INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

As glue is not needed to lay FINfloor

laminate flooring, it makes the installation
process a lot easier and quicker. You
just need a saw for the cuting, a lever
for fitting the final pieces, a teflon plug
and separanting wedges (all of wich is
included in our INSTALLATION KIT),
the flooring itself and the insulating foam
(Underlay), as recommended in our
accesories catalogue.
***INSTALLATION
INSTRUCCIONS.
ALSO VALID FOR ENGINEERED
FLOOR FINFLOOR WOOD***
IMPORTANT: Do not fit this product in areas of high humidity such as: bathrooms, saunas
or near skins, etc.
It is essential that the surface onto which you are going to lay the flooring is completely
DRY, CLEAN and FLAT.
Check that the surface conditions of the area where you are going to lay the flooring are
ideal. Any uneven areas /greater than 3 mm/linear metre) should be levelled out with a
paste or filler. Eliminate any irregularities which might cause a bad marriage between
the board and the base-floor.
Before use, leave the packs CLOSED for a period of at least 48 hours at the room
temperature of the area where you plan to lay the flooring, in a horizontal position, well
away from any walls.
FINfloor QUATTRO can be fitted directly onto the majority of existing floor surfaces (e.g.
wooden, PVC, concrete floors, etc). If the area where you are going to lay the flooring
is carpetted, this must be taken up before installation, making sure that the surface
underneath is level ( <3mm/linear metre of unevenness) and dry. It is imperative that the
foundation floor is completely dry.
Wood based materials should have a maximum relative humidity of 11%.
Concrete floors/lightly concreted floors should have a maximum relative humidity max.
2% MC.
Plaster based floors should have a maximum of 0,5% MC (Magnesium Content).
All types of concrete, light concrete or ceramic tiles need an anti-humidity layer. Use
plastic sheeting at least 0.2mm thick. The sheets should be fitted, overlapping eachother
by at least 20 cm, or alternatively by at least 10 cm when securing the plastic sheets
together with 50 mm thick adhesive tape; it should be laid so that it rides up the walls
by 5-6cm- this will be cut when fitting the skirting board. Finsa offers many different
types of underlay in its accessory range which fulfill these levelling-out and insulation
functions. Consult the technical sheets of these products to see which one best meets
your requirements; other underlays available in the market may not protect against
moisture, something which is very important to bear in mind as claims cannot be upheld
wherever the recommended underlays have not been used, and installation guidelines
strictly followed.

IMPORTANT: Use separating wedges to make sure that a 10 mm gap is left between the walls
and entire perimeter of the flooring. This gap will be hidden once the skirting board and profiles
have been fitted, and will give the product the space necessary for expansion and contraction.

On base-floors where wooden flooring has already been fitted, we recommend that you
remove some of the perimeter of the old flooring to allow proper ventillation.
The new flooring should be laid at right angles with the old flooring, and never in the
same direction. Whenever you are planning to lay laminate flooring over wooden floor
boards, you must leave enough space between the boards and the wall to allow for
expasion (following the manufacturers recommendations). The laminate flooring must
be laid so that the joints between boards are not in the same place as the gaps between
the floor boards.
Our laminate flooring can be laid directly on top of completely watertight surfaces (tiles,
wood, cement, etc.), you must take up these surfaces and their old adhesives before
laying the laminate flooring, as they can be susceptible to holding moisture, leading to
rotting or an uneven surface.

In T, L or U shaped rooms, you should also leave expansion gaps in order facilite the free
movement of the product. These spaces will be later covered with expansion profiles (also
available in our accesories range).

