Installation Guidance Note: Flotex sheet
General Advice
The appearance, performance and durability of the installed floorcovering will be determined to a large extent by thequality of the prepared subfloor and the conditions in which they are laid.
Forbo floor coverings are manufactured for internal use only. The product performance is not guaranteed for use inexternal environments. Flotex Sheet must be glued down. The product performance is only guaranteed if Flotex sheet
is installed in accordance with the recommended instructions.
The installation of Flotex Sheet should be carried out in accordance with the national code of practice for theinstallation of resilient floor coverings if applicable. Areas to receive flooring should be clean, free from other trades,fully enclosed and weather tight. Subfloors should be clean and free of contaminants, smooth, sound and permanently
dry.
The open time of the adhesive will depend on site conditions and porosity of the base. It is best practice to conduct anadhesive bond test before starting the installation. Bond testing will assist in identifying both the working
characteristics of the adhesive (waiting and working time) for the site conditions, and also any potential bonding
problems.
Always conduct moisture tests on all substrates. All ground based level floors should have an effective moisture barrier.
Areas to receive flooring shall be adequately lit to allow for proper inspection of the substrate, installation and for finalinspection.
It is essential that the laying area is at a steady temperature of 18ºC for 48 hours prior to, during, and for 48 hours after
installation. The material and adhesive should be conditioned in the same environment for at least 48 hours prior tothe installation. Where national codes of practice exist, they take precedence over these guidelines.
Ensure that all recommendations for substrate and jobsite conditions are met prior to beginning the installation.
Beginning the installation is an implied acceptance of site conditions by the parties involved and liability for any failure
directly related to inadequate site conditions becomes the responsibility of the installer and/or flooring contractor.

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Rolls should be stored standing up, storing the rolls laying down will result in pile crush.
Prior to installation rolls should be checked to ensure that the correct colour, batch number and quantity have been received andthat the material is in good condition. No claim will be accepted for incorrect colour, pattern or obvious damage if the material has
been fitted.
Use material from the same batch/dye lot and install in roll number sequence. The use of different production batches will always
result in visible shade differences. The batch number is clearly marked on the material packaging and must be checked before
commencement of installation.
Direction of laying
Always pay particular attention to the direction and planning of the sheets to avoid cross seams that coincide with areas of heavy
use or doorways.
Install sheets in the same direction for seaming. Install with arrows all pointing in the same direction, the arrows on the back of thesheet indicate the pile direction.
As with all newly installed floor coverings Flotex sheet should be protected from heavy traffic, particularly high point load wheeledtraffic, for 24 hours and must not be washed for 48 hours after installation.
Underfloor heating
Forbo flooring products may be installed over underfloor heated floors providing the maximum surface temperature of thesubstrate does not exceed 27°C under any condition of use. To enable a secure bond of the adhesive to the substrate, theunderfloor heating system should be turned off, or set to the lowest temperature, for a minimum of 48 hours prior to installation of
the Forbo flooring material. The temperature of the substrate must not exceed 18 °C during the installation of the flooring material.
If necessary, an alternate heating source should be used to maintain the room temperature at a minimum of 18°C prior to, during,and for 72 hours after installation. The temperature of the underfloor heating system can be increased 72 hours following theinstallation. When raising the floor temperature, do so gradually so the substrate and flooring material can adapt to thetemperature change together. A rapid temperature change could result in bonding problems.
Adhesive Recommendations and application
When installing Flotex Sheet a low emission EC1 adhesive is recommended, such as Forbo Eurocol 540 Eurosafe Special or Forbo
Eurocol 640 Eurostar Special. If alternative products are to be used consult with the supplier for more information, guidance andwarranty.
Use the appropriate trowel recommended by the adhesive supplier to apply the adhesive.
Note: Trowels will wear during use, check the trowel both before and during use to ensure that the proper, specified trowel notch
is used and maintained.
Note: The adhesive must be spread evenly over the entire floor area with particular attention to edges – this will ensure that thesheet is fully bonded at the perimeters
Lay the sheet length/s into the adhesive after the required waiting time and within the open time applicable to the adhesive being
used and roll afterwards with a 50-70 kg roller or pressed with a rubbing board or glider within the open time of the adhesive (orafter the appropriate waiting time specified by the adhesive manufacture if applicable), rolling in all directions to ensure a firmbond. It is important to only spread sufficient adhesive that can be covered and rolled/pressed within the open time of theadhesive.
Always clean away excess adhesive with a damp cloth before it is allowed to dry.
Do NOT use bleaching agents or strong solvents as they can be harmful to both people and to your floor.

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Installation
The following instructions are intended to draw the fitter’s attention to current “Best Practice”, and must be followed for therelevant product guarantees to be valid. Installation must be carried out in accordance with the requirements of this guidancealong with local codes of practice where applicable.
Conditioning
Prior to installation, the Flotex rolls must be allowed to acclimatise stored upright in the laying area at a steady temperature of 18
to 27ºC for at least 24 hours. This is particularly important if the rolls have been stored or delivered in conditions of extremetemperature and/or humidity
Pile Direction
To prevent potential problems of deviation of wheeled traffic travelling across the dense pile of Flotex; it is strongly
recommended that Flotex sheet is laid with the pile running lengthways in the main direction of traffic.

