Technical specifications - Magnum

1.    Base and Atmosphere

Floor components Magnum are designed to be laid in a floating manner or to be glued in the whole area. They are to be used in flats and in public areas with the corresponding operation if suitable conditions for use are secured (suitable conditions of interior climate, prevention of bringing dirt in shoes, etc.). Manufacturer's professional staff will be happy to provide information and consultation concerning detailed conditions for the use of the floors. Guarantee cannot be asserted in case the floor is damaged by use or by unsuitable atmospheric conditions.

Atmosphere
Floor components Magnum are manufactured using the latest technologies; their humidity is regulated in the production process in such a way so that the final product is stable and free of deformations under commonconditions of healthy living.

Expected atmospheric conditions:

Air temperature - 21°C is optimal, temperature fluctuations are expected in the range which is common in living areas - i.e. from17°C to 28°C in the short run. In case of a heating failure during coldweather or in case of other long-term changes of conditions, the floormay be damaged irreversibly.

Relative air humidity -  45 - 60 %. Longer influence of dryer orwetter air causes deformations of floorcomponents or other defects.

Base
The base for floor components Magnum must be solid, hard, dry and even. The base must correspond to the ČSN 74 4505 standard. Humidity of the base concrete must not exceed 2.5%, and 0.5% for anhydrite bases, determined using theweightmethod. Base evenness must not beworse than 2mm/ 2m(hollowsize between 2 elevated places, measured by a two-metre-long even lath).

For instance, cement or anhydrite screeds, screeds of mastic asphalt or wood-based boards are considered suitable bases in case they meet requirements of the standard for the base. If laid in the floating manner, old PVCmay also be used as well as linoleum and tiles. However, in such cases, the bases must be checked by a specialist before the floor components are laid in order to find out whether the bases comply with requirements for cohesiveness and other necessary parameters, besides the requirements of the standard.

In case unevenness is discovered, it must be levelled out, using a suitable spatula substance which is to be connected with the base firmly. It is necessary to observe technological procedures and time-limits stipulated by the spatula manufacturer. It is not permitted to level out unevenness by means of other materials (paper, cardboard, underlays under floating floors, etc.). I

t is not permitted to lay floor components directly on the grillage base (including cases when compacted insulations are used against impact sound). These components are not carrying components and they do not have a static effect. In case of a dry ceiling construction, base deflections must be prevented before the floorcomponents are laid.

Warning for Floor Heating: Wood is a natural material, warm to touch, and it is also an excellent heat isolator. Therefore, its use for floor heating is only recommended in justified cases. Temperature for the medium to be used for hot-water heating must not exceed 40 ºC and surface temperature must not exceed 27 ºC. Minimum thickness of the concrete layer or spattle coating above floor heating is 25 mm. It is recommended to use underlays for floor heating. Common types of electric floor heating are not suitable to be used for wooden floor covering because they do not secure even distribution of humidity and temperature.

In viewof the natural properties ofwood, shape and dimension deformationsmay occur if the floor covering is used above floor heating without any humidity regulation.

Parquet floor MAGNUM may be laid on hot-water floor heating; however, this increases the risk of volume changes of installed floor components. The following are unsuitable types of wood to be laid over floor heating: beech, hornbeam,maple, tigerwood, Jatoba, steamed false-acacia and patterns covering the whole area (LHD).

2. Tools and Aids

We recommend using the following tools and aids in order to lay the floor in a floating manner: 

- El. direct sawor circular saw(or a manual saw)
- An instrument to force the parquets in (at least 300mmlong)*
- hammer (approx. 800 g)
- A rule and a set square
- A pencil
- A wedge
- Wedges to secure expansion joints
- A drilling machine and other manual tools, if needed
- A hydrometer to find out atmospheric conditions **

In order to finish the floor by means of plinth and transitional bars, the following tools are needed, too: a miter saw, iron saw, hammer drill, cement, etc.

