1. What are the different types of Flooring?
2. What flooring is best suited to my room?
3. How much flooring do I need?
4. Do all timber floors expand and contract?
5. Should I choose a Mulveys Oiled or Lacquered Floor?
6. Can I fit Mulveys Wood flooring over under floor heating?
7. What are the Key points to follow in order to avoid potential problems?
8. What are the Mulveys Under Flooring Heating Guideline?
1. What are the different types of Flooring?
Mulveys flooring falls into 4 main categories
1.Egger laminate
2.Mulveys Semi Solid
3.Mulveys Easi Plank
4.Mulveys Solid
Egger Laminate
This flooring is composed from High Density Fibre Board and the best decors to give a very hardwearing flooring product to suit every pocket. The key with Egger laminate is the durability. You have the choice of the solution range which offers incredible value to the compact range which offers a floor that is so realistic even the “experts” find it hard to tell it’s not real wood. Every house needs a laminate floor from a Kids bed room to a high traffic hallway. Also it is the easiest type of flooring to install. Egger is a world leader
in having the lowest Carbon foot print for this type of product.
Mulveys Semi Solid
This type of flooring is composed of 3 layers
1.Hardwood top
2.Softwood core
3.Plywood back board
It is a Real Hardwood floor top-layer. The composing is a very stable one because each layer is stuck together at 90 degree angle to the proceeding one. This in effect means the floor is expanding against itself and is therefore very stable. This all means a very stable hardwood floor that can be installed using the floating method. Because it’s not hardwood the whole way through there are cost savings compared to solid flooring.
Mulveys Easi-Plank™
This type of flooring is made up of a substantial hardwood top layer and a very strong plywood second layer. Mulvey's Easi-Plank™ combines the strength and beauty of a solid wood floor with an unparalleled stability you get with a plywood base. The beauty of this composition is that it allows WIDE BOARDs and LONG PLANKs that in a solid board would be prone to twisting and warping.The other huge advantage of the Mulveys Easi-Plank™ design is its strong performance over under floor heating.
Mulveys Solid Wood Flooring
Solid wood flooring has a unique but timeless elegance. With solid wood flooring you are guaranteed a floor that with the right care can last for generation's. Up and down the country there are examples of solid wood floors which were installed in old churches and buildings a hundred years ago, and that still look as good today as they did when first installed. Over the years the range has widened to include species such as American Walnut.
2. What flooring is best suited to my room?
Egger Laminate Flooring
This flooring is suitable for use in any room in the house. In most cases an 8mm or thicker floor from the more advanced, stronger and very realistic ranges, such as the “Country” or “Compact” collection would be used main living areas. The 7mm Solution Collection would be very popular for bedrooms
Mulveys Semi Solid
This flooring is suitable for any room in the house lending its self to the floating method of Installation
Mulveys Easi Plank
This is very high quality Hardwood Flooring with an unmistakeable real wood feel and character, It is very popular for main living areas adding value and class to any house.
Mulveys Solid
Again this is very high quality but with 100% Solid Hardwood Flooring and the unmistakeable real wood feel and character. It is very popular for main living areas and considered an investment in any home.
NB it is not recommend installing any Mulveys floor in a Bathroom.
3. How much flooring do I need?
Follow this simple example. For this example a customer wants Vancouver White Oak 189mm, pack size 2.07 sq yards
1. Measure room e.g. 20ft x15ft = 300 sq ft
2. To convert to sq yards divide by 9 300ft divided by 9 = 33 sq yrds
3. Then add 5% for waste 33 + 5%= 34.65 sq yards
4. Packs required 34.65 divided by 2.07 (pack size) = 16.73 packs
5. Always round up to next pack 16.73 = 17 packs required
Wood flooring is all about the finish so at this point you will need the following to get the high quality finish you Mulveys floor deserves.
At this point you may need all or some of Mulveys Skirting and Scotia Mako Door profiles Canadia Floor Maintenance products Which wood Species are the hardest? The bench mark in the world of hardwood flooring is American Red Oak. The Scale used to gauge hardness is the Janka scale. These are the most popular timbers used in the manufacturing of Harwood flooring.
4. Do all timber floors expand and contract?
Yes all floors do including laminate.
