Pavibamboo / Pavibamboo parquet / Laying / Preliminary checks

CHECKS TO BE CARRIED OUT PRIOR TO LAYING THE PARQUET

You will need to carry out some checks on the surrounding area, the screed, and the wood being laid before you are in a position to lay the actual parquet. The installation period is just the last step of a coherent laying process which is geared towards the final quality of the result.

GENERAL ADVICE

laying a bamboo parquet should the final task which requires completion in the home, and should follow any tasks which involve water as part of the process; for instance, the walls should be painted prior to laying in order to prevent moisture from spreading into the surroundings or to prevent the newly lad parquet from staining. It must already be infixed and functional. In specific terms, if the house has just been built and the substrate on which the material is being lade has just been installed, then it is best to wait for any residual moisture inside the screed to reach the levels required. The material should be sheltered from any adverse weather in a covered and dry location if it has been laid recently.

VITAL SUBSTRATE FEATURES

The screed or under flooring must:

– be structurally solid and rigid
– be entirely clean at the time of laying
– compacted on the surface and with a uniform thickness
– include a steam barrier to prevent any moisture from rising both from underneath and from the perimeter walls
– be flat and not include any slopes in excess of than five mm in the horizontal direction within a radius of 3 metres
– be dry and arid (check moisture levels using a carbide hygrometer)

SUBSTRATE MOISTURE LEVELS

The correct humidity levels ​​for each type of substrate can be found below:

OTHER CONTROLS

– also check that the perimeter walls have the right humidity level (not in excess of 2%) and there is no infiltration from the walls which could transmit to the parquet, even if the screed happens to be healthy and dry;

– should you be using a floor underneath which the parquet is to be bonded, then the flooring should not have a moisture content of above 12%, and should not be any higher or lower than 3% of the parquet which is set to be installed;

– should the bamboo flooring be laid in surroundings where excess heat sources (non-insulated tubes, excessively hot environments) can be found, then insert a special film which restricts any excess heat which may overpower the flooring;

– although bamboo flooring is able to withstand water and moisture more efficiently (so much so that it is often laid in the bathroom), please avoid installing it in humid or flooded surroundings; it is still a parquet after all. It must be installed in surroundings which are not subject to high humidity levels and high temperatures;

– it is advisable to send the material to the assembly site a good while prior to instillation, simply open the bamboo cartons and cut any protective film (in horizontal packaging) to allow the wood to acclimatise to the surrounding humidity and temperature of the location; it is beneficial to allow the flooring to adapt slightly to the surroundings when it is still inside the cartons, rather than when it has already been put on the ground. the type of acclimatisation period changes depending on which parquet you purchase, classic, tempered, or nature: classic bamboo can adapt to the surroundings over a period from three to seven days; instead, strand woven bamboo suffers less than classic bamboo in terms of surrounding moisture, however, in return, it takes more time to absorb or release its moisture levels, which could even run into a few weeks. Nature bamboo behaves more or less the same as classic bamboo, namely it takes three to seven days. Because bamboo boards already have a maximum moisture content, you do not have to acclimatise them if the humidity and indoor temperature are normal, namely, the environment where it is set to be laid is not too hot and humid, nor is it too cold and dry; otherwise, you will need to induct the parquet flooring in order to avoid any frustrating adaptations which will be required once the installation has taken place. Any environmental values of the premises where the bamboo is being laid will therefore be understood to range from between 40% and 60% humidity and between 15° and 26° C in temperature; a bamboo parquet is a natural product which has minor variations in colour compared to an axle and other routine equivalents;

– check the material to make sure it is in tact and free from any defects prior to installing the slats you have ordered. It is not possible to receive any complaints regarding products which have already been laid as an item.