Click Flooring Range
Connect is a revolutionary system of laminate flooring installed without glue and ideal for any room in the house.
Put the unopened packs into the centre of the room to acclimatise for 48 hours. All panels should be checked in natural daylight or bright artificial light. Do not install any damaged panels.
Connect flooring panels can be rotated to fit into one another, with either the tongue into the groove, or groove onto the tongue. The preferred and easiest method is to fit Connect flooring with the tongue into the groove (the following fixing instructions are based on this method as fitting the groove onto the tongue is only required in a few specific situations). Position the panel to be installed at an angle of 20-30° to the panel already installed. Move the panel to be fitted slowly up and down and at the same time exert a forward pressure. The panels will connect together into place (Fig. 1).
In some instances, the panels cannot be rotated into one another, for example along the short edge of a panel that has already been connected into place along its length, or under a door frame. In these situations, the panels are installed lying flat using a hammer and Connect hitting block (Fig. 2).
1 Connect foam underlay helps reduce the sound of footsteps and levels out any unevenness. Roll the foam in the direction the new boards will be laid (Fig. 3).
2 The first three rows are installed along the wall. Once the first three rows have been installed, they are pushed against the wall and spacers positioned along the long edges. Install the flooring so that the tongue of the panel faces the wall (allowing you to work tongue into groove).
If your walls are uneven, you will need to cut the panels in the first row to follow the contours of the wall.
3 The rest of the floor can now be installed, row by row, connecting the long edges and tapping the short edges into each other using a hammer and the Connect hitting block. Left over pieces of panels can be used to start new rows (which reduces waste) as long as they are a minimum length of 20cm.
Panels should always be laid so that there is at least 20cm between joints to maintain the strength of the floor.
The last row of panels will normally need to be cut down in width. Remember, it is still essential to allow a 9mm expansion gap between the last row and the wall. The last row is connected into position using a hammer and the Connect crowbar (Fig. 4) for the long edges and Connect hitting block for short edges.
4 Pipes - when installing flooring to fit around pipes, lay so that the pipe falls on the joint of two panels.
Finishing - once installed you can immediately walk on your floor. Remove expansion gap spacers and any traces of dust from the floor. The expansion gap can be covered by replacing skirting board to wall or fixing coverstrip/beading to face of skirting board. Do not fix skirtings or coverstrips to floor, so as to allow the floor to move freely. In places where the skirtings/coverstrips cannot be used, the expansion gap can be filled using a flexible mastic. Around pipes use a flexible mastic or a pipe cover.
Where the floor meets carpet, linoleum or laminate flooring, use a threshold to bridge the height difference.
Bathroom Installation
(for Connect II, Texture and Tiles only)
Extra care must be taken when using Connect flooring in bathrooms due to the increased risk of water damage. Make sure that you have adequate ventilation, relative humidity of at least 50% and that all water is wiped from the floor immediately.
The best conditions for installation are a temperature of 15 - 20°C and relative humidity of 55 - 60%.
The floor should be installed as normal, polythene underlay followed by foam underlay and a minimum 9mm expansion gap around the full perimeter of the floor. For additional protection, the edge of the floor/expansion gap should be sealed/filled with Richard Burbidge bathroom silicone sealant. This can then be covered using a suitable coverstrip. To protect the floor from water, it is also a good idea to use a drip mat when getting in and out of the bath.
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1 For both concrete and floorboards, use polythene and foam underlays. Start with the polythene underlay using, if possible, one piece.
Foam underlay helps to reduce the sound of footsteps and levels out any slight unevenness. Roll the foam in the same direction the new boards will be laid, a length at a time, over the previously laid polythene underlay (Fig. 1).
Measure the width of the room and work out how many rows of boards the floor will contain. If the last row is less than 8cm wide, begin by cutting the first row of boards so that they are approximately the same width as the last row.
Lay the first row of boards from left to right, without gluing, with the groove facing the wall, leaving an expansion gap of 9mm around all edges. As all walls are slightly uneven and the boards must be kept straight, adjust the spacers to accommodate small differences in width.
If your walls are very uneven, you will need to cut the boards to follow the wall.
2 To avoid damaging the surface, if using a handsaw the top of the board should face upwards when cutting. If using a jigsaw the bottom of the board should face upwards.
Insert spacers every 40cm between the wall and boards and at both ends of each row.
Start the second row with the piece of board left from the first row (Fig. 2). If it is shorter than 20cm, cut a new board. Lay the second and third rows without gluing and adjust as necessary. If all the joints meet properly, then the floor has been laid straight.
Boards should always be laid so that there is at least 20cm between joints to maintain the strength of the floor.
3 Remove the three rows and glue (Fig. 3). When gluing, the first three rows are laid at the same time, as it is easier to keep the rows straight and quicker to lay. The boards are laid in an overlapping pattern in the order shown in the diagram (Fig. 4).
For boards in the first row, apply glue to the upper edge of the end groove only. Place the hitting block over the tongue and hammer to push the panels together.
Immediately remove excess glue from the face of the boards with a clean, damp cloth.
Carefully tap the end, then side joints together using the hitting block. Use the crowbar to tighten the last board in each row and finish with spacers. Lay the rest of the floor a row at a time. If the installation is done in two stages, the last rows should be held in place using a weight on each panel.
The last row of boards will normally need to be cut down their length. Ease the last row into place with the crowbar and insert spacers (Fig. 5).
Wait at least 3 hours before walking on the floor.
4 To fit around pipes: Where possible, a pipe should be located on the joint of two boards. Determine the centre of the pipe in the panel/s and drill using a drill bit 18mm larger in diameter than the pipe to allow for expansion. If the hole has been cut from one panel, saw the panel in the centre of the drill operation. Glue panels into position (Fig. 6).
Finishing: Remove expansion gap spacers and any traces of dust from the floor. The expansion gap can be covered by replacing skirting board to wall or fixing coverstrip/beading to face of skirting board. In all instances, do not fix skirtings or coverstrips to floor so as to allow the floor to move freely.
Where the floor meets carpet, linoleum or laminate flooring, use a threshold to bridge the height difference (Fig. 7). Detailed instructions for use with underfloor heating and replacing damaged panels are available on request.
Please Note: Natural flooring is not suitable for use with underfloor heating or storage heaters.
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