Wooden Floors

WOODEN FLOORS 1
WOOD
LAYING AND REPAIRING
y-
WOOD
WOODEN FLOORS 1
THE WOOD INDUSTRY

ADVISORY COUNCIL
(TRBRANCHENS
OPLYSNINGSRD)
CONTENTS
Floor types.....................................
Flooring materials ........................
Substrates .................................... 11
Fasteners and adhesives............. 17
Wood and moisture ........................ 22
Requirements related to moisture 26
Floor heating .................................. 31
Wet rooms ...................................... 36
Acoustics ....................................... 38
Joints ............................................ 40
Laying instructions ......................... 43
Renovation ................................... 70
Damages and repairs ..................... 72
Appendix ........................................ 75
Wooden floors and
BR requirements............................. 82
Terminology ................................... 83
Literature ...................................... 85
Subject index ................................. 86
PREFACE
It is the aim of this handbook to show tested
methods for the laying of wooden floors and
to sum up such design assumptions that are
required in order to construct wooden floors
correctly. The choise of wooden floors as
well as maintenance are described in
WOOD 47, Wooden Floors 2 .
Both handbooks build on practical
experience and take into consideration such
conditions that are applicable to
construction work and to wood as a building
material.
The exposure to moisture during
construction and the inappropriate
moistening of the wooden floor during use
may cause undesired danmages because not
all materials and not all workmanship are
compatible with wooden materials. Most
building materials expand and contract
when temperature changes, whereas wood
expands and contracst with changing
humidity.
It is important to take into consideration
the particular relation between wood and
humidity both when laying and when
maintaining wooden floors. The floors must
be able to contract and expand independently
from other building components. Also
wooden floor should be laid as late as
possible in the building process in order to
secure that the indoor climate is sufficiently
dry. In relation to moisture and exposure to
moisture it is important to treat wooden
floors exactly as one one treat fixed
furniture and furniture
In spite of different construction

principles wooden floors are a natural
product with the variations in the material
which characterizes wood.
The quality of the wooden floor therefore
highly depends on proper grading of wood
and on wood quality as well as the
subsequent workmanship and maintenance.
There may be variations in the surface
structure of the wood, in the colour, in the
grain pattern and in the density.
It is such variations which, within certain
limits, add the life and glow characteristic
to natural materials.
As wood adjusts to the variations in air
humidity during the seasons of the year
there will be natural variations in the widths
of the boards and therefore in the widths of
the joints. Normally, the joints are closed
during the summer and open open during the
winter.
This handbook primarily addresses
consultants and craftsmen within the
building industry, but has been so planned
that it may be used by clients, real estate
administators do-it-yourself people and as a
lecturing aid in building design.
In order to achive the widest possible
professional approach the handbook has
been elaborated in conjunction with floor
material suppliers and trade associations
who have most willingly contributed with
professional knowledge and practical
experience.
Advisory Council for the Wood Industry

(Trsbranchens Oplysningsrd)
June 2004
Bjarne Lund Johansen
Battens
(chocked up)
FLOOR TYPES
Wooden floors are floors made of
planks,strips, blocks or laminated
materials with a wooden core. Wooden
floors may be divided into two main
groups defined by the construction
principle:
Suspended floors include:
Floors on battens (blocked up)
Floors on joists
Non-suspended floor include:
Floating floors
Glued floors
Nailed floors
Floor on battens
Structural joists
Suspended floors
Suspended floors are floors resting upon
a linear support of joists or battens. The
load on the floor is transferred through
the boards and accepted by the underlaying battens or joists, see figure 1.
Floors on battens
Battens are chocked up on an underlaying structural floor made of such
materials as concrete, clinker concrete
or wood in order to establish a level
surface for the wooden floor
Floors on joists
Structural joists are the basic parts of
a wooden floor partition on top of
basements, crawl spaces and storey
partitions. Suspended wooden floors may
be constucted from planks or long stave
strip flooring. The planks may be
traditional solid flooring boards or they
may be laminated parquet flooring.
Long staves are extraordinarily long
parquet staves. Floors on joists and
battens offer ample opportunities for the
placing of sound and heat insulating
materials in the cavity under the
floor.The cavity may also be used for
the running of
heating and electrical installations.
FLOOR TYPES
Floor on joists
Figure 1 Suspended floors on battens and on
structural joists
Non-suspended floors
Non-suspended wooden floors are
supported throughout the floor surface
by a structural sub floor made of for
example concrete of from wooden
boards
Floating floors
Floating floors can move freely (in
relation to the sub floor) when the wood
expands and contracts with moisture
variations (figure 2)..
It is common practice to introduce an
additional layer between the wooden
floor and the sub floor in order to secure
the free movement of the floor. This
layer may be made of materials
contributing to thermal or sound
insulation (cork, foam or the like).
Additional layer
Glu e
Floor fixed with glue

on concrete slab
structural floor
Floating floor - on
top of additional
layer (here cork)
Glue
Moisture barrier
Structutal floor
Additional layer
wooden board
material
Floating floor on
additional layer
made from wooden
board material
Floor fixed with glue

on structural floor
made of wood
Undgulv
Additional
layer
Structural floor
Floating floor on
structural floor
made of wooden
board material
Figure 2 Nonsu spended floors - floating
Floating floors may be laid on top of a

load distributing board or directly on top
of the intermediate layer.
Figure 3 Non-suspended floors glued/nailed
Glued and nailed floors

Glued and nailed wooden floors are
always fixed firmly on top of a plane and
stable structural floor and supported
throughout the entire surface, see figure 3.
The structural floor can be made of
concrete, light weight concrete or a
wooden based sub floor or even a
floating floor - for example made of
glue joined boards.
On structural wooden joists it will be
possible to use the sub floor as a work
floor during the construction period.
The underlay floor could also be an
existing floor where a renovation is
desired laying a new floor on top of
the existing.
FLOOR MATRIALS
Floor construction - terminology

The uppermost independent layer of the
floor, i.e. the floor covering constitutes
the finished floor surface. The floor
covering can be made of planks, parquet
staves, PVC or linoleum. Applied finishes
such as varnish or other surface
treatments are not considered as
independent floor covers.
Structural floors are placed under the
floor cover but above the structural
joists. The structural floor must
constitute a continuous surface making
it suitable for example as a work floor
and as underlay for a thin floor cover.
The structural floor can be made of
wooden boarding laid on pressure
resistant insulation, or laid on
battens,structural joists, or on a
concrete screed.
Notice that thin insulation layers like
cork based cardboard etc. are
additional layers and not regarded as
structural floors.
The function of the structural floor
construction is primarily to accept and
transfer loads. The structural floor
construction could be wooden joists,
concrete slabs etc. See figure 4
.
Floor cover
Additional layer
Structural floor
Structural joists
Figur 4 Floor construction terminology
Structural joists +
Structural floor =
structural floor
construction
Table 1: An overview of different flooring mater ials and their application in different floor
constructions. The highlighted areas indicate that the product can be used for the said purpose.
The text indicates limitations.
Foor types
Suspended floors
Floors on floor battens
or on floor joists
Floor materials
Floor
boards
Strip
flooring
Minimum
thickness
20 mm
Long stave Minimum

strip
20 mm
flooring
thickness
minimum
20 mm
thickness
Only on
Only
floating sub- clip
floor
system
Non-suspended floors
Floating floors
Nailed floors
Glued floors
Parquet
flooring
boards
Minimum
12 mm
thick
hidden
nailing
Minimum
12 mm
thick
hidden
nailing
Short staves
Mosaic
parquet
Laminated Laminate, Blocks

parquet
melamine,
flooring
veneer
Minimum
thickness
22 mm
Only on
floating
subfloor
Only on
floating
subfloor
Minimum
12 mm
thick
hidden
nailing
Minimum
12 mm
thick
hidden
nailing
Ask
supplier*
* Only in widths as specified by the supplier.
6 FLOOR TYPES
Floor materials
Floor boards
Floor boards are solid boards primarily
produced from softwoods such as pine,
spruce, douglas or pitch pine. Hardwoods are
used to a lesser extend for example oak or
merbau.
Floor boards are planed, tongued and
grooved boards, normally produced in
widths ranging from 75 to 180 mm and in
thicknesses from 14 to 30 mm.
It is possible to place special orders for
thicknesses up to 40 mm and widths up to
450. The length is normally between 1.8
and 5.4 m. In case boards are ordered as
random length it is possible that some
planks may be shorter. In case boards are
ordered with a fixed length, it is likely that
some planks (normally 5-10%) will be
shorter as the producer needs economize
when cutting the tree trunk.
Because floor boards look like planks,
they are sometimes called floor planks
although the products do not have sufficient
thickness to merit that term (a planed
thickness of minimum 42 mm).
No standards have been defined for the
dimensions and profiles of floor boards.
That is why floor boards from different
manufacturers will normally not fit together.
Tongue and groove are often placed nearer
the bottom side of the board in order to
provide the floor boards with the thickest
possible wearing layer. The bottom rebate is
made 0.5 mm deeper than the top rebate in
order to secure a tight fit between the
boards, see figure 5.
Floor boards are often supplied with
socalled stress grooves at the bottom side in
order to counter the natural curving in the
boards. Stress grooves are only considered
effective when they have a depth
corresponding to two thirds of the initial
thickness of the board, i.e. before drying
and planning. Grooves on the bottom side
are not always stress grooves but may also
-Tongue Stress groove
Bottom rebate
Groove
Guiding groove
Figure 5 Floor boards
be socalled guiding grooves used in

connection with the profiling process.
Boards with a minimum thickness of 20
mm may be laid directly on floor battens or
joists as a suspended floor. The distance
between supports shall be determined in
accordance with thickness and load., see
tables 3 and 4. Boards less than 20 mm in
thickness require the existence of a subfloor in order to get sufficient support.
FLOOR MATERIALS
Strip floor / parquet staves

