Installations

There are three recognized methods to install Suntups wooden flooring. With all three methods moistures in the screeds should be tested dry irrespective if the slab or screeds are new and old. New slabs/screeds could still have moisture in them that is still drying and old slabs/screeds could have rising damp. A moisture barrier between the fill and the slab by the builder is a must.

If your area that you are wanting the wood floor to cover is presently cement or tiles then the ELASTILON^® system is the recommended system to use.

Click on a method below for a full installation description or video

view installation videos here

On Elastilon^®

On Battens

Glue down

Recommended installation system for Suntups Wooden Flooring
Elastilon® systems are patented Worldwide

	Lay polythene (plastic) sheeting to the sub floor with an overlap of 20 to 25 cm.	Install the first row of wooden flooring (always gluing the header joints) along the full length of the room.
	Lay Elastilon® on top of the sheeting with the adhesive layer and protec- tive foil facing upwards. Obviously these must not overlap.	Place spacers with a minimum thickness of 20 mm along the edges of the floor (see introduction to installation instructions).
	Peel back a length of protective foil equivalent to the width of two strips of flooring.	Partially pull back the extra piece of overlapping protective foil under the first row (not farther than the edge of the installed flooring).
	Fold an extra piece of protective foil* (from a previous installation) in half lengthwise (or cut off the equivalent of two board widths of Elastilon® foam to create a ‘flap’ of the protective foil).	Drive or press the second row of flooring seamlessly into the first and then pull the extra piece of protective foil back farther. >From this point you will begin working with the “actual” protective foil on the Elastilon®.
	Carefully place the extra piece of folded protective foil on the exposed adhesive layer with the fold along the edge farthest from you (near the wall).*	As the piece of protective foil that is folded back becomes longer, you can install multiple rows of flooring before pulling back the protective foil. (Do not install more than 3 or 4 rows at a time).

* When no extra piece of protected foil is available and the extra Elastilon® foam is cut off as indicated, this extra material can be used at a later part of the installation or on future installation by simply smoothing a piece of protective layer over the exposed adhesive.
For further explanation watch the instruction videos

On Battens - using the Porta-Nail system

The traditional method used for wooden floor installation. This means that the floor level is raised by the thickness of the batten plus the flooring. This is the original method used for solid strip floor installations and has proven itself over many years. In new homes that have planned a wooden floor the screed levels can be planned so all floor surfaces land up flush with each other.

All ground level installations are first sealed off using SABS plastic moisture barrier, the battens are then laid fixed to the screeds, some installers may even lay a second SABS moisture barrier is draped over the battens. The flooring is then nailed onto the batten (the best method for the tightest floor is the American Porta-Nail System). If the Porta-Nail system is not used then proper flooring nails should be used (upstairs area’s are normally not laid with moisture barriers as there is no chance of any ground moisture rising up into the slab).

Click on the images on the left for further technical information

Glue down – Using Sika^® (or similar) elasticised adhesive

SikaBond T52 is a 1-component, solvent free, elastic adhesive and installation can be either with the Cordon System or Full Bonded System. Sika 156 paint on epoxy moisture barrier must be used with these systems on ground level.

Full bonded method

If the area that you are wanting the wood floor to cover is presently cement or tiles, then the ELASTILON^® system is the recommended installation method to use.