METHOD STATEMENT
FLOOR THICKNESS: 7/9/10/13/15/20/30mm
FLOATING & GLUE-DOWN INSTALLATION METHOD
RECEIVING & STORING
PRE-INSTALLATION & SURFACE PREPARATION
INSTALLATION & FINAL INSPECTION
RECEIVING & STORAGE
| ITEM No. | ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA | REFERENCE | |
| A | ENGINEERED WOOD FLOORING RECEIVING & STORAGE | ||
| A1 A2 A3 | PACKAGING | Wood flooring bundles shall be shipped and received in packaged bundles. Minor raptures of plastic packaging are acceptable and should be taped for further storage. All bundles shall come with the installation instruction. Care should be taken when receiving wood flooring to avoid ripping the plastic protection or damaging the corners of the wood boards. If packs are opened too early, the boards can absorb moisture and expand, which makes them difficult to fit together. If packs have been opened, they must be resealed carefully with tape to stop moisture getting in and adversely affecting the boards. | Installation Guide for wood floors Installation Guide for wood floors Installation Guide for wood floors |
| INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS | |||
| HANDLE WITH CARE | |||
| B | ENGINEERED WOOD FLOORING STORAGE | ||
| B1 | STORAGE | Store and handle wood flooring in a closed, dry and ventilated area, to prevent damage or contamination by water, heat, freezing or foreign matter. Wood flooring shall be stored in an area where the RH (Relative Humidity) is less than 60%. Do not open the bundles of floor boards until installation commences. If packs have been opened, they must be resealed carefully with tape to stop moisture getting in and adversely affecting the boards. | Installation Guide for wood floors |
PRE–INSTALLATION & SURFACE PREPARATION
| ITEM No. | ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA | REFERENCE | |
| A | ENGINEERED WOOD FLOORING PRE-INSTALLATION & SURFACE PREPARATION | ||
| A1 | CLEAN SURFACE | All surfaces to receive wood flooring shall be structurally sound, clean, dry and free of oily or waxy films and all foreign matter; Concrete surfaces shall be free of form oil, curing compounds and laitance (Please see Subfloor Requirements Wood Floors). | Subfloor Requirements and Underfloor Heating |
| A2 | HUMIDITY & TEMPERATURE | The air’s relative humidity (RH) inside the premise’s should be maintained between 30% and 60%. The premise’s A/C system must be running and operational for at least 24 hours prior, during and after installation. The temperature must be between 15- 24°C (Please see Installation Guide). | Installation Guide |
| A3 | CURVATURE | The walls and floors must be level over measured lengths of 2 m and 0.25m. If there is any unevenness greater than +/-3 mm over 2 m or +/-1.2 mm over 0.25 m, the walls and floor must be levelled. Uneven floors must be levelled using a smoothing compound. | Subfloor Requirements and Underfloor Heating |
| A4 | CIVIL WORKS | All built-in/customised furniture along with partitions is to be fixed prior to the commencement of the installation of the wood flooring. All civil works must be fully completed and cured prior to the commencement of the installation of the wood floor. Furnishings and walls must never be fastened to the wood flooring in a floating installation. | Subfloor Requirements and Underfloor Heating |
| A5 | SUB–FLOOR CURING & BUILDING HEIGHT FLOATING INSTALLATION | wood floor must be protected against any moisture, which may arise from the sub-floor. The curing process of the prepared sub-floor shall comply with the Industry Standard of 28 days. Total buildling floor height for flooring: | Subfloor Requirements and Underfloor Heating |
| A5 | SUB–FLOOR CURING & BUILDING HEIGHT GLUE–DOWN INSTALLATION | wood floor must be protected against any moisture, which may arise from the sub-floor. The curing process of the prepared sub-floor shall comply with the Industry Standard of 28 days. Moistrure content of wood subfloors must be less than 12% Moisture Content (MC). Subfloor must read 4.5 or less with Tramex meter. Total buildling floor height for flooring: | Subfloor Requirements and Underfloor Heating |
| A6 | ACCLIMATISATION | Before a wood floor is installed it needs to be placed in the area of installation for a recommended 48-72 h. Make sure that the area and the material has a temperature of between 15-24 C, RH 30-60%. The temperature can be reached more quickly if the floor bundles are not stacked in a single pile, but are divided into several small piles. If the protective plastic has been damaged, tape it together again so that moisture does not damage the contents. | Subfloor Requirements and Underfloor Heating |
