Floor protection roll: All our advice!

Floor protection roll is a relatively simple floor covering to install. However, it is necessary to follow certain rules so that your parquet floor is durable and provides unparalleled comfort.

What information is necessary before setting up Floor protection roll?

The Floor protection roll installation is called "floating." That is to say that the boards are simply placed on the support and not glued. Instead, they "float" on the ground. In addition, this product has a clipping system that allows the boards to fit together. So even novice do-it-yourselfers will have no problem installing their floating floors.

Good to know: Laying floor protection roll in wet rooms, such as bathrooms, saunas, etc., is not recommended. Indeed, the wood reacts badly in contact with humidity, and your blades could deteriorate.

Characteristics of the support of a Floor protection roll

Before installing your floating floor, it is important to ensure that the support is in good condition. Several criteria need to be verified.

Moisture control: Soil moisture is controlled using a CM device (tester).

Checking the flatness of supports: The unevenness tolerance is a maximum of 4 mm per meter.

Support bearing control: The ground must form a compact and self-supporting layer.

Checking the cleanliness of the supports: The floor must have been thoroughly vacuumed.

Checking the climatic conditions of the room: Make sure that the following conditions are met before, during and after installation:

• Ambient air temperature should be at least 18°C.
• Floor temperature at least 15°C.
• Humidity levels in the surrounding air must be between 40% and 70%.

The following substrates are suitable for the floating installation of Floor protection roll in particular:

• All concrete floors, including low-temperature hot water heated floors.
• Panels of wood particles of minimum 19 mm thickness.
• Fibreboard.
• Old floor coverings include PVC, linoleum, natural stone, and ceramic tiles...

Textile floor coverings (including short carpets) are not suitable for laying Floor protection roll.

Floor protection roll support is subject to precautions:  

Electrically heated floor (with the possibility of controlling the temperature of the surface): A central electric underfloor heating is normally compatible with the laying of Floor protection roll when the heating system is embedded in the screed, except for a heating electric in the form of a film placed on the screed.

The surface temperature should not exceed 28°C.

Floor protection roll can, however, be installed on this heating film if and only if the film manufacturer guarantees that the surface temperature does not exceed 28°C at any time.

Concrete screed: When laying Floor protection roll on a concrete substrate, it is recommended to consider the humidity that can rise through the ground. The cement laying must have been carried out for at least 80 days, and the screed must be 5 cm thick maximum. For this reason, a 0.2 mm thick polyethylene film must imperatively be installed on the entire surface of the concrete substrate (except on a mastic asphalt floor) and this before laying an underlay of insulation. Acoustic. 

The strips, placed carefully, must overlap by at least 20 cm and be brought up against the wall by 5 cm.

Natural stone and old tiling: Due to the humidity that can rise through the floor, completely cover the floor with a polyethylene film before laying the acoustic insulation underlay.

19 mm particle board and fibreboard: The installation of an underlay is recommended to improve sound insulation. However, installing a polyethylene film (vapor barrier) is prohibited.

Wooden floor: Check the firmness of the floor by screwing in any unstable boards. Again, the installation of an underlay to improve sound insulation is recommended. On the other hand, do not install polyethylene film to prevent the ventilation of the ground. Instead, lay the planks of the covering perpendicular to the planks of the existing floor.

PVC floor covering: As the plastic floor covering acts as a barrier against humidity, installing a polyethylene film is, therefore, not imperative. Instead, the installation of an acoustic insulation underlay is recommended.

Low-temperature hot water underfloor heating: The floor coverings must be removed before laying the Floor protection roll. In addition to the usual checks of the support, it is necessary to establish a protocol testifying to a heating phase of the screed, which is compliant and compulsory, whatever the season.

Heating procedure: For concrete floors, the heating phase begins at the earliest after 21 days after laying (refer to the manufacturer's instructions for anhydrite screeds, but begins at the earliest after seven days from laying the floor).

The start of the heating phase must be at a temperature of 25°C, which must be maintained for 3 days.

Gradually increase the temperature up to a maximum of 28°C.