Parquet staves are normally single staves in
solid wood. The staves are rectangular with
tongue ans groove (T&G). However solid
staves are also available without T&G see
figure 6.
Parquet stavesare produced from
traditional European wood species such as
beech, oak and ash but also such exotic
species as padouk, merbau, doussie and
wenge are used.
Parquet staves are normally 200-700 mm
long and 50-70 mm wide. Parquet staves
are also produced as so-called long staves
with a length of 700-1200 mm.
Parquet staves are either glued or nailed.
Long staves with a minimum thickness of
20 mm may be laid as a suspended floor.
Parquet boards
Parquet boards are made from solid parquet
staves joined together in a prefabrication
process. It is common practice to join two
or three staves in parallel, using a special
dovetail joint. The boards are supplied with
a T&G along all four sides ad are supplied
in length as normal flooring boards see
figure 7.
Parquet boards can be laid using the same
methods as those used for ordinary flooring
boards, i.e. as a suspended floor when the
board thickness is minimum 20 or as a
nailed floor on level structural floor..
Parquet boards may also be applied as
floating floors joined with purpose made
clips, see page 21.
-Fer
29
Fas
Figure 6 Parquet staves

Dovetail joint-
Groove
Groove for clip
Figure 7 Parquet boards
FLOOR MATERIALS
Tongue
Parquet tiles
Parquet tiles are factory joined parquet
staves glued together to constitute larger
units, see figure 8. Parquet tiles are laid as a
glued floor.
Mosaic parquet
Mosaikparket bestar af sma enkeltstave,
som er holdt sammen, sa de danner ruder/
fliser, se figur 8. Stavene kan f.eks. vaere
limet til et abent basrelag af papir eller net
eller vaere holdt sammen af staltrad. Papir
eller net er normalt placeret pa parketrudens bagside, men kan i stedet vasre limet
til mosaikparkettens forside, og bortslibes i
sa fald efter laegningen. Mosaikparket
leegges som et limet gulv.
Wood veneer flooring boards
Wood veneer flooring boards are normally
made as a threee layer laminate.
The bottom layer is made of soft wood with
fibres oriented along the board. The core is
made of chipboard, plywood, MDF or cross
bonded wooden strips. The topmost layer
consists of minimum 2 mm wood veneer. In
most cases this layer is 3-4 mm thick. The
wood venner is separated into staves
similar in appearance to solid parquet
staves, see figure 9. In this way it is
possible to obtain wood veneer flooring
boards with appearance similar to floor
boards and stave parquet. See figure 9.
Wood veneer flooring boards are laid as
normal floor boards, i.e. as a suspended floor
provided the thickness is minimum 22 mm.
They can also be laid as floating floors or as
glued or nailed floors.t .
Figur 8 Parquet tiles and mosaic parquet

Wood veneer surface
Bottom layer
Core
Figure 9 Wood
veneer flooring
boards
FLOOR MATERIALS
Laminate flooring boards
Laminate flooring boards are composite

flooring boards with either a chipboard or
MDF or HDF core that is bonded to a film
of wood effect veneer (lees than 2 mm
thick) and covered with a laminated surface.
It is not to be confused with wood veneer
flooring boards. The bottom side is covered
with a counter veneer made of pvc laminate,
paper or the like in order to prevent tensions
and in order to maintain planeness of the
board. See figure 10.
Laminate flooring boards are supplied
different surfaces, colours and patterns
most of them imitating wood.
Laminate flooring boards with a thin layer
of wood veneer are supplied in a variety of
wood species and with surfaces as boards or
with parquet pattern. All veneered boards are
supplied pre-varnished.
Laminate flooring boards and veneered
laminate boards can be laid as floating floors
or as glued or nailed floors
End grain wood blocks
End grain wood blocks are rectangular

wooden blocks made of oak, pine, spruce
or larch. The length of the blocks should
not exceed 1.5 x the width. The blocks are
available in thicknesses from 18 to 100
mm, see figure 11.
The blocks are laid with fibres in vertical
position. They are glued directly to the
underlay using special glue. The best
suited underlay is a rigid board material.
The blocks may also be glued directly on
a dry concrete slab. Blocks with a thickness
exceeding 80 mm may alternatively be laid
in sand.
Good quality blocks may be used as
floors in assembly rooms and dwellings. It
does, however, require a good finish and
surface treatment.
As the surface on this type of floor
consists of end grain it is very susceptible
to moisture from the air as well as moisture
from cleaning. It is therefore recommended
to avoid direct exposure to moisture and to
consult the manufacturer concerning
moisture expansion and the possible need
for dilatation joints.
10 FLOOR MATERIALS
er
Top layer
Bottom layer
Core
Figur 10 Laminate flooring

board veneered board.
Figure 11 End grain wooden blocks
SUBFLOOR
A prior condition to constructing a good
wooden floor is the establishment of a high
quality substrate
only using materials
with adequate properties.
Floor battens
Floor battens are made of solid wood or
they may be made of laminated wood, see
figure 12. Solid wood floor battens shall be
free of wane and should have a width of
minimum 45 mm (planed dimension).
Laminated battens (for example Kerto) shall
have a width of minimum 40 mm in order to
eliminate the risk of splitting (when nailing
or screwing). The battens should always be
as long as possible as the best result will be
achieved with battens in full room length
(no joints). Standard lengths go up to 3.9 m
and it may be possible to order battens up to
4.8 m.
Battens should be planed on the side
facing the flooring boards. The battens must
be sufficiently straight to meet the
sraightness requirements shown elsewhere
on this page. After laying the battens the
sideways deviation should not exceed 5
mm when compared to a 2 m straightedge
(placed on the concave side of the batten).
Warping is only allowed to an extent
whereby a batten placed loosely on
Straightedge, 2 m
Level deviation
accepted value
Max. 5 mm
Retholt, 2 m
IT
accepted value
Sideways deviation
Batten
Max. 2 mm
Figure 13 Tolerances accepted on battens
Knot group
a+b+c= d
d or
150 mm
Single knot
Maximum 1/3
Minimum 2/3
Figure 14 Floor battens
Figure 12 Floor battens: Sawn battens (1), strip

laminated battens (2), plywood principle laminated
battens, Kerto (3). Reference is made to table 5 on
page 47 for blocking up distances for the different
types.
requirements to knots
the floor and with one end fixed against the

floor is leaving a gap of maximum 2 mm
per every 2 m batten length, i.e. a batten
with a length of 3.9 m is accepted to have a
warp corresponding to maximum 4 mm gap
(at the other end)
SUBFLOOR I I
The battens must be of a quality

corresponding to the grading criteria applied
in grading class T1. Consequently, single
knots are only allowed to constitute 1/3 of
the cross sectional area and groups of knots
only of the cross sectional area, see
figure 14.
The best result is achieved when the
moisture content corresponds to that of
the flooring boards. This will effectively
reduce squeaking problems.
The moisture content in the battens must
never exceed 12 % i.e. the average of
moisture testing results should be maximum
12 %, and any single testing result must not
exceed 14 %, see Appendix: Acceptance
check.
Packing pieces and cradle systems
Materials used to chock up battens could be:

