Real Oak Floors is proud to announce it is soon to provide full trade accounts for Trade customers. Credit will be subject to status – please fill out the application on our website to go ahead with your new trade account.

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Popularity: 1% [?]

Over the past several years, underfloor heating has become rather popular throughout the UK. With underfloor heating, heat comes from the floor and rises up as opposed to traditional radiators in central heating where the room is heated from the ceiling down.

There are two types of underfloor heating – electric and heated water systems – available, these are very similar apart from the obvious fact that one uses an electric heating cable whereas the other circulates heated water through a pipe. At Real Oak Floors we believe that Electric underfloor heating is the better of the two types for a number of reasons.

Electric underfloor heating is a lot cheaper and easier to install than its water based counterpart as no specialist tools are required and due to this, it is also cheaper to install as unfortunately for Mr Joe Bloggs the plumber, he isn’t required to fit electric underfloor heating either, sorry Joe. On the topic of the unfortunate Mr Joe Bloggs, with water based heating systems there’s the chance of burst pipes, leaks and although fixing the problem is easy enough it will require Mr Bloggs to come out with his charge which can be quite expensive! However with electric underfloor heating there is no need for maintenance, hurrah!

Underfloor heating has some fantastic benefits, including the lack of “hot spots” due to the floor becoming like one large radiator, speaking of radiators – with the lack of radiators on the walls you have more freedom in decorating your room, fantastic! Did we mention the fact that it helps reduce the circulation of allergens and dust also?

In short we highly recommend you consider the advantages of an underfloor heating system instead of traditional radiator based central heating, you may be in for a pleasant suprise!

Popularity: 5% [?]

There are many types of wood flooring out there and regardless of how nice a solid oak floor looks, sometimes, you fancy something with a more unique look and feel to it. In this blog post we will be talking about several types of tropical wood flooring which look fantastic and may be the perfect floor you have been looking for.

Wenge

Wenge is a rather unusual wood which, when worked with initially, is a yellow colour however this changes into a dark brown colour with close black veins which look beautiful. Wenge is a fantastic timber for flooring as it is highly durable and has a high natural resistance to abrasion.

An example of some Wenge flooring

Iroko

With a golden brown colour and inexpensive price tag, it’s no wonder that Iroko is becoming a popular tropical hardwood. This wood has a medium density with medium bending and crushing strength, it‘s great for flooring as well as being a suitable structural timber.

Golden brown in colour, Iroko really does look fantastic

Purpleheart

Purpleheart is a wood which when worked with is a yellow colour but overnight changes into a unique attractive purple colour which darkens with age. Purpleheart is very durable making it excellent for not only flooring but also for gymnasium flooring.

For a truly unique look, consider the tones of Purpleheart

Danto

Danto has similar working properties to Iroko making it a viable alternative wooden floor. The wood has an orange-brown colour to it with the grain being straight to very interlocked which produces an attractive figure.

Danto flooring has a beautiful warm look to it

Teak

Teak is a very durable hardwood which has a medium density and a medium bending strength. The colour of the hardwood lies between a golden brown and a rich brown with dark chocolate coloured markings.

A beautiful example of Teak flooring

Zebrano

Zebrano is a West African wood commonly known as Zingana or Zebrawood. The wood has a pale golden yellow look with dark brown lines running throughout making the wood resemble the striping of a Zebra.

The colouring on Zebrano resembles the stripes found on a Zebra

We hope this brief covering of these species has helped in your search for the perfect floor, for a wider look at flooring species please visit our site or contact us either through email at sales@realoakfloors.co.uk or by telephone on 0844 8486840

Popularity: 4% [?]

An often overlooked feature of any home would be the door. Doors do a lot more than just open and close, they separate rooms, surfaces and they also stop pesky things from entering your home such as the weather, the sound of your neighbour’s old Ford Cortina starting up, unwanted people or a Gazelle. They come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, styles and materials however their purpose still remains the same.

