Correct site preparation is key to avoiding problems with wood flooring after installation. The following conditions must be met prior to the delivery of Broadleaf flooring for acclimatision.

ENVIRONMENT

The site must be sealed, dry, free from damp, heated and its environmental conditions must be within the following scope:

Temperature – 15-24°C

Relative Humidity – 40-65%

WETWORKS

All concrete and plaster in and near any room where our wood flooring is to be fitted must be complete and fully dry. For concrete this means a moisture content of no more than 4% (by weight) as measured with a Tramex Concrete Encounter Meter or 75% Relative Humidity as measured in line with BS 8201:2011. For plaster this will require at least 2 weeks from change of colour (which is generally about 2 weeks from application of plaster to plasterboard) and 4 weeks from plaster to render. Note that damp weather and other environmental conditions can extend this.

PIPES

Any hot water pipes that run under the floor should be properly insulated. If this is not the case and cannot be solved by lagging, be aware (and make the end user aware) that some localised shrinkage of boards after fitting may occur. This will normally only be an aesthetic issue and is unlikely to affect the structural integrity of the floor.

SUBFLOORS

The metal raised access subfloor must be structurally sound and magnetically receptive. It must be level to within 3mm across 2 metres measured with a steel straight edge and any lipping between panels much not exceed 0.75mm in line with PSA MOB PF2-PS or BSEN 12825:2001. The surface of the subfloor must be dry and completely free from any dust and contaminants. This will be key to the magnetic bond as well as the performance and stability of the finished floor.

HEATING

Once they are fully dry (see above) and before the wood flooring is delivered, any new wetworks (concrete or plaster) must be heated to drive out any latent moisture. Conventional heating should be run for a minimum of 2 weeks (even in summer). This may mean that you have to force the heating to come on by adjusting the thermostat.

Please note that Magnetree is not suitable for installation over underfloor heating.

ACCLIMATISATION

Magnetree flooring products must be acclimatised on site for 7-14 days before installation. Delivery of the flooring should not be arranged until all wetworks are fully dry and the heating has been run for a minimum of 2 weeks after this (see above).

Acclimatise the flooring in the room where it is to be fitted or one with similar environmental conditions. Unwrap and lattice stack it at least 50mm off the floor so that the air can circulate around it. It is important that the room where the flooring is acclimatized is kept dust free, or that any dust that has settled on the Magnetree fixing is cleaned before fitting as full adhesion is key to the magnetic bond and the stability of the finished floor.

The Magnetree magnetic fixing system comprises 4 elements –  Magnetree, Magnetree Plus, Magnetree Trac-Loc Tape and Magnetree Access Kits.

MAGNETREE is a high strength magnetic layer that provides powerful magnetic grip to the metal subfloor. This is fixed to the reverse of our flooring during manufacture.

MAGNETREE PLUS works in the same way, but is enhanced with Track-Loc technology which gives it additional horizontal stability during installation and prevents the floor tracking over time as it’s walked on. In commercial locations (workspace, retail, hospitality and other high traffic locations), Magnetree Plus should be used at a ratio of 10%. The Magnetree Plus elements should be laid evenly across the floor (approx every 10^th piece as appropriate).

MAGNETREE TRACK-LOC Tape is designed to preserve the expansion gap after fitting. It should be applied to the subfloor around the entire perimeter of the room adjacent to the expansion gap to provide additional horizontal stability against this and prevent tracking towards it. In the event that floor boxes are fitted, Track-Loc tape should also be fitted around the perimeter of these.

MAGNETREE ACCESS KITS are designed to facilitate access to the subfloor post installation. They comprise of flooring with a pre- adjusted tongue & groove profile that enables quick and easy lifting from above without the need for fiddly and time consuming machining by fitters on site. Each item is also identified with a durable UV stamp under the finish, negating the need for detailed mapping on site and showing the order in which they should be fitted and removed. Access kits should be ordered with the flooring to ensure a colour match and to avoid any fitting delays while these are manufactured. They should be laid in an area where there is no lipping between panels. It is strongly recommended that at least one access kit is fitted in each room to facilitate lifting and re-laying the flooring without damage.

BOARD DIRECTION

Conventionally, and to show them off to their best advantage, planks are laid towards the primary natural light source and along the length of the room. Consider this along with the shape of the room and any site specific designer / architect instruction before installation.

BOARD SELECTION

When fitting a product that features notable variation, be it colour, length of board or grain, it is important to be sensitive to this and distribute the variation evenly across the floor to achieve a natural look. The best way to do this is to spread the boards out prior to installation. Any boards which are considered to be outside expected parameters for the product should not be fitted, as once installed these are deemed to be accepted.

FIRST LINE / CROWN LINE

The first line of plank or crown line of parquet sets the whole floor so it is key to get it square and to be sure it is stable before pushing / tapping against it. When fitting planks, always fit with groove towards the wall and cut along the length if necessary to compensate for off-square walls. Apply Trac-Loc perimeter tape to the edge of the subfloor prior to finalising the first line and wedge this to preserve the expansion gap before pushing / tapping against it. Magnetree has good immediate grab but takes up to 12 hours to achieve full bond strength. When fitting parquet using our Magnetree system, make sure that the crown line is square and stable before pushing/ tapping against it. Do not apply Trac-Loc tape under the crown line.