(see figure 15)
Plywood blocks, minimum 100 cm2,
for example 100 x 100 mm or 80 x
125 mm
Chip board blocks, minimum 100
cm2, for example 100 x 100 mm or 80
x 125 mm
Hard or soft wood fibre board blocks
minimum 100 cm2, for example 100 x
100 mm or 80 x 125 mm
Plastic wedges or plastic towers
Plastic or metal bases including accessory
adjustable sub-system.
When a higher block is required it is
possible to use plastic towers (allows for
more deflection), plastic or metal bases or a
support made of fixed masonry or cast
concrete blocks (no deflection) upon which
the final blocking up is placed.
Plastic wedges used as packing pieces
shall have a documented approval
concerning life expectancy and load
carrying capacity ensuring long term
durability. Exposure to excessive heating,
for example from close contact with heating
pipes, may reduce life expectancy
considerably.
Plastic wedges of unknown origin and
quality may decompose over time resulting
in the settling of the floor which again may
result in the need to substitute or relay the
floor.
12 SUBFLOOR
Figure 15 Materials used as packing pieces and

cradle systems: Plywood blocks (1), hard fibre
board blocks (2), chipboard blocks(3), soft fibre
board blocks (4), plastic wedges (5), wooden
wedges (6), plastic tower cradles (7) and adjustable
cradle system with plastic or metal bases (8 and 9).
Soft blocks
Soft blocks used in order to reduce the
effect of impact sound shall be made of 1213 mm thick porous wood fibre boards with
a density of 225-300 kg/m3 adhered to a
pressure equalizing board made of minimum
12 mm plywood. The blocks shall have an
area of minimum 100 cm2 for example 100 x
100 mm, see figure 16.
The use of soft blocks with a smaller area
or a lower density may result in the settling
of the floor during use.
Bitumen felt
Bitumen felt is used under blocks in order

to establish a sturdy underlay protecting the
dpc (and being diffusion tight at the same
time). It is recommended to use pieces of
approximately 20 x 20 cm, see figure 16.
Figure 17 Insulation materials

used for floating floors.
Bituminous felt may be used as

dpc under floating or glued floors. The
quality shall be PF 2000 (no sand finish) see
figure 18.
Insulation materials
Figure 16 Soft blocks made of 12-13 mm porous

wood fibre board adhered to minimum 12 mm
plywood placed on bitumen felt.
Insulation materials are used in the floor

construction in order to improve sound
or heat insulation, see figure 17.
In batten or joist constructions it is
recommended to insert 100 mm soft
mineral wool between battens or joists in
order to absorb sound.
In floating floor constructions the
function of the insulation is to prevent the
transmission of impact sound from the floor
to the structural floor and at the same time
to transfer load. With respect to impact
sound it is recommend to use an insulation
material with springy characteristics
whereas considerations to strength and
stability requires the use of a rigid
insulation material. The required rigidity of
the insulation material is determined on the
bases of the expected load, the thickness of
the insulation and the type of floor material.
SUBFLOOR 13
Moisture barriers
Plastic foils used as moisture barriers must
be at least 0.20 mm PE-foil (Polyethylen)
in order to have sufficient strenght to
withstand strain during the construction
period. Only foils with a documented
diffusion tightness and durability should be
used, for example complying with SPS
Verksnorm 200/2001 (German standard).
Caution should be taken that the foil is
not perfurated by a pointed concrete
surface.
Plast foil is a good sliding layer for
floating floors, particularly so when used in
two layers or combined with flooring
cardboard or similar products, see figure 18.
Moisture barriers can also be carried out
using bituminous felt, epoxy or special
glues:
Bitumen felt glued to the subfloor, see
page 21.
Cast asphalt with a thickness of 20 mm.
Epoxy is applied in thin layers one at
the time
An impartial documentation verifying
that the product is efficient as a moisture
barrier must be available. When applying
the prescribed thickness shall be observed
as experience shows that the moisture
barring ability is being drastically reduced
when the layer thickness is too small - this
may case subsequent damage to the
wooden floor.
Special glues - MS-glues are primarily
functioning as a barrier retarding
moisture penetration and only to a
limited extend as an effective moisture
barrier, see page 20.
Figure 18 Examples of moisture barriers
Top:
(1) Combination: Plastic, felt and cardboard
Middle: (2) PVC foil in different thicknesses/qualities.
Bottom: (3) Bitumen felt PF 2000, no sand finish.
14
SUBFLOOR
Flooring cardboard
Flooring cardboard is used as underlay for
flooring planks, parquet and flooring
panels in order to reduce clatter. Flooring
cardboard is a non impregnated cardboard
with a weight of roughly 500 g/m2, see
figure 19.
Foam plastic, cork sheet, or similar
Foam plastic, cork sheet or similar products
placed loosely under wooden floors serve
as a pressure equalizer and sliding layer at
the same time. The products also contribute
to improving acoustics as they prevent
clattering between floor and underlay and
reduce impact sound. Some products also
function as a moisture barrier eliminating the
need for an additioanl moisture barrier, see
figure 19.
In order to secure that the products
possess relevant characteristics and
durability, only such products recommended
by the floor manufacturer should be used.
Rubber cork/cork rubber
Sheet rubber cork contributes to the
reduction of impact sound and to improved
flexibility in the floor. The effect depends
on the thickness and composition of the
product, see figure 19.
Figure 19 Clatter impact sound reducing materials

for example flooring cardboard (1), flooring felt (2),
foam plastic (3), plastic granulate (4), cork dust
sheet (5), cork sheet (6) and rubbe cork (7).
SUBFLOOR 15
Stuctural joists
Structural joists functioning as underlay for
suspended floors shall be aligned forming a
plane surface or a plane surface established
by the application of an additional
plank/batten on top of or on the side of the
structural joists. Additional planks/battens
shall have a minimum width of 45 mm in
oder to avoid splitting when nailing/screwing
the floor.
Joists should be chosen with consideration
to the risk of warping; i.e. with minimum
tendency to warping, The need to reestablish
a plane surface may be minimized by using
laminated wooden joists (or HQL).
The best result is achieved when the
moisture content in the joists corresponds to
that of the flooring boards. In case the
moisture content in the joists is too high
there is a risk of floor settlement due to
shrinkage when the timber dries. The taller
the joist is the bigger is the problem. The
moisture content in th joists must not exceed
13 %, i.e. the average of moisture testing
results should be maximum 13 %, and any
single testing result must not exceed 15 %.
see Appendix: Acceptance check.
Concrete slab
When a concrete slab is used as underlay for
nailed or glued wooden floors it is required
to level the surface using a self leveling
compound, a skimming compound or a
screed.
When wooden floors are glued to a
concrete slab the surface must be cleaned of
concrete slur as the slur layer does not have
suffient strength to absorb tension that may
occur as a consequence of moisture
movements in wooden floors
16 SUBFLOOR
For further information concerning concrete

slabs reference is made to Concrte floor
constructions elaborated by the Cement
Manufacturers (Cementfa-brikkernes
tekniske Oplysningskontor), 1994
concerning workmanship concrete floors
and also GSO Flooring Facts (GSO
Gulvfacta) concerning leveling of floors.
Screeds
Screeds are used for the leveling of

concrete slabs. Screeds may be based on
cement, anhydrite or magnesit. Screeds can
also be made from cast asphalt which at the
same time will function as an effective
moisture barrier.
Screeds are normally laid in thicknesses
of + 15 mm. The properties of the screed
depend on type and composition. In case
the floor is a non-suspended wooden floor it
is in most cases necessary to skim the
surface in order to obtain a sufficiently level
surface.
For further information on screeds
reference is made to GSO Flooring Facts
(GSO gulvfakta).
Sand
Sand used as underlay for floating floors

shall be well graded, kiln dried quarts sand.
All fractions of the grain curve must be
represented in order to secure sufficient
packing after application and compression.
FIXINGS
A varyity of fixings such as nails, screws,
glue and clips are used when laying wooden
floors.
Nails, screws and staples
Planks in suspended floors are fixed to
battens or joists using square nails, pin
nails, screws, air gun nails or staples.
Wooden floors may be nailed from above
or using hidden (secret) nailing.When air
gun nails are used only hidden nailing is
recommended. Nailing from above ensures
a better fixing of individual planks as it
allows for dimensional changes across the
plank.
On the other hand, hidden (secret) nailing

has the advantage that planks are pushed
together (manual nailing), see figure 20,
page 18.
When nailing hardwoods it is required to
prebore before nailing or screwing. The drill
used for preboring must be slightly smaller
in diameter than the used nails or screws, for
example a 3.5 mm drill used for 4.2 mm
screws.
Table 2 indicates dimensions of nails and
screws to be used for different plank
thicknesses. As battens and joists do expand
and contract in accordance with humidity, it
is not recommended to use fixings longer
than those indicated in the table as doing so
may increase the probability of squeaking.
Table 2 Recommended dimensions on nails and screws for flooring planks laid on battens or joists. The
same screw dimensions may be used when fixing flooring boards to an underlay made of chipboard, planks or
the like. Hot dip galvanized nails provide the best grip in wood. Be careful not to use nails or screws longer
thatn those recommende as doing so may increase the probability of squeaking when the battens or joists
expand and contract. For direct fixing in concrete it is recommende to use special screws, for example Montaflex. When in doubt, always consult the supplier of nails and screws.
Plank thickness Nails
in mm
-nails/finishing
nails
12-15
1.8x40
20-23 Solid
2.8x65
pine/spruce
Solid
2.8x65
hardwoodd;
Wood veneer 2.5x55
flooring boards
25-26
28-30
3.1x80
3.4x90
35
3.8x100
Manufacturer:
Ottensten
1)
Air gun nails

