A Few General Tips
When it comes to these floors, keep in mind the following points:
· The floor should be installed at the last after you are done with other works
· You are required to heat your home for a minimum of 7 days before installing these floors
· The basement needs to be ventilated properly and the subway floor needs to be kept dry
· The relative humidity should be around 45%. You may use a hygrometer to measure the percentage of relative humidity in the air
A minimum of one month’s time needs to be allowed in order to completely dry out the concrete subfloors.
· You must arrange for waterproof membrane beforehand and make sure that it is of good quality
· You are also required to arrange for certain security equipment.
Check the Moisture Level at the Sub-Floor
You would need to use a moisture meter to take a reading of the level of moisture. Make sure that it does not go beyond 12% and the difference in moisture level between the subfloors and the boards shouldn’t exceed by more than 4%. If you find that the moisture reading is higher than what it is supposed to be in that case you need to find out the source of moisture and make sure that it is kept within the prescribed limit.
Make sure that your Sub-floor is Appropriate
In order to prevent the movement of the floor and squeaks, make sure that the subfloor is screwed properly. If there are any floor or subfloors which have been damaged by water, you need to replace it. The surface has to be flat. After this, you need to follow the followings:
- The subfloor has to be cleaned
- The pattern directions need to be determined
- You need to arrange for a backer board