So what door is right for your home? Well whether the door is solid, glass, louvered or half glass it should complement the look and feel of the wall where it is placed so skirtings, mouldings and trims are all complemented by its presence. It should also suit your needs so if, for example, you’ve just had all of your walls sound insulated, the last thing you would want is sound to still come through to your room thanks to having a hollow-core door.

There are many kinds of doors with specific names, depending on their purpose. The most common type of door is the single-leaf door which consists of a single rigid panel which fills the doorway. There are numerous variations on this design such as the double-leaf door or double doors. Below is a list of some of the door types available.

• Dutch door/ Stable Door
• Saloon Doors
• Batwing Doors
• Blind Door
• Barn Door
• French Door
• Louvred Door
• Flush Door
• Moulded Door
• Ledge and Brace Door
• Wicket Door
• Bifold Door
• Arcadia/Sliding Glass Door
• Australian Door

Since its introduction during the great housing boom, the Hollow-core door consists of 2 thin plywood or hardwood faces with supports between to keep the door rigid, these are often made from cardboard. These doors are light and cheap but are poor at sound insulation and are prone to damage. However they provide a flush face for paint or staining and are easily installed or replaced.

Because solid wood doors are not as budget sensitive as these hollow-core doors, manufacturers started to develop the engineered wood door. These doors are faced with a high-quality wooden veneers which are placed upon a core made from either high-density fiberboard/hardboard with higher quality engineered doors may use hardwood sticking (the pieces that go between the panels) to the sides and below – called the stiles and the rails. Top quality doors will also have hardwood support where screwholes are located for good adhesion without stripping. These doors, like solid wood doors, come in raised panel and flat panel styles. They can be stained or painted but typically have veneered faces that are suitable for staining.

What a typical door consists of

Once you have chosen your door you will want to finish it (providing it hasn’t already been done for you!) For the best protection you should first apply a basecoat to all surfaces of the door – ensuring maximum protection. Once this has been done you will need to seal the end grain of the wood at the top and bottom of the door stiles as well as all joints before finally applying 2 coats of Top Coat to ensure you have a fantastic durable finish

Depending on the weather conditions Oak doors generally need a recoat every year, although with hardwood doors it is recommended to check the finish every six months and recoat as necessary.

We hope that this information has helped you in choosing the right doors for your home and given you some help in finishing your doors.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Laying laminate flooring is easy. However it’s important that all materials and steps are properly prepared for. The following guide gives step by step laying instructions. You should first verify which sub-floor you want to fit your Krono Original laminate flooring onto because the individual floorings are not suitable for every type of sub-floor.

Fitting laminate on screed

The floor must be absolutely level, dry, clean and firm. It is very important to sand down and fill any unevenness of more than three millimetres over one metre. You must use PE foil as a moisture barrier.

Fitting laminate on wooden planks

Loose floorboards must be fixed and uneven surfaces should be smoothed out to ensure a flat, firm surface to fit on. Fit the Krono Original laminate flooring at right-angles to the lengthwise direction of the wooden planks. You may not use PE foil on wooden sub-floors.

Laminate on wooden boards

Loose wooden boards must be fixed and any unevenness levelled out. The boards must be firmly connected to the sub-floor so that there is no creaking later.

Fitting laminate on PVC or linoleum floorings

These types of old flooring must be removed.

Fitting laminate flooring on hot water underfloor heating

Please ask a trusted heating specialist to heat your floor until it is dry. They have the necessary skills and records. A surface temperature of 25 degrees Celsius is advisable; you should never exceed 28 degrees Celsius. Old flooring must be removed.

Residual moisture

The screed should never exceed the following residual moisture values:
1.) Cement screed: With underfloor heating 1.8 percent CM; without underfloor heating 2 percent CM.
2.) Anhydride screed: With underfloor heating 0.3 percent; without underfloor heating 0.5 percent CM.