T-pin nails
M-32 mm1)
l.8x381)
F-14 2.0x382)
F-14 2.0x453)
N-50 mm 1)
S-16 502)
Manufacturer:
Unimerco
2)
Screws
Staples
Twisted
nails
2,5x651)
TS 2,3x652) 3)
4030-2"2)
2.5x651)
4030-22)
TS 2.3 x 652)
Monta-flex
screws
4.2x45
Chipboard
screws
4.2x45
5.0x45
4.2x45
5.0x45
4.2x45
5.0x45
4.2x45
4.2x55
5.0x55
5.0x75
4.2x75
5.0x75
For planks with a width between 100 mm

and 150 mm
3)
16 Fixings
Nails
Choice of nail type depends on wood species
and floor type. As a rule of thumb square
nails are used for manual nailing and twisted
nails are used for air gun nailing in
softwoods such as pine and spruce. Staples
should only be used when recommended by
the floor manufacturer.
When fixing hard woods such as oak or
beech, pin nails are used for manual nailing
and T-pin nails for air gun fixing, see figures
21 and 22.
Nailing should only be carried out using
hot dip galvanized nails as experince shows
that they have the best withdrawal
resistance. Also, contrary to bare steel nails,
galvanized nails do not cause discolouration
which reduces such risk in light coloured
delicate planks.
Traditionally wooden floors are hand
nailed, and this method is still considered
the safest particularly so when laying solid
planks in large dimensions in order to
secure that the planks are pushed properly
together and are securely fixed to
battens/joists.
Nailed from above
Hidden (secret) nailing
Figure 20 Fixing methods using nails or screws
Air gun nailing is used for certain flooring

boards but should only be used when
recommended by the floor manufacturer.
When nailing with an air gun it is
important to press the flooring material
hard agains the underlay in order to secure
proper fixing. Pressing with the air gun
itself is in most cases insufficient.
Staples
nails
Finishing
nails
T-nails
Flooring nails
Figure 21 Nail type for hand nailing
Twisted nails
Figure 22 Nail types used for air gun.
18
FIXINGS
Screws
The choice of screws depends on the
screwing principle adopted (from above or
hidden). When screwing from above, 5
mm partially threaded chipboard screws are
used. This is a type of screw which has no
thread immediately below the head and
thus ensuring a better fit of the flooring
plank against the underlay. When applying
hidden screwing, special screws as for
example Monta-flex are used. This screw
has a high withdrawal resistance in wood,
wooden boards and in concrete underlay,
see figure 23.
When screwing from above it is
recommended to prebore a minimum 6 mm
deep hole using a 10 or 15 mm drill in order
to countersink the screws. Subsequently the
holes are covered using a wooden plug
made of offcuts using a wood plug cutter,
see figure 24. The plugs are glued fixing the
grains in the same direction as the grains in
the flooring planks. When the glue is dry
the plugs are cut off flush with the over side
and the planks are sanded.
Wooden underlay
Planks fixed on structural sub floors made of
chipboard, plywood or wooden boards may
be screw fixed provided the sub floor lays on
beams or joists. The sub floor must have
sufficient thickness to secure satisfactory
adherence.
Chipboard
screws
MontaFlex
Plata-Flex
Wooden plug
Floor
Screw
Batten
Figure 24 Secret fixing from above using
chipboard screws covered with a wooden plug.
In sub floors made of chipboard the screws

must be sufficiently long to penetrate the
chipboard. Chipboard screws or special
screws like for example Plata-flex are
used.
The nailing and screwing of floating
floors chould only be carried out when
advised by the floor manufacturer.
When using secret screwing it is a
requirement that the flooring planks
have thickness of minimum 12 mm. f
Concrete underlay
Special screws for example Monta-flex, are
used when fixing directly on concrete.
Preboring is required using a drill with a
diameter slightly smaller than the screw
diameter, for example a 3.5 mm drill for
4.5 mm screws. The screw may be fixed
directly into the prebored hole without the
use of plugs.
Repairing squeaking floors
Existing squeaking floors laying on battens
or joists may be nailed from above using
special nails such as annular ring nails or
twisted flooring for example 3.5 x 55 mm
for 20-22 flooring planks and 3.5x 65 mm
nails for 25-28 mm flooring planks.
Figure 23 Screw types
Fixings
19
Glue
Glues used for the adherence of or gluing
together of flooring boards must chosen
consulting the recommendations issued by
the floor manufacturer in order to ensure
that the glue is compatible with the wooden
floor and the underlay as well as being able
to resist whatever loads may occur. The
surfaced to be glued must be clean, dry and
glueable. Manufacturer s instructions
concerning priming, consumption,
application etc. must be complied with in
order to secure a good result.
Gluing entire face
When gluing the entire face of a wooden
floor it is required that the underlay is level,
i.e. level deviations maximum 2 mm
along a 2 m straightedge and without
craters or pointed edges in order to secure
proper contact between materials.
Levelness of surfaces is described in detail
in Appendix: Levelness
The glue to be used is so-called parquet
glue, either in the form of water based
dispersion glue or MS glue, i.e. glue based
on Modified Silicone. The latter is more
expensive but has the advantage that it is
free of water and to a certain extend
functions as a moisture barrier, see below.
The glue must not be too thin.
Wooden floors must not be glued until the
residual moisture content in the underlay is
sufficiently low, or until an effective
moisture barrier has been inserted, see more
about moisture barriers on page 14.
When using dispersion glues the residual
moisture content must not exceed 65%
relative humidity, whereas the similar limit
for MS glues is 85% residual moisture
content (does depend on glue brand),
measured at temperatures between 17 and
25 C.
The adherence of wooden floors shall take
place within a certain period of time, the socalled open time, in order to ensure
maximum bonding. The fixing time is
normally approximately 15 minutes, but
depends on the materials to be glued and on
moisture and temperature conditions in the
room.
20
FIXINGS
The fixing time is short for materials with a

high absorption rate such as particle board
and certain softwoods whereas materials
like bitumen cardboard and rubber cork
allow for a longer fixing time. When
applying glue it is advisable to consider the
glue s open time in order to ensure that
laying may be carried out within the limit
of the open time.
Floor glue requirements
From a wood technical viewpoint the glue
should have the below listed properties:
Low absolute water content in order to
avoid deformation of wooden floor
materials as a result of unilateral
moisture exposure on the underside.
Ability to fill in such a way that contact
can be established between glue and the
flooring material even in unfavourable
situations, for example when there are
small cavities in the underlay.
Rapid fixation, maintaining the
stave/plank in a fixed position in glue
joint
Elasticity allowing the glue to absorb
whatever movements there may occur in
the glue joint
Sufficient strength
When gluing under difficult circumstances,
for example on surfaces with little
absorption or the gluing of floor elements in
large dimensions (planks) it is advisable to
use one or two component glues without
water. The use of such glues may, however,
cause work environmental problems as the
bonding agent in most cases is based on
polyurethane.
Gluing tongue and groove
The purpose of gluing the tongue and
groove joint in floating floors is primarily to
ensure that movement is being transferred
from board to board (by creating a coherent
floor surface). In this way the individual
staves or boards function together, and
vertical forces may be accepted without
unacceptable deflection. Further, the glued
joint may serve to prevent the penetration of
water when cleaning the floor.
PVA glue is normally used when gluing

tongue and groove joints. In order to
ensure maximum strength of the joint it is
imperative to choose a glue which is
compatible with the wood species and also
to ensure that the glue fills and is water
resistant in order to prevent damages
caused by surface treatment and cleaning.
The glue type normally used is a so-called
winter glue (class D3).
Gluing bitumen cardboard
When bitumen cardboard is used as a
moisture barrier it may be glued to the
underlaying concrete slab using parquet glue
or a dispersion glue. When doing so the
residual moisture content in the concrete
must not exceed 85% (RH) and capillary rise
of ground moisture must not occur.
Clips
Some flooring boards may be joined by the
use of steel clips. Clips are used for
floating floors. The clips are slotted into a
milled groove at the backside of the
flooring board and connect two
neighbouring boards. In doing so, it is
ensured that the boards can move
individually in the horizontal direction
without being pushed apart and the total
movement of the floor is reduced, see
figure 25.
Figure 25 As an alternative to gluing tongue and

groove, floating floors may be laid using
mechanical joints in the form of steel clips(2) or
click-joints(1).
Click-joints
Specially designed for floating floors are a
number of flooring boards with a self
locking tongue and groove. When the
boards are laid they are clicked together
and require no further fixing, see figure 25.
FIXINGS 21
WOOD AND
MOISTURE
Wood shrinks and expands in accordance
with air humidity and temperature. In order
to get a good result, it is important to
consider this particular characteristic when
designing and constructing wooden floors.
Why does wood shrink?
The cellular walls in the living tree are
saturated with water, and the cell cavities
are also filled with water. Wood shrinks
when the water confined in the cellular
walls dries out. The cellulose in the
cellular walls has the property that it
absorbs water from the air and expands
when the air is moist and contracts when the

air is dry. Hence, the moisture content and
dimension of the wood will always adjust to
be in equilibrium with the relative humidity
and temperature of the surrounding air, see
figure 26.
The shrinking and expansion of wood in
accordance with variations in air humidity is
the reason why wooden floors shall be laid
keeping a distance to surrounding building
components allowing for expansion when
the wood is exposed to moisture. This also
implies the need to lay wooden floors as
late as possible in the building process
waiting for the building to dry out and thus
reducing the amount of moisture present.
See section describing The building site and
requirements related to moisture.
Temperature approximately
20oC
Tem[ cratu:
Pine
Fyr
'.
;
] Dry
are f irrot
vs.danger
mpe; egret i
Konstructionstra;
Structural
Ovm
0rrin; pak 'icvet
timber
Kiln drying
required
Outdoor
Uien
llj TS ___
covered
o\erconstructions
d; ikket
Occationally
Lejl ghed ;
vis (ipvar-"
heated
rooms
med; run
Rooms with
heating
central
C'entralopvamede
rim
Relative air humidity (per cent)
Radial
shrinkage
Raiialsvinc
Tangential
shrinkage
Tangenlials
Scrinkage (per cent) from

freshly cut
Figure 26 Graphic illustration of equilibrium moisture content (left) shows the connection between relativeair
humidity and moisture content in wood at approximately 20 C, and the graph to the right shows calculation
of shrinkage when the changing equilibrium moisture content.
22
WOOD AND MOISTURE
How does wood shrink?

