PREPARATIONS
Store the floor planks in the room of installation. Allow to acclimate 48 hours prior to install. Read the installation instructions carefully before installing. Encore flooring with Woodloc-joint is laid as a
floating floor. In other words, it is joined together without being attached to the existing floor. Note that the planks are joined together without glue.
• The subfloor must be dry, level, and solid.
• Check the level of the subfloor over a measured length of 7 ft. and a measured length of 1 ft. If any unevenness is greater than ± 1/8 in. over a measured length of 7 ft. or greater than ± 1/16 in. over a measured length of 1 ft, the subfloor must be leveled first.
• The room must be set at a uniform temperature
between 68°-78° F. with a relative humidity between 50-70%. If the relative humidity is less than 30%, there is an increased risk of the planks becoming concave. Both the room and the planks shall be warmed to normal room use temperature before the floor is laid. In most cases, the flooring needs to be protected against moisture from the surface below by using a vapor barrier. We recommend sheet that is laid with a Stagestep vapor barrier 8 in. overlap.
NOTE:
Installing a vapor barrier is required on any slap made of concrete or concrete joists, concrete flooring directly on the ground, crawl space foundation, or underfloor heating systems. See product list on page 25. The slab should be cleaned thoroughly to avoid mold.
• The planks shall be laid in the longitudinal
direction of the room. In other words, the length or the long-side of the boards must span the short-side or narrowest dimension of the room. The floor moves as the air humidity changes and therefore there must be a movement joint of at least 1/2” and up to 1” next to walls and fixed objects in the room. This movement joint shall be provided around the entire floor. The maximum floor width for Encore Floor is 50 ft and the length 95 ft.
• The cove base needs to be 50% wider than the
movement joint. Example: If you have installed the floor with a movement joint of 3/4” in between the floor and wall, the cove base must be at least 1 1/2” otherwise there is a risk that the floor’s shrinkage will mean that you will get a gap between the floor and the cove base when the floor shrinks during the dry part of the year.
INSTALLATION
1. Work out first how many planks you need. If the last plank is narrower than 2”, you will need to saw the first plank as well. When installing
flooring with Woodloc© joints, the work is made easier if you start with the long side that has most doors. If there are doors on the short side of
the room, begin each plank row at these.
2. Start in a corner and work from left to right with the long underlip out towards the room. The distance of the long side to the wall can be adjusted later when three rows have been laid.
3. An additional element must be installed using double-sided tape on the underside of the plank on the wall side to stop the plank “sagging”. This element is provided by cutting excess
support material from the boards that will be installed in the last row. This support element will be approximately 1 3/8” wide x 42” long.
4. Press the next floor plank at an angle against the first one and lay it down. Continue in the same way along the length of the first row. (A gap of 1/2” to 1” must be maintained around the perimeter of the floor.)
5. Cut the last plank in the first row to the correct length and begin the next row with the piece that is left over. Check using a piece of string that the starting planks lie in a straight line. The end joints of the planks must be staggered by at least 10 in. (in wall-to-wall installations). (See #5)
6. The best thing is to make a staggered pattern of planks width-wise. (See #6)
7. Press the floor plank at an angle against the plank in front. Tap lightly with a hand block while carefully pressing down the plank at the same time. (See #7)
8. Press in a wedge at the short end under the plank already installed. (See #8)
9. Press in the next plank’s short end at an angle and lay down the long side. (See #9)
10. Tap lightly with the hand block on the long side at the same time as you carefully press the plank down and it will be easier to position it. TIP: The work is easier if you screw together two blocks so that the hand block is higher. (See #10, 11)
11. The first floor row sometimes needs to be adjusted to a crooked wall. Draw the contour of the wall on the floor planks. Saw the last plank but remember that an additional resilient element may need to be installed using double-sided tape underneath on the wall side to prevent the plank from “sagging”. (See #12)
12. Holes are drilled in the plank for heater pipes. The holes shall be at least twice as large as the calculated movement joint plus the pipe’s diameter. Example: If the floor is 32 feet wide, 32 x .02 = .6 in. This means that the hole must be 1.2 in. larger than the pipe. Saw. When the plank is fitted, the sawn-out piece is glued in place and the holes covered with pipe collars. If you need to cut a door architrave, use a floor plank as an underlay so you get exactly the right height. If you need to knock a plank lengthways, protect the plank joint with a cut-off from a short end. Skirting boards must not be nailed or pressed down so that the floor is locked. All connection rails must be anchored in the concrete to permit natural movement of the wooden floor. If you plan to carry out more building work in the room, remember to protect the floor with protective paper that allows moisture through. Our floors should not be installed until all other building work has been completed. Planks can be laid from all directions if necessary. Encore flooring is also easy to take up. This facilitates installation around doors, for example. (See #13)
13. Proceed as follows if you cannot gain access to angle in a plank under a door architrave or low radiators, for example:
14a – Cut away 2/3 of the locking edge.
14b – Glue. Tap the plank into place using a cleat.
Completion Work
Color
FloorShield Color allows color to be applied to flooring within the context of a finish. It is longlasting and easy to apply. A key element and advantage is it is not necessary to sand the color off to remove it because the color resides within the first application of finish. For more information, contact your Stagestep representative.
Finishing
Finishing can be done 24 hours after line painting has been completed. We recommend FloorShield Finish for wood. Remember that the floor may need to be cleaned once again to get rid of dust and dirt. If there are marks that cannot be removed using ProClean, or if using Floorshield, Floorshield Cleaner, contact Stagestep. The temperature in the room and the finish must not be less than 68-78°F when applying the finish. Spread the finish using a roller applicator finish. A sign of when it is time to finish the floor is when the painted lines become worn. Repair the worn lines and apply once again. Follow the for renovation of finish.
FloorShield Finish and FloorShield Color are for use on and designed for Dance, Theater, and Performance Floors -Not for use on other Residential or Commercial Floors.
Care and Maintenance
One of the major benefits with a Encore floor is that it is so easy to keep clean and tidy. Daily care is best done by vacuum-cleaning or using a dry mop and occasional moist wiping using a well-wrung cloth. Use Proclean or floor cleaner with a pH no higher than 8. If a cleaning machine is used, the amount of water should be as little as possible. The machine must not leave any watermarks when it turns or stops. Residual moisture must dry completely within a minute. Follow the instructions for the respective surface treatment during maintenance.
Spillage will not leave any traces on Encore flooring if wiped up immediately. Do not allow any water to remain, especially not in Beech flooring since this is extra sensitive to moisture. If the floor is subject to heavy wear, it is probably best to renovate it by machine sanding and applying a new surface treatment. Encore floors have a thick surface layer that can be sanded and lacquered time and time again. If you should get a mark on the floor you can try and remove it using a mild detergent (without ammonia) such as Proclean or floor cleaner diluted in warm water. If this does not help, following are a few hints on how to remove difficult marks. Take care when using strong stain removal materials since using too much and applying too much pressure could affect the lacquer.
