Laying Instructions: TUFF LOC 2G+5G

Please read the following instructions thoroughly and carefully before laying the floor:
• The TUFF LOC 2G+5G parquet is made to be installed floating without glue. The TUFF LOC 2G+5G system allows the parquet to be joined
together without glue and not glued or nailed down to the sub-floor.
• The bundles of parquet boards must be stored in a cool, shaded and protected dry place (ambient temperature of 18 – 25 Degrees Celsius). Never open the packs until on the day of installation as to avoid moisture pickup of the parquet.
• Particularly during winter-time, bundles in their original unopened packaging should be acclimatised to the room temperature for at least 48 hours.
• Each board should be carefully checked prior to installation: never install any damaged floor. Do inspections as you work along.
• Always work out of several different bundles alternately for installation. Mix and match between packs to get better colour matching on your floor.
• The surface-temperature of the sub-floor, at the time of installation, should be at least 15°C but never exceed 27°C, with the ideal relative humidity of 45% to 55% but never below 30% or exceed 60%.
• The sub-floor should be dry, clean, absolutely flat and free of any cracks.
• Irregularities on the sub-floor should not exceed 3 mm every 1 meter in all directions.
• In case there is a need to level concrete sub-floor, a cement-based floor-filler should be used.
• Age resistant polyethylene membrane plastic sheets (0.2mm thickness) for vapour barrier are recommended and necessary for floating-system installation. Joining between the plastic sheets should have sufficient overlap and/or sufficient tight joins to avoid leakage of vapour from underneath. Recommended overlap should be at least 20cm.
• It is highly recommended that Rag Paper (Dried felt paper) be used as an underlay above the moisture barrier to reduce the sound of footsteps. You may also use plastic foam (Polyethylene cellular foam) with approved quality standards as an underlay. Rag paper works best.
• Ensure that the sub floor is thoroughly cleaned to avoid mould growth. Should the RH of the sub-floor be above 95%, no flooring should be installed. This is strictly prohibited.
• An allowance of at least 15 mm on each edge should be provided to accommodate expansions, including at doorway, heating tube outlet, connection with tiles and any fixed items in the area where the floor is laid. Use spacing-wedges during the installation to assist in maintaining the expansions gaps.
• Bigger rooms (e.g. halls; assembly-room; dancing-floors) will definitely need bigger allowance for expansion join. We highly recommend an expansion join in the middle of the room.
• The widely used formula to calculate the expansion (for floating-system) across the width of the installed floor is 2 mm expansion for every 1 meter of floor width.
• We recommend that all flooring be laid lengthwise against the longest wall of the room, starting from the corner furthest from the entrance. This enhances the beauty of the room and enables proper workspace practice by not walking unnecessarily on the newly laid floor.
• The plank in the last row must not be less than 50mm. Therefore measure and plan the floor before the installation begins to calculate the first and last plank with.
• REMEMBER: Check your floor continuously during installation. Installed defective boards can easily be replaced – no claims will be entertained for any surface defects.

When laying the parquet floor through several adjoining-rooms, expansion-joins must also be provided at every doorway.
• When using the floating-system installation in a corridor, length-wise laying along the corridor has to be ensured.
• For installation of floor with an under-floor heating system, ensure that the instruction of heating procedures is obeyed, before laying the parquet floor.
• Please note: we advise that due to the nature of the following timber, Kempas, Maple, Jatoba, Iroko, Beech and Australian timber (Jarrah, Sydney Bluegum, Blackbutt, Tasmanian Oak, Spotted Gum) species of flooring are not recommended for flooring with under-floor heating.
• Floating floor system laying instructions must be followed and plastic sheet/ vapour barriers must be used. The surface temperature from the underfloor heating must not exceed 27ºC and the wattage should not exceed 60 watts/m2.
• If the heating-system is new, the system has to be switched on for at least 3 weeks prior to laying the floor. Generally with any floor-heating system, the system has to be switched-off 48 hours before the start of the installation. The heating system can be started again 1 week after the floor installation is completed, with a gradual increase of temperature in accordance with the heating-system's regulations. When installing on a floor with under-floor heating system, the moisture content of the cement based concrete sub-floor must not exceed 1.5% (CM%), or 0.3% (CM%) for anhydrite.
• When the floating-method of installation is employed, skirting-boards should be installed by screwing them directly to the adjacent wall, never fix them onto the floor-boards. This is to allow the movement of the expansion.
• All the installed parquet-floor (with lacquer finish) is then ready to use immediately after installation. The floor may be treated with appropriate preservatives (e.g. liquid wood polish) if required (see maintenance Instructions below). Test the product on a discarded plank or hidden areas to see the results.
• Any cleaning should be done using only damp-dry mop, never use a wet cloth/mop for this purpose as excessive moisture can and will damage your timber floor. Claims regarding visible defective floor panels must be made prior to installation. Each board should be inspected to ensure that the quality is acceptable. No claims relating to surface defects can be accepted after installation. Wood is a natural product with natural variations of colour, grains and characteristics. This is not a defect.

