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Basic information on floating cork flooring Floating floors are generally used to imply the kind of floors that are not fixed to the sub floor but can instead ‘float’ on the surface of the floor on which they have been installed. A standard half inch expansion space needs to be allowed between fixed objects, walls and the floor. An expansion gap is recommended for floor areas with a magnitude exceeding 900sq ft. having either dimension larger than 30ft. such gaps are also mandatory for installation of the floors in transitions between rooms. Installations in damp areas require a barrier to moisture vapor to be placed before the cork tiles are installed. Installation of floating floors can be done on hard surfaces including ceramic tiles, vinyl and wood flooring but it’s advised against doing it over carpeting. The sub floor surface to be used must always be even, dry and flat. Minimal variations on the sub floor may be allowed but this should not go beyond an eighth of an inch within a distance of 8ft. any existing voids in the floor must be filled failure to which creates a bouncing effect for the areas with the voids which may feel uncomfortable. When laying floating cork flooring on hardwood floors, existing floor boards are used for laying the planks. Ceramic and concrete sub floors need to be fitted with a barrier against moisture to keep away dampness from the cork tile. This encompasses concrete floors that have vinyl topped on them and other kinds of resilient flooring. The moisture barrier used must be a film with a thickness not less than 1/100 inches alongside allowing for an overlap of not less than 8 inches between the pieces of sheets used. The film should be run to not less than two inches above the wall and any extra can be trimmed down after the baseboards have been fixed. The snap-locks of the cork planks need to acclimatize to the environment before they are fitted for best results. This involves removal of their plastic wrapping in their boxes to allow for the free room air circulation on the planks for not less than 48hours since this are wood products, they will respond to changes in atmospheric water and temperature changes which allows them to stabilize with regard to the room conditions before installation. Tools required The process of installing cork tiles calls on the availability of a number of equipment and materials for an easy and quick installation. Each of the equipment serves a different purpose at different times and knowledge of their use and handling is important to ensure efficiency and safety. This includes hammers or rubber mallets which are used for light hitting, taping blocks for occasional tapping to facilitate click-ins, tape measures for distance assessments, half inch spacers, crowbars, hand jigs, circular source, painter’s sticks, paint pans and other material. It is imperative to always remember allowing for expansion gaps to carter for temperature changes from time to time. Any other relevant information that may be needed on cork flooring installations can be accessed easily and freely which provides a detailed outline of all relevant facts and the actions that need to be taken in installation of cork tiles to attain optimal results.
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