Installation and Guarantee

Installation Guide

"Stępien" Company advises that you read the below instructions, before installation. We also advise to use a flooring industry trained specialist for installation.

Before the installation

Exotic wood floor should be transported and handled with care. Hardwood floors should be kept in the installation room, in order to adapt it. The building should have all the windows and external doors fitted. All wet work is advised to be completed. The subfloor must be dry, humidity should be checked using a special equipment, and should have 8-10%. The humidity difference between the subfloor and the wood floor should not exceed 4%. Final humidity test results should be adequate to the terms stated below.

Humidity test: Before the installation you should check the subfloor humidity level by using a special humidity meter. The difference in humidity between subfloor and wood floor must not exceed 4%. The wood floor should humidity level have 8-10%.

If it is not possible to run the test, it is highly recommended you turn on the heating system, for at least two weeks ahead, to keep the right humidity and temperature. If it is not possible to measure humidity it is advised to keep the boxes with the floor opened in the room, for at least seven days. The floor should be brought to the site at least 12-72 hours before the installation.

Humidity barrier: in order not to exceed the wood floor humidity level, a 6mm vinyl or polyethylene layer should be placed on a concrete subfloor. During the months with high humidity level it is important to use air conditioning or dehydration systems.

Air Conditioning: Correct air circulation prevents from exceeding the right level of humidity. Technical storeys should be ventilated throughout the whole year. It should be noticed there must be no water on the soil.

Installation

Hardwood Floor should be nailed to a wooden floor using joints. It is also possible to stick it down to a concrete, or any other type of floor. The underground conditions are usually a mystery it is usually impossible to estimate the level of humidity inside the concrete plate. Therefore It is not recommended to stick the floor directly to it.

The subfloor must be clean, Scrape off residues of plaster, paint, aertex and adhesives. The subfloor should be vacuumed or sweeped. The subfloor should be free of cracks, latency, loose or creaking floorboards, and excessive vertical movement. To within +/3mm over 3m when checked with a rigid straight edge, high points should be sanded or ground off and hollows should be filled with suitable levelling compound or layered plywood shims accordingly. The subfloor should be tested, and the correct use of relevant moisture meters.

The floor cannot be laid if the steam pressure exceeds 1,3 kg / 100 m² in 24 hours. Concrete plates with expectancy less than 60 days tend to be too wet to install a wood floor.

Naildown Method

• In order to stop the humidity from entering the wood floor it is advisable to place a 2-layered 15 pound felt.
• The planks should laid starting from the edge of the room horizontally by the longest wall using a string line.
• The expansion gap between the planks should be 3/8" thick.
• When the first row is laid the other should be nailed directly, having the nails leaning at the angle of 45-50.
• The joint spacing should be random; the joints should be no closer than 20 cm to a joint in an adjacent row and the first and last plank in a row should be no smaller in length than 20cm..
• When you are satisfied mark the floor at the edge of the floor and carefully lift and stack in order.

Notice: Wood-chip decks are not capable of holding nails, therefore it is not recommended to use them as a subfloor.

Stickdown method

• Use a suitable flooring adhesive and follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer.
• The planks should laid starting from the edge of the room horizontally by the longest wall, using a string line and leaving an 3/8" thick expansion gap.
• When the first row is laid the other should be nailed directly, having the nails leaning at the angle of 45-50.
• When the first row is secured the glue shall be smeared, and planks placed segment by segment.
• It is important to remember about the finishing joints by the end of each row.
• When the glue dries you need to remove the wedges and place the beading or skirting boards.

Notice: do not use water or solvent based glues, as they can change the shape or colour of the wood. We advice the use of Bostik product, protecting from excessive humidity.

Care and maintence

1. All items of furniture should have felt pads or castor cups fitted to them too reduce the risk of scratching
2. It is advised that exterior doors have a protective barrier mat to reduce soiling from footwear when entering.
3. If rugs are to be placed on the floor they should have an antislip matting between them and the floor and they should be regularly moved to reduce the shape of the rug that will appear as the exposed floor matures and changes colour and shade.
4. Not placing rugs on new floors for 34 months will reduce the effect, as the floor will have experienced the vast amount of change that can occur in this time.
5. All floors should be swept or vacuumed regularly to remove grit etc... that may abrade on the floor.
6. Lacquered floors should be cleaned with a well rung cloth or mop rinsed in warm water with a mild detergent suitable for use on wooden floors.
7. Most stubborn marks can be removed with acetone on a soft cloth.
8. Oiled floors should be cleaned with a well rung cloth or mop rinsed in an oil soap diluted accordingly in warm water. Most stubborn marks can be removed with he use of an oil paste or liquid applied once the mark is removed.

Guarantee

- Structural Integrity Guarantee lasts 25 years
- Usage guarantee 10 years

Above guarantees are legitimate from the day of purchase. The guarantee covers the usage of products in dry environment.

Commitment for guarantee:

Finishing and usage guarantee: we guarantee that the floor will not wear off for the given time.

Structural Integrity Guarantee: we assure our floors are kept in safe conditions, are free of any faults.

These Guarantee commitment DOES NOT cover faults that:

• Arose by placing the floor in a room with improper level of humidity (exceeding 65%).
• Arose by using wrong detergents based on solvent or other wood damaging substances.
• Arose by a wrong adaptation of the subfloor, structural changes, wrong location of the building.
• Scratches or indentation.
• Beautiful hardwood floors are a product of nature and therefore it is to be expected that they will vary in shade, colour, and grain pattern and may be different from samples previously viewed. Hardwood floors will mature and experience colour change once they have been installed and are exposed to natural light.
• Arose by exposing the floors to the sunlight.
• Arose by improper installation.
• Arose by emerging gaps between the decks, as a result of stretching or shortening being under the effect of the weather conditions and temperature.

NOTICE: if the industry trained installer finds any faults in the installed product it should be noted and turned back or exchanged JUST BEFORE the installation. Any quality doubts should also be explained before the installation. Installation means agreement to the quality of the product, and any complaints concerning its outlook, will not be taken under consideration.

THIS GUARANTEE SHALL BE VALID AND EFFECTIVE ONLY FOR THE PRIMARY CUSTOMER.

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