Handbook for Balta / Balterio • Handbook for Rustic Elegance

 
 

Rustic Elegance Laminate Installation Handbook

The Do It Yourselfer's Guide To Laminate Installation for Rustic Elegance Laminate

Handbook for Rustic Elegance Word.doc Downloads for Printing

Written and Presented by: Heidemann Flooring Laminate Flooring

(435) 586-4431

Tools Needed For Installation
Cleaning And Maintenance
What about that expansion gap?
Preparing For Installation
Laminate Adjoining A Sunken Room
Stairs (Enclosed Stairways Only)
Installing Padding (not required)
Installation Of The Planks
Door Jambs
Fireplaces
Dishwashers
Moldings and Transition Pieces
Installing Over Radiant Heat
When you wish to use glue…
Moldings and Transition Pieces continues
Bathrooms And Kitchens

Tools Needed For Installation - ^ Back to Top ^

The following tools may vary with your specific installation, please contact before having to go out and making a purchase.

Tapping block (should fit the product's tongue)
Pull bar
Spacers (If you run out, use scraps of laminate)
Saw (table saw or circular saw)
Pencil
Level
Tape Measure
1 lb. Hammer
Jamb Saw or Undercut Saw
Plastic Tape (Duct Tape) for taping pad
Utility Knife or Scissors
Liquid Nails or Polyethylene Glue
Brad Nailer (optional, for trim pieces)
Masonite or scrap lumber (1/8 in. thickness)

To repair minor chips, etc., you can use colorfill epoxy in the same color as the floor. First, surround the area to be repaired with masking tape to prevent excess epoxy from getting on the rest of the laminate. Fill the area with the epoxy and let dry. Wipe up excess with acetone/fingernail polish remover (that contains acetone).

To remove a damaged board, have someone kneel or stand on the board that is above the one you wish to remove. Grasp the board firmly and pull up about 3 inches and pull out. It will come out easily when raised.

For further installation help, please feel free to call 435-586-4431 and talk to Max, Tom, or Courtney. We offer free installation advice to all of our customers.

Cleaning And Maintenance

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1. To regularly clean flooring, you can first use a broom, swiffer, or vacuum (no beater bars….use hard surface tool only). When deep cleaning is necessary, only clean a small area at a time (5X5 ft. area) and dry with a towel as you go to prevent streaking. You can use white vinegar and clear warm water (4 to 1) and a wrung out mop. USE AS LITTLE MOISTURE AS POSSIBLE. Follow immediately with a dry towel or cloth to prevent streaking. (If you put a towel down, then push it around with a dust mop, etc. on top, you won't be on your hands and knees.) DO NOT use detergents, as they often leave a residue behind that makes the floor streak when cleaning in the future. For sticky messes, etc., you can use Windex and a dry towel or cloth.
2. Place mats at outside doors to collect dirt and debris. Sharp foreign objects in shoes can scratch the floor.
3. Clean up spills as quickly as possible.
4. Use furniture glides (felt protectors or wide base castors) under heavy furniture, equipment, and furniture with metal legs.
5. Be careful when moving heavy objects across the room.
6. NEVER WAX, SEAL, OR POLISH THE FLOOR. It never needs to be sanded or refinished, either.
7. To clean stains….For nail polish, tar, cigarette burns, use acetone (nail polish remover) and it will come right up.

What about that expansion gap?

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5/16 inch around the perimeter

*Installation Concept

One of the unique ideas that makes laminate flooring easier to install is that the floor floats over the surface rather than being attached to the surface.

Due to the characteristics of wood, laminate expands and contracts with the weather, humidity, and changes of season. It is therefore necessary to provide ample room (5/16 in.) around the entire perimeter, under door frames, and any other area where the perimeter of the laminate may come in contact with any other surface.

Preparing For Installation

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1. Remove any carpeting and pad if you are installing laminate in that area. Linoleum, vinyl, and ceramic tile (as long as it is an even, level area) can be left. You can install right over them.
2. Check sub floor for unevenness by putting a 2X4 diagonally across the room. Lay a level on top. If floor is uneven, purchase a self leveling compound from your local hardware store. It mixes with water and will automatically fill in all low spots.
3. Sweep and vacuum sub floor.
4. Make sure that boxes of flooring have acclimated inside the house for 48 hours.
5. Decide which way you would like boards to lie in each room. Most manufacturers recommend having the grain of the wood follow the sunlight from a window, but it is really a matter of what you feel looks best in your application.
6. It is very important that you watch the enclosed installation video at least once, even if you've installed this type of flooring before. Professional installers should also watch our video before installation as manufacturers differ in their guidelines for their particular brand.
7. Measure your room and divide by the width of the laminate planks to determine how many planks it will take to complete the room. If less than a 2 ½ in. piece must be used at the end, you will need to start out with a partial board across your first row. That way, both the first and the last row will have a large enough piece that it will be stable.

