Installing Pergo Flooring
1. Preparations
- The subfloor must be even to within 3/10 centimeter and clean.
- Pergo can be installed over vinyl, linoleum, wood and ceramic tiles.
- Remove textile carpets and underlay before installing.
- If you have under-floor heating, please speak to your retailer before proceeding.
- On slab/concrete floors (max 75% RH, min 18° C), including those with vinyl or ceramic tiles installed or floors with under heating system:
- Begin (after cleaning to avoid mould) by placing a 0.2 mm polyethylene film with an overlap of 200 mm.
- For timber floors, check that any loose floorboards are securely fixed.
- Expansion gap of minimum 5 mm should be left at walls, thresholds, pipes and other fixed objects.
- An expansion profile must be used in door openings, angled rooms, corners in corridors and if the flooring is longer than 10 meters.
Check that the floor panel is without defects before installing. After 2 packs of installation you will see a representative visual design of the entire floor. Installation of more than 2 packs is considered as an acceptance of the visual design.
2. Installation
Generally, the flooring will look best if it is installed parallel to the length of the room or so that incoming light falls along the length of the planks with a random installation pattern. Check so that the last row will be bigger than 50 mm.
Start the installation in the left-hand corner. Assemble the planks together in the first row so that they form a straight line. Remove the tongue (male) facing the wall. If the starting wall is uneven or you need to balance the plank width, scribe the contour of the wall on the panels in the first row, disassemble and cut.
Check that the distance between the first row and the wall is correct, min 5 mm. After cutting the last plank in the first row, use the off-cut to start the second row. Ensure that the end joints are spaced more than 300 mm apart in consecutive rows.
The planks can be assembled in two ways:
A: Start assembling the planks by locking the long side tongue to the grove of the installed row. Let the plank remain in a raised position, don’t push down to lock the joint yet. The following planks in the row are
assembled by folding the short side tongue into the short side groove of the installed slightly raised plank and gently pushing the plank down to lock.
When the short side is assembled, slide the plank so the long side of the plank is as close as possible to the installed floor. Install all planks in the row before pushing them down to lock the joint. When pushing down the full row, start from one end and continue all the way along the row.
B: Tap the planks together with the tapping block and a hammer. Start tapping at the long side, minimum 300 mm from end joint, from one end to the other. After assembling the long side, tap the short side into place.
To calculate the correct width of the last row, place the plank on top of the last but one row. Mark the distance with a piece of floor. Cut according to the marked line.
3. Maintenance
For normal cleaning, use a vacuum cleaner without the beater bar, and when necessary a damp mop with some mild detergent.
Never use any wet or steam cleaning equipment. Never sand, wax or polish the flooring. Stubborn stains may be removed with acetone.
To help protect laminate flooring, a doormat should be laid inside all external doorways. Use felt pads on furniture legs to prevent scratching.