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12

You should measure the room widthways, across the area where you are intending to fit the
flooring, subtracting 2 cm for the lateral expansion gaps ( 10 mm each side). You then divide
this figure by the width of a board (0.189 m) in order to know how many rows of flooring you
are going to need. If the number you get is not a whole number, you multiply the numbers
after the decimal point by the width of a board (0.189m) in order to get the width of the final
board. If this figure is less than 5 cm, you would have to cut back the first row of boards by
approximately 10 cm to have enough width for the final row. For example:
Width of room
Expansion gaps of 10 mm
Width
Width of board
Number of rows of boards


Width of the final board
cut back.

a
b
c = a - b
d
n=c/d
n
nd
e=nd*d 4,5

290
2
288
18,9
15,24
15
0,24
cm

cm
cm
cm
cm
units
units
units
e< 5 cm

The first row must also be

FITTING THE UNDERLAY: Follow the recommendations indicated on the different underlays
in our catalogue.
If you decide to use another brand of underlay, make sure that you lay it together with 0.2 mm
polythene film, overlapping the strips of film by 20 cm, as stated at the start of the first page of
these instruccions. The said underlays may not be sound proof or moisture proof, and could
have a poor levelling ability.

-PREPARATION OF DOOR FRAMES AND MOULDINGS: place a board on top of the underlay
(with the decor side facing downwards) next to the door moulding and cut into the moulding
with a saw as shown in the image below. Once you have removed that piece from the door
frame, you can now fit the flooring under the moulding without any problems, thus leaving an
expansion gap which will be hidden by the door moulding. (5)
-ORIENTATION OF THE PIECES: We recommend that you lay the flooring in the same
direction as the main source of light, except in the cases already stated.(6)
-FIRST PIECES OF THE FIRST ROW: Start laying the flooring from left to right with the
tongue facing the wall. Make sure you place the boards 10mm away from both walls. This
is easier to do if you lay three rows of boards first, then, after cutting them to the shape of the
wall, push them nearer to the wall, maintaining a gap of 10mm between all parts of the wall
and the flooring.(7,8)
-LOCK IN THE SHORT END OF THE SECOND BOARD: Place the short ends of the two
boards together (trying to leave them lined up straight), lift the board at an angle of 15-20,
pushing lightly forwards and then downwards so that the board automatically hooks into the
adjoining board. Continue this process until the first row is complete.(9)
To place the final piece of the first row, flip the final board over so that the decor is facing
downwards with both tongues running parallel to the two walls. Place the 10mm separating
wedges between the wall and the board and mark a line where the previous board intersects
the final board so it can then be cut to size. If you find this difficult, measure the space for
the final board using a tape measure, remembering to subtract the 10mm needed for the
expansion gap. When you turn the board over, it should slide into the gap, groove to groove,
with the tongue facing the wall.(10)
-CUTTING THE BOARDS: Place the boards decor side down and cut with a jigsaw. If you are
using a manual saw, use one with small teeth and cut the boards with the decor side facing
up.(11)

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-FIRST BOARD OF THE SECOND ROW: Use a section of the board you have just cut for the
final board of the last row to start the next row. This board must be at least 30cm long. If it is
too short, start the row with a new board, cut to 1/3 its usual length. Always make sure that the
joints of the first and last boards are staggered by at least 30 cm.(12)
-CONTINUE LAYING THE FLOORING:

1.The under-floor heating system is installed under the base-floor.

2. After 21 days, the mortar should be dry and have a humidity level less than 1.5 %MC.
If this were greater, you would have to wait until this figure has been acheived.
3.Turn on the heating until you reach a surface temperature of 18C, which will be
maintained for 3 days. Leave the boxes of laminate flooring in the room where you are
going to install it for those 3 days.
4.Lay the flooring whilst keeping the surface temperature of the base-floor at 18C.
5.Once the flooring has been laid, maintain the same temperature for a further 3 days.
6.After that period has passed, increase the temperature gradually by 5C per day. The
temperature of the base-floor should not exceed 28C (or 65 W/ m if it is an electric
system).
7.Using large rugs can over-heat the area underneath, wich is harmful for the laminate
flooring.
8.The ideal temperature of the installation area is 20 C air temperature, with a relative
humidity of between 50-70%. In areas of extreme dryness, we recommend the use of a
humidifyer to raise the relative humidity.
9.Adjusting the temperature of the heating system should be done gradually (by 5C at
a time). NEVER IN A SUDDEN WAY.

