Installation Guidance Note:Allura Dryback
General key points• Always acclimatization tiles and planks in their box.
•	There is no requirement to sort through or shuffle tiles or planks around due to a large
product design variation, tiles and planks can be fitted directly to the floor from their box.
• Installation directly from the box into the adhesive.
•	Use a 50 to 70 kg heavy roller to evenly spread out the adhesive within the working time of
the adhesive.

Table of content Allura Dryback Installation guideGeneral Advice
Underfloor heating
Adhesive recommendations and application
Installation
Setting out
Laying tiles or planks
On completion of the installation

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General Advice
The appearance, performance and durability of the installed floorcovering will be determined to a large extent by the quality ofthe prepared subfloor and the conditions in which they are laid. As with any resilient floor covering irregularities in the subfloor
will be apparent in the finished flooring.
The installation of Allura Dryback Tiles & planks 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 water tight. Subfloors should be clean and free of contaminants, smooth, sound, even and permanently dry.
In case of any doubts please contact your local Forbo Flooring technician.
The open time of the adhesive will depend on site conditions and porosity of the base. It is best practice to conduct an adhesivebond 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 any potential bonding problems. Always respect the advised open time of
the adhesive used. Exceeding the open time will result in poor bonding of the material.
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 constant temperature of minimum 18°C for 48 hours prior to, during, and for 24 hours
after installation. The material and adhesive should be conditioned in the same environment for at least 24 hours prior to theinstallation. Where the floorcoverings have been stored or transported immediately prior to delivery in temperatures below 10°C
the acclimatisation period should be extended to 48 hours.
Ensure that all recommendations for substrate and jobsite conditions are met prior to beginning the installation. Beginning theinstallation is an implied acceptance of site conditions by the parties involved and liability for any failure directly related toinadequate site conditions becomes the responsibility of the installer and/or flooring contractor.
Store Allura Dryback tiles and planks in cartons stacked, maximum 5 cartons, and laying flat. Install directly from the box – into
the adhesive and roll with a 50-70 kg roller. There is no need to mix planks or tiles from different boxes as there is a wide design
movement in the product.
Prior to installation tiles 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. 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.
As with all newly installed floor coverings Allura Dryback should be protected from heavy traffic, particularly high point load or
wheeled traffic, for 72 hours and must not be washed for 48 hours after installation.

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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 installationof the Forbo flooring material. The temperature of the substrate must not exceed 18°C during the installation of the flooringmaterial. If necessary, an alternate heating source should be used to maintain the room temperature at a minimum of 18°C priorto, during, and for 72 hours after installation. The temperature of the underfloor heating system can be increased 72 hours
following the installation. When raising the floor temperature, do so gradually so the substrate and flooring material can adapt tothe temperature change together. A rapid temperature change could result in bonding problems.
Adhesive recommendations and application
When installing Allura Dryback tiles & planks a low emission EC1 adhesive is recommended, such as Forbo Eurocol 640. If
alternative products are to be used consult with the supplier for more information, guidance and warranty.
Contact Forbo Flooring Technical Services department for further advice on adhesives and installation in areas liable to be
subjected to abnormal temperature variation in use, for example, retail premises with glazed window fronts, conservatories etc.
Use a 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 trowelnotch is used and maintained.
The adhesive must be spread evenly over the entire floor area with particular attention to edges – this will ensure that the tiles
are fully bonded at the perimeters.
Place the material into the adhesive and roll with a 50-70 kg roller, rolling in all directions to ensure a firm bond. It is important toonly spread sufficient adhesive that can be covered within the open time of the adhesive.
Areas that cannot be rolled with the large roller such as door frames or skirting boards should be rolled with a hand roller orpressed into the adhesive with a hand roller or rubbing hammer
Remove fresh adhesive residue immediately with a clean white damp cloth. Dried adhesive residue can be removed with a clean
white cloth and soapy water.

