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Maintenance
In commercial areas
Wear and strain on floors in commercial areas place high demands on the surface finish, care of the floor and sub-construction.
Protective covering
If building work is to take place after the installation, cover the floor with some form of protective covering, which must allow the wood to breathe, and that will not discolour the floor.
Cleaning
Use dry cleaning methods, vacuum cleaning and dry mopping. When needed a damp mop or a well wrung out cloth.
For maintenance of prefinished floors Blanchon maintenance products are recommended
Step-by-step fitting instructions
- Lay out the first row of boards with their grooved edge against the wall, and work to your right. It is very important that the first board is laid straight.
- Turn the last board so that the grooved end is tight up against the end wall. Using a setsquare, mark the board 12-15mm from the end of the last board (must correspond to expansion gap). Cut the board, put it in place and push in a wedge at the short end. When using a handsaw, cut from the board's upperside. For circular or tennon saws, cut from the underside.
- If the last board is less than 5cm or the wall is crooked, the first board should be cut. Measure up and mark the cutting position using a guide running along the wall, checking that the board is square.
- Lay the boards up against the wall. Create the necessary expansion gap by pressing down the wedge between the board and the wall. Glue the groove of the shorter board. Press the board in against the wall and check that it is lying straight. Use the fitting bar to tap the board tight home, and secure with a wedge. Tips: For long rows, it may be difficult to fit in a wedge after the first row. Wait until 4-5 rows have been laid, and then with the help of the fitting bar push away from the wall sufficient to fit in the wedge.
- Start the next row with the leftover piece from the row before. Any adjacent end-joints should be staggered at least 50cm. All grooved ends must be glued.
- Use the tapping block when tapping boards together. Never use a leftover piece from a board for this purpose, as this and/or hitting the boards too hard can cause damaged edges.
- When the final row is to be laid, it will rarely fit exactly. Lay the last row of boards with their tongue side against the wall over the last row already laid. Use a full width cut off to mark the distance, and slide the cut off together with a pencil along the wall, marking the line to be cut on the board beneath.
- The line will include an expansion gap corresponding to the width of the tongue (5mm). If the expansion gap required is 10mm, the cut line must be 5mm within the marked line (towards the groove). It is recommended that a new line be drawn before sawing.
- Tap in the cut-to-measure board with the help of the fitting bar. If the last row does not leave any space, the tongue must be cut off so that the expansion gap is not lost. Position the wedges and leave them in for a few hours (e.g. Overnight). Finish off with skirting.
- The short end means a pipe: Drill a hole 25mm greater than the diameter of the pipe (provides an expansion gap). Cut the board through the hole.
- The long end meets a pipe: Drill a hole as above. Cut off the piece that will be behind the pipe against the wall.
- Tap the board into place, glue the loose piece and wedge against the wall.
- Door frames can be removed and raised, but it is easier to saw them. Use a leftover piece of a board to mark the bottom of the frames, and cut with a fine-toothed saw. Slide the board in under the frame.
(Do not lock the board between the sub-floor and the frame).
