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General
Congratulations! You have chosen Evora Cork Flooring
Cork, of course, is comfortable, warm, elastic and noiseless. To derive lasting pleasure from your new flooring, the following installation and maintenance guidelines should be followed.
Because cork is a natural product, differences in the structure, color, and assortment – even within the same packet – are to be expected. Since these characteristics are all part of the nature of the material, it is understood that these characteristics are accepted and constitute no grounds for any claims regarding merchantability or warranty.
To attain an all-round unified appearance in your floor, we recommend that you select a mixture of planks from various packs. Please note that once individual planks have been installed, they cannot be returned. Installing any defective planks also precludes any later claim for them.
Moisture
Cork floating floor is not suitable for damp or steamy rooms. Do not install cork flooring in bathrooms, shower rooms, or other rooms exposed to excessive moisture.
Concrete Surfaces
It is recommended that a moisture barrier be placed over all concrete floors, even if no moisture emissions are apparent.
Underlayment
Your Evora cork flooring has a cork underlayment built in.
Base Floor/Preparation
Cork floating floor is meant to “float” freely and has to align with DIN standard requirements, i.e. laid on a firm, level, dry, crack and dust-free underground. Substrates must be within 3/16 inches in ten feet for levelness (illustration 1).
An underground that is too soft is not at all suitable. Old floor coverings of firm PVC or linoleum can remain in place, laid carpet must be removed, and any loose or creaky floorboards should be screwed down tightly.
A 0.2 mm (1/64") thickness of PE foil must be put in place before installing the cork flooring (illustration 2). The rolled lengths of foil should overlap by 20 cm (8") and then be fastened down with sticking-tape. At the wall, the foil should round up in a dish-like curve and continue a short way up the wall. After the planks have been laid, the surplus foil is trimmed off at the top edge of the paneling. The room climate conditions for installing the cork tiles should be: floor surface >16°C (between 65 and 80º F); relative humidity < 70%; air temperature > 18°C. Before putting the cork planks down, the material should first get acclimatized to the room. This is best accomplished by leaving the cartons unopened for 72 hours in the room where they are to be installed with the appropriate environmental conditions. Avoid placing the flooring material in a draught or near walls while it is becoming acclimatized.
Expansion joints of at least 10 mm (13/32") should be maintained throughout, not only running between all the walls and the floor, but also around pipes and door frames. With a room size of more than 8 m (26' ft), expansion joints must be included.
Tools for installing your cork floor
In addition to the traditional tools for installing cork flooring, such as a hammer, saw, crowbar or pinch bar with a protruding edge (to be tapped on with a hammer), and space blocks (8-10 mm or 3/8”), it is imperative to use a tapping block, and tap it gently when installing the floor. If you strike the cork directly or strike the tapping block too hard, you will certainly cause damage to the cork planks.
When shortening the cork planks, use a fine-toothed hand saw, a jig saw, or a crosscut saw. To achieve a clean cut, when using a jigsaw you must ensure that the décor side is on top.
Tools and Accessories
Sawing Planks
Wear a protective mask, safety glasses and gloves when sawing panels.
Measurements
1. Measure the room and check what angles need to be considered. This allows you to see whether or not the last plank in the first row is going to be too short (less than 30 cm; 12"). If this is the case, then the first plank should be shortened to ensure there is overall stability. The last row of planks should be measured in the same way, and the row should have a minimum width of not less than 5 cm (2"). Also, cut the planks of the first row in such a way that the first and last rows are the same width. Pay attention to wall clearance!
2. If the wall is not straight, a batten (any suitable straight length of wood) can be used as a straight edge to get a flush border. Set the batten against the wall, and lay the first three rows of planks against this as a guide.
Installation
Flooring planks can be installed in two ways:
a) The planks can be rotated to fit each other (tongue into groove, or groove into tongue). However, the easiest way is to fit the tongue into the groove. (The following installation instructions are based using this installation technique as much as possible. Installing the groove onto the tongue is only necessary in a few specific cases.)