Installation
For the installation direction of Allura Dryback tile please note the following :• Stone, Concrete and Sand tiles may be laid either in bond (monolithic) or brick pattern.
• Tiles with a linear direction could be installed tessellated.

Tessellated

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Monolithic				

3BrickTiles and planks do not require shuffling prior to installation, the tiles and planks can be directly installed from the box, but dry
laying will identify best use of design. Like the natural material, some designs will vary in tone and colour. This is intentional andgives the floor a more authentic appearance.
Setting out
Forbo planks and tiles are installed using conventional installation
techniques.
The correct starting point for setting out a tiled floor is traditionally thecentre of the area - although this may not be the final starting point
when tile laying begins. Some adjustment of the starting point may berequired, for example, to avoid small perimeter cuts, where the tiles areto be laid with a border.
In corridors and small spaces, it may be simpler to work lengthwise fromone end, using the centre line as a guide.
The centre line is drawn as follows: a chalk line is snapped from centreof wall A-B (=E) to the centre of wall C-D (=F). The centre of line E-F isfound (M). Draw a perpendicular line through M using the 3:4:5 method
to establish G-H (Figure A).
Starting at centre point M, measure out lengthwise and width wise to the walls. Wherever possible, cuts of less than 60mm or soshould be avoided as these are more likely to come loose at some stage in the life of the installation. Adjust the position of lines
E-F and G-H if necessary.
Laying tiles or planks
Begin laying tiles at the starting point, ensuring that the tile is laid exactly along the layout lines. If the first few tiles are notinstalled accurately, the entire installation will be affected.
Note: In a large area, two or more fitters may be placing tiles at the same time. As finger pressure in butting the tiles or planks
together may be slightly different, we suggest to start from a common point and work away from it to avoid tiles or planks goingout of bond.
a. When laying fully adhered tiles or planks the time it takes to mark and cut the border tiles must be taken into consideration
when planning the installation. Without adequate planning, it is likely that the working time of the adhesive in the area of theborder tiles will be exceeded before the tiles are installed, which will result in an inadequate bond of the border tiles. The
successful installation of border tiles is best accomplished by following one of two strategies:a. When laying out tile, determine the edge of a field tile a comfortable distance from each wall and then snap chalk lines aroundthe perimeter of the room. When spreading adhesive, use these lines as a guide to stop spreading adhesive and install the field
tiles up to the adhesive spread lines. Once the field tiles have been installed, the border tiles be “dry” fitted (before spreading
the adhesive). After the border tiles have been cut, adhesive can be applied in the area of the border tiles and the tiles can beplaced into the adhesive.
Plan the sequence of spreading adhesive so that the border tiles can be cut and placed into the adhesive before the adhesive
working time has been exceeded.
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 swept or vacuumed, and any traces ofadhesive residues removed from the floor and skirtings.
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 and the potential for impact, scratching orindentation damage.
In many cases it is customary for the initial floor preparation to be left, or subcontracted, to a professional cleaning andmaintenance contractor who will have the staff and equipment to do the job thoroughly.

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If the optimum performance of any new floor covering is to be achieved, it is important that the correct cleaning andmaintenance procedures are used from day one. Cleaning and maintenance guides for all Forbo Flooring products areavailable for download at: https://www.forbo.com/flooring/en-gl/downloads/luxury-vinyl-tiles/pr7ka9
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.
Use Entrance Systems
As much as 80% of dirt entering a building is brought in by foot traffic. Entrance flooring systems of an appropriate size (ideallymore than 6lm) and quality should be used. Forbo Coral or Nuway entrance flooring systems, are independently proven toremove and retain up to 94% of all dirt and moisture entering a building by foot traffic; reducing maintenance costs andmaximising appearance retention of adjacent flooring products as well as reducing slip risk. As with any dirt removal system all
entrance flooring systems should be regularly cleaned to release the dirt which has been removed.

If in any doubt contact us:
question@forbo.com

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