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Substrates
All substrates must be structurally sound,
flat, clean and dry. The normal tolerances
are +/- 3mm over a 2.0m straight edge.
Uneven floors should be levelled with Fired
Earth Universal Levelling Compound or
battens and packers depending on the
fixing system to be used. The surface
should be free of all contaminants and
loose material. All possibilities of damp e.g.
walls, drains, damp proof courses,
plumbing, fridges, washing machines etc.
MUST be thoroughly checked and repaired
if found to be leaking.
In particular all construction dampness
must have completely dried and the house
should be at the temperature and humidity
expected during occupation.
Sand and Cement Screed/Concrete
Existing screeds/concrete must be checked
for moisture. This can easily be carried out
using a moisture meter. If moisture is
present, i.e. over 5% (equivalent to 60% RH
with a hygrometer), wood floors must not
be fitted until the problem has been
rectified. Please seek specialist advice.
Existing Timber Base
e.g. Joists, tongue and grooved
floorboards and floating floors.
a. Solid Boards
Can be fixed directly over sound and secure
joists, or directly onto prepared floorboards.
If the existing floorboards are sufficiently
flat, the new boards can be laid directly on
to them at 90 degrees. If the existing floor
is not suitably flat then it must be made
flat and level by overlaying with WBP
(water and boil proof) plywood. Loose
boards must be secured or the new floor
may squeak. Please note: If nails/screws are
being used, care must be taken not to
damage pipes or electrical cables beneath.
b. Engineered Boards or CLIP SYSTEM
This cannot be fitted directly onto joists.
Existing wooden floors must be made flat
and level prior to installation of the overlay
boards. Plywood of a minimum depth of
12mm, should be firmly screwed down to
level uneven timber bases.
Floating Floor
All Fired Earth timber floors can be fitted
onto floating floors, which must be sound,
flat, firm and free of any deflection. When
the boards are to be installed by secret
nailing, a minimum 12mm depth wbp
plywood must be screw fixed to the
chipboard at 300mm centres.
Other Floor Finishes
Most other floor finishes e.g. lino, carpet
etc. should be removed prior to installation
of a new wood floor. Please ask for
further advice.
Fixing
There are a number of methods for fixing
wood floors. Fired Earth recommends that
solid boards are ‘secret nailed’, using the
Porta Nail system, fully bonded using
Sika
T54
or floated on our CLIP SYSTEM.
Engineered boards are floated onto a
suitable underlay. Where floor height is
critical, engineered boards can be fitted
over an underlay which minimises height
gain, solid wood can be glued down,
128mm boards can be fitted with the CLIP
SYSTEM or, floorboards can be removed to
allow for nailing solid boards directly to
the joists.
Prior to installing the wood, it should be
thoroughly checked to ensure that the
colour is correct and the boards are
straight and undamaged. Any damaged
boards should be put to one side and used
for cuts or in less obvious areas. Ensure the
various shades, grades and widths where
applicable of wood are randomly
distributed throughout the floor. The wood
fitter must assess each board as it is being
laid for suitability. If you are in any doubt,
please consult your Fired Earth Showroom
prior to installing.
A final moisture check should be conducted
immediately prior to installation. The wood
to be installed should be within +/- 2%
moisture of the surface onto which it is to
be fitted.
The exception to this is a subfloor with a
surface DPM applied, which should not
require checking and must not be damaged
during installation of the floor. Fired Earth
recommend Protimeter’s MMS test
equipment for measuring moisture content,
relative humidity and temperature.
Sand and cement screeds/concrete
a. Solid Boards
Secret Nailing - Lay a suitable polythene
250mu sheet (Visqueen) vapour barrier
onto the substrate, overlap any seams by at
least 20cm and securely tape to provide a
suitable seal. The polythene should be
returned up the walls by 50mm, excess can
be cut off once the floor is laid. Lay 18-
24mm WBP plywood across the floor in the
opposite direction to the length of the new
boards, to provide a material into which
the nails can fix. The plywood sheets
should be butted together allowing a
perimeter gap for expansion. Alternatively,
kiln dried and treated timber battens 50 x
25mm, may be laid on to the floor at a
maximum of 400mm centres, see diagram
on next page.
Stage 1 - Preparation