All fibres in a freshly cut tree are water
saturated. Later, as the wood dries there will
be dimensional changes (shrinkage) more or
less corresponding to the reduction of water.
Similarly, wood will expand when exposed
to moisture. Expansion and contraction are
characterized by taking place in three
dominant directions, see figure 27.
Tangentially along the annular rings
(circular in the trunk)
Radially- Perpendicular to the annual
rings (along pith rays)
Axially- Along fibres (longitudinal
direction)
Tangentially
Radially
Axially
Figure 27 The three dominant directions for

shrinkage and expansion of wood
Normally, the tangential shrinkage is

approximately twice as big as the radial
shrinkage. The axial shrinkage is only
corresponding to somewhere between one
tenth and one twentieth of the radial
shrinkage and for the same reason it may
be disregarded in most cases.
Items with pith are subject to one or
shrinkage splits extending from surface to
pith and as a consequence they are not fit to
be used for flooring, see figuer 28.
There may be considerable differences
between the density of the bottom part and
the top part of a trunk and thereby also big
variation in shrinkage and moisture
conditions.
Shrinkage split
Pith
Pith
Shrinkage split
Figure 28 Items with pith are subject to
shrinkage splits depending on the position of
the pith in the board.
How much does wood shrink?

It is often necessary to be able to calculate
by how much a certain dimnesion is
changed as a result of varying moisture
content in the wood (which, as explained
above, will vary in accordance with
varying air humidity). As a realistic
average, which may be applied to a number
of commonly used wood species, it may be
assumed, that the change of 1 % in wood
moisture content results in a dimensional
shrinkage of approximately 0.15 % (1.5
mm/m) radially, and approximately 0.3 %
(3.0 mm/m) tangentially. When calcualting
expansion the same values may be applied.
Hvis trasemnet er planskaret eller spejlskaret, se figur 29, kan de to svindprocenter
anvendes direkte. I praksis vil emnerne ofte
vasre en mellemting mellem de ovennaevnte
opskaeringer, derfor kan der anvendes et
middeltal pa 0,22 % (2,2 mm/m).
Tangential
conversion
Radial cuts
Figur 29 Shrinkage and expansion of wood
depends on conversion principle applied/annual
ring position.
WOOD AND MOISTURE 23
How moisture influences wooden

floors
When choosing wooden floor type and also
when constructing the floor it is important
to consider the inevitable dimensional
changes caused by seasonal variations in
air humidity, see figure 30.
It is not possible to avoid joints between
flooring boards, but it is possible to predict
the size of future joints simply by choosing
the right floor. In this context the term joint
is used to describe the gap between
individual boards or staves in the floor.
The size of the joint may be reduced as
follows:
Use narrow boards in stead of wide boards
because the size of the joint corresponds to
board width.
Choose products with small dimensional
changes as a consequence of changed air
humidity.
Control climate, for example by the use of
air humidifiers in office buildings during
the winter in order to avoid the drying out
of wood.
Avoid the use of floor heating systems and
radiation heating systems placed in the
ceiling.
Grams of water per m3 air
RH %
RH o ut
RH in
IN
OUT
Jan. Mar. May

Jul.
Sep. Nov.
Feb. Apr. Jun. Aug. Oct. Dec.
Figure 30 Typical variation in the relative humidity
(RH) inside and outside during the year. The relative
humidity is at its maximum inside from August to
October, and at its lowest from December to March.
(SBI direction 178).The RH in office buildings and
the like is often considerably lower that indicated in
the graph.
24
WOOD AND MOISTURE
10-board measurement
When laying a wooden floor it is important
to ensure that the floor can absorb
movements caused by moisture. This is
often done by use of the so-called 10-board
measurement.
The10-board measurement is defined as the
expected width of 10 boards when exposed
to maximum moisture. This is typically in
the autumn where an average of 13 %
moisture content may be expected in the
flooring boards. When laying the floor with
lower moisture content, for example kiln
dried to 8 % it must be ensured that a small
joint is established between the
boards/staves for example by placing thin
spacers between the boards. The 10-board
measurement shall be controlled at regular
intervals during the laying of the floor.
Wood veneer flooring boards and soft
wood flooring boards, for example pine, are
normally not laid observing the 10-board
measurement.
The 10-board measurement depends on:
Width of boards
Maximum expected air humidity.
Wood species (expected change in board
width)
Annular ring orientation (radial or
tangential conversion)
The 10-board measurement is mainly used
when laying floors type:
Hardwood parquet boards (nailed)
Solid parquet staves with T&G glued to
the sub floor.
Parquet staves (nailed)
Spacers
Until recently it has been common practice
to observe compliance with the 10-board
measurement simply by basing the laying on
experience whereby the contractor would
check the prescribed 10-board measurement
at regular intervals during laying procedure.
In order to ensure uniform spacing it is
recommended to use so-called spacers, i.e.
small pieces of plastic with a thickness
corresponding exactly to the joint required in
order to comply with the prescribed 10-board
measurement. The use of such spacers will
make the constant checking procedure
redundant as the spacers will ensure
compliance with the prescribed 10-board
measurement.
Examples
Some examples showing how much
moisture influences dimensional
changes of a wooden floor.
Example 1
When a flooring board has been stored
for some time at approximately 20C and
exposed to approximately 78 % RH it will
have a moisture content of approximately
16 %. If the RH is changed to 40 % and
the temperature is maintained at 20C the
wood will discharge water to the air and
the moisture content will adjust to
approximately 8 %, see figure 26. Thus,
the moisture content will be reduced by
8 % which will result in the following
shrinkage:
Tangential shrinkage: 0.30 x 8 = 2.4 %
Radial shrinkage
0.15x8 = 1.2 %
Suppose the board is cut tangentially with
a width of 100 mm and 16 % moisture
content, it will, at 8% moisture content
have a width of: 100 - (0.3 % x 8 x 100) =
97.6 mm.
Suppose the board is radially cut, the
width will be: 100 - (0.15 % x8 x 100) =
98.8 mm.
Suppose the board is cut somewhere in
between radially and tangentially the
width will be: 100 - (0.22 % x8 x 100) =
98.2 mm.
For wood species (or products) with
small dimensional changes caused by
moisture variations, the shrinkage may
be reduced by 50 %, whereas the
shrinkage in wood species with larger
dimensional changes may be increased
by 50 %.
The shrinkage in the longitudinal
direction is normally less then one tenth
of width shrinkage.
Example 2
A traditional wooden floor has 18 boards
per 2 m. The boards are laid without
spacing. After some month the spaces
between the boards will vary in size from
0 to 5 mm.
The total width of the17 spaces has been

measured by the use of feeler gauge and
is 48 mm which corresponds to 2.4 %
across the 2 m floor.
An average shrinkage of 0.22 % for
every 1 % change in moisture content
will result in (2.4 %: 0.22 %) = 11 %
change in moisture content of the boards
in order to cause a shrinkage of 2.4 %. As
the actual moisture content is measured
to 7 % it can be concluded that the
moisture content was 7 + 11 = 18 %
when the boards were laid.
Example 3
A floor consists of 100 mm wide floor
boards with a moisture content of 8 %.
The floor is laid in a room with 23 C
and 40 % RH, which corresponds to
equilibrium moisture content in of 8% in
the wood. 10 boards will under these
conditions give a width of 1000 mm,
provided they are laid without spaces.
It is, however, assumed that the RH in
the room will increase to 65-70 % during
the summer period corresponding to a
moisture content of 13 % in the wood.
Exposed to these conditions each board
will expand by (0.22 % x 5 % x 100 mm)
= 1.1 mm (cf. example 1). In order to
allow for this expansion it is required to
lay the boards with a spacing of 1.1 mm
per board, i.e. 10 boards will require a
total width of (1000 mm + 10 x 1.1 mm)
= 1011 mm, which in this case will be
the 10-board measurement..
During winter, the temperature may be
23 C and the RH 25 % corresponding to a
drop in wood moisture content to 6 %.
Using summer conditions a starting point
this means that a board during the driest
period will shrink approximately (0.22 %
x (13 - 6) % x 100) = 1.5 mm. It can thus
be expected that a floor laid under above
mentioned assumptions will have 1.5 mm
wide joints between the boards during
the driest period.
WOOD AND MOISTURE 25
Moisture protection requirements

