Mercia Flooring               

Hardwood Flooring Specialists

Information for the installation of solid wooden floors onto concrete/screeded floors.

These instructions are to be used as a guide only and should there be any doubt please contact Technical@merciaflooring.co.uk where you can obtain more detailed information.

Prior to installation the flooring should be stored in a clean and perfectly dry environment and there should be no direct contact with the ground. It is recommended that the floor is laid onto bearers spaced evenly to avoid contact with the ground. The flooring should NOT be exposed to the weather or stored outside and should not be stored in an upright position i.e leaning against a wall.

Before the flooring is to be laid it should be stored for at least 24hrs in the environment it is going to be laid with the area kept at a temperature and humidity level that is going to persist following the installation. This advice will usually be included in the manufacturer's instructions and should therefore be followed although in reality 24hrs in a sealed package will be of little value in terms of acclimatisation of the flooring.

The key to success with solid installations are the correct site conditions both before, during and after the installation. When using urethane adhesive the moisture content of the floor slab is vital to the installation process and the moisture content of the slab is recommended to be no more than 35% RH  or 2% - 2.5% moisture content by volume. In practice it is very unusual for a concrete base to achieve a moisture content as low as this level and therefore the use of liquid epoxy damp proof membranes generally need to be used to prevent the moisture causing problems with the wood flooring.

Moisture in the sub-floor is the biggest cause of failure for wooden flooring and with this in mind it is strongly recommended that either a waterproof adhesive such as Rewmar MS Polymer adhesive is used or some form of liquid DPM (Concrete Sealer) is used. Where the moisture content is higher than the 75%  we suggest the floor is treated with some form of liquid DPM as the waterproof adhesive is not designed to cope with a moisture content above this level (60% in the case of underfloor heating). In most cases the application of Rewmar MS Polymer  Flexible Adhesive will provide a successful solution to the problems associated with solid wood floor installation.

The products chosen to provide a solution are the latest development in flooring adhesive technology and unlike some of the more expensive systems these are free of Isocyanates and VOC's and are far more healthy to use. For this reason Mercia Flooring do not use any other wood flooring adhesive as we find this is the most user friendly product for our employees and our customers

The above products are all compatible and therefore reduce the risks inherent in using different manufacturers products for the different stages of the process.

It is important to use a suitable adhesive that has a high bond strength and is flexible, as the wood will need to move naturally. Some adhesives are too brittle to work effectively and whilst they may appear to be a cost saving it is likely that in the long run the costs of refixing the floor will outweigh any savings made by using the incorrect adhesives (BEWARE).

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