To see full version of 5G lock installation instructions with drawings download full version.

Maintenance instructions

You have purchased a high-quality parquet-floor product with formaldehyde-free, lacquered finish, which is ready for installation and will not require any special treatment directly after installation. What you have to be aware of is that even pre-finished parquet will naturally wear out; therefore some regular maintenance is needed to protect and to preserve its surface:
• Please ensure that an ideal room-climate with about 45-60% Air Humidity and 20°C is provided. This climate is good for both your health as well as for the well being of the parquet floor.
• For a lacquered finish, the best way of preserving the surface of the parquet is a protective-treatment before its first use. Using a suitable wood polish material (e.g. Bona Wood Polish) and polish the floor surface with just a thin film of the wood-polish. This procedure can be repeated every 8 to 10 weeks or when necessary.
• If a solvent-free polish product is used, a mixture of this material with some water in 1:10 ratio. Use this mixture carefully in order to avoid the floor becoming wet. Do not fail to observe the manufacturer's instructions prior to using their product on your floor. Depending on the rate of pedestrian traffic on the floor, maintenance may have to be done more often in line with the traffic intensity.
• Daily cleaning should be done with a vacuum cleaner, static mop or a smooth floor-broom. Any sand or dirt should be immediately removed because they can cause scratches and damage the floor surface.
• Whenever necessary, the floor surface can also be cleaned with a well-rung damp-dry mop or a special polish to remove stain, grease, shoe tracks etc. Never use the traditional wax or steel-wool on your lacquer-finished parquet floor.
• If your flooring has a UV oiled finish, speak to a qualified installer or tradesperson that is knowledgeable in timber flooring for advice in maintaining the oiled finish. Oiled finish should be maintained professionally, but DIY is possible with the many products available in the market. These products must be tested in a hidden corner to evaluate its effectiveness.
• It is important and necessary that you affix some felt pieces under any furniture-bases or chair-legs etc. to protect the floor surface. For the entrance of e.g. Boutique, Halls, Corridors etc. a good floor-mat is also recommended and will be very useful to help preserve your floor.
• Additional lacquering is not required for your ready made finished parquet floor.
• In case of any damage on the lacquer-surface (e.g. by furniture movement etc.), acquire advice and help from a qualified installer or tradesman that is knowledgeable about timber flooring.
• If you insist on DIY repairs, smoothen the affected area with a 120 to 150-grid sand-paper, followed by touch-lacquering the damaged area. It is also advisable to test the lacquer material used on some hidden surface or corner of the floor beforehand, to judge the expected results first.

 Warranty

Warranty does not cover any repairs to the floor by any party. Wood is a living material that swells if their moisture or humidity is raised and also shrinks if their moisture or humidity is lowered. These not only show that your floor is a natural product, but can also lead to some irreversible deformation of the floor if the room climate and humidity is left too high or too low for an extended period of time. This can particularly happen if e.g. - in the wintertime - the humidity (RH) in a heated room goes below the specified 45 %. In this case you should install an Air Humidifier in order to prevent damages to your floor. The same may also be necessary with Air Conditioned room. Wood is also affected by UV light and therefore will change colour when exposed for long durations. Floor coverings such as rugs and mats should not be placed immediately after laying. The floor should be allowed to stabilise for about a few weeks.

Our products are Warranted against any manufacturing defects and limited to the replacement of the product only. This warranty does not cover costs of installation or transportation. It is the sole responsibility of the installer not to install any material thought to be defective. No claim shall be entertained for any materials installed, which has visible defects or damage prior to installation of boards. We will not be responsible for damages due to poor installation, transportation or storage. All products must be stored indoors at room temperature and protected from the elements.

Full version of warranty.