Installing parquet flooring
Preparations for installing plank parquet
Regardless of whether you decide to glue down or float, optimal preparation is the basis for a professionally installed floor! Parquet is not suitable for very humid environments. We recommend that you contact the experts for the correct installation techniques.
Suitable subfloors
Cement and anhydrite base, mastic asphalt, V100 fiberboard.
Requirements for the subfloor
The subfloor must be flat, dry, clean and hard (for gluing). Flatness can be
Check using a straightedge and a caliper. Any unevenness must be corrected before installation.
level (maximum 2 mm per 1200 mm length).
● The moisture content of the subfloor is determined and recorded using a CM meter:
● The residual moisture content of the cementitious floor is a maximum of 2.0 CM%.
● For underfloor heating, maximum 1.8 CM%.
● The residual moisture content of the anhydrite subfloor is a maximum of 0.5 CM%.
● For underfloor heating, maximum 0.3 CM%.
The boards must be installed lengthwise, in the direction of the main light source. In long and narrow rooms (e.g. corridors), the boards must always be installed lengthwise. If the width of the room exceeds eight metres, an additional expansion gap must be left for floating installation. If the humidity is higher, the drying time must be longer. The hardness of the subfloor (if glued) is tested using a suitable test device or
with an iron nail. The subfloor is hard if the edges of the scratch remain sharp. If the floor is not hard enough, it is only suitable for floating installation. Check that the subfloor is clean - and that there are no oil and paint stains, cracks, etc. If gluing, the cracks must be filled with epoxy resin and paint, plaster and mortar residues must be scraped off. Oil and grease must be removed by sanding. To achieve a perfect result, follow the installation tips provided by the Flooring Center:
Please read the installation instructions carefully before installation.
Only unpack the parquet immediately before installation.
The installation temperature must be at least 18º C and the humidity 40-65%.
The subfloor must be dry, smooth and clean.
To protect the valuable wooden floor from moisture rising from below, we recommend covering the subfloor with an age-resistant 0.2 mm polyethylene film in the case of floating installation. The overlap of the film tiles must be 20 cm and the film must be turned up at the edges of the room. In new buildings, windows should be kept open for a few weeks before installation. During the transition period and in winter, heat and ventilate the room regularly.
All work involving water or moisture (tiling, painting, wallpapering and plastering) must be completed before the floor is installed. Seal the area around the patio door to prevent moisture from entering from outside. Do not store packaged parquet on a freshly installed subfloor! Use support blocks. Store the packaging, underlayment and adhesive at the installation site. The room temperature must be at least 18º C.
Before installation, inspect the panels for defects. Complaints regarding defects in the installed floor will not be accepted.
Installation of glued-joint parquet flooring
Before installing the floor, carefully read the instructions and tips on preparation and installation. First measure the room. If the last row of panels is narrower than 5 cm, the first row must be cut so that the first and last rows are more or less the same width.
Floating installation
Installation tools
Knocking block (min. 60 cm long), puller, hammer (800 g), waterproof glue (D3, B3), glue dispenser, wedges, measuring tape, pencil, saw and square.
Place a noise-absorbing mat (e.g. PE foam, corrugated cardboard, etc.) on the subfloor. This will make the floor more resilient and quieter to walk on.
1. Start installation from the right corner of the room. The first row of panels is placed with the groove facing the wall. To ensure an even expansion gap between the panel and the wall, spacers of approximately 15 mm thick should be used.
2. Place the first row of panels in place and also place spacers at both ends of the row.
3. Start the second row of panels with the cut end of the first row. The pitch of the end joints must be at least 40 cm.
4. Apply the adhesive in a continuous stream along the entire side joint and end joints. The adhesive is applied to the upper edge of the groove. Use a tapping block to join the panels.
5. The last row of panels is cut to size, taking into account the expansion gap between the board and the wall, and glued to the penultimate one. A puller will help pull the panels together tightly. Don't forget the spacers for the edge of the last row.
6. After the glue has dried, the spacers can be removed and the expansion gap covered with a suitable strip.
NB: As the installation of parquet floors varies depending on the specific conditions, the instructions and recommendations given here do not constitute any legal liability in terms of warranty.
Installation of glued-joint parquet flooring
The following tools are required to install glueless parquet flooring: a tapping block, installation wedge, puller, hammer, spacers, pencil, saw, tape measure and square.
Installation instructions
1. Place a noise-absorbing mat (e.g. PE foam, 2 or 2.6 mm) on the subfloor, overlapping the edges. This makes the floor more flexible and quieter when walked on. The floors are installed floating, the boards are connected without glue.
2. Start installation from the left corner of the room. The first row of boards is installed with the bulge towards the wall. Once the three rows are in place, the exact expansion gap can be adjusted.
3. Push the next board against the first at an angle and turn it down. Repeat this for the entire first row… except for the last board, which must be cut to size and laid in between, taking into account the expansion gap between the wall and the floor (approximately 15 mm). Start the second row at the cut end of the first row. The pitch of the end joints must be at least 50 cm.
4. Push the board at an angle against the previous row and carefully turn it down. Do not use force.
5. Slide the NOVOLOC installation wedge (4 cm thick) under the end of the previous board to the left of the board to be installed.