Before fitting your laminate flooring please make sure you go through these checklists.

A.) Tools checklist

You should have the following tools ready to hand at all times when fitting your Krono Original laminate flooring:

• Spacer wedges
• Circular saw, Jigsaw or handsaw with a finetooth
• Angle for undercutting the doorframes
• Tapemeasure, pencil
• Laminate fitting kit
• Tapping block, Hammer
• Acoustic sound underlay (for floorings without a Sound Absorb System)

B.) Materials & accessories checklist

• Precise measurements of your room
• Krono Original laminate flooring
• Clickseal one tube is sufficient for ten square metres of laminate flooring
• Skirting boards – Solid wood, PVC or MDF with real wood vaneer
• Scotia or quadrant beading  transition and edge profiles
• Fixing clips (30 clips per pack of Krono Original flooring)
• Vapour barrier layer, Gold/Silver dune underlay
• Foam underlay

Please also note that additional transmitted sound insulation is necessary for laminate floorings without S.A.S (Sound Absorb System). Under certain circumstances you may also need Clickguard or a comparable joint seal, joint sealing compound and glue/bonding agent.

Before fitting: Store the packs of flooring for 48 hours under the same climatic conditions as for fitting.

An important requirement for installation and long durability of the laminate floor is a room climate of around 20° Celsius and a relative humidity of 50 to 70 percent. The sub-floor must be absolutely level, dry, clean and firm.

When fitting on a mineral sub-floor such as concrete, cement screed, anhydride screed or stone tiles you must measure the moisture first. The screed should never exceed the following residual moisture values:

1.) Cement screed: With underfloor heating 1.8 percent CM; without underfloor heating 2 percent CM.

2.) Anhydride screed: With underfloor heating 0.3 percent; without underfloor heating 0.5 percent CM.

Before fitting on concrete underfloors you must fit a suitable vapour barrier underlay (Gold/Silver dune underlay) to protect against moisture. Fit the sheets with a 20 cm overlap and fix with aluminium tape.

Carpeting is not a suitable underlay; you must remove all remaining carpeting before fitting the laminate. Laminate flooring is laid as a “floating” floor; you may not fix it to the sub-floor. Please use 2 millimetre PE foam underlay or another suitable underlay, maximum 3 millimetres thick, as transmitted sound insulation for floorings without S.A.S impact sound insulation. Please lay the sheets in the same direction as the panels. You should lay opened packs of flooring immediately.

Generally you have three options for fitting laminate flooring:

1.) Fast, glue-free laying
2.) Laying with Clickseal or comparable joint sealing. This ensures the floor is permanently protected against the effect of moisture from above. The floor can be nevertheless be taken up again and relaid.
3.) Laying with glue also provides permanent protection against moisture; however, the work is more time-consuming and complicated and the flooring can no longer be reused.

Laying Laminate

If the walls are not straight, please trace the line of the wall onto the first row of panels and saw the panels accordingly. Before laying the panels measure the depth of the room first. If the last row of panels has a width of less than 5 centimetres you must evenly distribute the remaining measurement between the first and last row of panels so that both rows are cut to size with the same panel width.

Always maintain a 12-15 mm distance from walls, heating pipes, columns, door stoppers etc. You can use spacing wedges to fix this distance. Expansion joints (at least 2 cm wide) are needed if the laying area is more than 8 m long or wide. Please also note that these are also required when laying flooring continuously over more than one room. Here the laying areas have to be interrupted in the area of the door frames. To this end, use profiles from our range. These movement joints can be professionally covered using the appropriate profiles.

Tip: Lay the panels lengthwise in line with the main light source!

Start laying in the left-hand corner of the room. The protruding lower groove cheek should be facing the layer. Lay the 1st row of panels by joining together the first two, and then each further panel, with an installation aid (panel off-cut with lengthwise tongue profile). Tip: In general, you should set the fitting aid lengthwise in the area of the two head joints and then finally align the elements. This prevents damage when sealing the panels.

