Exploitation of cork flooring
If you follow the all the installation instructions, properly prepare the base when installing and maintain the recommended operating conditions, the Fomentarino products will reliably serve you for a very long time.
To achieve the best result, please stick to the following rules:
- Maintain a stable indoor humidity (45-65%) and temperature (15-35 °C)
- Do not move heavy furniture around the room. When you do, place linings (of soft material) on furniture legs
- Office chairs, must comply with type W according to DIN 681131 (soft castors)
- Use protective PVC mats if your chair does not fit the above standard
- Do not use toxic detergents based on adhesives or solvents
- Use PVC mats, avoid using rubber or latex-based carpets as they can leave stains that are difficult to remove from the cork floors
- For most FOMENTARINO floors, gentle wet cleaning with the use of neutral detergents is recommended
ATTENTION!
The floor surfaces are made from an all-natural material – the bark of the cork oak and therefore differences in shades and colors between materials are to be expected. This can occur due to several reasons:
- Different batches (deliveries) of material.
- Exposure to intense sunlight.
- Differences due to the natural aging of the material.
We ask that you do not carry out any actions to modify and repair the floor surface that are not given in the instructions or other recommendations of the company.
REPAIR AND RENEWAL OF THE CORK FLOORING
After a long time use or in the case of an intensive load on the cork surface, the layer of the varnish surface may begin to wear down. By re-applying the polyurethane varnish in a recommended way, you can effectively restore the product with a fresh layer of varnish.
To do this, you must:
- Thoroughly clean the entire surface of the floor
- Thoroughly and gently sand the entire surface of the floor with the smallest emery paper (No. 220, brown pad), this procedure will remove stains and dirt, even the tone of the floor, and create the necessary adhesion for a new layer of varnish.
- Thoroughly remove the dust that has formed
- Apply two layers of PU varnish using the instructions for the varnish.
If you carry out the procedure for updating the varnish layer regularly, and do not damage the material underneath it, our products will last you a lifetime.
ATTENTION!
To properly perform the procedure described below we highly recommend you use the help of the professional.
CORK FLOORS AND HEATED FLOORS
It is possible to install some floor surfaces on floors with “low-temperature” heating systems, both water and cable types.
This can be done as long as the following conditions are met:
- Underfloor heating systems should be installed in accordance with the instructions of the supplier and generally accepted norms and rules
- For uniform distribution of heat, the thickness of the rough floor above the heating elements should be at least 4 cm, the distance between the heating elements should be more than 30 cm
- Before laying the floor, you must dry the floor base to the full depth. 1.5% humidity is allowed by the SM method for floors from cement mortars and a maximum of 0.3% for anhydrite-based screeds.
- The heating system must be turned on gradually, at least two weeks before laying the floors: bring it up to 50% of the power in two weeks (5% per day) and up to 100% over the following two days. Next, turn off the heating and wait for the base to cool to 18-22 degrees.
After laying the flooring, it is necessary to follow the rules of operation for warm floors:
- The maximum temperature of underfloor heating is 28 degrees.
- Gradual heating and gradual cooling over 5 days.
- – Prepare the base in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the leveling mixtures.
- – Laying cork floors (cork surfaces) must be carried out in accordance with the supplier’s instructions.
ATTENTION!
The use of click-lock (floating) cork floors (on the HDF base) during the heating season, requires a balance of air humidity. Try to avoid sudden changes, the minimum relative humidity at 18-22 C should be about 50-60%.
