Advice

PAVIMENTIAMO'S ADVICE

On this page we want to help you with practical advice for installing your parquet.
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Keep in mind that a normal substrate, depending on the period in which it is made and its thickness, requires 4 – 6 weeks to dry before being ready for installation. Even in the case of substrates with underfloor heating, at least 14 days are necessary. An anhydrite substrate must be created taking into consideration the times for carrying out the various operations (sanding, brushing, etc.). Take into account during the design that a waterproofing must be inserted between the concrete layer and the subfloor, which blocks the humidity that develops in the future coming from the concrete covering. This is of particular relevance to today's rapid construction times. The inspection of the surfaces to check whether they are ready for installation is carried out by a professional installer as part of his pre-established inspection obligations.

He will decide himself if and when the subfloor is ready since he is the only one with this responsibility. He possesses the knowledge and tools necessary to carry out the checks. So trust his advice. Also remember that before starting to assemble the parquet it would be necessary to have completed all the other craft work. The painting work or the application of wall paper can also be carried out subsequently, whilst always adopting adequate measures to protect the parquet surfaces. It is necessary to pay attention if silicone gaskets are used by glaziers, painters, tilers, etc... It is in fact almost impossible to remove silicone stains from parquet. This also applies to detergents. In these places the sealing does not hold. It would be advisable to use acrylic-based hermetic material. For problem-free execution of parquet installation work, the ambient temperature must not be lower than 15°. The air humidity should be between 50 and 60%.

It is only necessary to take into account the time to remove the old coating. Any residues must be removed and the base must be dry and clean when the parquet floor is glued over the entire surface. An old subfloor should first be inspected to check that there are no cracks and to verify its resistance. Therefore it is possible to glue the new parquet in solid wood or even floating plywood (without gluing it to the subfloor). For problem-free execution of parquet installation work, the ambient temperature must not be lower than 15° and the air humidity should be between 50 and 60%.

 

For the first few days, clean the parquet exclusively dryly. Furthermore, no carpets should be placed on the freshly sealed/oiled parquet floor before approx. 14 days. After this period it is possible to wipe with a damp cloth. The frequency of cleaning will depend on your personal hygiene needs. First remove dirt with a woolen cloth, a bristle broom or a vacuum cleaner. Finally, warm water is sufficient to remove the finest dirt and dust. However, do not pour the water directly onto the parquet. Wring out the rag well and clean the parquet so that it is barely damp. Any traces of stubborn dirt, stains and rubber streaks can be easily removed by rubbing more vigorously. However, be careful of sharp objects, which could damage the varnish layer of the seal. On sealed floors, to have a greater cleaning effect, it is possible to add a little vinegar to the water. In rooms that are less used and therefore do not require frequent care, a few drops of the treatment can be added to the water. The treatment described below does not have to be carried out frequently. To clean oiled floors, only use soap-based detergent to avoid graying the surface. Only in case of stubborn dirt is it recommended to proceed with a thorough cleaning of the parquet floor by hand or by machine.

 

New floors
For recently oiled/sealed floors, maximum in-depth hardening of the paint/oil layer occurs only after a few days. It is therefore better not to step on the parquet too early. Equip the chairs and tables with felt pad, in order to protect the painted surface from scratches. At workstations, place a transparent mat under the chairs with wheels. The more care you take of your parquet during the first few days, the longer the surface will last.

Daily care
The frequency of treatment depends on the use of the rooms. In less used environments, treatment will be sufficient once or twice a year. In case of medium-high use (corridors, office stairs) the treatment must be carried out once or twice a month. In case of very frequent use (public establishments, barracks, schools) a weekly treatment is recommended. In any case it is necessary to proceed with the treatment if the surface is scratched or shows particular damage.

Sealed parquet floors
It is necessary to apply a thin layer of the treatment with a lint-free cloth and distribute it evenly so that streaks do not form. It will soon penetrate the surface and your parquet will shine like new. No need to polish.

Oiled floors
The treatment is best done here with oil. The oil can be applied, always in small quantities, with a lint-free cloth manually or with the machine, rubbing regularly. You can also use a spray bottle and then polish with a cloth. Finally, wait 4 hours for the oil to penetrate and dry.

Parquet impregnated with oil/wax
If you have opted for a wax or wax/oil impregnated surface, please inform your parquet flooring professional.

