Frequently Asked Questions

Several factors could contribute to the difficulty you are experiencing

1. Were the planks acclimated 48 hours in the room they are to be installed? 
2. Is this a climate controlled environment? 
3.  Do the boxes lay flat on the floor? If not - flip the boxes over and acclimate for an additional 24-28 hours 
4.  Measure the boards from opposite corners- diagonally to check for square 
5.  Did you scribe the first row against the wall? Unevenness in the wall can be transferred thru the planks. 
6.  Try locking the plank on the end with your dominate hand then working toward the other end of the plank

How can I avoid this?

It is very important to keep the tongue and grove clean of any debris and check corners of your planks carefully. We recommend using a soft bristle brush frequently during installation to avoid debris in the locking system.

Chips can also result from improper tapping tools or techniques or improper acclimation.

• Wipe up any spills immediately with an absorbent Micro Fiber Mop.
• Regularly remove dust with a Micro Fibre Mop, broom or vacuum cleaner.
• Do not wash your floor with a soaking mop, cloth or use a spaghetti, sponge mop. Floors Direct only recommends the use of a Micro Fibre Mop or Micro Fibre Cloth.
• Do not sand, varnish, polish or wax the floor, as these treatments will adversely affect the floor.
• Do not use any abrasive cleaners.
• Do not clean grooves with a pointed metal object.
• Do not place pot plant drip trays directly onto the floor surface, always have these lifted off the floor to allow airflow under the pot plant.

The vapor barrier should be extended 5 to 10mm up each wall and folded or cut back after the planks are installed to fit behind the wallbase molding.

This creates a tub effect and impedes moisture from wicking into the side of the floor planks from the concrete wall.

Please avoid extreme variations in temperature and humidity. The ideal room temperature is between 18º C and 35º C and the humidity ideally should not exceed 75%.

Installation should take place at room temperature of at least 18°C. The following climatic conditions in the room must be ensured before, during and for at least three days after installation:

Floor Surface min 12°C
Room Temperature min 18°C
Room Humidity max 75% (35% - 75%)

Before opening the packaging, acclimatize planks for 48 hours by laying each box horizontally and individually in the center of the room, in which they are to be installed.

DPL (Direct Pressure Laminate)
Direct pressure laminate is the most typical fusing method used to manufacture residential laminate flooring. The surface, inner layers and backing layer are fused in a single press operation.

DIRECT PRESSURE (DPL) CONSTRUCTION

Made of four layers:

1. An impact resistant top layer provides a protective finish. = OVERLAY 
2. The high quality printed design layer in various colors and patterns. = DÉCOR PAPER 
3.  A high density fiber board (HDF) comprises the core. = HDF BOARD 
4.  The bottom balancing layer to equalize pressure and keep the board straight. = BACKER

This technique allows you to work on multiple rows at the same time in a stair-step fashion, first row longer than the next and so on…

Professional installers can have more than one installer at a time locking planks together - time and square meter age is money!
The do-it-yourselfer does not need a helper to lock a long row to the preceding row.

And the advantages for both are 

1. Only handling cut pieces once to cut then installing them directly into the floor saves time and effort 
2. Heavy furniture does NOT have to be moved out of the room

Potentially over time this technique could perform better (remain locked to a tighter tolerance than end joints engaged without tapping)

Before you install planks in front of an exterior doorway, be sure to shave away the locking system from the side which will face the exterior door. That piece will be on the edge of the floor exposed to extreme conditions. The gap between the exterior entrance and your first piece of laminate flooring should be filled with 100% silicone sealant to protect the flooring from moisture. We do not recommend having an end joint directly in the traffic path, however sometimes it may unavoidable.

For esthetic reasons we suggest laying the laminate underneath the door jams after cutting them using a saw especially designed for door jams available at any hard ware or home improvement store.

You may also want to use a small bead of glue on the tongue of the locking system of the planks in the entrance area or consider using a door mat to help protect your floors against water that may be dragged in on shoes. It is further recommended that a weather bar be placed at the bottom of all external doors.

I am sorry for the flooding you have experienced. Water is the worst enemy of laminate flooring. Please dry the flooded area completely and as soon as possible. Your floors may start to warp due to water that entered into the seams and made them swell. You will need to de-install your flooring and let the area/rooms dry completely before reinstalling new flooring. Planks involved with floods caused by exterior water or waste water are not recommended for re-installation.

Note floods are not covered by our warranty. Please contact your homeowner’s insurance.

1. Should/Can I install under the refrigerator? 
2. Can I lift the center island out of the room, run the laminate across the width of the kitchen, then fasten down the center island back in the middle on top of the laminate?

Laminate flooring can be installed under your refrigerator but should not be installed under any stationary or extremely heavy furniture as this would prevent the flooring from expanding and contracting. Please work around the island leaving an expansion gap of 10 mm to the flooring.

We also recommend adding glue to all four sides of each plank before installing the flooring around your sink, refrigerator and any other areas where water may occasionally be present. All expansion spaces in these areas must be filled with a 100% mildew silicone sealant. This will help you prevent any damages.

Yes, the surface of laminate is so hard it can not hold the allergens typically accumulated by softer floor coverings.

This benefit is a good example of why laminate is the best flooring option for children’s rooms or anyone concerned with health.

Please use a high tooth count fiber tip saw blade. Remember the “grill” (=the teeth of the blade) should come in contact with the décor face of the plank first.

When using a handsaw always cut with the board facing up. The opposite must be used when using an electric saw with the board face down.

This will reduce chipping. Chipping is not a big issue because anytime you cut our planks you have removed the locking system so the cut edge will be toward the wall and be covered by the quarter round or skirting. Do not use any pieces that are less than 300 mm in length.