* It is possible to use a prismmadeofwood or nylon or a specialmetal instrument. It must always be adjusted so as to prevent damaging of floorcomponents by the bruising of feathers, scratching, etc.

** It is not necessary in case the place and base are received and approved by a specialized company.

In order to facilitate assembly and improve utility properties of the floor, joint impregnation MagLock Gel may be used. If the MagLock Gel is used, the directions for its use must becomplied with.

3. Before Assembly

If laid on mineral bases (concrete), humidity insulation must always be applied - a polyethylene foil of at least 0.2 mm. Foil edges must be overlapped by 200mmas minimum and pasted over with awater-proof strip along the whole length of the joint. Apply insulation against impact sound of 2-3 mm, e.g. from foam polyethylene, over the PE foil. The principle of the floating manner of laying the floor components is to permit dimension changes of the floor covering and, therefore, a dilatation gap of 10mmas minimum must be observed around walls and all firmly set objects (pipes, thresholds, stairs, columns, door frames, etc.). In larger rooms, maintain a dilatation gap of 1.5 mm per each meter of the floor width. This gap must be maintained throughout the entire perimeter of the floor. If floor width exceeds 10 m, it must be divided by means of an expansion joint and covered by a suitable bar. Measure the floor; if the last line of the boards results narrower than 70mm,cut the first line, too. Place the floor components longitudinally to the direction of light impact. The dilatations must be designed taking into account future load of the floor (furniture, built-inwardrobes, pianos, etc.).

Handle the parquet packages with care to prevent their damage. Before unpacking, let the parquets settle down at the laying place for 48 hours as minimum and at a temperature of 18°C and at relative humidity of  45 - 60%. Wooden floors MAGNUM have surface treatment completed by varnish or oil. They are laid in the floating manner; this means that the boards are mutually connected to the feather and the groove by glue or without glue if the MagLock systemis used, but they are not fixed to the base.

Or the whole area of the floor may be glued to the base using suitable glue. Only water-free and alcohol-free glues may be used. PU-glues and elastic glues are recommended. Observe instructions provided by the glue manufacturer while gluing the floor. Contact your supplier for further information.

Before and during the laying, check each component, preferably during daylight. Cast out damaged components or components differing in colour. The person making the installation is responsible for securing that defective parquets will not be used.Aguarantee claim cannot be asserted for defectivecomponents that have been laid.

4. Work Process

MAGLOCK

1. Start in one corner of the roomand lay the floorcomponents fromthe left to the right so that both the transversal and the longitudinal feather of the joint are directed at thewall. (Fig. 1)

2. Lay another parquet, angled against the first one, and lay it directly on the floor. Proceed like this until the end of the first row. (Fig. 2) Cut the last parquet in the first rowto the necessary length and do not forget expansion joints. Transverse joints must have interferences of at least 60cm(Fig. 3).

3. Lay the board angled to the previous parquet. Push it forwards and lay it on the floor at the same time (Fig. 4).

4. Slide thewedge in (Fig. 16) under the last board thatwas installed by its shorter end. (Fig. 5) Put the shorter end of the newboard in an angle and lay the board (Fig. 6).

5. Through a stop, tap the longer end carefully until it fits into the joint entirely (Fig. 7).

6. Place the board gently downto the lower floor until it is levelled horizontally. Hint:Move the tapping block along the long joint and the board will fit in easily. (Fig. 8)

7. Having laid three parquet rows, it is necessary to secure distance between the extreme parquets and thewall by means ofwedges - in order to maintain the expansion joint. (Fig. 9)

8. If the wall is uneven, the boards must be cut first in order to correspond to the shape of the wall. Observe the shape of the wall according to the boards laid. Release the boards first by grasping them from the longer side and pulling them upwards while tapping the joint gently. Cut as needed. (Fig. 10)

9. Lay adjusted boards again fromthe left to the right. Lay the first board and make sure that the next board will fit in the groove on the shorter side. Tap the shorter sides by means of the stop. Proceed like this for all the other boards in row. Do not forget to place distancewedges between the floor and thewalls (Fig. 11).