1) Place the next board flat, parallel to the board of the adjoining row, raise the panel at
an angle of approximately 15, push forwards and downwards lightly and the boards should
automatically interlock.(13)

Finsa has many differents types of underlay available in its accessories range. Check the
technical data sheets of these underlays to see which one best suits your requirements.

Certain pieces of heavy furniture (bookcases, wardrobes, aquariums...) can hinder expansion,
either laterally or lengthways. In case of any doubt, we recommend that you leave bigger
expansion gaps, to be later covered with a thicker skirting board.

Installation instruccions for laying laminate flooring over under-floor heating.

The flooring and underlay should have a combined thermal resistance less than 0,150
m2K/W in order to acheive good heat transmission.

Likewise, when laying the flooring over a large surface area, you should also leave a 30 mm
expansion gap (10 mm for the width and 10 mm for each length) every 8 metres lengthways
and 5 metres widthways.

-UNDERLAY: Place the underlay in strips as required. If you were to install the underlay as
one big sheet, it might get damaged or torn by the movement of the laminate flooring and
therefore lose its insulating qualities. Remember to lay the underlay with an excess so it rides
up the walls by 5 cm.(4)

Other kinds of base-floor.

In doorways, a 30mm gap should be left (10 mm for the width of the product and 10 mm for
each length) where the expansion profiles will be placed to separate the different rooms. Door
frames require special care as 10mm also needs to be removed from the bottom of the frames
to allow for expansion.(3)

Cement Floors.

t = 2s2
where t is time (in days) and s is the tickness of the base floor (in
centimetres).
If the foundation floor is directly over the subsoil and in a glazed area, exposed to
sunshine, we recommend that you fit sheets of 10 mm expanded polythene with a
density of at least 35 kg/m3 in order to protect the product from sudden and successive
temperature changes, due to the cooling caused by the humidity of the base-floor and
the heat from the sun.

Before starting to lay the laminate flooring, inspect the product, making sure it has no surface
defects (such as: changes in tone, defects in the decor, stains, etc.) and that it has not been
damaged during transit. Do not install damaged boards. Claims cannot be upheld whervever
visible signs of damage are present, once the product has been installed, in accordance with
regulation EN 13329.

Step by step

The drying time of the base floor will depend on the thickness and atmospheric conditions
of the area. As a guide, you can estimate that in conditions of 20C and 50% humidity,
drying time can be calculated using the following formula:

Before installing the product, it should be conditioned to the room temperature (preferibly
between 15C and 25C) and humidity (preferibly between 50% and 70%) of the room where
you are going to lay the flooring. Leave the boxes CLOSED for at least 48 hours in that room,
in a horizontal position, well away from any walls.(1,2)

Instructions for Preparing the base floor

The mortar should have a humidity level less than 2% MC, following the Magnesium
method. When using artificial drying methods to dry the surface, this can cause the
lower layers to retain moisture which will, in time, rise to the surface. You should allocate
a sufficient period of time for drying out before undertaking any work.

2) Place the short end of the next board opposite the board just installed, push forwards and
downwards lightly. Make sure that it is close to the adjoining board, and proceed to lock it
together with the previous piece.(14)

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3) Lift the board, creating an angle of approximately 15 (along with the previous board of the
same row), push lightly forwards and downwards so that the boards lock into the length sides
of the previous row. (15)
- TO LAY THE FINAL ROW: measure and cut the board. Leave a 10mm gap with the wall for
expansion.(16)
- HOLES FOR PIPES: measure the diameter of the pipe and make a hole 20 mm bigger in
diameter. Cut a section with a saw, as shown in the image below, and put the board in place
on the floor. Then, lay the cut section in place so it matches up to the other piece like a jigsaw
puzzle.(17)
ATTENTION: In some circumstances, it is not possible to lift the boards at an angle so they
lock together (for example, underneath door frames or radiators, etc). In such cases, you can
fit the pieces together with the boards flat, bearing in mind that you should not directly strike
the boards, and making sure that you use the Installation Kit. You shoul give short, sharp
strikes against the installation kit hitting block is in perfect contact with the edge of the laminate
flooring. The same should be done on the length side, albeit progressively, starting at one end
and working your way along the board.

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