Design and construction assumptions
Avoiding excessive exposure to moisture or
exposure to moisture during a longer period
are preconditions for the use of wood in floor
constructions. Neither must the floor be
exposed to excessive drying out. Such
exposures may result in the risk of rot or dry
rot when the moisture content exceeds 20 %
(weight), and it may also cause undesirable
dimensional changes and deformations.
In the subsequent section it will be
demonstrated how to construct wooden
floors avoiding moisture problems. In office
buildings, where the production of moisture
is normally at a minimum, there is a risk of
extreme drying out during periods with frost.
This may result in shrinkage and as result of
this in larger cracks in wooden floors,
particularly so in floors constituting large
planes without or with limited possibilities
for movement. In some cases it may be
necessary to use humidification during the
coldest and driest periods of the year in order
to avoid damages.
In order to ensure correct construction of
wooden floors, particularly with respect to
moisture, it is advisable to follow the
guidelines laid down in SBI-Direction 178:
Moisture insulation of buildings. See also
SBI-Directions 184: Heat insulation of
buildings and 189: Single family houses
insulation, moisture protection etc. offering
concrete examples of constructions meeting
current requirement in terms of moisture
protection and heat insulation.
Perimeter drain
Flat terrain
Intercepting drain
Sloping terrain
Figure 31 Adjustment of site profile ensures the
leading away of surface water and drainage is
carried out to the extend necessary.
Paved terraces shall be established with a

minimum slope of 1:40 in order to preserve
the slope also in the event where the
pavement settles, see figure 31.
Ground supported floor

When constructing a ground supported floor,
measures must be taken to prevent the
absorption of ground moisture. This may be
done by the insertion of a capillary breaking
layer. Residuous moisture in the concrete
slab must be prevented from entering the
wooden floor by the insertion of a dpc on top
of the slab. Joints in this dpc must have an
overlap of minimum 200 mm. The joints
should also be additionally secured by the
use of tape or butyl rubber sealant strip.
The dpc is lead close to the wall and an
Outside the building
The terrain must slope away from the building airtight joint is established between the dpc
and the dpm in the wall (if any). This also
in order to allow for the effective draining
secures against the penetration of radon, see
away of surface water. In flat terrain the
figure 32.
slope shall be minimum 1:50. In sloping
In order to avoid condensation of
terrain it is required to level the ground on the
moist air from the room on the top side
side of the building with the highest terrain
of the dpc, it is required to place at least
and it is recommended to establish an
intercepting drain at the intersection between
the naturally sloping terrain and the adjusted.
26
MOISTURE PROTECTION - REQUIREMENTS
dpm
Wooden floor
dpc
Insulation
dpm
Wooden floor
dpc
Insulation
Minimu
m slope
Minimum
slope
Figure 32 The placing of dpc and dpm in

constructions with floating floors on ground
supported slab.
Figure 33 The placing of dpc, dpm and insulation

in constructions with suspended floors on flooring
battens on ground supported slab.
half the insulation under the dpc. In

practice this is most often done by placing
half the insulation under the concrete slab,
see figure 33.
When carrying out renovation works, it is
often only possible to place insulation on
top of the dpc. In such instances it is
recommended to use maximum 50 mm
insulation in order to avoid the risk of
condensation on the topside. Required
additional insulation will, in this case, have
to be carried out as foundation insulation.
Heating pipes under wooden floors must
be insulated separately and effectively in
order to avoid the drying out of flooring
boards. Also, measures should be taken to
place the pipes on the warm side of the
insulation.
When a diffusion tight floor covering (for
example vinyl or linoleum) is used on a
suspended floor on flooring battens in order
to allow the floor construction to adjust to
the humidity of the air in the room. In this
case a cavity of minimum 30 mm must be
established on top of the insulation material
in order to allow the room air to ventilate the
underside of the floor.
Ventilation
Cut outs in
skirting board
Diffusion tight
floor covering'
Insulation
Figure 34 Establishing additional ventilation in

floors on flooring battens covered with a diffusion
tight floor covering (for example vinyl or linoleum).
MOISTURE PROTECTION - REQUIREMENTS 27
Ground supported floor in unheated

buildings
The temperature in unheated buildings, such
as holiday cottages, will, during winter, be
higher in the ground under the building than
it is inside the building. Hence, the moisture
flow will, during winter, go from the ground
through the ground supported floor and into
the house. In such buildings it is important
to establish the moisture barrier (dpc)
correctly. No moisture sensitive materials
must be placed under the dpc and joints in
the dpc as well as joints to other building
components must be airtight in order to
avoid the risk of condensation on the
underside of a diffusion tight layer. This is
also the reason why the use of diffusion tight
floor coverings should be avoided in
unheated or occasionally heated buildings
with a ground supported floor. G
Crawl spaces
In crawl space decks consisting of wooden
floors on joists it is particularly important to
maintain the humidity of the air in the crawl
spavc at the lowest level possible. It is
recommended to establish a dpc at the
bottom of the crawl space in order to prevent
the ingress of moisture from the ground
below. It is also required to establish
sufficient ventilation. Figure 35 shows the
size of and the placing of necessary
ventilation openings.
In order to prevent the ingress of radon it is
recommended to place a dpm under the
wooden floor.
Basements
There is always a risk connected to the
laying of wooden floors in basements. One
thing is certain: If the basement is not dry
the wooden floor will not last!! If moisture is
present, the floor will be exposed to
excessive dimensional changes. Before
laying wooden floors in new buildings all
moisture must be ventilated away until the
basement is sufficiently dry. In unheated
basements the RH will, especially during
summer, reach 90 % which is too high for
the use of wooden floors. A modest heating
of the basement may reduce the RH to 75%
during summer provided there is no
moisture penetration through leakages in
28
Dpm
Wooden floor
Insulation
Slope
min i mum
1:50
Dpc
Ventilation
Dpc
Figure 35 The placing of dpc, dpm and ventilation

openings in constructions with wooden floors on
joists (crawl space deck).
external walls or capillary rise of ground

moisture.
The external basement wall shall be
drained and the drain must be connected to
the perimeter drain in order to prevent the
local occurrence of water pressure against
the external wall. The outer side of the
basement external wall shall have a double
coating of liquid bitumen applied on top of a
rendered or rough cast surface or by the use
of specially designed PVC drainage sheeting
preventing the penetration of moisture.
With respect to moisture it is advisable to
carry out heat insulation on the outer side
of the wall and on the outer side of possible
drainage sheeting.
Under the basement floor it is required to
establish a capillary breaking layer
preventing the absorption of moisture from
the ground. The best solution is to place the
heat insulation under the concrete slab. This
insulation may depending on the choice of
materials be carried out as a combined
heat insulating and capillary breaking layer,
see figure 36.
Provided the basement construction is
carried out along the above described
recommendations and, provided it is
heated, it is possible to lay a wooden floor
following the same guidelines as those
applicable to a normal ground supported
floor. It is required to place a dpm on the
concrete slab before laying the wooden
floor. Joints in the dpm shall overlap by
minimum 200 mm and the joint between
dpm and wall shall be airtight.
Dpm
Insulation
Wooden floor
Slope,
minimum
1:50
- Dpc
Wooden floor
Dpc
Insulation
and drain
Insulation
Drain
Figure 36 The placing of dpc, dpm and insulation
in constructions with a floating wooden floor on
storey partitions and on ground supported floors
in basements.
When renovating old houses it is often a

wish to establish wooden floors. In such
cases it is required to carry out a moisture
insulation of the constructions. The floor
construction principles are similar to those
used in new buildings. In case the room
height is low, it is possible to use a floating
floor construction with a moisture and
pressure resistant insulation as the load
carrying underlay. The dpc can be placed
between insulation and wooden floor or
under the insulation (in case the quality of
the insulation is inferior to or equals 50 mm
mineral wool lambda class 39). For further
information concerning the renovation of
old basements, reference is made to SBIDirection 178.
Storey partitions
In order to eliminate the risk of problems
originating from construction moisture it is
recommended to place a dpc on top of new
concrete or light weight concrete deck
storey partitions. It is not required to place a
dpc on top of existing and dry deck
constructions.
Moisture requirements on the building