Note: When installing Flotex® sheet in corridors, always run arrows lengthwise. Where corridors intersect, it isrecommended that a decorative border be used as a separator to avoid pattern cross match at the intersection.
The arrows on the back of the sheet indicate the pile direction. Lay the sheets edge to edge, following the direction of the arrows,
which should point towards the main light source, NEVER AWAY.
Measure the area to be installed and determine the direction in which the material will be installed and seam placement. Seams
must be a minimum of 15 cm away from any subfloor joints such as day joints, saw cuts, etc.
Cut the rolls to the required lengths, remembering to allow for the pattern repeat. Allow at least 5cm trim at ends.
Collections Flotex Vision, Flotex Designers and Flotex “Created by”: with a pattern repeat larger than 50cm, can be patternmatched by using the black markings on the back side of the roll.

Dry lay the pieces, butting the factory edges for seaming. Make sure that the seam edges come together with a net fit with nofullness or gaps and check the pattern match.
Trim off surplus. Roll the sheets back onto themselves to approximately half their length. Take care that the sheets do not shiftduring handling. Mark the position of the outside edge of the first sheet in pencil on the floor. Apply the adhesive to the line
marking the edge of the first sheet. Feed the first sheet into the wet adhesive (after the appropriate waiting time specified by theadhesive manufacture if applicable) following the pencil mark on the floor.

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Roll the sheet or press into the adhesive with a rubbing board or glider within the open time of the adhesive.
Using a 50-70 kg roller or rubbing board or glider, press the Flotex firmly into the adhesive from the center, towards the edges,
to eliminate air bubbles and ensure good adhesion to the sub-floor. Areas that cannot be rolled with the large roller e.g.
abutments such as door frames or skirting boards should be rolled with a hand roller or pressed into the adhesive with a rubbing
board. Trim off excess floor covering along the walls and skirting boards. If necessary roll or press the flooring into the adhesive
after trimming.lotex 01-2019

Remove fresh adhesive residue immediately with a clean white damp cloth.
Follow the above procedure to lay the opposite half of the first sheet and continue to lay the remaining sheets in the same way,edge to edge with close, joints. Finish off with a rubbing board or glider over the entire floor.
Laying Flotex to a Staircase
Flotex sheet is suitable for use on stairs, following these guidelines:• Nosing should always be used.
• A separate piece of Flotex must be used for each tread and riser.
• Use contact adhesive only for the risers.
• On the tread, the pile should lay (arrows) towards the nose of the step.
• For the riser, the pile should lay (arrows) downwards towards the tread.
Flotex Borders
Edging a room with Flotex Borders
This method may be followed when Flotex Borders is being used to border the edge of a room.
Before laying the Flotex sheet mark a line around the perimeter for the room where the border material will be fitted. Allow for a
1cm – 2cm trim of the width of the Flotex Border in case the walls are not perfectly straight.
Lay the Flotex sheet using the method described above allowing a 1 to 2cm overlap of the line marking the perimeter of the field.
Spreading the adhesive to the same overlap of the line marking the perimeter of the field material.
Roll with a 50-70 kg roller or press with a rubbing board or glider within the open time of the adhesive.
Trim the perimeter of the field material with a straight edge and utility knife parallel to the wall to the previously marked line,
remove the trimmed edge.
Spread the adhesive to the border of the room and lay the border into the adhesive after the appropriate waiting time advised by
the adhesive supplier and roll with a 50-70 kg roller or rubbed with a rubbing board or glider within the open time of the adhesive.
Trim off excess floor covering along the walls and skirting boards. Roll or press the flooring into the adhesive after trimming
paying particular attention to the seams where the filed material and border meet.

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Inlaying Borders
Lay and adhere all the sheets in the room as above.
Measure out the locations for the Flotex borders strips and mark with white chalk.
Place the cutting guide in position and cut out the required flooring, cutting from both sides. Remove the cut piece of floor
covering (see below).

Apply a fresh layer of acrylic adhesive. Lay the Flotex border into the adhesive after the appropriate waiting time specified by theadhesive manufacturer and using a rubbing board press the border firmly into the adhesive (see below).

On completion of the installation
First impressions may have more impact on the client than hours of skilled fitting.
The completed installation should be cleared of scrap material and debris, the floor vacuumed and any traces of adhesive residues
removed from the floor and skirtings.
Note: Upright vacuum cleaners with an electrically powered brush should be used on Flotex sheet.
If the floor covering is to be protected from other trades or site traffic prior to project completion, a protection product should bechosen that is appropriate for the type and level of traffic likely to be experienced.
If the optimum performance of any new floor covering is to be achieved, it is important that the correct cleaning and maintenanceprocedures are used from day one. Cleaning and maintenance guides for all Forbo Flooring Flotex ranges are available for download
at:www.forbo-flooring.com/floorcare
Cleaning and maintenance guides should be passed onto the main contractor, client or end user as appropriate oncompletion of the installation, and before any hand over clean is started.
If in any doubt contact us:
question@forbo.com

Issued October 2022