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Floor Preparation

AMTICO - KARNDEAN - MARMOLEUM

SUB FLOOR PREPARATION FOR WOODEN FLOORS

When any of the above products are to be installed over any type of floorboard, chipboard, ply board etc. You must make the top layer (the final layer before a new floor is fitted) as smooth, clean and sound as possible. We recommend a minimum 6mm WPB flooring grade ply board. This should be laid with staggering joints and secured with counter sunk screws every 6" or divergent staples every 4". Then all the joints are fitted with a micro coat filler left to dry and then sanded until smooth. The floors should then be thoroughly swept and kept dry until the new floor is installed. If the old floorboards are cupping or very uneven they should either be replaced, sanded or repaired until level.

Note: Even if all the above recommendations have been correctly followed shadowing of the joints through tiles can occur, this is not a manufacturers fault but a phenomenon that happens when certain coloured tiles and certain lights reflecting off parts of the floor highlighting joints on the sub floor. It will not affect the guarantee or cause premature wear but please ask us if you have any concerns.

To guarantee a seamless floor there is a new screed available to go over ply boarded floors it is called Stop Gap 700 and has small fibres mixed with the screed so it becomes flexible and can move with the floor, this is available at an extra charge of £10 per sq m.

SUB FLOOR PREPARATION FOR CONCRETE FLOORS

When any of the above products are to be laid on new or old concrete solid floors, we must follow certain procedures to avoid the floor from failing.

The most important is a moisture test to make sure the moisture content is not above 75% relative humidity. We can carry this out free of charge if the order is placed.
If the floor is found to be above this figure we can either let it dry naturally (approximately 1mm to 1 day) or install a Surface Damp Proof Membrance (D.P.M) this will cost approximately £300 per 15 sq m area and take up to 2 days to install, we can then install the floor.
We recommend a water based smoothing compound, not latex this will take 1 day to dry, any trowel marks or indentations will be filled with a micro coat filler, the floor will then be sanded and made as smooth as possible.
This will not make the sub floor level as in spirit level, but will smooth the floor taking out any imperfections and making it ready for the new floor covering.
When an areas is half wood and half solid floor there is always a weak point where they join. We would very hard making this joint as good as possible but wood floors are always subject to some movement which may shadow through when certain light reflect on the area. This will not cause premature wear or affect the guarantee

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