Now knock the panel to be laid, in a flat position, with the flat of your hand until a pre-latching effect is achieved over the whole width of the panel.

To do this the chock is placed on the panel lengthwise to the head joint. Please ensure the tapping block protrudes by around 5 – 10 millimetres beyond the edge. This ensures the surfaces of both panels joint flush with each other. Repeat the above procedure to lay the whole of the first row of panels. Use spacing wedges to ensure a 12 -15 millimetre distance is maintained from the wall!

Start the second row left-hand side by inserting the long tongue side of the panel at a 30 degree angle slant into the bottom groove cheek of the panels that have already been laid (the 1st row) and twist it in and downwards with light pressure. Begin each new row with the remaining piece (at least 20 centimetres long) of the previous row. The space between the transverse joints of one row of panels and the next should be at least 40 centimetres.

The following panels are first inserted on the lengthwise side and then just before lowering the head side is pressed tightly against the previous panel until the overlays joint together.

Now tap the flat panel with the palm of your hand in the area of the transverse joint until a locking-in effect is achieved across the whole panel width. Then lock the head joints by lightly hitting them with the hammer and chock. Use the fitting aid too. Lay all the remaining panels by repeating the given sequence.

If necessary, close the transverse joints by tapping them from the side with a suitable tapping block. To cut the last row in the panel to size, rotate it through 180 degrees; place it with the decor side facing upwards next to the already laid row (groove cheek to groove cheek). Allow for the wall spacing on the end face. Mark the panel and saw off. To avoid splintered edges the décor side must be facing downwards if you use an electric compass saw or circular saw to cut the panels. Otherwise saw the panels with the décor facing upwards. If necessary use the drawbar to fix the last panel in a row. After laying panels remove the spacing wedges.

Holes, which are 3 centimetres larger than the pipe diameter, must be cut out for heating pipes. Saw out a V-shaped “adapter piece”, glue, fit into place and fix with a wedge until the glue has hardened. Then cover the cut-outs with radiator rosettes.

Please shorten wooden door frames so that an element with impact sound insulation fits under it, so that the laminate flooring can move without restriction here too if the room’s climate changes.

For a perfect finish at a wall, fix the skirting board clips at 40 – 50 centimetre spacings along the wall, and then attach the matching skirting boards suitably cut to size.

Laying with Krono Twin Clic

Start laying the panels in the left-hand corner of the room. Lay the first panel with its tongue side facing the wall and use spacer wedges to ensure the correct edge spacing. Insert a second ‎‎panel into the end (short side) with an angle of 30 degrees in the groove profiling of the preceding first panel and then put down flat on the floor. Ensure the lengthwise edges are aligned, are not offset and form a straight line. This is necessary to be able to insert the panels in the lengthwise profiling without joints when laying the 2nd row.

If a wall is uneven and the distance from it is partly too large or too small as a result, please trace the line of the wall onto the first row of panels and saw the panels accordingly. Add further panels until you reach the end of the 1st row.

To fit/cut the last panel in the row to size, rotate it by 180° and place it, with the decor side facing upwards, next to the already laid row (groove cheek next to groove cheek) and the wall side. Allow for a distance of 12 – 15 mm from the wall at the end (short side). Mark the panel length and saw off. To avoid splintered edges the decor side should be facing downwards if you use an electric compass saw or circular saw to cut the panels. Otherwise saw the panels with the décor facing upwards. Begin each new row with the remaining piece (at least 20 cm long) of the previous row. Start the second row with a half-panel or the rest of the 1st row. Ensure the panel is not smaller than 30 cm and not longer than 95 cm. The joint offset (transverse joint offset) must be at least 30 centimetres from row to row.