| A7 | SUBFLOORING FLOATING INSTALLATION | The substrate must be clean, solid and dry and provided with the necessary protection against moisture. For protection against moisture from the subfloor (vapour barrier), we recommend 0.2 mm ageing-resistant PE sheeting. The sheeting must be laid with an overlap of at least 200 mm. We also approve Tuplex as a vapour barrier. Soft, springy subfloors must be rectified. For example, carpets with a thick pile must be removed. | Subfloor Requirements and Underfloor Heating |
| A7 | SUBFLOORING GLUE–DOWN INSTALLATION | 18 mm plywood subfloor. Follow plywood manufacturer recommendations for sapcing and fasteing. Typical panel spacing for joint systems is 3.2 mm around perimeter and fastened every 150 mm on bearing edges and every 300 mm along intermiediate supports. Concrete Subfloors: Standard-density concrete subfloors are generally acceptable as long as the flooring has been tested for moisture content and a scratch test has been done. | Subfloor Requirements and Underfloor Heating |
| A8 PLANNING YOUR INSTALLATION FLOATING INSTALLATION Measure the width of the room, and calculate the width of the last row of boards. If it is less than 30 mm, you should also cut the first row of boards, to equalise the widths of the first and last rows. Remember to include an expansion gap. Maximum room width for floors: Installation Guide for wood floors A8 PLANNING YOUR INSTALLATION GLUE–DOWN INSTALLATION Measure the width of the room, and calculate the width of the last row of boards. If it is less than 30 mm, you should also cut the first row of boards, to equalise the widths of the first and last rows. No maximum room width. Installation Guide for wood floors A9 MOVEMENT JOINTS IN WOOD FLOORS FLOATING INSTALLATION A floating wood flooring installation requires an appropriate expansion joint on ALL sides (walls, door frames, pillars etc). The expansion joint has to be concealed by a skirting joint or other transitional mouldings. The width of the expansion joint in mm is calculated using the formula: 1.5 mm per metre of floor width. Installation Guide for wood floors A9 MOVEMENT JOINTS IN WOOD FLOORS GLUE–DOWN INSTALLATION Installing floors with the glue-down method requires no expansion breaks in the floor and is not limited in size. Installation Guide for wood floors |
| ITEM No. | ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA | REFERENCE | |
| A | ENGINEERED WOOD FLOORING INSTALLATION | ||
| A1 | TRAINING | All installation teams should be supervised by one or more Kährs-certified foreman. | Contact Nordic Homeworx for Academy |
| A2 | TEMPERATURE & MOISTURE CONDITIONS | The temperature during installation should be 15-24 C, matching the wood flooring. RH must be between 30-60% before, during and after installation. | Installation Guide |
| A3 | SUBFLOOR HUMIDITY BARRIER & IMPACT SOUND INSULATION FLOATING INSTALLATION | A vapour barrier must be located directly underneath the wood flooring. The sheeting must be installed with the intergral 200 mm flap outwards. The Tuplex underlay (3 mm polyethylene film with polystyrene granules) also acts as an impact sound insulation. If there is a need to join Tuplex at the short ends, a 400 mm wide strip of 0.2 mm age-resistant polyethylene shall be laid over the joint so that it is tight. | Subfloor Requirements and Underfloor Heating |
| A3 | SUBFLOOR HUMIDITY BARRIER GLUE–DOWN INSTALLATION | Required moisture testing for any direct glue-down flooring. Follow test kit manufacturer’s instruction for conducting test and measuring results. If test is not satisfactory you must use additional moisture protection. | Subfloor Requirements and Underfloor Heating |
| A4 | OPENING BUNDLES | All bundles should be kept packed. Only open the wood floor bundles in sequence with the installation in the area of installation. | Installation Guide for Wood Floors |
| A5 | INSPECTION | The installer should visually inspect each board prior to installation for any obvious faults (broken woodloc joint). Always install and inspect in well lit conditions. | Installation Guide for Wood Floors |
| A6 | PATTERN & END JOINTS | Boards should be installed in a random pattern with a minimum joint distance of 500 mm (minimum 300 mm for 1.2 m boards), to ensure that the floor remains flat and level during climatic variations. | Installation Guide for Wood Floors |