6. Place the new board at an angle to the end of the previous one and turn it down. Do not bend the board at this time.
7. Tap the board lightly along the long edge using the NOVOLOC tapping block (do not use a hammer).
8. Slowly press the board down, tapping lightly on the long edge with a tapping block if necessary. Remove the wedge and repeat with the next boards.
9. After the first three rows have been installed, the expansion gap between the floor and the wall can be adjusted. Place spacers between the floor and the wall.
10.Sometimes it is necessary to fit the first row of panels to a curved wall. Draw the outline of the wall onto the boards. Then take the boards of the first row apart. Carefully lift the long edge of the board up, tapping lightly on the joint. Then cut the boards to the correct width.
11. Refit the narrower boards from left to right. Push the groove under the ridge of the second row of panels. Make sure the next board goes into the end groove of the left panel. Press the gaps together at the shorter ends with a knocker. Protect the edges. Refit the rest of the row as described. Insert spacers between the floor and the wall.
12.Drill holes in the panels for the heating pipes. The holes must be at least 20 mm larger than the pipe diameter. Saw as shown in the figure. After installing the panel, glue the cut piece in place and cover the hole with a pipe sleeve.
13.When sawing a door frame, use a piece of board to measure the gap.
14. The last row of boards is cut to size, taking into account the expansion space between the floor and the wall, and connected to the previous row. Now you can install the skirting boards and transition or end strips in doorways and thresholds.
15. The boards can be installed in either direction if required. NOVOLOC is also easy to disassemble, making it easy to install in difficult locations. If the panel cannot be rotated, for example under door frames or radiators, proceed as follows: remove the locking edge (16) using a chisel. Then apply white glue and push the board horizontally into place (16b).
One more piece of advice
While the longer edges can only be closed by turning the table down, the shorter ones can be tapped directly into place using a tapping block. This may be necessary, for example, around doors or other difficult areas.
NB: As the installation of parquet floors varies depending on the specific conditions, the instructions and recommendations given here do not constitute any legal liability in terms of warranty.
Installation on underfloor heating
Parquet boards can also be installed on underfloor heating subfloors, if the technology is followed. The thermal resistance of hardwood floors is favorable, neither too high nor too low. A wooden floor always feels warm underfoot, even when the underfloor heating is not working. Industrial hardwood floors expand and shrink significantly less than solid wood floors. Wood species such as beech and maple react very quickly to adverse climatic conditions, which can result in cracks forming between the boards. In the case of underfloor heating, it is recommended to use wood species that do not move much, such as oak. It is also necessary to consider
surface finish. Open-pore surface finishes such as oils and waxes react much faster to changes in the room climate than environmentally friendly varnished surfaces.
Important requirements for the substrate:
It is recommended to use low-temperature underfloor heating systems. The maximum temperature of the hot water flowing in underfloor heating can be 55º C. The minimum mixture layer above the heating pipe is 40 mm.
In the case of A3 type underfloor heating, the heating pipes are installed in the middle of the subfloor. This means that the moisture in the bottom zone of the subfloor does not dry out during the first heating phase. Therefore, a two-stage heating/heat reduction procedure with an intermediate cooling phase is necessary.
Before the heating system is put into operation, the cement floor must dry for at least 21 days and the anhydrite floor for at least 7 days.
The heating protocol for heated subfloors must be handed over to the customer and confirmed by the customer. A copy must always be kept with the order documents. If such a heating protocol is not available or if it appears unreliable after careful examination, the customer must be informed in writing. During testing, it is mandatory to measure the moisture content of the subfloor at the measuring points specified by the builder. If such measuring points are not marked, this must also be reported in writing. The measuring points must be marked afterwards or at least the crucial importance of the heating protocol must be pointed out in this case in order to be exempt from warranty liability for any defects that may arise.
The maximum residual moisture for cement floors is up to 1.8% (CM), for anhydrite floors a maximum of 0.3% (CM).
It should be noted that there is a reasonable relationship between the thermal resistance of the layers above the heating element (subfloor or top layer) and the thermal resistance of the subfloor (thermal insulation) below it. The heat transfer downwards must not exceed 20 W/m2, or 25% of the heat output. Therefore, the thickness of the wooden floor covering should generally not exceed 22 mm (for hardwood).
After installation, the homeowner must:
● Avoid sudden fluctuations in room climate.
● Keep the room temperature at a constant 20-22º and the relative humidity at around 55%. We recommend using a humidifier during the heating season. Avoid unnecessary sources of humidity during the summer months.
● The temperature of the hardwood floor surface must not exceed 26º C.
Thermal resistance values when glued:
● 14 mm 3-layer parquet 0.080 m2/K/W 1
● 10 mm 2-layer parquet 0.048 m2/K/W
The limit value of 0.17 m2/K/W must not be exceeded.
Three-layer hardwood floors are only suitable for floating installation to a limited extent, so we recommend gluing them down.
In general, glued down is recommended for underfloor heating. Boards made from species such as beech, Canadian maple, jatoba and bamboo are not suitable for underfloor heating due to the specific properties of the wood.