When fitting a Mulveys Hardwood floor, If the room in question is less than 5 meters across the narrowest side and the subfloor is dry, an expansion gap of 14mm around the perimeter will allow the floor to breath. If the floor is wider than 5 meters addition expansion within the floor would be required. A 14mm expansion dap would normally be covered by the skirting board.
5. Should I choose a Mulveys Oiled or Lacquered Floor?
The number one consideration for this decision would be the appearance.
Lacquered floors are what people are most familiar with. They have a hard finish with a “varnish” look and some level of gloss. Mulveys oiled floors on the other hand have a “matt” natural look. The result being two very different finishes, even on the same raw material. Mulveys flooring will provide the foundation for any beautiful room. Choose carefully.
Another important consideration is the maintenance required. Mulveys lacquered floors have a very hard finish that in normal conditions will last for a number of years before re-sanding is required. This is in contrast with Mulveys oiled floors, if correctly maintained will not need to re-sanded. The maintenance involves a “topping” up of the oil with Mulveys maintenance oil on a regular basis. This will serve three purposes, protect against stains, repair scratches and completely rejuvenate the floor.
6. Can I fit Mulveys Wood flooring over under floor heating?
Egger Laminate Yes if guidelines are adhered to
Canadia Semi Solid No
Canadia Easi-Plank Yes if guidelines are adhered to
Canadia Solid In most cases no, but some narrow boards in a controlled environment.
NB Even if a floor is suitable for use over under floor heating our strict guidelines must be followed and we would strongly recommend using an experienced fitter.
7. What are the Key points to follow in order to avoid potential problems?
1. Never install or allow your installer to fit a floor without having a good look at the first complete box before it is laid. Wood is a natural product and batches within the same grade can vary. Once installed the floor is non returnable. NB if you are unsure do not fit; contact the dealer you purchased the floor from
2. Always moisture check the subfloor pre fitting it should be below 3.5% on a concrete floor.
3. Once you have examined the first box and are satisfied with the Canadia product, always “rack out” your Canadia floor. This involves picking boards from a number of different boxes as you fit being careful to get a good mix of colour and knots throughout your Canadia floor.
4. For visual and expansion reasons it is best to start and fit along the longest wall in the respected room.
5. Canadia flooring must always be fitted against a straight edge. Best practice is to fix a timber baton to the floor securely and lay your floor against this.
6. Every timber floor requires expansion around the complete perimeter minimum 13-15mm
7. Always use the recommended method of installation for the Canadia floor selected. Either
a/ Secret Nailing
b/ Floating
c/ Stick down using the Canadia recommended glue
8. What are the Mulveys Under Flooring Heating Guideline?
Canadia Guidelines for installation over Under-Floor Heating
1. The maximum transfer temperature through the screed may not exceed 28°C.
2. The under-floor heating system should be a Water-based system, not electric matting as they may develop extreme temperatures when covered up.
3. If gluing down use only glue specified for use over under floor heating, If a liquid Damp Proof Membrane is not be used moisture content should be below 3% in the concrete.
4. If floating, TUPLEX underlay must be used, the concrete moisture must be below 3.5%
5. Keeping a stable Relative Air Humidity (RaH) is required to avoid excessive gap forming between the individual boards. Recommend RaC is between 45 and 65 %.
6. The warm water tubing needs to be installed in a fine or medium distance pattern, not exceeding a distance between the tubes of 500 mm.
7. To avoid damage to the sub-floor and the wooden floor make sure that the start-up protocol of the under-floor heating is followed and respected.
8. The under-floor heating system has to be installed, in operation and fully tested on leaks and heat transfer before installation of the wooden floor takes place.
9. Prior to the installation of the wooden floor the wood must be allowed to acclimatise in the building under normal living conditions (heating and ventilation) for a minimum of 7 days.
10. Prior to the installation of the wooden floor the under-floor heating transfer temperature must be decreased to 14-16°C. After the glue has fully cured the heating can be turned up by 1-2°C per day to normal operation temperature.
11. Canadia Strongly recommends using a qualified installer with experience of installation over Under-Floor heating Systems.
NB There is always a risk of small openings (gap-forming) between the individual boards with the use of under-floor heating; a guarantee on gap-forming cannot be given.