Installation Guidance Note: Coral
Entrance Flooring System ProductsGeneralSub-floor Preparation
The appearance, performance and durability of the installed floorcovering will be determined to a large extent
by the quality of the prepared subfloor and the conditions in which they are laid.
The installation of Coral sheet and tile products should be carried out in accordance with BS5325:2001 Code ofpractice for the installation of textile floor coverings. Areas to receive flooring should be clean, free from othertrades, fully enclosed and weather tight. Subfloors should be clean and free of contaminants, smooth, soundand permanently dry.
Particular attention should be paid to the following:•Problems associated with plasticizer migration from PVC materials can lead to dimensional instability incarpet tiles. All subfloors of this type must be removed before installation.

•

It is impossible to ensure that wood block floors are not loose or contain latent defects through aging. It
is therefore strongly recommended that these are removed and that the subfloor is correctly prepared
and, if necessary, a surface damp proof membrane or an asphalt screed applied before installation ofcarpet tiles.

•Raised access flooring panels have a tendency to settle shortly after installation and this should be taken
into account when assessing the appearance of the tile installation fitted onto such flooring systems.
Ridges between uneven raised access floor panels will telegraph through to the finished tile installation.
Uneven or loose floor panels should be levelled or re-fixed before installing Tessera tiles. For Coral Sheet
products, raised access floors should be overlaid with 5.5mm Nominal plywood. Forbo Recommend
SP101 or products of equal specification.

The open time of the adhesive will depend on site conditions and porosity of the base. It is best practice toconduct an adhesive bond test before starting the installation. Bond testing will assist in identifying both theworking 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 moisturebarrier.
Areas to receive flooring shall be adequately lit to allow for proper inspection of the substrate, installation andfor final inspection.
It is essential that the laying area is at a steady temperature of 18 to 27oC for 48 hours prior to, during, and for
24 hours after installation.
Prior to installation, carpet tiles must be allowed to acclimatise in opened boxes for at least 24 hours in theabove conditions. Rolls and cuts of Coral sheet products should be stored horizontally and allowed to acclimatise forat least 24 hours prior to installation. This is particularly important if the tiles have been stored or delivered inconditions of extreme temperature and/or humidity. Where the floorcoverings have been stored or transported

Issue date: April 2018

immediately prior to delivery in temperatures below 10oC the acclimatisation period should be extended to 48hours.
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.
When ordering sheet or tiles, each floor area (plus any spares material) must be specified from the same batch.
The batch number is clearly marked on the packaging and on the reverse side of each carpet tile and must be
checked before commencement of installation.
Rolls and tiles should be checked to ensure that the correct, colour, batch number and quantity have been
received and are in good condition. No claim will be accepted for incorrect colour, pattern or obvious damage if
the product has been fitted.
Any carpet tile can be susceptible to a certain amount of pile distortion when they are taken out of their boxes.
This may result in visual differences in appearance between tiles during, and immediately following, installation.
After fitting and assuming normal prevailing conditions (under dynamic foot movement) this visual differential
will diminish as the pile recovers to its natural position. Recovery will normally take place soon after
installation. However, in some cases it can take up to six weeks for the pile to fully condition and develop a
uniform visual appearance. Pile distortion is not a manufacturing defect,
Underfloor Heating
Coral Textile entrance systems are suitable for use with underfloor heating systems (Tog Values 1 to 1.5). When usedwith underfloor heating systems the temperature at the surface of the subfloor must not exceed 27 0 C.
A separate guidance note “Installation of Forbo Floor Coverings on Underfloor Heating Systems” provides
more information on the conditions for installation in such circumstances.

Installation – sheet products
Coral sheet products should always be fully adhered.
The recommended adhesive for use with Coral is Eurocol 540 Eurosafe Special or 640 Eurostar Special (EC1 – lowVOC)

Use a 1.5mm x 5mm V notched trowel 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 the sheet is fully bonded at the perimeters.
Place the material into wet adhesive, after the appropriate waiting time, and roll or press afterwards with a
68kg roller or carpet glider, rolling or pressing in all directions to ensure a firm bond. It is important to only
spread sufficient adhesive that can be covered within the open time of the adhesive.
Areas that cannot be rolled with the large roller e.g. abutments such as door frames or skirting boards should berolled with a hand roller or pressed into the adhesive with a rubbing hammer.
Always clean away excess adhesive with a damp cloth before it is allowed to dry.

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Issue Date: April 2018

If alternative adhesives are to be used consult with the supplier for usage information, guidance andwarranty.
Coral sheet products should be back rolled to relax the material before installing.

There is an arrow indicating pile direction on the reverse of every backed sheet product. Install sheets witharrows running in the same direction.

For all Coral textile products (except Coral duo) with an Everfort vinyl backing, trim with a straightedges andknife from the back of the sheet. Remove the 2.5cm edge border plus an additional 1cm to provide a suitableedge for butt jointing. Do we have a preferred direction for laying in relation to traffic flow?

