Preparation Work.
Without unpacking the flooring, place the laminate packs in the installation premises and keep them for at least 48 hours for the panels to adapt to the premises humidity and temperature conditions. After that, in 48 hours, open a heat-shrink film on the packaging and keep the laminate flooring in the premises for another 72 hours. The indoor temperature should be at least 18 °С.
Make sure that the flooring surface is prepared to installation. The laminate should be laid only onto an absolutely even, dry, clean and stable surface. The floor irregularities exceeding 2 mm per 2 m of the length should be eliminated prior to installation. After pouring the concrete screed, allow it to dry for 28 days.
Requirements to the Premises
Requirements to the Installation Workplace:
1. At least 3 days before, during and after installation, the floor’s surface temperature in the premises should be at least 15 °C.
2. Air temperature: at least 18 °C.
3. Indoor humidity: no more than 70 %.
4. When laying the laminate onto the heat-insulated floors, you cannot set the heating temperature above +28 °С.
Guiding Rules.
The laminate flooring should always be laid longitudinally relative to the window. Prior to installation, you should calculate in advance the potential width of the panels’ last row – it should be at least 50 mm. Should the last row’s width be less than 50 mm, the first-row panels should be cut to the necessary width.
You should leave an about 10 mm space between the panels’ edges and the walls, including all the stationary objects protruding out of the floor. The gaps prevent the laminate flooring from swelling due to the fact that the panels are subject to changes in their size resulting from the changing temperature and humidity conditions in the premises.
The laminate flooring is laid using a floating method. Therefore, the laminate plates cannot be glued, mounted with screws or hammered to the floor or the wall, taking into account the fact that the flooring will expand or shrink depending on the temperature and humidity conditions in the premises.
If the premises length exceeds 8 m or their width exceeds 6 m, provide an additional joint with the width of 20–30 mm, compensating for possible expansion of the panels. This joint may further be closed with a decorative single-level sill.
The first row of the panels should be laid with its tenon to the wall.
The panels in each of the subsequent rows should be laid with the shift of at least 40 cm relative to the previous ones. The last panel from the first row cut to the length should be used as the first one in the next row.
Please strictly follow the installation instructions. In the event of the improper flooring’s installation, any claims regarding quality of the panels shall not be accepted.
Materials and Tools Required:
vapor barriers (if required)
substrate (at least 2 mm thick depending on differences in the floor surface)
hacksaw
mallet (a rubber one is ideal)
pencil, measuring triangle
wood block
skirtings
Laying
Lay a moisture and vapor barrier and then a substrate all over the installation surface.
Moisture and vapor barriers should be installed overlap (at least 20 cm) – they may be glued. A substrate is laid edge-to-edge.
Leave a 10 mm space between the laminate and the walls. For this purpose, insert spacers into the areas between the panels and the wall.
Step 1. Installing the first row.
The panels’ first row should be laid starting from a left corner of the room. To connect the panels’ short sides, insert the tenon into the mortise of the panel lying on the floor at the angle of 15° and fasten the lock by pressing on the board. To hammer at the panel itself is forbidden. This may result in the damage to the panel’s locking connection.
Important: when installing the first row, the boards should not be shifted aside relative to one another. The row should be laid evenly. Even with the slightest shift of one of the boards, the subsequent rows will not be fastened, which will cause the gaps’ formation. Make sure that there are no damages to the locks as well as no foreign particles in there.
If during installation:
1. There are the gaps of more than 0.2 mm in size formed between the connected segments.
2. There is the height difference of more than 0.15 mm detected between the connected segments.
You should immediately stop the installation until the problem with the gaps’ formation may be identified and fixed. Otherwise, any claims regarding quality of the installed laminate flooring segments shall not be accepted.
The laminate flooring reproduces the wood grain, and thus (similar to wood) it may vary in irregular patterns and shades. This difference shall not be deemed as a defect. During installation, please alternate the boards of various shades from different packs between one another to evenly distribute light and dark decor shades.
Step 2. Installing the second row.
Important to know! The subsequent-row segments should first be connected transversely and only then longitudinally with the previous row.
Connect all the boards of the row with one another transversely.
Important! Only after the second row is formed completely, it can be connected with the first row.
Step 3. Installing the locking connections.
Place the formed second row at the angle of 20°. Then, by pressing it gently, fasten it into the lock of the first row.
The panels in the rows should be shifted relative to one another by at least 40 cm.
A cut segment of the last panel in the row becomes the first segment of the subsequent row.
Step 4. The last panel in the row.
The last panel in the row should be cut to the appropriate size. For this purpose, put the panel to the wall’s edge, taking into account the gap of 10 mm in size, and mark the cut line with your pencil. Further, carefully cut off the necessary segment of the laminate panel.
Insert the metal staple into the area between the wall and the laminate panel’s segment installed. Press the metal staple to the front edge of the panel installed and, by gently hammering at a special ledge in the staple, carefully hammer the laminate’s cut segment into the mortise of the previous panel. Each subsequent row should be started with the board’s segment left after installing the previous row.
Step 5. Installing in problem areas.
In inaccessible places (e. g., under heating radiators):
1. Partially cut off the tenon and the mortise in order that the panel laid onto the floor might freely be connected with the neighboring one at the places of fastening.
2. Then, glue the panel’s connection.
3. Move the lock of one panel into the lock of the neighboring-row panel horizontally.
After installation.
After installation, during the period of adaptation of the flooring to the allowable irregularities of the base, the following is possible:
squeaking or crunching when walking on the floor. This is normal and not deemed as a manufacturing defect.