Egger UNIfit! Installation Instructions Manual
Installation instructions
for Egger Laminate and
Comfort flooring with
UNI fit! installation system
2
. Obligatory testing and exercise of due care
EGGER Laminate and Comfort flooring are manufactured using the latest technology in modern production plants. Stringent quality
control checks are carried out regularly both during and at the end of the manufacturing process. There may be occasions, however,
when damage to individual boards may occur. It is important therefore, to visually check each flooring board before and during
installation. Damaged flooring boards or those that vary from the norm should not be installed but returned to the supplier to be
replaced.
. Sub-floors
2.1
All sub-floors must be prepared for installation in accordance with regular sub-floor preparation procedures and accepted
tolerances within the flooring industry. When assessing whether EGGER Laminate and Comfort flooring is ready to install, attention
should be paid, in particular, to the points below. In the case of failure to comply, all guarantee and warranty claims will become
void.
Check the moisture level in the sub-floor:
Use a CM device to make sure the following levels are not exceeded:
For cement-based screed ≤ 2 CM % – heated screed ≤ 1.8 CM %
For calcium sulphate screeds / calcium sulphate floating screeds ≤ 0.5 CM % – heated screeds ≤ 0.3 CM %
These values apply to screeds without additives. With the use of additives and in case of fast-setting screed, the measurements
and limits specified by the respective manufacturer shall apply. The test material must be obtained from the lower one-third of the
screed. During this process, the thickness of the screed must be measured and documented.
Check if the sub-floor is level:
The evenness test is based on common standards and takes place by placing a yardstick / straight-edge on the high points of the
surface and determining the gauge at the deepest location in relation to the bearing surfaces (measuring point intervals). Use a
max. 2 mm gauge (vertical deviation) at 100 cm intervals. Larger deviations should be addressed by suitable measures (e.g. with
self-levelling compounds).
Check the load-bearing capacity of the sub-floor:
The sub-floor must be a sealed, self-supporting layer.
Check if the sub-floor is clean:
The sub-floor must be vacuum cleaned.
Check atmospheric conditions:
The following conditions should be met before, during and after installation:
An air temperature of at least 18° C
A floor surface temperature of at least 15° C
A relative air humidity of between 40 % and 70 %.
Obligatory testing and exercise of due care / Sub-floors
3
2.2
All sub-floors, which are deemed to be ready for installation and meet the requirements previously listed, are suitable for installing
EGGER Laminate and Comfort flooring as a floating installation. This includes:
All types of screed including hot water-heated screed
Chipboard constructions
Fibreboards
Existing floor coatings such as PVC, linoleum, natural stone slabs and ceramic tiles.
Unsuitable sub-floors:
EGGER Laminate and Comfort flooring must never be installed on textile floor coverings (e.g. carpet) or sub-floors that are not ready
for installation. In the case of failure to comply, all guarantee and warranty claims will become void.
Sub-floors of limited suitability include:
Electrically operated underfloor heating (controlling the surface temperature).
Electrical underfloor heating systems are classified as sub-floors with limited suitability. This is because a range of film-based,
electrical heating systems are able to generate surface temperatures that significantly exceed 28° C. EGGER approves the use of
an electrically operated underfloor heating system if it can be controlled digitally and the surface temperature can never exceed
28° C. The technical approval must have been granted by the manufacturer of the heating system for EGGER Laminate and Comfort
flooring.
Screed
When installing EGGER Laminate and Comfort flooring as a floating installation on screeds, it should be noted that rising damp must
be expected. Consequently, all types of screed (with the exception of mastic asphalt) require, prior to the installation of a systemspecific insulating layer (see section: Attention! underlay materials), a moisture protection film, SD value ≥ 75 m, to be installed over
the whole area in a trough shape as a moisture barrier. When professionally installed, the strips of the moisture protection film must
overlap by 5 - 20 cm at the joints depending on the version.
Screeds with hot water floor heating
When preparing a heated flooring design, all those involved (builder, architect, specialist heating planner, heating engineer,
installer, floor covering manufacturer) must work together in a coordinated manner. All surface-heated flooring requires appropriate
planning and coordination of the heating system and screed in order to ensure maximum long-term performance without causing
any damage. Alongside the usual checks on the installation sub-floor, the underfloor heating / cooling function must be checked
(functional heating / cooling). This evidence of the screed construction being properly heated up and cooled down must be provided
each season and be documented.
When heating the load and heat distribution layer, a distinction is made between functional heating and floor curing heating.
Functional heating is the heating engineer’s evidence of preparing a job free of defects and is used to review the proper
functioning of the heating floor structure.
Floor curing heating is the expelling of the residual moisture in the screed until installation suitability is reached.
Attention! Functional heating does not guarantee that the screed has reached the residual moisture required for installation
suitability. Accordingly, floor curing heating is necessary as a rule.
Attention! The surface temperature of a heated floor structure may not exceed 28° C (83° F). EGGER Laminate and Comfort flooring is
generally laid as a “floating” installation. On mineral sub-floors it is essential to install a moisture protection film, SD value ≥ 75 m,
over the whole area in a trough shape as a moisture barrier before the insulating underlay. When installing laminate flooring as a
floating installation, attention should be paid to the heat conductivity values of the laminate flooring and the insulating underlay.
The total of the heat conductivity values for all components must be ≤ 0.15 m²K/W according to the CE requirement. When using
insulating underlays that are not from the EGGER range of accessories, any guarantee is rejected with regards to compliance with the
effective maximum permitted heat conductivity of the overall structure for a floating installation on heated screeds. When installing
EGGER Laminate flooring with Silenzio underlay laminated to the back and Comfort flooring, no other insulating underlay must be
installed.
Sub-floors
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