Safety requirements:
You need to wear a dust mask and safety glasses when cutting planks and they should be cut outside.
Professional installers may use a dustless cutter which can be used inside because it does not generate dust.

Yes, laminate flooring can be installed on steps. Even though we speak of our laminate as a floating floor… when installed on steps the planks should be glued down with good quality wood glue. You may need to trim the planks to make room for the nosing. The stair nosing has to be nailed down or screwed in place. Allow for a 5mm gap between the flooring and the base of the nosing for flooring expansion. Shim up the nosing to match floor height if needed.

• Work from the top step down. 
• Remove any stair flooring that isn't a suitable base for laminate. 
• Saw the overhanging edge of the nosing off flat, fix loose treads, and clean the stairs. 
• Use leftover pieces where you can. Let stairs dry overnight before using them.

On some staircases, the underside of the nosing on the upper stairs is visible from the bottom of the staircase. Check your stairs. If you can see the bottom of the nosing, you can still install laminate, but you should make a little adjustment to your stairs first. You need to pad the risers with plywood. Measure and cut a piece of plywood to fit against each riser and screw it in place. Then just install the laminate as described here.

Yes a moisture test is strongly recommended when installing laminate flooring over concrete.. If you are having your floor professionally installed the installer should have access to a professional moisture meter and I highly recommend seeing the test results along with getting a copy for your records.

Please remember to always install a 80 micron polyethylene film as a vapor barrier over concrete even if your moisture readings were fabulous.

Please allow a minimum of:

• 3 days after dry wall installation and initial painting as they add a lot of humidity into the room
• 60 days for new concrete slab to "cure"

You can start installing your floor against any wall but some are better than others. Typically you want to run your laminate parallel to the main light source to decrease the visibility of the seam across the length of the product. In order to accomplish this you would need to start on the wall either to the left or the right of your main light source. If there is not a large window or main light source we recommend starting against the longest wall.

If all your doors are located on one wall it may be easier to start on that wall so you can slide your laminate underneath the door jams. You will want to start in the left side of the wall you pick with the tongue on the long side of a plank facing the wall. The tongue against the wall should be removed. You can use a sharp utility knife for the 7 or 8mm product but 10 or 12mm will require a saw. It is important to work from left to right to avoid damaging the tongues on the short side of the boards.
 
I also recommend installing the first and second row at the same time to insure everything is square. Basically what you are doing is using the second row to line up the first row before tapping the end joints together.

It shouldn’t be a problem if you use extra precaution to protect the laminate floor from moisture. Moisture is the enemy of all laminate floors.

The number of plants that you’re planning to put inside this room may increase the humidity. Please ensure the humidity does not exceed 75%.

Use planters that ensure no water will leak on your floor after watering. Wipe all spills off immediately.

Laminate flooring can be installed throughout your home but is not recommended for humid rooms like bathrooms and saunas.

When installing laminate flooring a transition piece also called T- molding must be used in all doorways and in rooms measuring over 1 m in the direction of the long edge of the planks and 600 mm’ in the direction of the short edge of the planks.

Please see attached picture and remember to leave 10mm expansion gap between the flooring and all walls.

You may be surprised to hear that laminate flooring is not significantly noisier than other hard flooring surfaces.

The thickness of the laminate flooring (10 or 12mm ideally with attached pad) and the choice of underlayment will have the greatest effect in reducing noise from pedestrian foot traffic = walking noise.

We recommend purchasing an acoustical underlayment. Please do not use an acoustical underlayment underneath a floor with pre-attached pad.

What should I do?

Static electricity occurs as a natural consequence of electron transfer between contacting surfaces, and is influenced by air humidity, clothing and materials used in upholstery covering.
The electrostatic behavior of laminate flooring or any other wood material can be reduced by taking the following steps:

• Increase the humidity in the room or area with a humidifier and/or indoor plants
• Clean regularly to avoid dust build up
• Damp mop regularly with a laminate floor cleaner (reduces the surface resistance of the flooring)
• Avoid wool clothing
• Open windows occasionally when the living environment is closed with forced air heat

Square meters is length multiplied by width. We recommend to purchase 10 % extra to compensate for cuts and waste.

Please keep leftover planks/cartons in case a plank or section of the floor needs to be replaced in future.

Laminate must be installed over a sub floor which is clean smooth and level. Any low spots of 5 mm or greater must be filled in with leveling screed.

Leveling screed is mixed with water then "floated" on the subfloor where the screed will flow to the low spots and level the floor. This leveling screed should dry within a few hours and be ready to accept laminate within 48 hours.

My husband and I recently purchased your line of laminate flooring and had it installed by a contractor. We had spilled water in an area, cleaned it up pretty good, and by the next day the flooring had warped somewhat. We have approximately eight to ten boards they may all need to be replaced due to this problem. I don't feel a spill of this kind should cause this kind of problem, but it has. The boards are buckled at the seams.

Thank you for purchasing laminate flooring.
Where exactly did this issue take place? Was it on the side or in the middle of the room? Will this area be exposed to water again in future? If so you need to take extra precaution that we reference in our installation instructions to avoid this from happening again in future. We recommend adding glue to all four sides of each plank before installing laminate flooring around your sink, exterior entrance ways or any other areas where water may occasionally be present. All expansion spaces in these areas must be filled with a 100% mildew silicone sealant.

It is not recommend to run wires or cables underneath your laminate as this may cause unevenness in your subfloor which in turn will cause your laminate floor to buckle.

There are wire tracks available that enable you to install low-voltage wiring (for example: speaker wire, stereo cables, telephone wiring, network wiring, alarm wiring) behind standard wall skirting / molding. Some skirting / moldings offer a channel for wiring.