10. Cut the last rowof the boards to the necessary width. Drill holes in places where heating pipes are to go through. The diameter of the hole should be 20mmbigger than the diameter of the pipe. Cut as shown in the picture and glue the piece cut to the original place of the board. Use awooden rosetta as a cover. (Fig. 12)

11. In case door lining must be cut, too, secure the correct height using a piece of a board. If you need to tap the board longitudinally, protect its joint by means of a cutting from the shorter side of the board. (Fig. 13)

12. The end row, including the last board, is cut to the correct width. Lay the last board next to the previous one with a distance of approximately 5mmfromthe wall. Mark the board by means of a cutting or a Tsquare. Lay the piece cut. Proceed to assemble plinth and transitional bars.Remember to maintain the expansion joint and allowfor somemovement of the floor (Fig. 14).

13. In case circumstances prevent you fromfitting in another floor component angled, remove 2/3 of the section fromthe groove. Then apply dispersion glue forwooden floors and fit the component horizontally to its position (Fig. 15).

MAGNUM floors - MagLock can be easily dismounted and this permits easier replacement of damaged components during use. Floor should always be laid as the last constructional adjustment before mounting door frames, both in newbuildings and during reconstructions.

Glued Joint

Instructions in clauses 2, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are identical to the Maglock assembly.

1. Start in one corner of the roomand lay the floorcomponents fromthe left to the right so that both the transversal and the longitudinal feather of the joint are directed at thewall. (Fig. 1)

3. Apply the glue designed by the manufacturer for wooden floors throughout the whole length of the upper side of the groove so that the glue is slightly pressed over the surface after the components are pressed together.

4. Press the parquets together with caution to prevent them frombeing damaged, using a hammer of approximately 800 g, through a panel of a length of 300mmas minimum.

Instructions to Lay FloorComponents above Floor Heating

Wood responds to climatic impacts by fluctuating dimensions and, therefore, small gaps may occur. Thermal resistance of three-layer parquet MAGNUM: R = 0.14m2K W-1. Maximum humidity of the base on the laying day: 1.8%of the cement finish as maximum and not more than 0.3% for the anhydrite base, when determined using theweightmethod. Before the floor is laid, you must issue a due report containing gradual temperatures, maximum temperatures achieved, operating conditions and outside temperature upon handover in case of both new and old base (based on DIN EN 1264 and DIN 4725). Base concretes before starting the heating mode must be at least 29 days old, under favourable climatic conditions. The starting temperature must be increased by 5°C daily during the warming-up until full heating performance is achieved. This temperature must persist for at least one day per 1 cm of thickness of heated screeds, without any night decline. Every day in addition is useful for humidity evaporation. Subsequently, reduce temperature daily by 5°C to reach 18°C - 20°C. Leave the heating switched off for the subsequent 7 days. From then on, increase the temperature gradually during 4 days to reach 45°C. After the temperature is reached, switch the heating off. Air the room continuously during this period and prevent draft of air. Having complied with these measures and having checked base humidity, the parquetsmay be laid. Temperature of screed surface on the laying day: approximately 15°C - 18°C and relative air humidity: 45 - 60%.

Howto Lay Floor above Floor Heating

In a floating manner - while laying the floor in a floating manner, you always have to lay a vapour barrier made of PE foil of 0.2 mm thickness and suitable impact insulation. In this case you must count with overall resistance of heat permeability as thesumtotal of each layer resistance.

By gluing parquets to the base - while laying the parquets you must use such glue which is designated to be suitable for floor heating by the manufacturer. Switch the heating on 4 days after the laying.

Switch the heating on 4 days after the laying.

a) In case there are several floor heating circuits in the room, separated fromeach other by expansion joints, you must admit the joints for parquets laid in the whole area on the surface of the parquets; in case of laying in the floating manner, heating must take place evenly for all circuits at the same time.

b) Upon the first putting into operation aswell as at the beginning of the heating season, the floor must bewarmed up gradually.

c) The surface temperature of the floor must not exceed 27°C in any part of the room. d) In order to maintain floor stability, maintain ambient temperature at 18 - 23°C and relative air humidity at 45-60 %.

