Disclaimer: To ensure a successful installation, we recommend consulting with a professional flooring installer, particularly for complex jobs or if you're unsure about any step. We are not flooring installers however, here are some helpful tips and tricks we've gathered from experienced professionals over the years.
Tools and Materials:
Tapping Block/Mallet
Saw
Tape Measure
Pencil
Safety Goggles
Gloves
Weights (e.g., flooring boxes, water-filled containers)
Step-by-Step Installation Guide to Install Oak Flooring:
1. Prepare the Subfloor:
Clean the Subfloor: Ensure the subfloor is clean, dry, and free of debris.
Level the Subfloor: Any unevenness can affect the flooring's appearance and performance. Use a levelling compound or other appropriate methods to achieve a flat surface. If installing directly onto strandboard or existing wooden floors, sand the joints between the boards to ensure smooth.
2. Acclimatise the Flooring:
Store Properly: Store the flooring in the room where it will be installed for at least 48 hours. This allows it to adjust to the room's temperature and humidity.
Acclimatise the flooring in the room pre-laying
3. Plan the Layout:
Determine the Starting Point: Identify the most inconspicuous corner of the room as the starting point, each of our plank boxes contains a randomly cut board, allowing you to stagger the joints for a more aesthetically pleasing finish.
Stagger Joints: Plan the layout to avoid short end joints in adjacent rows.
4. Apply Adhesive:
If you have a concrete floor before applying the adhesive, it's crucial to apply a primer to the concrete slab, you can buy Primer from any good flooring store. This step helps to ensure that moisture remains within the concrete, preventing it from being absorbed by the wooden flooring and causing potential issues like warping or mold. Apply Primer as per manufactures instructions.
Use the Right Trowel: Apply construction adhesive to the subfloor using a 6 mm grooved trowel.
Avoid Glue in Joints: Ensure that no adhesive gets into the tongue and groove joints. This can cause "air pockets" and affect the final finish. Use a off-cut of flooring or a rubber block/mallet to gently tap the tongue and groove together.
5. Continue the Installation:
Install Subsequent Rows: Continue laying boards, staggering the end joints.
Cut Boards as Needed: Use a jigsaw to cut boards to fit around obstacles like doorways or pipes.
No need for Expansion Gaps: Due to the construction of our Engineered Timber, there is no need to allow for expansion gaps of joins.
6. Weighting the Flooring:
Apply Weight: After laying the flooring, weight it down for 24 hours.
Use Weights: At the start of the job you can use remaining flooring boxes or 20-liter containers filled with water as weights.
Weight the flooring for 24 hours
7. Finishing Touches:
Install the Last Row: Cut the last row to fit.
Install Transition Strips: If transitioning to another flooring type, install appropriate transition strips.
Clean Up: Remove any debris and dust by cleaning the floor once the weights are removed. Then follow our after care instructions.
By following these detailed steps and paying close attention to the adhesive application and weighting process, you can achieve a successful 20mm oak engineered flooring installation.
