Professional Wood Flooring Installation & Restoration Contractors in Wolverhampton

Prior to installing a resilient or textile floorcovering, it is essential to ensure that the subfloor incorporates an effective damp proof membrane, in accordance with British Standards BS 8203 and BS 5325, respectively. Moisture testing is performed by measuring the Relative Humidity (RH) level within a subfloor. Where the relative humidity (RH) is above 75%, the installation should not proceed as the excess moisture in the floor can result in blistering of the floorcovering or complete failure of the flooring installation. This may result in expensive and lengthy remedial work, including the possibility of an expensive rip out, to allow the subfloor to dry naturally or apply an appropriate waterproof surface treatment. By testing the subfloor for moisture at the outset, this can be avoided and moisture can be effectively dealt with prior to the installation of floor coverings.

In general the answer is yes, although there are some instances where priming is not necessary as explained below. Priming of absorbent floors reduces the absorbency. This will increase the open time of the adhesive thus reducing the possibility of late placing. In addition, it will reduce the possibility of pin holing that can occur when smoothing underlayment is applied. Priming of non absorbent subfloors with a suitable primer such as undiluted Stopgap P131 will act as an adhesive promoter for the smoothing underlayment. Priming is not generally necessary when applying reactive adhesives such as polyurethane of epoxy systems.

Adhesive manufacturers spend a great deal of time developing adhesives for installing specific floor coverings. It is essential that the correct amount of adhesive is applied and the method of application is normally the V notched trowel. If the notches are worn, the amount of adhesive applied is reduced and the open time of the adhesive is also reduced. The combination of these two factors makes it more likely to have a flooring failure, and the financial consequences can be horrendous.