END JOINTS

End joints in adjacent rows of planks must be staggered at least 150mm apart and we recommend a minimum 250-300mm. For the best aesthetic result keep the position of end joints reasonably random by cutting different lengths of board to start rows.

GAPS

There will almost always be some slight gaps (1mm or so) between elements as you fit an acclimatised flooring. Do not clamp planks to try and remove these as this can cause expansion problems later on. Occasionally a board placed for fitting will create a bigger than normal gap due to minimal machining variations or uneven acclimatisation. This can be easily dealt with by cutting it in half and using it to start or finish a row.

EXPANSION GAP

To accommodate natural expansion and contraction in the flooring a 15mm expansion gap is required around the entire perimeter of the room. This includes doorways and any other ‘obstacles’ adjacent to the floor. Door liners & plinth blocks must either be cut to create an expansion gap under them or have one left around them.

To create an expansion gap and preserve it during fitting, insert wedges between the edge of the floor and the wall. Apply Magnetree Trac-Loc tape under the flooring around the entire perimeter adjacent to the expansion gap. This will provide additional horizontal stability against this and prevent tracking towards it. Once fitting is complete, remove wedges and cover the gap with beading or skirting or fill it with flooring cork.

For floors in excess of 6m wide, additional expansion of approx 1mm per metre width will need to be integrated evenly across the floor. To achieve this, insert a thin separator between boards as you knock them together (approx every third board for wide boards and every fifth board for narrow ones).

THRESHOLDS

To preserve the expansion gap at doorways where there is no change in floor level, use either a T bar – leaving half the expansion gap either side of the fixing strip – or a level threshold board – cut from the flooring and fitted with a cork strip on either side.

Where the floor levels differ between rooms, use a reducing threshold to accommodate the variation. We can supply standard reducing thresholds for variations of up to 15mm or bespoke ones for larger differences. These and our standard T bars can generally be matched to our floor finishes.

Standard thresholds should be fixed to leave the expansion gap underneath. Made to measure thresholds up to 15mm thick should be fixed with a cork strip either side to maintain the expansion gap. Thicker thresholds can be made stepped to cover the expansion gap or square to be fitted against a cork strip.

During installation dust must be regularly removed with a vacuum cleaner and the fitting environment kept clean and dust free so that it does not compromise the magnetic bond or the effectiveness of the Trac-Loc Tape. The subfloor must be kept free of any residues or contaminants.

Traffic across the floor during installation should be kept to a minimum, especially prior to the full bonding period (12 hours).

Ladders and other tools should not be placed directly on the surface of the floor during or after installation.

Masking tape, even low tack, should never be applied to the floor as the solvent may damage the finish and cleaning wipes / solvents should never be used to remove any adhesive from the surface of the floor.

Ideally, the floor should be fitted after all other interior trades have been completed, but if this is

not possible, once the installation is complete and the floor has been cleaned as per Section 9 below, it must be properly protected in order to avoid damage to its surface.

In this case use Ramboard or a similar recyclable, breathable professional card floor protection with a smooth underside. Do not use a plastic floor protection product such as Correx as this will cause the floor to sweat underneath it which can damage both the finish and the floor itself. Do not use a product with any kind of tack or adhesive on the underside.

Tape the floor protection sheets together to prevent dust working its way beneath them and damaging the floor finish, ensuring that the tape is only applied to the floor protection and does not come into contact with the floor.

If you require advice on a suitable protective covering for a Broadleaf floor post installation please contact our technical helpline.

Once the installation has been completed the floor should receive a build clean as detailed below:

• Remove any offcuts or large particles of timber by hand.
• Vacuum well to remove any sawdust or other dust.
• Check for any adhesive residue (if this has not been avoided during the fitting process) and if necessary remove this. Generally light rubbing with fingertips or a lint free rag will be sufficient to remove Broadleaf Ultra adhesive after it has set. NEVER use any aggressive cleaning materials / wipes that might compromise / damage the surface finish.
• Lightly wipe over the floor with undiluted Broadleaf Wood Floor Cleaner using a lint free cloth or flat head mop. This will remove any last traces of dust that could damage the surface of the floor as well as any finger prints / other marks caused by handling during fitting and rejuvenate the surface finish to show it off to its best advantage prior to handover.
• Do not use aggressive general floor cleaners as these can compromise the finish.

All Broadleaf finishes are designed for commercial as well as residential use subject to the correct ongoing maintenance.

For advice on ongoing maintenance, and suitable maintenance products refer to the separate Commercial Maintenance Guide that will be provided for inclusion in the O&M manual.

Outside the specific guidance given above, Broadleaf floors should be fitted in line with BS 8201:2011.

Should you have any specific queries relating to the installation of Broadleaf flooring, please contact our technical helpline:

Tel: 01269 851 987

technical@broadleaftimber.com