THE MOST IMPORTANT PREINSTALLATION ADVICE WE CAN GIVE IS TO READ THE MANUFACTURER'S INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE INSTALLING. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THEIR GUIDELINES CAN RESULT IN VOIDING OF THE WARRANTY.

This diagram illustrates the correct way to install stairs.

Laminate Adjoining A Sunken Room

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When you are installing laminate in the sunken area only….Finish with quarter round where the laminate meets the carpet.

When you are installing laminate in the top area only, you have two choices, doing just the top part of the stair (where you'd finish with the stairnose…see below instructions), ore doing the entire stair/step…see directions below.

Stairs (Enclosed Stairways Only)

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If you have an open stairway (no wall on each side), you must have a carpenter do all the finishing.
1. When installing stairs, there is no need to have an expansion joint. The floor will not float, it will be glued or nailed down.
2. Measure and cut the laminate to fit the tread and the riser, leaving room for the track of the stairnose. Make sure that you measure carefully and have the laminate go directly against the wall on both sides.
3. Either glue (with polyethylene glue) or use a brad nailer to secure the laminate to the steps. If using a brad nailer, nail along the edges, so that the trim will cover the small holes.
4. Install quarter round on the indent of the step where the tread meets the riser.
5. Install the track on the nose of the stair using screws or liquid nails, then glue the stairnose molding into place in the track. This way, it will be extremely secure.

Installing Padding (not necessary with Rustic Elegance)

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If you are going to install additional pad, please adhere to the following:
1. Install the pad 5/16 inch away from the wall, same as the laminate.
2. Tape the seams with a water impermeable (plastic) tape. Duct tape works very well.
3. Do not overlap the seams.
4. Only unroll one row at a time and install rows as necessary. This keeps the pad from collecting debris before you are ready to install the rest of the laminate.
5. Do not tape or glue the flooring down. It should float freely.
6. Make sure that the blue side of the Quiet Walk pad is up against the floor.


Above: How Quiet Walk works over concrete…

Installation Of The Planks

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The first 3 rows are the most difficult to install due to the fact there will be no weight on the floor until 3 rows are established. You can minimize the amount of force necessary in tapping panels together if you use a solid surface, such as a baseboard or a 1X2 inch furring strip, in the beginning of the installation to tap against. NO SPACERS SHOULD BE USED UNTIL 3 ROWS OF THE LAMINATE HAVE BEEN TAPPED TOGETHER. Once the 3 rows are established, pull out the floor from the wall and install your spacers. Then, slide the floor up to the spacers again.

1. If you are using a tap together product (Rustic Elegance), it is sometimes easier to get the first few boards together if you'll wipe the tongue of the product with a slightly damp cloth. Sometimes if dust or debris gets on the tongue, this locking mechanism is so precise that it won't allow it to lock. Wiping it slightly allows it to go together the way it was intended easily.
2. When you tap the boards together, please be careful not to tap too hard, as that can damage the tongue and break it. Just tap gently, but firmly, watching for the seam to close. Once the seam is closed, don't continue tapping. Sometimes, if you continue tapping, you can cause one board's laminate to bite into the adjacent board.
3. Always keep the tongue toward you as you are installing. Do not tap against the groove.
4. VERY IMPORTANT! Make sure that you overlap seams by at least 16-18 inches. Not doing so will void your warranty and will cause the product to not have the stability it needs.
5. To install the first row, start from the left and slide the short side of another board with the first one to complete a link between the two. Continue until you near the end of the room in that first row. Then, put a spacer between the wall and the first board, so your space is correct. (5/16 inch all the way around the perimeter of the floor.) Measure to fit the last board in that row. To install the last board (if up against the wall), you can either slide it or pull it in with the pull bar.
6. To use the pull bar, put the tongue of the pull bar between the wall and the laminate and gently tap on the lip on top to "pull" the laminate piece in.
7. You can now put the spacers along the wall between the laminate you've just installed and the wall.
8. As you install the rows, slide or tap the short ends first, then tap the long sides.

Door Jambs

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First of all, if you are flowing laminate in and out of rooms, make sure that you have an area all together that is no longer or wider than 36 continuous feet. More than that requires an additional expansion joint. If you are flowing from room to room or down a hall, please follow the following guidelines.

To go through a doorway and allow laminate to pass through a doorway and go under the door casing…

1. Take laminate (and pad if using additional pad), flip it upside down and use a jamb saw (handheld saw) to undercut the casing to the same height.
2. Measure your laminate and continue through the doorway.

