Engineered Wood Flooring - Installation rules
1. Inspection for material defects
Inspect your engineered wood planks thoroughly for their quality prior to and during installation. Flooring planks with visible defects or damages must not be installed. The installation must take place under daylight conditions or with excellent artificial light to make sure that any possible damages or faulty planks can definitely be detected.
2. Acclimatising prior to installation
The engineered wood planks must acclimatise for a period of at least 48 hours at temperatures above 17ºC and humidity between 50 - 65 % in that room in which they are to be laid. That means the closed packages have to adjust to the climatic conditions in the room. If the climatic conditions in the storage location and the installation room are considerably different, the acclimatisation period should be longer. If the climate differences are very small the acclimatisation time can be shorter. Please store the packages flat on a base without opening them. Paying attention to these guidelines is especially important for new buildings, because humidity levels tend to be particularly high here.
3. No installation in areas subject to splashing water
No installation in permanently moist rooms / wet zones>
Engineered wood planks must not be installed in areas where splashing shower water may get onto the floor. Standing water will permeate into the wood and can lead to permanent damages. Engineered wood planks should not be installed in permanently moist rooms or wet surroundings (saunas, small bathrooms etc.) because the danger of penetration with moisture can never be ruled out completely. If engineered wood flooring is supposed to be installed in a bathroom, it is important to make sure that it is not installed in areas subject to splashing water (i.e. shower, bathtub, lavatory or sink) and that the relative humidity in the room stays within the normal range between 50 and 65% continually. Any formation of puddles and moisture penetration must be avoided all around the corners of the room, for the joints as well as for the whole flooring area.
4. Condition of the subfloor
Any existing subfloor must be even (max. tolerance 3 mm per 1 m in length), dry and sufficiently stable. Larger depressions should be evened out using standard commercial fillers. The surface of the subfloor should be free of cracks and without any breaks or tears. Loose subfloors or insufficiently stable subfloors (PVC-/ textile flooring) need to be removed. Mineral subfloors/ screed need to be sufficiently dry. Please also refer to the information in the special chapter on Subfloors.
5. Moisture barrier with mineral subfloors
Generally, when installing on any dry, mineral subfloor a 0.2mm thick Polyethylene foil or alternatively Duo-Protect should always be used as a moisture barrier to prevent any residual moisture getting through to the backside of your engineered wood flooring. The purpose of the Polyethylene-foil is that of a moisture barrier only and the joints of the foil need to overlap approx. 30cm and need to be glued together. In way does the PE-foil act as waterproofing for the building! See also the chapter on Underlays.
6. Keeping expansion joints / wall spacings
As stated before, depending on the climatic conditions the natural material wood will shrink or swell. That is why an installed flooring of engineered wood planks requires sufficient spaces, called expansion gaps, towards all fixed constructional parts, i.e. walls, sustainer, heating pipes and the like. Furthermore, expansion gaps are required if the installation area exceeds certain defined values in length and width (see installation rule 7). One of the most common installation mistakes is actually insufficient wall spacing. Often, this will only become evident during the summer months when higher temperatures and humidity levels lead to a swelling of the wood flooring.
The expansion gap/wall spacing should be at least 10-15mm on each side; with large areas it should be proportionately more. For engineered wood planks the rule-of-thumb is:
Every meter of installed flooring requires at least 2mm of expansion space on both sides of the room. (Example: Room width 5m = min. 10mm expansion gap on each side).
Even if the installed material abuts only on a single point in the room the "floating material” may start to warp and press on. Popular areas where this is repeatedly happening are architraves, transition areas to stairs, heating pipes as well as end profiles.
Heavy pieces like for example kitchen islands and closets (where movements of the flooring are possible in one direction only) require the expansion space on one side to be doubled. For heavy pieces and fitted furniture (e.g. fitted kitchen, built-in closets or aquariums) we recommend having them assembled prior to installation of the flooring. The flooring boards however should be laid to reach just under the base allowing easy dismantling of the flooring at any time. All along the walls the expansion gaps are covered with skirtings, in other places special flooring profiles are used. With metal architraves you can also use Acrylic sealants. All of the above is part of and can be found with the Parador range of accessories.
7. Layout of expansion gaps
Due to the fact that the engineered wood flooring will shrink and expand depending upon the climate conditions – as described earlier – the following situations do require additional expansion joints /spaces:
With larger areas (exceeding 8 x 12m)
With angular areas
With installations that cover more than one room
Conceal expansion gaps with the suitable adapting or other transition profiles.
Note: Liability for missing expansion gaps or joints is always with the installer.
8. Installation patterns and staggering of the joints
Engineered wood flooring can be installed either in a symmetric or in a random, asymmetric pattern. In either case it is imperative that between rows the short-end joints are staggered at least 40 cm; for Trendtime 2 a minimum of 15 cm.
9. Installation direction / incidence of light
For optical reasons the longitudinal sides of the planks should be installed so that they run parallel to the incidence of light. That means, the longitudinal side runs in the same direction as the light. When several windows are present, please make your decision based upon the largest one of them. With extreme floor plans the decision for a certain installation direction can also be based upon the specific room layout. (See installation rule 10)
10. Installation direction / floor plan
Again, for optical reasons the longitudinal sides of the flooring should run across to the longitudinal side of the room. That will make the room look larger and also give it a slightly more "square” appearance so it won’t look quite as narrow and tube-like.
11. Installation from several packages
Please note that engineered wood is a natural product whose unique character comes out through varying colours and structures. These signs of nature can be more or less prominent. Therefore, during installation it is important to make sure that flooring boards from various different packages are being mixed in order to achieve a well-balanced and harmonious overall appearance.