10mm

Note: Seams in the main footfall area e.g. in the centre of a doorway should be avoided.

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For Coral duo (Everfort vinyl backing) multiple width application, trim from the top with a straight edge and knife.
Remove the 2.5cm edge border from all edges and any further material as necessary to maintain a continuous rib
design between sheets.
Note: The direction of manufacture of Coral duo is not the traffic direction – ensure the ribs are running at rightangles to the walking direction.

Installation – Coral classic tile
Coral carpet tiles must be adhered using a high grab, all-over tackifier adhesive system; Forbo Eurocol 542
Eurofix Tack Plus is recommended.
The tackifier adhesive must be spread evenly over the entire floor area with particular attention to edges – thiswill ensure any perimeter tile cuts are fully bonded. Failure to fully bond all full tiles and tile cuts may result in
individual tiles shifting and lifting
Where perimeter tiles are not constrained by fixtures e.g. walls, edge strips etc., it is recommended that suchtiles are adhered using a permanent adhesive; Forbo Eurocol 540 Eurosafe Special is recommended.
Adhesives must be applied according to the manufacturer’s instructions and it is essential that tackifieradhesives are allowed to dry to a clear, tacky finish before laying the carpet tile. Failure to do so could result in apermanent non-release bond.
The arrow marks on the reverse of every tile indicate the direction of pile lay. The preference of the specifier as to“broadloom”, “tessellated” or other visual effects must be confirmed before tiles are installed.
Should we just recommend broadloom or Tesselated – what about wheelchair traffic – boroadloom would be better?

When laying tiles in a monolithic format follow the direction of the arrows, which should, where possible, point
towards the main light source.
Note: the term ‘broadloom’ is often used as an alternative description of monolithic. Whichever term is used, it
refers to the installation direction of the carpet tiles. It does not mean that the installation will be viewed as
seamless. Tile edges are most visible in new installations. The quality of Coral carpet tiles’ construction will help
to reduce the visibility of tile edges over time (with traffic and regular vacuuming) however, tile edges may
remain visible during the life of the product in non or low trafficked areas.
Pile trapping – Ensure that each tile butts up to its neighbour as tightly as possible without causing it to peak or“dome” off the subfloor. It is essential that no pile material becomes entrapped between tiles.
Fitting to stair treads and risers
For use on stairs Coral sheet products are recommended. Appropriate stair nosings must be used for everytread. Coral sheet must be bonded securely to the stair tread using a permanent bond adhesive (Forbo Eurocol
540 Eurosafe Special). Fitted to risers the sheet should be permanently bonded using a suitable contact
adhesive. It important that the sheet is fitted to treads with the pile direction (arrows) facing inwards towards
the riser and fitted to risers with the pile direction (arrows) facing downwards towards the tread.

Installation – Coral loose lay mats
Loose lay Coral mats may be used on smooth resilient flooring surfaces either as a temporary solution (in accordancewith HSE guidance) or in areas where a fitted Coral zone is impractical. In any location or use, it is important to checkthat the Coral PVC backed mat is compatible with the existing flooring. For example, vinyl flooring may permanently
discolour due to the effect known as plasticiser migration between the two PVC surfaces.

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In some instances, with compatible very smooth floors, some slippage of the mat may still occur. If this isexperienced, the mat should be secured using PMR (Plasticiser Migration Resistant) double sided tape.
Please note:• The use of Coral mats on top of any type of textile flooring is not recommended due to the high likelihood of
the mat moving on the textile products surface pile with the resultant potential to cause a trip hazard.
• Always ensure that the Coral mat is flat during use (and storage) to avoid edges curl.

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 ofadhesive residues removed from the floor and skirtings.
Note: Upright vacuum cleaners with a mechanically powered brush should be used on all Coral products.
If the floor covering is to be protected from other trades or site traffic prior to project completion, a protection
product should be chosen that is appropriate for the type and level of traffic likely to be experienced.
Note: some protective sheet products with a tacky film in contact with textile floor coverings can leave anadhesive residue when removed. This can be difficult to remove and attract dirt when the floor covering is put
into use. The potential for this effect should be checked with the protection product manufacturer before useand advice on suitability confirmed. Forbo will not accept any claims for soiling problems associated with theuse of such products.
If the optimum performance of any new floor covering is to be achieved, it is important that the correct cleaning
and maintenance procedures are used from day one. Cleaning and maintenance guides for all Forbo Flooring
Coral ranges are available for download at: www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/downloads
Cleaning and maintenance guides should be passed onto the main contractor, client or end user as
appropriate on completion of the installation, and before any hand over clean is started.
Contact us:
Web: www.forbo-flooring.co.uk
Email:info.flooring.uk@forbo.com
Telephone: 0800 0282 162
Fax: 01772 646912

Additional Reference documents/Information
BS5325:2001
The CFA Guide to Contract Flooring (Tel: 01159 411126)

Issue Date: March 20185