Fireplaces

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To border a fireplace, you can do one of two things….
You can either use an undercut saw with a masonry blade and undercut the fireplace to allow the laminate to slide just under, or you can use an end cap to finish that edge.

Dishwashers

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Install the laminate just past the dishwasher, so you won't see the edge of the laminate. Most dishwashers can be raised to accommodate the laminate. Then, put a bead of latex caulking underneath to help seal out moisture.

Moldings and Transition Pieces

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1. You can either pull your existing baseboard and reuse it, put new base down, or you can leave the old base and put quarter round in to cover the expansion joint.

When installing base/and or quarter round, it is best to use an air brad nailer as it is fast and makes a professional looking finish. When the floor is finished, simply take out the spacers, put the baseboard down next to the wall and brad nail it directly into the wall. (MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT NAIL THROUGH THE LAMINATE.) When putting down the quarter round, you can brad nail it into the base (making sure that it isn't going into the floor) at a 45 degree angle, or you can put a bead of latex caulking around the perimeter and set your quarter round down in that.

Installing Over Radiant Heat

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(These instructions are direct from the manufacturer.)
Here are the steps to take on the installation of the laminate floor on the heating water based tube floor embedded in concrete:

1. Install the flooring normally.
2. Turn the heat up after the installation is complete on a day to day basis.... 25% of the normal room temperature on the first-third day.... 50% on the fourth-sixth day, and so on. If installed in the summer, it must still be done.
3. After the first week... then normal room temperature......
4. Normal Moisture (humidity) must be maintained or there will be changes to the floor...

When you wish to use glue…..

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When installing in wet areas, it is recommended that you use a bead of glue along the locking mechanism to further prevent moisture from seeping through the seams. This is a clicklock product and has a very tight joint. It has been sprayed at the factory with a silicone sealant to help with moisture protection. However, in moist areas, extra steps must be taken to protect your flooring. This is when you may wish to glue your laminate together. To do this, simply put a bead of glue along the tongue, then click the flooring together as you would normally. If you've used an adequate amount of glue, some will squeeze out when you do this. Just wipe up the excess glue with a damp rag. No straps, clamps, or any other items associated with typical glued flooring is necessary due to the locking mechanism on this clicklock product.

Moldings and Transition Pieces continue…

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2. To install transition pieces, make sure you leave the proper expansion joint (1/4 inch) on both sides of the track. DO NOT LAY PAD UNDER TRACK. Cut the track to fit the transition area. If you are installing over concrete, you will need to use glue to install the track. You can use liquid nails, but we like polyethylene glue as it is much stronger. If you are going over a wood sub floor, simply secure the track with screws. Then, measure the transition area and cut the transition piece to fit. Snap the transition piece down into the preinstalled track.
3. T Moldings….install laminate on both sides, leaving room for the track and an expansion joint on both sides, then follow the instructions above. The molding should cover both sides of the laminate.

4. Carpet End Caps….install the track near the carpet edge (see diagram). Install laminate on the other side, leaving the expansion joint (1/4 in. space) next to the track. Tuck the end of the carpet that goes past the tack strip down under the carpet end cap.


5. Outside doors, sliding doors, etc…Using Carpet End Caps in these areas….Just put the track in place in front of the existing door frame. Install your laminate, leaving the ¼ inch expansion joint between the laminate and the track. Snap the molding down into the track and you're done.
6. Reducers….when transitioning to vinyl, or just going from one height to another, install the track, leaving the expansion joint between that and the laminate, and snap the molding down in.

You can also use a reducer in reverse if you have the laminate as the low side and another type of flooring (ceramic tile, hardwood, etc. ) that is the high side. You'd simply reverse the reducer.

7. Stairs…Please go to the page that details how to install stairs.

*If you are using Quiet Walk pad with the 8mm products, you may need to put in an 1/8 inch piece of masonite or scrap lumber under the molding track (make sure it is the same width as the track) to raise it to the level of the laminate and pad.

Bathrooms And Kitchens

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When using laminate in bathrooms and kitchens, there are some precautions you should take to prevent moisture damage.

1. Put a 1/8 in. bead of latex caulking around the perimeter of the room (also around toilet flange, sinks, icemaker inlets, dishwashers, etc.) when you are finished installing the laminate. Set your trim down in that latex caulking. DO NOT use silicone, as it will break out and crack. Pure silicone doesn't work well because it is not as flexible. The latex will allow for expansion and contraction. It is very flexible.
2. To further prevent moisture damage, you can put a bead of glue along the tongue before snapping it together. After snapping it together, wipe up the excess with a damp cloth.
3. Use mats in front of tubs and sinks, under dog waters, etc., to prevent spills from sitting on the laminate for a long period of time.

 


For more info call Max, Tom, or Courtney:
435-586-4431 7:00 am - 11:00 pm 
(Mountain Standard Time)


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