Laying instructions Installation of multilayer Herringbone / Basket-weave with tongue and groove joint. Preparation Store the boards in their packaging and open them as you need them. Read the instructions carefully before laying. EuroPlank Herringbone should be fully bonded to the sub-floor using an appropriate wood flooring adhesive. Follow the adhesive manufacturer guidelines relating to coverage rate and type of trowel/ method of application. As a rough guide most adhesives require a coverage rate of 1kg of adhesive per M2 installed. - The sub-floor must be dry, flat and firm and have a tensile strength suitable for a fully bonded wood floor ( at least 1.5Mpa) - Europlank Herringbone can be installed over radiant heat provided that the heating system gives an efficient and even heat distribution over the whole floor. The surface temperature of the floor must never exceed 27 C wherever you measure on the floor (under carpets, under furniture etc.). Underfloor heating causes increased drying and this may result in extra shrinkage. If the climate is cold and dry, such as in Scandinavia, gaps between planks could occur. - Check the flatness of the subfloor. This is easy to check with a straight edge with a measured length of 2 m or 0.25 m. Over a measured length of 2 m the deviation must not be larger than ± 3 mm. If a 0.25 mm straight edge is used the maximum deviation should not exceed 1.2mm. Any deviation greater than the maximum quoted must be corrected before installation can take place. - The Relative Humidity in the room must not exceed 60 %. If the RH is less than 30 % there is an increased risk of the planks becoming concave. Both the room and the planks should be heated to at least 18 C. Parquet floors should not be exposed to moisture and must be protected against moisture from the sub-floor with a moisture barrier. We recommend that the floor is protected with an epoxy based surface damp proof membrane, but it is also possible to install a 0.2 mm thick age-resistant polythene sheet with a 200 mm overlap on adjacent sheets, followed by 12mm thick plywood screwed to the sub-floor at 400mm centres. - It is essential that a vapour barrier is installed on sub-floors constructed of newly-cast concrete joists, lightweight concrete joists, concrete joists that bear directly on ground, crawl space foundation or underfloor heating systems. If the relative humidity is over 95 %, flooring must not be installed. - The floor should be installed with the central crown line running towards the strongest feature of the room, (e.g. this could be a fireplace or doorway). On fully bonded floors the amount of expansion movement is further controlled, but from a practical perspective an expansion gap should still be provided between the wall and the floor. It must be at least 1.5 mm for each metre of floor width including any fixed objects (walls, door frames, pillars, stairs etc.). Example: If your room is 10 m in width, the expansion gap should be at least 15 mm (10 x 1.5 = 15) all around the floor. Rooms up to 12 m in width and 36 m in length can be installed in one mass. Floors should be divided between rooms. Cover the expansion gap with a T moulding. - All skirting boards or other mouldings must be at least 50 % thicker than the expansion joint. Example: If you have calculated that you need an expansion gap of 10 mm you will need a skirting of at least 15 mm this will ensure that any shrinkage in the floor will not leave a gap between the floor and the skirting board.