5. Use and Maintenance

Three-layer parquetsMAGNUM are made of natural materials. The wood of three-layer parquetsMAGNUM changes its colour in the course of time. This phenomenon is common for wood. These properties of thewood (colour changes as a result of sun radiation, volume changes due to climatic conditions) are not subject to guarantee claims.

Protect the floor at the entrance door by means of amat or a cleaning zone before and after the door to the interior. This will prevent transmission of dirt, sand, gravel and humidity and protect theMAGNUMfloor and increase its service life. Cover furniture legs by felt pads that will prevent occurrence of unwanted scratches on the floor. Provide roller chairs and movable pieces of furniture with soft casters. Install plastic mats and backplates under movable office furniture in order to eliminate increased pressure on the floor. In order to maintain the floor stable during the heating season we recommend installing water evaporators on the heating or electric humidifiers.

Howto Handle and MaintainVarnished Floors

It is very easy to keep theMAGNUMfloor clean. Use a gentle broomforcommondaily cleaning or a vacuum cleaner with a parquet attachment. If needed, wipe the floor off by a gently moistenedmopor a piece of cloth. Having wiped off the floor,water must not remain laying on the floor. Use only recommended cleaning agents forwooden floating floors and always followtheir instructions for use. It is not recommended to use steamcleaners and cleaning machines.

Warning

Cleaning agents containing detergents letwater soak through otherwise inaccessible places. Do not use dish detergents.

Somehousehold cleaning agents (e.g. agents to remove furring) are aggressive solvents and even their short application (a drop on the floor)may cause irreversible damage to the floor surface.

Wipe off spilt liquids immediately. Do not use acids and solvents or detergent and powdered cleaning agents to clean the floor. TheMAGNUMfloors are protected by means of a very resistant varnish. Thanks to a strong stepping layer, parquetsmay be re-sanded and re-varnished, if needed. Always remove stains using a recommended cleaning agent.

A fewhints for stains

Asphalt, oil, soot, grease, etc. --> tech. gasoline
Indian ink, lipstick --> turpentine andwater 1:1
Chewing gum, etc. --> Freeze and scrape off with caution

Proceed with care and caution while using these cleaning agents because when used in higher concentrations or for a longer time they might cause damage.

Howto Handle and Maintain Oiled Floors

Regular care of oiled floors will provide for easier maintenance of the whole floor and it will increase its service life and resistance towear and tear.

The MAGNUM parquets are pre-treated with natural oil and in this condition they are ready to be laid and used in flats. Having finished installation, we recommend re-oiling the floor or treating the floor with the corresponding treating agents.

Daily cleaning is to be done by means of sweeping using a soft broom or by vacuum-cleaning using the vacuum-cleaner. In order to maintain oiled parquets, add a cleaning agent for oiled surfaces towater in the recommended quantity. By using a special cleaning agent a protective film will be created on the surface of the parquets; this film increases resistance of the floor to wear and tear. Use only cleaning agents for oiledwooden floors and always followtheir instructions for use.

Important warning

Always wipe oiled floor off withwater mixed with an agent in such a proportion as stated by the manufacturer of the agent.

Depending on how the oiled wooden floor is used and in order to maintain high quality of surface treatment, we recommend re-oiling in flats once a year and in commercial areas once in 6 months as minimum, depending on howthe floor is used.

MAGNUM Parket, a.s., as the manufacturer, is not liable for any problems or defects that may arise out of non-professional preparation of the base, installation itself of the floor, exposure of the floor to unsuitable climatic conditions or unsuitable maintenance.

A guarantee claim cannot be asserted for defectivecomponents orcomponents with a differing colour that have been laid.

In critical caseswe recommend obtaining sufficient information on the specific needs of your construction before laying the floor. Should you have any further questions, please contact your selling agent.