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| Installation instructions for hardwood floors |
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Preparing the floor |
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When ordering solid wood floors make sure you purchase an extra 5 % in order to allow for any cutting or waste.
Make sure that the base floor is leveled and that all irregularities in the surface have been smoothed out prior to installation.
Do not store the unopen packs of hardwood flooring until plastering, cement or other wet work are completely dry.
Before starting the installation process inspect every plank of slid wood flooring and remove the faulty ones, if any.
Solid wood floors cannot be installed below ground level, in conservatories or bathrooms and will not be floated.
When installing make sure you open 3 or 4 packs at a time and mix the planks for a more unitary look of your floors.
Prior to installing solid wood floors make sure that the site conditions are optimal maintaining an 18 - 20°C temperature and a humidity level of 45-55% using a humidifier, if necessary. The unopen packs of flooring must be stored on the site with 3 to 7 days to installation to allow for the wood flooring to acclimatize.
Use the proper subfloor to achieve the best results in terms of protection and appearance of your floors.
Establish the direction of the floors in relation to the source of lighting, positioning it towards a source of natural light for optimal results.
Door frames should be cut to size in order to allow the flooring and the underlay to easily slide beneath it.
Leaving an allowance space of 15 mm for any expansions, draw a straight line along the wall and place the first row with the groove side towards it.
The second and subsequent rows will be started using the cut off piece from the previous row in order to ensure that the joints are staggered by at least 150 mm.
Use special tapping blocks to fit the planks into place and cover the expansion gaps with skirtings and profiles.
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Installing the Floor |
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Nailing on to wooden sub-floor |
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Inspect the existing subfloor and make sure that it is stable and securely fixed. When installing onto an existing floor, make sure that you find the right angling to the previous floor boards and if necessary, use 6 mm plywood on top to change the direction.
Use secret nailing equipment like a porta-nailer making sure to leave a 150 to 200 mm interval between the nails and that even small panels are secured in a minimum 2 locations.
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NOTE: For extremely hard wood species, you may need to drill the nail holes prior to installation.
NOTE: For the Glue Down installation see instructions provided upon delivery.
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