Installation The most important part of installing either a herringbone or basket-weave pattern is the set out of the room. With herringbone the set out of the floor is the most critical and this is dealt with in the detailed drawings and instructions below. Working with adhesive Always ensure that good working practices are observed care should be taken that there is adequate ventilation. Read and assess the risks involved with the use of the chosen adhesive, many adhesives are hazardous to health and breathing apparatus may be required. For detailed information refer to the safety data sheet from the adhesive manufacturer. When installing the floor avoid adhesive being pushed into the open grooves as this will make the individual boards difficult to install. Wherever possible press tongue into groove and when this is not possible angle the short end in before lowering into the adhesive bed. Basket-weave Basket-weave is simply installed in straight rows and to facilitate installation we would recommend fixing a batten to the sub-floor on the preferred line. Measure the width of the room and divide the dimension by 60cm; this will confirm how many full rows will be required. Fix the batten close to one wall (parallel to the centre line) and position it to ensure that the cut pieces on each side are of equal size. (It is also possible to finish on a full pattern and install perimeter rows of board running parallel to the walls.) Once the batten is secure the main mass of the floor can be installed. When this is complete, the batten can then be removed allowing the perimeter of the floor to be installed. Please refer to the illustrations for help in setting out and completing the installation. Herringbone Set out of the room and orientation of the pattern The set out of the room is a critical part of the installation the pattern would ideally be set running up the longest dimension of the room, but if there is a particularly strong feature (such as an ornate fireplace or window) the pattern might be better installed in that direction. We would strongly advise that the end user be responsible for making the final decision as to which direction herringbone should be installed. When the principal centre or crown line has been selected (taking into account the squareness of the room and the decided direction of installation) working lines should be marked on the floor using a chalk line. This aspect of the installation is very important as once the installation has been started the orientation of the pattern is fixed and cannot be changed. Please refer to the illustrations for help is setting out and completing the installation. We would recommend installing the first six pieces taking great care to ensure that the pattern is lined up perfectly, before leaving them for the adhesive to fully dry. This provides a strong fixed point in the floor and ensures that pressure applied to individual elements during installation does not result in movement of the pattern. In the event that a 2 block border is to be installed around the perimeter of the room, it is important that additional glue reference lines are marked on the floor. These should be marked parallel to the crown and base lines and care must be taken to ensure that no adhesive is spread beyond these reference lines. Once the main field of the floor has been installed, the waste from the herringbone pattern can be removed by using a guide rail and a
plunge saw (such as a Festo TS55). When the border cuts have been completed a groove should be cut into the edge of the floor using a router equipped with our cutting bit (or equivalent). Adhesive can then be spread and the border finally installed. If you have installed unfinished material as a specific colour or oil has been specified, it is advisable to clean the floor using a mesh disc (120 grit) to remove any contaminants before the final finish or oil is applied. Care and maintenance Prefinished floors from LM-flooring are easy to maintain. On a daily basis all that is required is to vacuum the floor and from time to time wipe the floor with a well-wrung floor mop. Use a neutral PH cleaner suitable for wood flooring e.g. Bonakemi Cleaner diluted in lukewarm water. You use the right amount of water when the floor is dry within one minute. Place a doormat both inside and outside any external door, to prevent ingress of dirt and grit that will cause unnecessary wear on your floor. Put felt pads on your furniture to minimize the risk of scratches and unnecessary damage to your floor. If you get a mark on the floor you can try and remove it using a mild detergent (without ammonia). If that is not enough, you can try to use methylated spirits and water 50/50. Take care when using strong stain removal materials, since over application of these materials coupled to excessive rubbing could affect the lacquer.
Basketweave Basketweave installation showing position of fixed batten. Important: Loose tongues must be fitted to ensure that lipping between boards does not occur, do not install pieces groove to groove under any circumstances. Press tongue into groove never groove into tongue as this forces adhesive into the groove making installation difficult. B a t t e n
Herringbone KEY to guidelines Centre or crown line Base line Reference line Diagonal reference line Glue refererence line (Central start line) Additional Glue refererence line will be needed (if 2 block border is required) (a) (c) (b) To check if the base line is exactly perpendicular to the crown line perform this check. Measure 80 cm from the base line up the crown line (a) and place another mark 60cm from the crown line along the base line (b). If the distance between the 2 marks (c)is 100 cm the base line is perpendicular to the crown line. If it is not correct the base line. Sheet 1
Herringbone KEY to guidelines Centre or crown line Base line Reference line Diagonal reference line Glue refererence line (Central start line) Please refer to (sheet 1) for specific information relating to the set out of the crown line and base line. Note: If a 2 block border is to be installed (as shown in this illustration) additional glue reference lines should be made where the border is to be formed. Do not apply adhesive beyond the glue reference line where the border is to be installed. The mass of the pattern should be installed (boards should be cut so that they protrude beyond the cut line, this reduces waste) and the floor should be left until the glue is dry. A plunge saw on a guiderail (such as FestoolTS55 or equivalent) should then be used to cut straight lines. around the perimeter of the floor. Sheet 3