Position the panel piece of the second row so that the lengthwise sides of the panels in the 1st and 2nd row lie parallel on top of each other but are not clicked into position. I.e. the tongue side of the 2nd row lies on the groove side of the 1st row. Before clicking into place, position the other panels up to the end of the 2nd row. Repeat the procedure for the 1st row. If the complete 2nd row is lying next to the 1st row, it is raised by approx 2 centimetres on the left-hand side, on the lengthwise side (tongue side) facing into the room.

The tongue of the 2nd row of panels slips into the groove of the 1st row in the raised area. When the panels are lowered again the click connection locks into place. Repeat this procedure along the whole of the 2nd row (”zip” method), until the 1st and 2nd row are laid together free of joints and with no height differences. When connecting the first and second row, always ensure the lengthwise sides of the panels are laid without an offset. The remaining rows can then be added as for row 2; ensure you allow for an adequate transverse joint offset.

Expansion joints (at least 2 centimetres wide) are needed if the area to be laid is more than 8 metres long or wide. Please also note that these are also required when laying flooring continuously over more than one room. Here the laying areas have to be interrupted in the area of the door frames. To this end, use profiles from our range. These movement joints can be professionally covered using the appropriate profiles.

Tip: Lay the panels lengthwise in line with the main light source!

If the floor is to be glued or a joint seal is to be applied, sufficient white glue type D3 or Clickseal must be placed on the upper tongue cheek of each panel (1 x lengthwise side and 1 x short side of each panel). After approx. 10 minutes, push off any surplus glue emerging on the surface when it is dry using a plastic filling knife or scraper. Completely remove any residues using glue remover, a non-scratch pad and/or clean, hot water.

When using Clickseal, follow the instructions for use. After laying the panels remove the spacing wedges. Holes 3 centimetres larger than the pipe diameter must be cut out for heating pipes. Saw out a “fitting piece”, glue, fit into place and fix with a wedge until the glue has hardened. Then cover the holes with radiator rosettes. Shorten wooden door frames so that a panel with impact sound insulation and 2 -3 millimetre gap fit under them.

For a perfect finish, fix the skirting board clips at 40 – 50 centimetre spacings along the wall, and then attach the matching skirting boards suitably cut to size.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Site conditions

Site conditions are extremely important and can make all the difference to a timber floor. The overall fabric (walls, floors, timber etc) of the building should be thoroughly dried out so that there are no visible signs of moisture or condensation. All wet work(concrete, plastering etc) must be completed and thoroughly dry before you even think of having the flooring delivered. It is crucial that any newly built or extended environment is dehumidified by either  running the heating system for a prolonged period with good ventilation or alternatively a dehumidifier can be used.

The effects of heating and climate on stability

• As mentioned before the timber needs to acclimatise
• Expansion gaps are left around the perimeter of the floor
• Seasonal variations and levels of heating may cause the timber to expand and contract. Small gaps may appear during winter when the heating is turned up, but these should close up again during the summer months. Timber kiln dried to 7-10% moisture content will react adversely to humidity levels below 35% and above 65% so for these extreme environments advice should be sought as to how suitable various products are.
• Areas exposed to excessive variation in heat and humidity are not suitable for a solid timber floor, in this environment an engineered floor is more suitable.

Finishing

Unfinished boards generally need a light sanding with a finishing orbital sander and 120-150 grit paper. Vacuum to remove all dust and then using a finish of your choice seal the floor. Such as:

Osmo hard wax oil: very similar to treatex but with a slower rate of drying. Very easy to re-oil and to spot repair.

Bona Traffic: A 2pack waterborne 100% polyurethane floor lacquer, ideal for commercial and domestic areas subject to extremely high levels of use or where a very matt finish is required. Coverage = approximately 45-50m2 per 4.5ltr + .5ltr pack. Apply with a BonaKemi roller or other suitable applicator which must be dry when used.

Bona Mega: Single pack waterborne 100% polyurethane oxygen cross linking wood floor lacquer, ideal for commercial and domestic areas subject to heavy wear. Coverage approximately 45-50m2 per 5ltr can.

