Provide a Firm Foundation for Your Kahrs Flooring
If you are laying your Kahrs flooring over a hardboard surface, then you need to get practical. Follow these handy tips, and you won't get surprised by those little difficulties that can trip up your installation – and leave your new floor looking a mess.
Prior to investing in new flooring, a note should be made for any particular difficulties that could make the laying problematic. Things such as an odd room shape, awkward fittings, and irregular surfaces can be problematic. But, presuming that none of these is a project killer, next you need to get some quantity surveyed.
To measure the room, take the width and length at the widest points, placing the measuring tape right into the corners of the alcoves, and to the half-way point in the doorways. Multiply these two measurements together and you will have the area of the flooring necessary.
Any bays or recesses, for example either side of a chimney breast can be calculated separately and added to the total. Make a rough sketch of the room, showing all the dimensions and take it with you to your Kahrs flooring retailer. They will calculate the amount of flooring you require, and offer you advice on minimising wastage.
As soft floor tiles are sold by the pack, calculate the quantity required by dividing the total floor area by the area covered by one pack - round up to a total pack. When buying wood strip or laminated flooring the floor area should be measured and calculated in the same way as for small unit flooring. As the laminate strip flooring is sold in packs, the amount required can again be calculated by dividing the total floor area by the pack area and rounded up to a whole pack.
When you are laying the boards, they can be nailed in place quickly if a length of wood is cut to length; this can be used as a guide for spacing the nails. If hardboard is laid with the textured side up, this will provide a good adherent surface for glue and any nail heads will be concealed.
Hardboard sheets should be nailed in a pyramid pattern; alternating the spacing of the nails, to ensure no bulging. The nails should be spaced 150 mm (6 inches) apart along the edges and 230 mm (9 inches) apart throughout the centre. Any protruding nails in the sub flooring should be punched to be below the surface to avoid damage to the top flooring.
If there are electric cables or plumbing pipes present under the floor area, narrow strips of board should be laid over the pipe or cable runs to allow ease of access for any future maintenance. Now all your under-floor preparations are complete, you can move onto laying you Kahrs flooring with confidence.