| A7 | GLUEING JOINTS – WOODLOC 5S & WOODLOC | Adhesive should not be used on boards with Woodloc 5S and Woodloc joints. However, installation is sometimes easier if 1/3 of the locking edge is planed off and adhesive is applied to the horizontal underlip. This means the board can be tapped into place. Immediately clean any adhesive spilled on wood flooring during installation. | Installation Guide for Wood Floors |
| A7 | GLUEING JOINTS – TONGUE & GROOVE | For glueing of the joints of Tongue & Groove, the recommended glue is Kährs Wood Adhesive 0.5 l, Art no 710225. | Installation Guide for Wood Floors |
| A8 | PLANNING YOUR INSTALLATION FLOATING INSTALLATION | A floating wood flooring installation requires an appropriate expansion joint on ALL sides (walls, door frames, pillars etc). The expansion joint has to be concealed by a skirting joint or other transitional mouldings. The width of the expansion joint in mm is calculated using the formula: 1.5 mm per metre of floor width. A minimum of 10 mm expansion joint is recommended. Maximum room width for floors: | Installation Guide for Wood Floors |
| A8 | PLANNING YOUR INSTALLATION GLUE–DOWN INSTALLATION | Measure the width of the room, and calculate the width of the last row of boards. If it is less than 30 mm, you should also cut the first row of boards, to equalise the widths of the first and last rows. No maximum room width. | Installation Guide for Wood Floors |
| A9 | FLAT BOWS | The wood flooring boards come somewhat convex in length to facilitate the installation of the floor. A board with a bow of up to 20 mm can be installed without affecting the finished floor. Do not forget to stagger the lateral joints. | Installation Guide for Wood Floors |
| A10 | FLAWS AND REJECTION OF MATERIAL DURING INSTALLATION: GAPS | The gap width may be a maxiumum of 0.2 mm when installing wood flooring. However, within the warranty period, 2×1 mm wide gaps are permitted in a floor area of up to 30 m2. With a larger area, the number of gaps permitted is in proportion to the specified area. | Installation Guide for Wood Floors |
| A11 | FLAWS AND REJECTION OF MATERIAL DURING INSTALLATION: HEIGHT DIFFERENCE | The height difference may be a maximum of 0.2 mm. However, a maximum of 5 individual height difference of up to 0.3 mm may occur in a floor area of up to 30 m2. With a larger area, the number of height difference permitted is in proportion to the specified area. | Installation Guide for Wood Floors |
| A12 | FLAWS AND REJECTION OF MATERIAL DURING INSTALLATION: PATTERN FLAWS | Minor shifts in pattern, created during manufacture, are permitted between adjacent pattern boards. | Installation Guide for Wood Floors |
INSTALLATION & FINAL INSPECTION
| B | ENGINEERED WOOD FLOORING FINAL INSPECTION | ||
| B1 | CLEANING | Upon completion of installation the wood flooring shall be cleaned per the manufacturer’s recommended procedure. | Maintenance Guide |
| B2 | SUPPLEMENTARY SURFACE TREATMENT | We recommend to perform a first supplementary maintenance on oiled floors directly after installation. Use Satin Oil and follow the installations on the package. | Maintenance Guide |
| B3 | PROTECTIVE COVERING | If further work is to be carried out in the area the wood floor must be covered for protection with a material that allows moisture to pass through (such as paper or cardboard). Check also that this material will not stain or discolour the floor. Note that certain types of commonly used paper do not allow moisture to pass through and also have a wax coating that can be transfered to the wood floor. | Maintenance Guide |
| B4 | FURNITURE PROTECTION | White goods do not usually have sufficiently large “wheels” to avoid causing damage if they are slid on the floor. These require a much stronger cover than just protective paper. It is recommended that any moveable furniture is mounted with protective padding. | Maintenance Guide |
| B5 | TAPE | Tape only the protective cover and NOT the wood floor. | Installation Guide for Wood Floors |
| B6 | VENTILATION | When a floor is installed in a newly built area the building should be ventilated so that any construction moisture can not damage the floor. If the RH is higher than 60%, there can be permanent shape changes through cell collapse and /or board penetration. Note to always maintain room/air temperature 15-24 C and RH less than 60%. | Installation Guide for Wood Floors |
| B7 | COLOUR CHANGES | Wood is a natural material that gradually matures to its natural colout, this happens most quickly to start with. To achieve an even surface, carpets should not be laid on the flooring during the first few months after installation. If there are already light patches from carpets etc, they quickly mature when exposed to daylight. | Product Data Sheet |