Maintenance

Always have a dust-attracting mat at entrance sites; this will prevent any sharp stones or dirt scratching the floor.

In a domestic situation a California mop will keep floors clean and dust free. Always vacuum, sweep or dry mop the floor before you clean with a maintenance product. Use felt pads on the feet of furniture to protect the floor from excessive scratching. We do have a comprehensive list of maintenance products in stock and we will give you all the advice, help and products you will need to keep your floors looking good.

In a commercial location a full maintenance schedule is available in many situations the manufacturer of the product sealing the timber will talk to and train the cleaning staff. Felt pads or other forms of protection need to be used on the feet or base of furniture to protect from excessive scratching of the floor. Heavy scratching will break seal of the lacquer causing damage to the timber by the ingress of dirt and moisture from cleaning.

If you maintain your floor, the original seal should remain intact and so should alleviate the need for re-sanding and sealing. This can be achieved through using polishes on lacquered floors and regular oiling/cleaning of oiled floors.

Installation guide

Fitting instructions

Nail down method – onto existing floor boards, plywood, chipboard, floor joists or batons

Suitable products:

All Engineered and solid wood floors.

Fitting instructions: Nail down method

Once the room has been measured and an allowance made to cover wastage, the moisture content of the sub floor and walls checked and the sub floors confirmed as clean, dry and flat: -

• We recommend that you should lay heavy duty bitumen backed builders paper under all nail down installations as a precaution against cupping due to damp ingress
• Plan floors usually work best when laid down the longest wall length
• Make sure that you inspect each board before you install it
• The groove of the floor is laid against the wall
• A gap must be left between the boards and the perimeter wall / skirting
• This gap is called an expansion gap and must be a minimum of 10mm
• Plastic spacers are available to create this gap on your starter row
• Now lay your first row against the wall
• Use a Powernail nailer with 38mm L nails for floorboards, board products and 50mm for joists
• The Powernail nailer needs to be properly set up to fire the nail into the correct position and depth into tongue
• It is also important that the floorboard is not too tightly fixed to the subfloor again this is part of the Powernail nailer setup
• Nail every 250mm along the board for floorboards/board products or into every joist/baton
• The support from the grooves on the ends of each board means that they do not have to end on a floor joist/baton
• Use the off cut from the last board to start the next row, making sure that the ends of the next row of boards are staggered at least 400mm from the previous row. A parquet clamp is useful for fitting these first few rows
• Any damaged boards can be cut in half and also used to start new rows
• Continue across the floor until you reach the last row
• Cut the last row of boards to leave a 10mm gap and then use a parquet clamp to edge the final row of boards into place
• You can install skirting, scotia and L/T section or Reducer as required
• Your floor should now be properly protected until it is ready for handover

For solid boards over 160mm wide we recommend that you follow the instructions above with additional use of wooden adhesive if over concrete, flooring grade chipboard/ply needs to be installed.

nail down method

Fitting instructions: Glue down method

Onto plywood or chipboard (with no under-floor heating) or onto concrete (with no under-floor heating)

Suitable products:

All solid wood and engineered wood floors.

Wood blocks and hand made panels

For installation over concrete – please follow the additional preparation instructions as detailed below:

For all installations a minimum of one coat of primer should be used

For sub-floors with a RH greater than 2% (and less than 5%) you will need to use two coats of primer

For sub-floors with an RH greater than 5% please call for our specific recommendations

Fitting instructions

Once the room has been measured an allowance made to cover wastage, the moisture content of the sub-floor and walls checked and the sub-floors confirmed as clean, dry and flat:

• Your sub-floor should now be clean, dry and level
• Plank floors usually work best when laid down the longest wall length
• For wood blocks/panels you will need to work out where the central axis of the room runs. laying strings from corner to corner will assist this.
• We advise that you glue several rows of planks at a time
• Pre-cut these rows, making sure that the board lengths are staggered to ensure that the ends of different boards do not match up
• Use the off cut from the last board to start the next row, making sure that the ends of the next row of boards are staggered at least 400mm from the previous row. A parquet clamp is useful for fitting these first few rows
• Any damaged boards can be cut in half and also used to start new rows
• A gap must be left between the boards and the perimeter wall/skirting
• This gap is called an expansion gap and must be a minimum of 10mm.
• Plastic spacers are available to create this gap on your starter row
• Make sure that this gap remains even at doorways
• Once the first few rows of boards are ready it is time to spread the wooden adhesive
• The wooden adhesive needs to be spread using a fine notched trowel-3mm
• Work across the floor using this method of pre-cutting, gluing and then installing
• Once the floor is complete clean off any adhesive residues before fully hardened
• You can install skirting, scotia and L/T sections or Reducers as required
• Your floor should now be properly protected until it is ready for handover
• For solid boards over 160m wide we recommend that you follow the instructions above with additional nail fixings at 200mm centres. If over concrete flooring grade chipboard needs to be installed

glue down method

Fitting instructions : Floating method

Onto plywood, chipboard or concrete – with no under-floor heating

Suitable products:

All engineered and solid wood floors

Never float a solid wood floor

Fitting instructions

Once the room has been measured and an allowance made to cover wastage, the moisture content of the sub-floor and walls checked and the sub floors confirmed as clean, dry and flat:-

• Your sub-floor should now be clean dry and level
• If the RH of the sub –floor is higher than 2% you must use a underlay with a built in moisture barrier (polyprotect used with adhesive tape or universal with an integrated moisture barrier and sound reduction
• Plank floors usually work best when laid down the longest wall length
• You will need to glue tongue and grooved based products along the top of the tongue on both the sides and ends with d3 adhesive
• Click system floors do not require any glue
• Make sure that you inspect each board before you install it
• The groove of the floor is laid against the wall
• A gap must be left between the boards and the perimeter wall/skirting
• This gap is called an expansion gap and must be a minimum of 10mm
• Plastic spacers are available to create this gap on your starter row
• Now lay your first row against the wall and continue down the floor
• Use the off cut from the last board to start the next row making sure that the ends of the next row of boards are staggered at least 400mm from the previous row a parquet clamp is useful for fitting these first few rows
• Any damaged boards can be cut in half and also used to start new rows
• Continue across the floor until you reach the last row
• Cut the row of boards to leave a 10mm gap and then use a pulling iron to edge the final row of boards into place
• You can install Skirting, Scotia and L/T sections and Reducers as required
• Your floor should now be properly protected until it is ready for handover

floating method

Popularity: 9% [?]

Bona has been awarded a licence to label eight of its waterborne finishes with the EMICODE EC1 trademark which classifies them as ‘very low emission’ products. Bona’s lacquers are the first in the industry to receive the EMICODE EC1 licence from GEV, the German based association for the control of emissions in products for flooring installation, adhesives and building materials. Several of the company’s adhesives received the classification in 1997.

Bona introduced waterborne finishes in 1979 pioneering the move away from solvent based products. Today Bona’s waterborne finishes contain 100g/1 or less non-hazardous solvents. All Bona formulations are designed to avoid unnecessary emissions and to contribute to a healthier environment for contractors and floor owners.

“We’ve been working continuously over several decades to improve the ‘green’ aspects of our products,” said Nils Erik Persson, senior vice president R&D at Bona. “this has always been the key focus of Bona’s research and development. The air quality in rooms where the floor is finished with our products is very important to us. With the EMICODE EC1 trademark on our finishes we can clearly demonstrate the health advantages for both the home or building owner as well as for the contractors installing the product. All Bona EC1 certified products contain below 8% solvents.”

