What counts is the right base?

Once you have decided for a laminate floor, when quality and appearance are a perfect fit, then you need to check the requirements for perfect installation.

Very important is a suitable subfloor:

Kronoply OSB

• old flooring such as wood, firmly-adhering PVC, dry ceramic, linoleum
• cement screed (max. residual moisture: 2.0 CM%)
• anhydrite cement and anhydrite flow cement screed (max. residual moisture: 0.3 CM%)
• magnesia screed (max. residual moisture: 3.0 CM%)

Have a screed specialist in your area give you a residual moisture report!

Wet rooms, damp rooms (except OCEAN), saunas, carpeting and xylolith are not suitable subfloors.
The subfloor must be dry, level, firmly affixed and clean. Minor unevenness can be compensated with an underlay mat or – if exceeding 3 mm/m – sanded down or leveled with a filler.

Cleaning and care

Kronotex flooring is not only hygienic but also very easy to look after.

Sweep the dry floor with a soft broom or use a vacuum cleaner.
Marks and dirt can be wiped off with a slightly damp cloth, following the grain of the plank.
For stubborn marks, please use Kronotex cleaner.
Please use felt pads under furniture and soft rubber castors on chairs.
Place door mats in special areas (hall, entrance). In industrial buildings, provide footwells.
Minor damage to the floor can easily be repaired with the Kronotex repair kit.
In case of more serious damage, please consult a specialist.

Transport and storage

Please transport Kronotex flooring carefully and in their original packaging. Use open cartons before starting a new one. Large quantities should be stored in their original cartons in order to protect the product from the effects of the exterior environment. When storing panelling or flooring for an extended period, be sure that the storage area is heated and that the products are kept in their original boxes.

Preparations

Preparation for installation

Prior to laying, please store KRONOTEX flooring horizontally in its unopened packaging at room temperature for a minimum of 48 hours (minimum 18° C) so that the planks have enough time to reach room temperature. 

Prior to laying, please inspect KRONOTEX flooring planks for damage, dimensions and visual uniformity in daylight at the installation site. If any significant and justifiable defects are found, please write down the information on the back of the product. No claims can be made for planks that have been used, even if they have visible or mechanical defects. 

KRONOTEX flooring is not suitable for all damp rooms such as bathrooms, shower rooms, saunas, laundry rooms or rooms with high levels of humidity. This is due to the fact that if moisture penetrates laminate flooring, it warps, cups, or buckles.

KRONOTEX flooring is a wood-based product. In as much as wood is a material that attracts water, the laminate moves and shifts, which is why it is important that a floating installation system is employed. This can result in minor unevenness between adjacent planks. These are manifestations of the authenticity of the wood material.

Important: Allow boxes of KRONOTEX laminate flooring to acclimate to the ambient temperature of the space in which they will be laid for a minimum of 48 hours prior to installation. In order to forestall any effects from the outside environment, be sure to use open boxes before starting a new one. Installaton should be carried out at a minimum ambient temperature of 18° C. The following ambient conditions should prevail previous to, during, and three days following installation:

Floor surface : mind. 15 ºC
Air temperature : mind. 18 ºC
Humidity : max. 75%

Basic rules for laying

Basic parameters of Kronotex Laminate floors

1. The installation should be performed at an ambient temperature of at least 18° C, a ground temperature of at least 15° C and relative humidity of 50% (minimum) and 75% (maximum). Please do not aerate the space during installation.
2. For optical reasons, Kronotex panels and planks should always be laid lengthways in relation to the principle light source.
3. Prior to installation, calculate the width of the final row of planks: they should not be less than 5 mm wide. If necessary, cut the first row of planks accordingly.
4. Kronotex flooring is laid using a floating system, which means that the flooring is not glued, nailed, attached to fixed to the subfloor in any way. Adhesive is applied to the tongue-and-groove joints only. After laying the floor, attach mouldings directly to the wall only, and not to the flooring!
5. When putting planks in place, never hammer directly on the plank tongue. Use an appropriate tapping block instead. In doing so, make certain that the tapping block is placed squarely against the tongue and that the latter is seated properly in the groove of the tapping block.
6. Be sure to perform the installation exactly as described in the instructions. No claims will be honoured if the procedure described therein is deviated from. If any problems arise, change the manner of installation or interrupt the procedure altogether and contact your supplier.

Special spots

1. 

   In places where, for example, heating pipes or partitions extend out of the room, first cut the panel to the right length, then lay the cut piece next to where it will go and use a folding rule to measure and mark where the openings are needed. Then cut or drill out the marked spots. In this case as well, remember to ensure an expansion space of 10 mm on all sides. Saw the panel diagonally (mitre cut at a 45° angle) up to the holes. This increases the surface area for gluing. Apply glue to the sawed-off piece and use a pull bar to tightly join it to the other piece.

2. 

   If a doorframe needs to be shortened, lean a panel against it with the décor side facing down. Use a crosscut saw to shorten the doorframe, then slide the panel with the décor side up under frame.

3. 

   In rooms that measure more than 12 metres in the longitudinal direction of the panels or 8 metres perpendicular to the panels, it is necessary to additionally install an expansion element. This also applies to doorways, room entrances, protruding masonry and oddly shaped rooms. We recommend removing the tongues on the edges of the panels along expansion elements to ensure sufficient room for them to move.

Full-surface gluing

1. KRONOTEX flooring can of course also be glued over the entire surface. Beforehand, however, it is necessary to determine the nature of the subfloor and how it should be pre-treated to level it (e.g. by painting, filling with levelling compound or grinding). Acc. to DIN 18202 table 3, it is necessary to level out variations in flatness that exceed 2 mm per 1 m.
2. Make sure that the subfloor is absolutely dry, level, solid and clean. Pre-existing expansion joints should be kept in the same places and provide the same amount of space for the floor to move. When using this laying method, please use a polyurethane (PU) adhesive.

Please consult a professional floor layer!

Important!!!

DO NOT glue down KRONOTEX flooring over radiant floor heating.

Cleaning and repairs

KRONOTEX flooring is not only hygienic but also extremely easy to keep clean. Here are the most important tips for good results:

1. Clean the dry floor with a horsehair broom or vacuum cleaner.
2. Get rid of footprints and dirt with a slightly moistened cloth, wiping parallel to the panels. Use KRONOTEX laminate cleaner to remove stubborn dirt.
3. Place felt glides under the legs of furniture and soft rubber casters for chairs.
4. Place foot mats in areas that are particularly prone to soiling (corridors, house entrances). In commercial buildings, create walk-off areas.
5. Minor damage to flooring is easy to fix with the KRONOTEX repair kit. If there is more serious damage, consult a specialist.