be covered at the end of the installation with the plinth-skirt and the profiles and will serve as an essential joint that allows the expansion and contraction of the floor.

When passing through the doors, a separation of 30 mm must be left. (10 of the width of the base of the profile and 10 on each side of it) where the expansion joint will be placed to separate the different rooms. The door frames are areas of special care, since an expansion of 10 mm must also be allowed. in them.

Likewise, when laying large surfaces, an expansion joint of 30 mm must also be left. (10 of the width of the base of the profile and 10 on each side of it) every 8 meters longitudinally and every 5 meters transversely to the placement.

Certain heavy pieces of furniture (bookcases, closets, aquariums...) can also hinder expansion in some sense of the room. In case of doubt, it is advisable to leave larger expansion joints to be covered with thicker skirting boards.

In T, L, U-shaped premises, we must also place an expansion joint to facilitate the free movement of the material. These separations will later be covered with expansion profiles, also available in our range of accessories.

It is recommended to measure the room transversely to the placement of the pieces, subtracting the lateral expansion joints (2 cm.). We will divide this data by the width of the slats (0.196 m.) to know the number that will result. The value of the decimals multiplied by the total width (0.196 m.) will give us the size of the last slat. If this were less than 5 cm we would cut the entire first slat with a width of about 10 cm. so that the last one gained in width.

Example: Room width A=298 cm.; Expansion 10 mm B=2cm.; Width C= A – B = 296 cm.; Slat width D=19.6 cm.; Number of slats N= C/D 15.10 units;

N=15 units and ND=0.10 units; Last slat width E= NDxD=1.96 cm. As the width of the last slat is less than 5 cm (E=1.96cm) we will cut the first row.

UNDERLAY PLACEMENT: Follow the recommendations indicated in the different underlays in our catalog. If you use another type of underlay, be sure to install it with a 0.2 mm polyethylene film, overlapping the 20 cm strips, following the recommendations at the beginning of this page. These underlays may not be good insulators of noise, humidity, have poor leveling power, etc.

STEP BY STEP INSTALLATION

Underlay: Add underlay strips as you need them. If you put it all together, it can break during assembly and thus lose its insulating qualities. Remember to raise this one up the walls about 5 cm.

Preparing door frames and moldings: Install a plank on top of the underlay (decorative side down) next to the door molding and cut it with a saw, as shown in the figure. Once the piece of frame has been removed, you can easily insert the slat under the molding, thus leaving an expansion joint that will be covered by the door molding. “If you cannot rotate the piece, with the help of the impact block and the hammer proceed to assemble the pieces by pressure. Be careful, never hit the pieces directly.”

Orientation of the pieces: It is recommended to install in the direction of the main light, except in the cases mentioned above.

First pieces of the first row: Start assembling the floor from left to right and with the male tab facing the wall. Make sure to place the slat at 10 mm. of both walls. If the wall is irregular, the slats must be adapted to its contour. It is easier to do if three rows of slats are first installed and after cutting them, they are brought closer to the wall to adapt to its irregularities, maintaining the 10 mm all around. indicated.

Hooking the second piece on the short side: Bring the pieces together on their short sides (try to leave them aligned), lift the piece at a small angle (15-20°), pressing lightly forward and down the piece will automatically hook with the adjacent piece. Continue until you finish the row following this procedure. Place the last slat, rotating it 180° and thus facing the female on the short sides. Place the separating wedge (10 mm.) between the wall and the piece and proceed to mark the area where it intersects with the previous one so that it can be cut. If this is difficult for you, take the distance with one meter and don't forget to subtract the 10 mm. expansion joint.

Cutting the slats: Place the slats with the decorative side down on the work surface and cut them with a saw. If the saw is manual, use a saw with small teeth. In this case, cut the slats with the decorative side facing up.

First piece of the second row: Use a piece of plank cut from the previous row to begin assembling the next row. This piece must have a minimum length of 30 cm. If it is too short, start the row with a new plank cut 1/3 the length of the piece. IMPORTANT: Always ensure that the end joints are staggered by at least 30 cm.

Continue assembling the floor:

1. Place the piece flat in front of the adjacent row, lift the slat at an angle (±15°), press forward and down lightly and the pieces will engage automatically.

2. Place the short end of the slat at an angle in front of the previously installed slat, press forward and down slightly. Make sure that the slat, in the long direction of the piece, is close to the adjacent one, to proceed with its attachment to the previous piece.

3. Raise the slat ±15°, together with the previously mounted slat in the same row. Lightly push forward and down, sliding the piece so that it can fit with the previous one in its longitudinal hooks.

To assemble the last row: Measure and cut the plank. Leave 10mm. distance from the wall for the essential expansion joint.

Pipe holes: Measure the diameter of the pipe and make a 20 mm hole. elderly. Cut a piece with a saw and place the slat in place on the floor. Next, place the cut piece in its corresponding place like a puzzle.

ATTENTION: In certain circumstances it is not possible to fit at an angle by lifting the pieces (under the door frames, under the radiators, etc.). In these cases, we can fit the pieces with the slats flat, always keeping in mind that we should not hit the pieces directly. Small sharp blows will be given until the pieces fit together, taking care not to damage the laminate and making sure that the striking piece is in perfect contact with the edge of the laminate floor. On the long side the same will be done, but progressively, starting at one end to advance along the piece.

If you have installed a floor approved for the bathroom and kitchen, you must seal the floor around the perimeter with a flexible silicone.

MAINTENANCE AND CARE

· Do not varnish, sand, polish, etc. the laminate floor. The surface is treated to prevent deterioration.

· Never fix the laminate to the base floor (gluing, nailing, door stops, screwing, etc.).

· Protect the feet of furniture and chairs with felt or plastic caps.

· Use chairs with soft wheels that do not damage the floor (Type W according to DIN 68131) or, in their absence, a polycarbonate mat to avoid direct contact of these with the floor.

· It is recommended to use doormats at the entrance doors from the outside to avoid dirt from the street.

· The ideal conditions to avoid the appearance of dimensional problems are 50-70% RH and +/-20°C

CLEANING

· Use a broom, vacuum cleaner or a fully wrung out mop. If any water is spilled, you must dry it immediately.

· Never use bucket, mop and water for cleaning

· On floors authorized for installation in kitchens and bathrooms, remove any remaining water in a maximum of 20 minutes.

· To remove more stubborn stains, use slightly dissolved acetone or household alcohol. It will then be cleaned with water.

ATTENTION: Use non-abrasive neutral pH detergents. Waxes and other cleaning and polishing products for wooden or furniture floors are not valid for laminate floors.