site.
The dimension of wood depends on

moisture content which again depends on
the relative humidity (RH) and temperature
of the surroundings. As the relative
humidity changes with the seasons and also
with the use of the room so will the
dimensions of the wood change. It is very
important to consider this aspect when
designing and laying wooden floors.
In order to avoid unnecessary moistening
it is important to lay the floors as late as
possible in the building process. The
building shall be closed dry and heated
before laying the floor. All such works as
may cause the generation of moisture, for
example plastering and basic paint work
shall be terminated before the flooring starts.
The RH in the building shall be in
equilibrium with normal RH for the season,
i.e. 35-65 % relative humidity at
approximately 20C.
When concrete or light weight concrete
elements are used it will, in most cases, be
necessary to wait for a couple of months
before laying the wooden floor. If
necessary, it may be required to use
dehumidifiers. Before laying wooden floors
on new concrete or light weight concrete
decks it is required to measure the moisture
content in the deck, see Appendix:
Measuring moisture content in concrete.
Insulation materials etc. shall be dry. In
case blocking up has been carried out using
concrete or brickwork such elements must
be cured and dry.
In case the building has not been properly
dried out, the relative humidity will be very
high and the wood will expand after laying
and later, when the wood dries out, the
joints between the boards will be very
wide. In case there is too little space
around the floor the expansion may cause
the floor to pop up or in the worst case to
push out surrounding walls.
29
When investigating the moisture conditions

before laying wooden floors on concrete it is
not suficient only to measure the relative
humidity of the air but it is also required to
measure the moisture content in the
concrete. The reason why is that ventilation
may reduce the relative humidity of the air
without reducing the moisture content in the
concrete.
In case wooden floors are to be used under
conditions where it is only required to secure
against moderate construction moisture from
underlaying concrete, i.e. a pore moisture
content of 60-90 % RH, it is possible to avoid
moistening the wood by using a PE-foil
minimum 0.20 mm thick. This dpc shall be
laid with minimum 200 mm overlap on top of
the moist concrete before laying the wooden
floor.
Check list laying wooden floors
Flooring materials - moisture

requirements
Flooring and parquet boards and are normally
supplied kiln dried and wrapped in a strong
PE-foil with a moisture content of 8 2 %.
2/3 of the lot should have moisture content
between 7 and 9 %. The moisture content in
joists, flooring battens and blocks should, as
far as possible, correspond to the moisture
content in the supplied floor.
At the point of laying the average moisture
content in flooring battens should not exceed
12 % and in joists it should not exceed 13 %.
In practice this means that the average value
of 12 % (13 %) must be complied with and
no single values of moisture content in
excess of 14 % (for battens) and 15 % (for
joists) are accepted see Appendix:
Acceptance check.
In cases where it is not possible to get a
supply of flooring materials with correct
moisture content, it is imperative to deliver
the flooring materials well in advance
allowing sufficient time for acclimatization,
i.e. to attain equilibrium with the temperature
and moisture conditions in the room before
the actual laying. This process may take
several weeks even when the boards are
stacked. Laying a wooden floor with
excessive moisture content may result in the
occurrence of larger joints between the
boards when the wood dries out.
30
MOISTURE PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS
The relative humidity in the building

shall be between 35 and 65 %,
(depending on the season) and the
temperature approximately 20C.
The building must be closed and the
heating system operational and in use.
The moisture content in concrete and
light weight concrete shall be in
equilibrium with the relative humidity of
the air for the season in question, i.e. the
pore moisture content shall be 35-65 %
relative humidity. In the case of concrete
or light weight concrete elements it may
take a couple of months to attain
equilibrium. In situ cast concrete may
require much more time.
Insulation materials etc. shall be dry
When blocking up is made of masonry
or concrete it must be cured and dry.
A dpc for example a 0.20 mm PE-foil
shall be laid before laying the floor in
order to protect the floor against
construction moisture.
The wooden floor material shall have a
moisture content of 8 2 % of which
2/3 of the lot should have a moisture
content between 7 and 9 %.
When wooden floor materials are kiln
dried to specifications they should not
be unpacked before laying.
The moisture content in joists and
flooring battens should correspond to
the moisture content in the wooden
floor. The average moisture content
should not exceed 12 % in the case of
battens and 13 % in the case of joists
and no single value must exceed 14
and 15 % respectively.
In case the wood is not supplied kiln
dried, time must be allowed for the
wood to obtain equilibrium with the
moisture and temperature conditions
existing in the room.
Wooden materials, glue, caulking
compounds and similar accessories
should be acclimatized for at least 24
hours before use. This could be done by
storing such materials inside the room
where they will be used.
FLOOR HEATING
Floor heating systems are primarily used in
order to avoid the use of radiators and in
order to achieve a good distribution of heat
inside the room. Traditionally, floor heating
systems have been used in floors with
ceramic tile covering in bathrooms , but
during recent years an increased used has
been observed in all other rooms of the
house and also in other floor types , for
example in wooden floors.
In new and well insulated houses it is,
under normal circumstances, possible to
heat a house using a floor heating system
only. In older houses where the insulation
does not live up to current requirements it is
normally required to use supplementary
heating sources, for example radiators in
order to meet the heat demand.
It should be noted that wood is a relatively
well-insulating material. As a result wooden
floors, to the touch, feel more comfortable
(warmer) than other floor coverings even
without floor heating. Thus, from the point
of view of comfort there is no need to use
floor heating in wooden floors in wellinsulated houses.
When installing floor heating systems
under wooden floors the following
conditions shall be observed:
The temperature shall be low in order to
void the drying out of the wood. The
suppliers normally require that the surface
temperature does not exceed 25-27C.
The heat distribution below the floor shall
be even not only to ensure maximum
comfort but also to achieve sufficient heat
radiation. It is therefore important to lay
heating pipes or cables in such a way that
no major variances in temperature occur
on the surface.
Only such materials and construction
principles, including floor heating systems,
as recommended by the supplier of the
wooden floor should be used. In this context
the supplier of the floor is required to
supply information concerning the
maximum temperature to which the floor

may be exposed and the heating system shall
be constructed in such a way that this
temperature is not exceeded.
In floors where boards or staves can move
independently it must be expected at least
during the heating season that the gaps
(the joints) between the boards will be
slightly larger than normal. This is caused
by the heating of the floor which will cause
the drying out of the wood and as a
consequence larger shrinkage across the
boards, see example below. Considering
this shrinkage it is advisable to use
materials with as little shrinkage as
possible.
Example:
22 x 125 mm pine flooring boards are laid on

flooring battens. During the year, the moisture
content will vary between 6 % during winter
and 13 % during summer. It is anticipated that
the joints between the boards are totally closed
during the summer. When, in winter, the floor
is most dry there will be a gap of (13-6) x 0.22
% of 125 mm = 1.9 mm. In case of floor
heating the average temperature will increase
from 21 to 30C and the moisture content
during winter will drop to approximately 4 %.
Thus the gap will increase to (13 - 4) x 0.22 %
of 125 mm = 2.5 mm.
One consequence of using floor heating in

floors on battens is the heating of the
battens. As a consequence the battens will
dry out more than usual. For this reason it is
particularly important that the battens are
dry when laying the floor as the extra
drying out of the battens will cause
additional shrinkage and thereby increased
risk of squeaking floors see more about
this on page 73. It is therefore required to
ensure that the battens are dried until thy
have the same moisture content as the
flooring boards, i.e. a moisture content of 8
2 %. In order to achieve this it is often
required to stack the joists for a period of 814 days inside the room where they will be
used. Notice that prefabricated battens
produced from kiln dried wood may also
require additional drying in case they have
been stored for a
FLOOR HEATING 3 1
longer period in an unheated warehouse or

at the timber merchants.
Floating floors which are glue-jointed in
the T&G will not have the same problem
with larger gaps between the boards during
the winter. On the other hand, the gap
between the surrounding walls and the
floor may be bigger. In case the floor is
loaded with heavy furniture along the walls
there is an increased risk that the floor may
split, see more about this on page 74.
Whether the floor heating system is waterborne or electric, it is possible to obtain an
even heat distribution under the floor as
shown in figures 37-40.
Before laying the wooden floor it is
important that all such works that may
generate moisture, for example masonry work
or paintwork, are terminated and the floor
heating system must have been working for a
period of at least 14 days. The heating system
is switched off at least 2 days before laying
the floor.
Heating systems used in wooden floors
are purpose made systems, i.e. the systems
are constructed with independent heating
circuits supplied with an automatic device
controlling the floor temperature. If
possible, it is recommended to use a preset
temperature control device which does not
allow for temperatures above the level
Temperature adjustment should take place
gradually as sudden temperature changes
may cause splitting of the wood.
In general, it is not recommended to lay
wooden floors on top of existing floors with
old floor heating systems which are not
supplied with automatic control devices for
temperature control.
32
FLOOR HEATING
Floor heating systems