Maintain this temperature for 3 days, without variation or interruption at night.

Lower the temperature by 10°C daily until a surface temperature of 18°C ​​is reached.

Maintain this temperature of 18°C ​​when laying the Floor protection roll and for the following 3 days.

After the third day, slowly increase the temperature by 5°C per day until the desired temperature is reached.

The floor temperature must not exceed 28°C! Therefore, it is imperative to completely cover the floor with a 0.2 mm thick polyethylene film before laying the acoustic insulation underlay.

Is the underlay mandatory when laying Floor protection roll?

Floor protection roll parquet is a floor covering with fairly poor sound insulation. In addition, with the Floor protection roll floating, there is a slight space between your plank and your support. This is enough to make your floor noisy when walked on. It is, therefore, strongly recommended to install an acoustic underlay before laying your Floor protection roll. In addition, you must also install a vapor barrier (polyethylene film) to act as a barrier against moisture rising through your floor. However, this protection is prohibited if your support is made of wood because moisture would accumulate there, damaging your support.

Storage of Floor protection roll

Before laying the floor protection roll, the planks of your covering must be stored in the room where they will be installed, respecting the following conditions:

• They must be in their protective packaging and still closed.
• Storage should take place for at least 48 hours.
• The slats must be flat and at least 50 cm from the walls.
• Ambient air temperature should be at least 18°C
• Floor temperature should be at least 15°C
• Humidity levels in the surrounding air must be between 40% and 70%.

Floor protection roll laying direction

For a better visual result, position your blades parallel to the lighting direction of the room. However, this advice is not imperative. Only wooden substrates require that the planks of the covering be laid perpendicular to those of the floor.

Laying the first row of Floor protection roll

Start by taking the measurements of the room. For example, if the width of the last row is less than 5 cm, then decrease the width of the first row before starting the installation.

Expansion games

Like all organic materials, Floor protection roll expands or contracts depending on the climatic conditions prevailing in the room. This is why you must provide expansion spaces between the floor covering and the fixed elements of the room (as well as between each room) so as not to hinder the variations in the volume of the floor.

When laying the Floor protection roll, an expansion space of 1 mm per meter should be left, ranging from 8 to 10 mm between the flooring and fixed elements such as walls, door frames, pipe passages, pillars, stairs, etc.

Expansion thresholds

Due to the specific variations linked to the nature of the material of the Floor protection roll, it is imperative to provide expansion thresholds in the following places:

• Door step
• Corridor
• Room with many angles
• Piece with a length/width greater than 10 m.

Floor protection roll instructions

• Check carefully, before installation, that no plank is damaged or defective.
• Start laying the planks of the first row from the left corner of the room, laying the plank tongue side towards the wall.
• Lay the expansion wedges against the wall.
• To assemble a new plank, tilt it to form an angle of approximately 30°C with the ground and position its tongue in the groove of the installed element. Then lower it until it is completely flat on the ground.
• To adapt the last element to the length of the piece, put the tongue against the tongue on the last plank and make a mark, then see the plank to the desired length.
• The last plank of the first row must be cut to the desired remaining length (tongue against tongue) by sawing it.
• Start laying the second row's Floor protection roll with the remaining piece of the first row's plank if this is at least 200 mm long.
• For all subsequent rows, always start with the remainder of the last plank of the previous row.
• Make sure to respect a minimum of 200 mm between the joints. For certain products with chamfers or particular decorations (such as ceramic decorations), a regular offset corresponding to the decoration and/or the model must be considered.
• After laying the first row, start the second with the rest of the last plank of the previous row if it measures 200 mm minimum.
• Lay the tongue (long side) of this plank in the groove of the first element of the first row.
• Then fit all the planks of the second row by the short side, as indicated above.
• Once all the elements of the second row are aligned and interlocked, slightly tilt the first plank (or piece of plank) and fit it into the first row from the long side. Proceed similarly for the following elements until this row is completely joined to the first.
• During this operation, ensure that the slats of the row being installed have not moved on the short side and remain well joined.