Inspect your engineered wood planks thoroughly for their quality prior to and during installation. Flooring planks with visible defects or damages must not be installed. The installation must take place under daylight conditions or with excellent artificial light to make sure that any possible damages or faulty planks can definitely be detected.
2. Acclimatising prior to installation
The engineered wood planks must acclimatise for a period of at least 48 hours at temperatures above 17ºC and humidity between 50 - 65 % in that room in which they are to be laid. That means the closed packages have to adjust to the climatic conditions in the room. If the climatic conditions in the storage location and the installation room are considerably different, the acclimatisation period should be longer. If the climate differences are very small the acclimatisation time can be shorter. Please store the packages flat on a base without opening them. Paying attention to these guidelines is especially important for new buildings, because humidity levels tend to be particularly high here.
3. No installation in areas subject to splashing water
No installation in permanently moist rooms / wet zones>
Engineered wood planks must not be installed in areas where splashing shower water may get onto the floor. Standing water will permeate into the wood and can lead to permanent damages. Engineered wood planks should not be installed in permanently moist rooms or wet surroundings (saunas, small bathrooms etc.) because the danger of penetration with moisture can never be ruled out completely. If engineered wood flooring is supposed to be installed in a bathroom, it is important to make sure that it is not installed in areas subject to splashing water (i.e. shower, bathtub, lavatory or sink) and that the relative humidity in the room stays within the normal range between 50 and 65% continually. Any formation of puddles and moisture penetration must be avoided all around the corners of the room, for the joints as well as for the whole flooring area.
4. Condition of the subfloor
Any existing subfloor must be even (max. tolerance 3 mm per 1 m in length), dry and sufficiently stable. Larger depressions should be evened out using standard commercial fillers. The surface of the subfloor should be free of cracks and without any breaks or tears. Loose subfloors or insufficiently stable subfloors (PVC-/ textile flooring) need to be removed. Mineral subfloors/ screed need to be sufficiently dry. Please also refer to the information in the special chapter on Subfloors.
5. Moisture barrier with mineral subfloors
Generally, when installing on any dry, mineral subfloor a 0.2mm thick Polyethylene foil or alternatively Duo-Protect should always be used as a moisture barrier to prevent any residual moisture getting through to the backside of your engineered wood flooring. The purpose of the Polyethylene-foil is that of a moisture barrier only and the joints of the foil need to overlap approx. 30cm and need to be glued together. In way does the PE-foil act as waterproofing for the building! See also the chapter on Underlays.
6. Keeping expansion joints / wall spacings
As stated before, depending on the climatic conditions the natural material wood will shrink or swell. That is why an installed flooring of engineered wood planks requires sufficient spaces, called expansion gaps, towards all fixed constructional parts, i.e. walls, sustainer, heating pipes and the like. Furthermore, expansion gaps are required if the installation area exceeds certain defined values in length and width (see installation rule 7). One of the most common installation mistakes is actually insufficient wall spacing. Often, this will only become evident during the summer months when higher temperatures and humidity levels lead to a swelling of the wood flooring.
The expansion gap/wall spacing should be at least 10-15mm on each side; with large areas it should be proportionately more. For engineered wood planks the rule-of-thumb is:
Every meter of installed flooring requires at least 2mm of expansion space on both sides of the room. (Example: Room width 5m = min. 10mm expansion gap on each side).
Even if the installed material abuts only on a single point in the room the "floating material” may start to warp and press on. Popular areas where this is repeatedly happening are architraves, transition areas to stairs, heating pipes as well as end profiles.
Heavy pieces like for example kitchen islands and closets (where movements of the flooring are possible in one direction only) require the expansion space on one side to be doubled. For heavy pieces and fitted furniture (e.g. fitted kitchen, built-in closets or aquariums) we recommend having them assembled prior to installation of the flooring. The flooring boards however should be laid to reach just under the base allowing easy dismantling of the flooring at any time. All along the walls the expansion gaps are covered with skirtings, in other places special flooring profiles are used. With metal architraves you can also use Acrylic sealants. All of the above is part of and can be found with the Parador range of accessories.
7. Layout of expansion gaps
Due to the fact that the engineered wood flooring will shrink and expand depending upon the climate conditions – as described earlier – the following situations do require additional expansion joints /spaces:
With larger areas (exceeding 8 x 12m)
With angular areas
With installations that cover more than one room
Conceal expansion gaps with the suitable adapting or other transition profiles.
Note: Liability for missing expansion gaps or joints is always with the installer.
8. Installation patterns and staggering of the joints
Engineered wood flooring can be installed either in a symmetric or in a random, asymmetric pattern. In either case it is imperative that between rows the short-end joints are staggered at least 40 cm; for Trendtime 2 a minimum of 15 cm.
9. Installation direction / incidence of light
For optical reasons the longitudinal sides of the planks should be installed so that they run parallel to the incidence of light. That means, the longitudinal side runs in the same direction as the light. When several windows are present, please make your decision based upon the largest one of them. With extreme floor plans the decision for a certain installation direction can also be based upon the specific room layout. (See installation rule 10)
10. Installation direction / floor plan
Again, for optical reasons the longitudinal sides of the flooring should run across to the longitudinal side of the room. That will make the room look larger and also give it a slightly more "square” appearance so it won’t look quite as narrow and tube-like.
11. Installation from several packages
Please note that engineered wood is a natural product whose unique character comes out through varying colours and structures. These signs of nature can be more or less prominent. Therefore, during installation it is important to make sure that flooring boards from various different packages are being mixed in order to achieve a well-balanced and harmonious overall appearance.