GEV was established to safeguard and promote the general economic and idealistic interests of producers of chemical flooring installation products and building materials in the field of occupational, environmental and consumer protection. It carries out measures to control, classify and label such products in respect of their emission behaviour. The EMICODE classification was initially developed to classify adhesives but has developed to classify adhesives but has developed over the years to classify the emission properties of a range of building products. Today the trademark can be applied to adhesives, primers, levelling compounds, tile and joint mortars, flat underlays, sealants and – since July 2009 – wood floor finishes.

Thomas Brokamp, VP and director of Bona’s fastenings division has more than 10 years of experience with adhesive emission measurements. He was chairman of the working group that led to the inclusion of finishes in the EMICODE system. He said: “After a year of meetings and discussions, the EMICODE for parquet finishes was established. This will be a trigger for further development of the total industry, as the defined requirements are demanding (less than 10% solvents in the finish, for EC1 emission after 28 days). And further demands are in the pipeline – as from July 2011 the total allowed solvent content will be just 8%. All Bona products which are licensed to use the EMICODE EC1 trademark already fulfil the 2011 requirements.”

The Bona products which are EMICODE EC1 or ECIR licensed as very low emission formulations are set out in the table below. The ‘R’ classification applies to products that are very low in emissions but require safety provisions during their application, in other words products which are labelled as hazardous substances or on which special conditions for safe use are imposed

Real Oak Floors is proud to be an official retailer of Bona products

Popularity: 8% [?]

We are proud to announce our new and exclusive sole distributorship for the Vannesaice parquet tiles.

Vannesaice tiles are all engineered parquet floors.  They are made using the finest marquetry technology and hand crafted to give the finest appearance ever seen on a parquet floor.  The beauty of these tiles is that they come ready made on panels – either prefinished in a satin lacquer or sanded and unfinished ready to oil or lacquer once installed.

Vannesaice tiles are made using the finest marquetry technology and hand crafted to give the finest appearance ever seen on a parquet floor

The panels fit together perfectly and come with 4 sides grooved.  This ensures that you can fit the tiles any direction and the loose tongues for the boards are supplied with the flooring.

The construction of the panel is made up of the hardwood top layer (5mm) and a softwood core construction base of 10mm (Hardwood base is available on request – usually Kwila hardwood used).  Each panel is 15mm thick x 400mm x 400mm so they can be laid with any other pattern.  There are matching borders and corner squares – the blending borders are 15mm thick x 150mm x 1.2m long and the corner squares are 15mm thick x 150mm x 150mm – both the borders are made of the same construction of a 5mm wear layer and 10mm base.

The style of patterns is not exhaustive – bespoke styles can be made on request and the wood species can also be specified if required.

All the parquet tiles, borders and corner blocks come with our 20 year construction guarantee.

Use with underfloor heating is permitted when using the panels with a hardwood base only.

As we are the sole distributor in the UK for this product we are looking for agents around the UK who can retail the parquet tiles in partnership with us.

Fitting Instructions:

1. Sub floor must be flat, clean and dry – concrete must be dried to the correct moisture levels before fitting and a layer of PE damp proof membrane needs to be laid over the concrete floor
2. Install plywood over the floor throughout to get an even base – we recommend between 12 – 18mm thick.  This should be fixed down and a 10mm expansion gap needs to be left around the edges.
3. The flooring tiles should be nailed or screwed down to the ply wood using either a secret nailer or screw through the grooves, a 10mm expansion gap also needs to be left around the perimeter for expansion.

The product is manufactured with natural wood.  It is perfectly normal to have a slight variation of tone and different characteristics of grain.

Maintenance:

Always use felt pads on chairs / tables and castor cups over wheels of chairs etc.  Never wet mop during cleaning – wipe using a well drained  cloth or mop in conjunction with the Woca lacquer care soap.

If you have any enquiries about the Vannesaice range, or any other types of flooring please visit our website or contact one of our friendly sales staff on 0844 848 6840

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