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The
flooring showroom is closed for major refurbishment.
Anticipated
showroom completion is December '08
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Wide Timber Flooring
Customer
Expectations
130mm x 19mm 180mm x 21mm
When specifying
a wide board timber floor it is most important to understand
that timber is a natural material that has been sawn,
seasoned and machined into a solid flooring profile.
Wood is a hydroscopic
material. This means that wood when exposed to air,
will lose or gain moisture until it is in equilibrium
with the humidity and temperature of the air that surrounds
it. If the moisture conditions are different in your
building the flooring will continually adjust until
it is the same (in equilibrium).
Tait flooring
test every delivery of flooring for moisture content
and record the humidity and temperature levels at the
time of delivery. We supply our flooring at between
10% and 13% to match the conditions found in Melbourne
and outer regions, however there are a number of site
factors that will be different and may affect the long
term performance of the floor.
By it’s
very nature wider flooring (130mm or 180mm wide) will
shrink/expand more than the traditional narrow 80mm
floor board. There are a number of procedures that must
be followed to minimize movement of wide flooring in
service.
Tait flooring
strongly recommend you get your builder to check the
conditions on the jobsite first to ensure is in a suitable
condition to install wide board flooring. Moisture buildup
within a building during construction is common. Literally
thousands of litres of water are used in concrete slabs,
brick work, hard plastering, tiling and painting evaporate
into the homes interior. If the flooring is stored or
laid in these conditions the flooring will absorb causing
the boards to it expand, however they will eventually
shrink back leaving gaps between boards.
Air conditioning
and heating systems can also dramatically reduce the
moisture content in the home. Your flooring installer
should be made aware these systems are to be used. It
may be necessary or advisable before laying or polishing
the floors to operate these systems and to acclimatize
the flooring to it’s end environment.
A simple check
with an “hygrometer” will instantly check
humidity and temperature levels. Once this is satisfied
and the flooring has been acclimatized (This can take
a number of weeks depending on the season) the flooring
can be laid.
To minimize movement, relative humidity should be maintained
at 40-55% year around and acclimation procedures should
be followed.
Installation
should take place only after the structure is at lockup
and dry. All outside doors and windows must be in place.
All concrete, masonry, drywall, tape, tiling, and painting
should be completed and thoroughly dry prior to installation.
If using a timber
sub floor ensure sub floor ventilation is working efficiently
and as a final check use the “hygrometer”
make sure the soil is not damp.
Tait flooring
prefer all wide board flooring is glued and nailed to
a ply panel substrate and not directly fixed to floor
joists or glued directly to a concrete slab.
Gaps are normal
and must be expected.
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