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Installation and maintainence
Laying
When transporting and unwinding rolls of flooring special care should be taken to prevent the floor covering from folding. Prior to cutting the flooring, it should be unwound and left lying flat for 1-2 hours (if the room temperature is below 15°C, the covering's "resting" should last for up to 24 hours). When the flooring has appropriate temperature it is more flexible and easier to install.
Joining
If two or more sheets have to be joined, it is recommended that the joints run parallel to walls with windows and not through door openings. This will help make joints less visible and protect them from mechanical damage. All the cavities in the room should be covered with one sheet. Joining should be started along the longest side of the room, leaving an excess 2-5 cm strip at each wall. Larger foldings should be trimmed using a knife (hang-type knife is recommended).
Joining patterns
When two or more sheets are used, the installation should begin with laying the largest sheet along the longest side of the room (folding the excess along the walls). The second sheet should be laid so that a strip of several centimeters (depending on the pattern) overlays the first sheet and patterns on both sheets match. The second sheet should then be trimmed to the wall (see: trimming). To finish a metal or wood strip should be laid along the line where the joint is anticipated (it is best if the joint runs along a floor pattern, such as edge of a plank or tiles). Press the strip tightly against the floor and cut through the two layers of covering simultaneously. Care should be taken to cut slowly along the strip. When cutting thick flooring sheets (for example Magma or Walor), portions of the bottom layer might not be completely cut, necessitating a repeat cut. A hang-type knife is recommended.
Trimming
Sheets that are laid and cut into place should not be moved. To prevent shifting use weights such as sandbags. Once the sheets are weighted down, you can go on to trimming the foldings by the walls. Note: The covering should be trimmed gradually and carefully, each time getting a little closer to the fit. An edge that is not trimmed enough can always be improved, unlike a sheet that was shaved too much. If the room was previously fitted with PVC covering, old sheets can be used as a trimming pattern for the new covering. First, press the flooring sheet into the corner of the room. Make a vertical cut in the folding, as shown in the picture. Next, bend down slit parts of the folding and fit them to the wall. When the inner corner of the folded flooring fits the corner of the room, cut out an angle at each side of the slit. Finally, using a piece of padded wood, for example with felt, or by hand, press the flooring sheet against the joint between the wall and the floor. This should form a fold that marks the line along which the folding will be cut. If possible, the knife should be driven perpendicularly 3 - 10 mm away from the wall. The slit which will form will be necessary to allow for thermal expansion of the flooring, and will be covered with a board or molding.
Trimming of corner foldings
Press floor covering sheet with your hand or a padded piece of wood against the edge joining the floor and the wall. Cut the material along the wall's edge. After placing the remaining piece of the sheet loosely on the floor, proceed as with trimming the floor covering to the wall.
Fitting flooring to wall cavities
When fitting covering to a floor with cavities, such as for radiators, the folding along the wall must be increased by the cavity's width. In the first stage the sheet should not rest against the wall, but rather lie upside-down. Cut the flooring sheet at the edge of the cavity, moving from the wall in the outward direction. Fit the formed rectangle into the cavity. Afterwards, follow previous instructions. Similar method should be used when fitting the flooring to all fixed elements of the room (central heating pipes, pillars etc.). Press the sheet against the element's floor edge and make closely spaced cuts almost to the floor level. Still pressing the flooring, cut the sheet 1- 2 mm away from the element.
Cutting along the walls
When the flooring sheet has already been fitted to the corners and irregular sections of the room, you may start cutting along the walls. This should be done as previously described, with a knife and a padded piece of wood. If you notice irregularities caused by air bubbles under the flooring, try to eliminate them by sweeping a soft brush across the surface. If the flooring sheet is wavy, it is a sign that it has been trimmed too closely to the wall in some place; this should be corrected.
Gluing
In order to preserve high quality of the floor finish and ensure long lifespan of the sheets, the floor covering should be evenly glued to the base.
In small rooms, such as bathrooms and toilets, it is best to lift previously fitted floor finish and apply the glue with a serrated putty spatula. Once the glue dries off according to manufacturer's instructions the flooring should be spread on the floor, starting with the longest edge, while checking if it fits around other walls and fixed elements.
In large rooms the gluing must be performed in stages, especially when joining together two flooring sheets. To accomplish this, the neighboring sheets should be weighted down with sandbags to prevent shifting. Next, turn sheet halves upside down to uncover about half the room. Coat the turned part of the flooring with glue, using a serrated putty spatula (following glue manufacturer's instructions).
The glue coating should be smooth, without any bulges. Try to coat the entire surface. Depending on the temperature and the type of glue, wait 10 - 20 minutes, then fit the coated halves back in place. Press the flooring evenly against the floor, moving from the center outwards, then along the joints between the sheets, and finally along the edges.
Remove the weights and start gluing the remaining part of the flooring in the analogous fashion. If glue oozes out from the joints between the sheets, it should be removed immediately with a piece of wet cloth.
The room can be used after the period indicated by the glue manufacturer.
Welding
Welding of the flooring sheets improves the usability of the floor finish, protects it from soiling and splitting, ensures hermetic joints, and improves aesthetic appeal. Also, welding is becoming ever more popular to create effective mosaics from different sheet colors, using technique known as inlaid work.
Flooring can be welded using two methods: hot or cold welding.
Hot welding
Hot welding is a very simple and effective method, however, it requires equipment which is relatively expensive. The sheets to be joined should be cut with a special knife to make a V-shaped groove.
Next, the welding machine should be heated up (in appearance and function it is much like a paint singe machine). Using melted PVC welding cord, the nozzle of the welding machine should be moved along the groove, applying slight pressure. The appropriate welding temperature should be determined by experimenting on a scrap piece of flooring sheet. After the weld cools, any protrusions of the cord should be shaved with a special knife.
Note: It is recommended that the flooring sheets be welded only after the glue dries off.
Cold welding
This method is even simpler than hot welding and is easier to apply in domestic conditions. It requires only an adequate glue for cold welding. To obtain an invisible joint apply adhesive tape (1 - 2 cm wide) over the joint. Next, a cut should be made by driving the knife inside the slot.
Once the surface is prepared as mentioned above the nozzle of the glue tube should be inserted into the slot so that it reaches the floor's base. The nozzle should be moved slowly along the slot, while glue is squeezed out of the tube. Excess glue will remain on the tape. After about 10 minutes the tape may be removed. In 2 - 3 hours the joint is strong enough to allow for the placement of furniture.
Note:
Once the floor finish is installed, rooms should be aired until vapor odor disappears.
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CLEANING UP
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Floors covered with vinyl flooring produced by TOPFLEX are easy to keep unsoiled. They should be cleaned with mops dipped in lukewarm water with a delicate detergent. They can also be cleaned with cleaning and polishing substances. In order to remove stains which do not come out with water, use the following :
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