 

By choosing parquet you have decided to live with a natural material, wood. Consider that wood remains a living material even after surface processing. Wood is a hygroscopic material and therefore reacts to climatic variations in the environment. The parquet is therefore made with a wood humidity equal to 9 +/- 2 %. This humidity corresponds to a so-called compensation humidity of the wood at an average temperature of 20° and a room humidity of 50 – 60 %. If the room climate changes (dry air during the heating period, humid air in summer) your parquet floor adapts to this climate until it reaches its wood compensation humidity again. With dry air the wooden floor releases humidity into the room, with humid air it absorbs it, thus causing a change in the volume of the parquet strips. Your parquet floor swells or shrinks slightly.

These changes take place every day. In most cases they are not observable with the naked eye. In the winter period, when heating is used, in many rooms the air humidity drops below 35 %. In such cases, visible joints may eventually form in your parquet. They do not represent a defect as it is a simple natural reaction of the floor to the climate of the room. As a rule, they disappear shortly after the beginning of the year. Only if the joints are obviously wider than 5/10 mm should you have the floor and the environment inspected by an expert to check for any defects, if the appearance of the parquet disturbs you.

As a rule, it is possible to obtain a climate in the room and in the home in general by maintaining a temperature of 20° and a humidity of 50 % thanks to simple measures. Place plants in the rooms and air them regularly. An air humidifier should be used when the heaters are in use. Check the temperature and humidity with a thermometer and hygrometer.

For quick and pleasant heating of the home, the heat conduction resistance of a floor covering should be as low as possible. It should not exceed a value of 0.18 m² x KW. All parquet floors are suitable for installation over underfloor heating. You should only take into consideration the possible shrinkage or swelling (Technical wood data) of the various types of wood and the resistance to heat conduction of the various parquet floors in the program.

A parquet glued over the entire surface guarantees the best passage of heat from the subfloor through the wood. By gluing, the formation of insulating air layers under the parquet must be avoided. In this way, heat can be transmitted almost problem-free and quickly. During use, the surface temperature must not exceed 25° to avoid damaging the parquet. Furthermore, sufficient humidification of the air in the rooms should be ensured. It is thus possible to minimize the formation of any minor leaks due to drying of the wooden surface.

 

The use of underfloor heating should be planned with extreme care, checking the correct execution of all works. If you also check the correct dry heating of the subfloor, you will be happy with the parquet even on underfloor heating

 

Prerequisites and preparation
Before laying the parquet, the heated subfloor must be completely dry. Only then will it be ready for installation. For this purpose it is necessary to use specific measuring instruments. If these tools are not available, the parquet tiler will not be able to reliably carry out the check of the substrate which is normally carried out to check the humidity, since the heating system could be damaged. The following preparation and installation measures therefore represent an absolute prerequisite of extreme importance. Please note that before installing the parquet, the heated subfloor must be dried by heating and cooling with a pause.

To check the operation it is necessary to heat the subfloor once with heating. Only then does the dry heating take place for the second time.

Dry heating of the subfloor with heating
As the client of the construction you will have to carefully check the following details or have the competent person take care of them:

  • The installation time of the substrate following construction until the start of the first heating operations must be at least 21 days.
  • When heating (starting from the 22nd day) the flow temperature must be increased by approx. 5°C per day, until the full (maximum) heating potential is reached. This maximum temperature must be maintained at least one day for each centimeter of the thickness of the substrate with heating.
  • Finally, the heated subfloor must be cooled again by lowering the flow temperature by approx. 5°C per day.
  • Then repeat the dry heating previously described.
  • The heating and cooling operations must be noted in the heating report prepared by. The duration of the heating and cooling operation must be at least 14 days.
  • The expected times include the minimum number of heating days. Every additional day is useful for the elimination of humidity and represents greater safety.
  • At this point it is possible to lay the parquet in accordance with DIN 18356 with a subfloor surface temperature of +15°C and a relative humidity of 50 – 60 %.

After laying the parquet, maintain the climatic conditions already described for at least a week (the time for the adhesive to act and dry). You will find the cooling times and the corresponding report in the “Heizprotokoll” instruction sheet. Enter the necessary values and carry out the operations indicated therein. If you do not do this yourself, appoint a technician to confirm the carrying out of these operations.