1. What is a floating floor?
- A floating floor is where all the planks are either glued or clipped to each other, and not to the existing floor. All floating floors require an underlay between the existing floor and the new " floating-floor". The floor is held in place by mass, but can expand and contract freely, by means of expansion gaps.
2. What is a click floor?
- A click floor, or commonly " glue less floor" is flooring that requires no glue within the groove of the plank. The planks are held together by means of a mechanical fastener, or modern planks are designed so that they snap together. Many manufacturers are producing this type of flooring now, some good and some awful.
3. What is Laminate?
- Laminate actually accounts for hardwood veneer flooring and the modern laminated artificial planks. Laminating is a process of sandwiching together various layers to create what we would say was a plank. Laminate flooring as we know it generally consists of a top wear layer, a photograph, core board and a counter-balancing bottom layer. Hardwood veneer flooring, is similar however it incorporates generally a , veneered hardwood layer, cross grained core, and a counter-balancing bottom layer. Similar to the way plywood is constructed. This makes it very strong and stable, as opposed to solid hardwood.
4. What is Timber?
- Timber veneer floating floor offers you a pre-finished timber flooring without the inconvenience of sanding and polishing. Having a wear layer the same or similar to that of a genuine timber flooring, timber veneer floating floor offers you the hard wearing durable quality, suitable for your home or office. Timber veneer floating floors can be sanded and polished in years to come to maintain the longevity and look of your flooring.
5. What preparation do I need to do?
- It is always vital that you carry out vital preparation. Generally “all“ floors need to be Sound, Clean, Dry and Flat. Floors MUST be sound, and the surface material not friable, or chipping or soft. They must be clean, no dust or debris on the surface. If the floor is tiled, the tiles need to be sound and intact. It is imperative that the floor is dry. Even if it looks dry, believe us more problems occur from assuming the floor is dry. If in doubt call an expert to carry out, surface and equilibrium tests to the screed. It is not always definitive that a floor be level ( as in spirit level ) but it must be FLAT. Timber floors are harder to level, however you can flatten out a timber floor by installing plywood sheets. For concrete, you need to chip away humps, and fill in dips. There are many manufacturers who provide materials for this purpose. Basically you will need a levelling and smoothing compound. This can be messy and if not experienced call in an expert. As a rule of thumb, floating floors need a level of flatness no greater than 2mm per running metre.
6. Why is a moisture barrier used on concrete?
- A. Concrete floors below ground are capable of storing a vast amount of water. It is crucial to avoid all direct contact between the laminate flooring and the concrete floor because the soil beneath the concrete can transmit humidity into the floor. Installing a moisture barrier over all concrete surfaces is mandatory for a successful installation and for the ongoing health of a laminate floor.
7. How do I determine the direction in which to install my laminate flooring?
- A. To decide where to begin the layout of your floor, consider incoming light. It is usually best to install laminate flooring with the planks running parallel to light coming in windows or glass doors. For any installation, the starting wall should be as long and straight as possible.
8. What is an expansion gap?
- An expansion gap is the distance from the edge of your new flooring and an immovable object, such as a wall, fireplace, door casing etc. The gap normally needs to be 10mm but will increase on very large rooms and different products.
9. What is the reason for the necessary 10mm gap left around the perimeter of the interior and arround other obstacles within it?
- A.Because laminate flooring is derived from wood, it is subject to expansion caused by room temperatures and humidity levels. An expansion gap is a necessary part of any successful installation because it allows space for the expansion of the floor as it responds to these external influences of temperature and humidity. When it is exposed to warmer temperatures, or to increased humidity, laminate flooring planks expand outward. Leaving out the essential element of an outside gap can cause the buckling of the individual laminate flooring planks as the planks push outward against walls or other obstacles.
10. Can I fit Laminate flooring in my bathroom?
- Although many manufacturers say their products are suitable for bathrooms. Our advice would be NO. Steer well clear, you are asking for trouble. We would recommend Luxury Vinyl flooring. Fitting a floating floor of any description is not advised in areas subject to excessive moisture.
11. Do I need any mats?
- It is fundamental that you protect your beautiful new floor. Treat your self to some new mats, one for outside your external doors, and one just inside. This gives you the maximum chance of removing all grit and dirt from your feet.
12. How do I remove stubborn marks from a laminate floor ?
- This is simplicity itself. For general dirt, use a moist cloth. Pencil marks can be removed with a rubber in conjunction with a damp cloth. Stubborn marks like nail-polish, felt-tip bitumastic etc. can be removed with our proprietary cleaners or acetone, the most common being nail polish remover. Never apply furniture polish to your laminate floor.
13. How to messure floor right
RECTANGULAR ROOMS
The most common room is the rectangle, usually with one door and perhaps 1 or 2 windows. This shape accounts for nearly all rooms in one way or another. The two basic dimensions are the width, usually the shorter of the walls, and the length. When measuring it is easy to make a mistake, and when calculating an area this mistake is compounded. So always remember Measure Twice. We use metric measurements when measuring and it really is simple. Measure both walls, the width and the length. Jot down the measurements : i.e.: width = 3 metres and the length 4.4 metres.To calculate the area just multiply width x length Area = 3 x 4.4 = 13.2 sq.metres ( rounded up )
L-SHAPED ROOMS
The next room type is the L-shaped room, which accounts for lots of room styles, including hall-ways, lounge and kitchens etc. Measuring this room is just as easy. All you do is split the L into two rectangles. Always draw a little plan of your room, to help when jotting down measurements:
For example: the top rectangle = 4.3 metres x 1.6 metres and the bottom rectangle = 1.8 metres by 1.6 metres
Therefore the total area for this room becomes 6,88 square metres + 2.88 square metres, giving us a total of 9,76 square metres.<rounded up>
When calculating flooring, just divide the pack size , ie Balterio Standard which comes in 2,38 square metre packs by the room area
For example: 7m x 4m room = 28sqm / 2,38 = 11.76 packs. Now flooring comes in whole packs so just round upto 12 and add a pack on for good measure, 13 packs.
When measuring for TIMBER/LAMINATE floors always allow approximately 7 % for waste, and if you are really sensible, add an extra pack. This is due to the fact that flooring like, wallpaper, is batched and flooring from two different batches may not fit together. They should, but due to the re-sharpening of the machine tools involved with making the complex joints, you can never be sure.
When measuring very awkward rooms, like an hexagonal room, just treat the measurement as if it were a rectangle, the measures taken at the longest walls. Don't try and cheat, you'll come unstuck, there's nothing worse than being half a plank short, to complete the job !
When calculating the perimeter trim, its easy. Just add 2 x length + 2 x width for example a room 5m x 3m will need approx, 16 linear metres of trim.