Position the plank to be installed at an angle of 20° to 30° to the board that has already been installed. When fitting the plank, move it upwards and downwards (levering) slightly, and push it forwards at the same time. The planks will click into place.
b) In some cases, the planks cannot be rotated when they are installed, for example, underneath a doorframe. In this case, the plank can also be installed flat. IMPORTANT!
For this, you require a hammer and tapping block. Do not strike your cork panel directly without a tapping block, and when using a tapping block be sure to tap it gently. You should not attempt to knock the Clic joint into place with a single hit. For a short edge, you must work gradually: you start tapping gently at the corner of the plank until the joint has closed, and repeat this action every 30 cm (12”) until the entire long side of the plank has clicked together completely.
1. Lay the first plank in the right corner of the room with the tongue side toward the wall. Don’t forget to set spacing wedges in at the upper and right sides (illustration 3). Lever the second plank precisely into the extension of the first plank. For this purpose, position the front edge at an inclination of approximately 20° to 30° into the front groove, and lower the plank while the gap is sealed (illustration 4). A slight pressure renders levering in place easier. Proceed to extend the row exactly. When fitting in the last plank, which needs to be cut to size, use a pull bar to ease it in place.
4. With the second row, start with the leftover piece of plank from the previous row if the plank length is at least 30 cm (12"). If not, use a new plank, which has to be cut in the middle. Maintain the distance from the wall again with a spacer. Using the leftover length of plank from the previous row, again starting on the right, lay this plank against the one already in place in the previous row. Introduce and lower plank with an inclination of approximately 20° to 30°. Lever the next plank on the longside in place (illustration 5) and lower the same with a slight pressure. In the process, the front side groove must fall into the tongue of the preceding plank. Connect the front side by means of a tapping block and hammer (illustration 6). The next planks are also initially positioned in place on the longside and thereafter on the front side. Proceed row by row with the installation as described.
5. If you use a batten as a straight edge to lay the planks, after you have laid 3 to 4 rows, take the batten away and push the connected planks all together against the wall (Don’t forget the spacers).
6. Make sure a space is also kept around heating pipes and door frames (illustrations 7, 8, 9)
7. Should the plank be incapable of being levered into place for construction-related reasons (e.g. under door frames or heating units), the plank may as well be clicked in place while lying flat, by means of tapping block and hammer or pulling bar (illustration 10).
8. Once the floor has been laid, you can walk on it immediately. Take out the spacers and cover the gap between the floor and wall with a suitable skirting board, which has to be fixed to the wall (illustration 11).
Underfloor heating
Cork floating floor is technically suitable for use with underfloor heating. It should be pointed out, however, due to the direct effect of the flooring’s exposure to floor-level heat (max. 28° C, 85º F surface temperature), there may be a slight deformation arising at the joints. Relative humidity should not drop below 50 per cent. In rooms with underfloor heating it is highly recommended an air-humidifier used.
Cleaning up the finished job on the installation site
Sweep up all the rough remains and/or vacuum up any dust and dirt. Use an appropriate cleaning solution and a lightly moistened cloth to wipe the floor over. For heavily grimed areas use a white non-abrasive (scratch-free) cleaning pad. Immediately mop up the grimed film and then wiped over with a cloth moistened in clean, clear water.
Important
Depending on its duration and intensity, the fall of direct sunlight on the cork can tend to pale the color. Laying cork floating floor in rooms exposed to direct sunlight should therefore be given due consideration. To avoid scratching and denting, etc., attach felt-gliders beneath furniture. Chair and armchair rollers should be a soft, double guiding roller type (DIN EN 12 529). In places where there will be a lot of heavily centered wear (e.g. in front of desks), a rigid PVC underlay (protective matting) must be put down to protect the floor surface. Put a foot-mat also behind and in front of entrance doors to protect against sand and dirt being trodden in.
The best room climate for cork floating floor, and also to feel comfortable in yourself, is where the relative atmospheric humidity is 55 % to 65 %, and the room temperature about 20°C (68º F). This is particularly important to note during the winter heating period. Therefore use an air-humidifier where this is necessary.
General Care and Maintenance
Properly installed and maintained, your Evora cork floor will give you much long-lasting pleasure.