Laminate Installation Guide
Tips and tricks on how you can quickly and easily install your laminate floor from Krono Original®
Please first read through the entire installation guide for your new laminate floors. Follow these instructions exactly in order to maintain the full warranty and guarantee claims. Check the laminate panels carefully for damage before you begin. Once panels have been handled, they will no longer be covered under damage claims.
Before installation
- Leave cartons of laminate flooring in the same climatic conditions as the room they are going to be installed in for at least 48 hours.
- An important precondition for the installation and conservation of value of the laminate floors is a room temperature of approximately 20 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 50 to 70 per cent.
- The subfloor must be absolutely even, dry, clean and able to carry a load.
- If installing over a mineral subfloor such as concrete, cement, anhydride screed or stone tile, you must first measure the humidity using a CM-device. The following values should not be exceeded by the stone floor:
- Cement screed: With underfloor heating 1.8 per cent CM; without underfloor heating 2 per cent CM.
- Anhydride screed: With underfloor heating 0.3 per cent; without underfloor heating 0.5 per cent CM.
- Before installing laminate over mineral substrate, you must first lay down an appropriate vapour barrier film trough-like (“floating”) to protect against moisture. The sheeting should overlap by at least 20cm and seams should be secured with masking tape.
- A carpeted floor is not an appropriate subfloor; all carpet must be removed thoroughly before installation. Laminate floor should be laid trough-like; the laminate may not be affixed to the subfloor.
- For floors without footfall sound insulation we advise that you do install a sound insulation such as a 2mm thick PE film underlay or another suitable underlay that is a maximum of 3mm thick.
- Lay rows in the same direction as the laminate panels.
- Opened cartons should be installed immediately.
Generally you have three laminate floor installation options:
- Adhesive-free, quick installation
- Installation with Clickguard or a comparable joint sealant. This way the floor is protected from the top down for the long-term against moisture damage. Yet the sealed panels can still be taken up and laid again later.
- Installation with adhesive likewise provides long-term protection against moisture damage; however the work is costlier and disassembly for a second installation of the floor is no longer possible