Figures 37-39 show three construction
principles using light constructions where it is
possible to control the floor heating with a time
constant of 1-2 hours, i.e. it is possible to adjust
the room temperature fast, for example when
the room is subject to insolation (sun through
windows) or when there is a need to reduce the
temperature during night.
Heating pipes between battens or between
joists
When heating pipes are placed between
battens or joists it is common practice to
clip the pipes into so-called heat
distributing panels placed in close contact
with the underside of the floor in order to
obtain a good temperature distribution.
The heat distributing panels are produced
with a groove into which the pipe fits, see
figure 37. It is required to use pipes with a
diameter corresponding to the size of the
groove in order to ensure good contact
between pipe and panel. The pipes should
not touch the underside of the floor.
It is common practice to use an
intermediate layer such as flooring
cardboard or felt in order to reduce
clattering and squeaking, see figure 37.
Heating pipes on top of battens or joists
When the heating pipes are placed on top of
the joists or battens it is required to place an
additional layer of boars or battens
perpendicular to the direction of the joists or
battens. This layer serves as underlay for the
heat distributing panels. Otherwise the
construction is carried out as described
above, see figure 38.
Boards are used in cases where chipboard
is used as a structural floor serving as
underlay for a floating wooden floor. The
dimension of the chipboard is defined in
accordance with the distance between the
joists of flooring battens as the additional
layer of boards is not considered to be load
carrying.
Battens/planks are used as underlay for
the heat distributing panels in cases where
the flooring boards are laid parallel to joists
or flooring battens. In this case the
additional layer is load carrying and the
battens/planks shall be dimensioned in
accordance with table 5, where the blocking
up distance will be equal to the distance
between the flooring battens/joists. The
blocking up distance my be reduced by
inserting additional flooring battens or
joists.
Heating pipes on heat distributing

panels
Floor boards or
parquet boards
Intermediate layer
Insulation
Joists
Boards (25x100 mm) on
battens c/c 600 mm
Heating pipes in floor heating slabs.

Floor heating slabs consist of one layer of
insulation material (usually polystyrene)
and heat distributing metal sheets. The floor
heating slabs are supplied with ready made
grooves fitting the heating pipes. The slabs
are placed on top of a structural underlay and
the pipes are placed in the gooves. An
intermediate layer (flooring cardboard or felt)
is placed between the slabs and a pressure
distributing subfloor made of chipboard on
top of which a floating floor may be laid, see
figure 39.
Wooden floor possibly on top of
pressure distributing sub floor
Intermediate layer
Heating pipes on floor heating
slab
Figure 37 Heating pipes placed on heat

distributing panels which again are placed on top
boards placed on structural joists or flooring
battens. The heating pipes cross the joists in the
zone outside the end of the joist in order not to
weaken the joist by cutting into it. Flooring boards
Chipboard as structural floor
Intermediate layer
Heating pipes on heat
distributing panels
Floating wooden floor
Insulation
dpc
Concrete slab
Intermediate layer
Figure 39 Heating pipes in Floor heating slab,

i.e. insulating slabs made of polystyrene supplied
with heat distributing metal panels. An intermediate
layer of flooring cardboard or felt is placed between
the heating slab and the floor above in order to
reduce impact sound. The floor is laid as a floating
floor.
Addtional boards carrying heating
pipes
are screwed or nailed.
Figure 38 Heating pipes on heating distributing
panels placed on structural joists. Here shown with
chipboard as structural floor and floating wooden
floor. May also be carried out with structural
battens (replacing additional boards) and floor
boards.
Damp proof course
The purpose of placing a dpc in wooden floors

with floor heating is to secure the wood against t
undesired moistening. The placing depends on
the construction in question and also depends on
where in the building the floor is placed. It is
recommended to consult with SBI-Direction 178
or to ask advice from the floor supplier.
FLOOR HEATING 33
Embedded heating pipes and cables

When embedding heating pipes or cables in
concrete there should be a cover layer of
minimum 30-70 mm on top of the pipes or
the cables in order to achieve an even heat
distribution and the wooden floor should be
placed as close as possible to the underlay,
see figure 40. An efficient dpc, for example
bitumen felt, should be placed between the
concrete and the wooden floor in order to
prevent the transportation of moisture
(released from the concrete by the heating)
from concrete to wood.
It is difficult to adjust the heat radiation
rapidly because of the heat accumulating
capacity of the concrete which causes the
time constant for this type of floor to be as
high as 12 hours.
Heavy constructions used to be considered an
advantage as they were able to accumulate
energy during periods with sun and release
the energy again during the night
With the thickness of insulation applied
today this capacity is no longer interesting. .
Wooden floor
Intermediate layer
Possibly dpc
Concrete slab with 30-70 mm cover layer
Reinforcement mesh
Possibly insulation
Concrete slab
Figure 40 The embedding of heating pipes in
concrete gives an even heat distribution. The
placing of dpc and insulation depends on the
construction in question consult experts in the
field.
Maximum effect for floor heating systems

The effect should never exceed 100 W/m2
34
FLOOR HEATING
Wooden floor
Glue
Levelling compound, minimum 10 mm
Electric-cables
Levelling compound.
Figure 41 Electric cables in levelling compound

should be so placed that they are covered with
minimum 10 mm levelling compound to ensure
even heat distribution.
Electric heating mats/electric cables placed

in levelling compound.
Electric-based heating systems may also be
fitted using levelling compounds. The total
height of this construction is very low. The
cables may be placed directly on top of an
inorganic underlay or placed on a wooden
based underlay with minimum 5 mm
levelling compound between the cable and
underlay. In order to ensure an even heat
distribution the thickness of the levelling
compound on top of the cables should be at
least 10 mm, see figure 41. It is
recommended to use a fibre reinforced
levelling compound which is capable of
resisting foreseen temperatures. .
One significant difference between electric
systems and water borne systems is the fact
that the electric system gives a fixed effect
and as a result high temperatures may occur
under thick carpets, furniture etc. In order to
avoid excessive heating it is recommended
only to use such cables and mats which are
capable of supplying the heating required
with the lowest effect possible and never
exceeding 100W/m2. A low effect provides
the same comfort as a high effect, but will of
course result in a slower regulation of the
temperature. In practice, this is not a problem
as the temperature is normally set to a certain
surface or room temperature once and for all.
Aspects related to energy
When placing floor heating

under wooden floors
remember:
Floor heating may only be used
together with such products suitable for
the purpose and approved by the
supplier.
The floor heating system shall ensure an
even heat distribution on the floor
surface.
The floor heating system shall be
supplied with a preset temperature
control device which does not allow for
temperatures above the level
Only such floor heating systems as
recommended by the floor
manufacturer may be used.
The need for supplementary heating from
radiators is likely in older houses.
Flooring battens/joists shal be dry in order
to avoid squeaking.
Avoid the laying of wooden floors on
top of old floors with floor heating
without automatic temperature control.
Furring boards placed as underlay for
heat distributing panels are countersunk
between joists or flooring battens
In electric-based flooring systems the
effect must not exceed 100 W/m2.
In water-borne heating systems the pipes
must not touch the flooring boards.
Maximum surface temperature
The surface temperature in the wooden

floor must not exceed 25-27C.
Depending on thickness this corresponds
to the following temperatures on the
underside of the wooden floor:
22 mm thickness: 33-34C
The temperature difference between
upper- and the underside depends on floor
thickness, wood specie and material
composition (solid/laminated).
It is imperative to follow carefully the

instructions issued by the floor manufacturer
when laying and using wooden floors with
floor heating including recommendations
concerning the types of floor heating and
constructions which may be used and what
temperatures the floor may be exposed to.
Under furniture and floor coverings, for
example under book cases and carpets with a
good heat insulating capacity the floor
temperature may be higher than the
temperature in reamining floor. This may
cause extra large joints between the floor
boards during winter.
The limited surface temperature
obtainable also determines the effect which
may be released by a floor heating system.
As a guideline it may be reckoned that a
floor heating system may release an effect as
expressed in the following formula:
Released effect = 10 x (tf - tr) W/m2,
where tf is the surface temperature of the
floor and tr is the room temperature.
When calculating with this formula using
the most commonly occurring surface
temperatures we get the results shown in
table 3.
Table 3 Released effect in wooden floors with

commonly occurring surface temperatures and with
a room temperature of 21C.
In comparison the energy need for new single family
houses insulated in accordance with BR-S 98:
45 W/m2
Surface temperature C
Effect W/m2
25 C
40
26C
27C
50
60
Best in well insulated houses

The heating with floor heating is only
sufficient in new and well insulated houses.
When remodelling houses it is recommended
to use supplementary heat supply in addition
to floor heating, for example in the form of
FLOOR HEATING
35
radiators. This is due to the fact that the

insulation in older houses is normally
inferior to present requirements and as a
consequence the effect needed is higher.
Larger energy consumption
In general larger energy consumption may
be expected when using floor heating
compared to the use radiators. This is the
reason why the building regulations BRS 98
require additional insulation in ground
supported floors and in storey partitions
facing the outside or facing ventilated crawl
spaces when such floors are supplied with
floor heating. In these constructions the
maximum U-values are: s
In multi-storey
buildings:
0.12 in stead of 0.15
In single family houses
and the like.:
0,.12 in stead of 0.15
Also floors above heated rooms should be
supplied with insulation under floor heating
systems in order to prevent the undesired
heating of the room below and in order to
save energy.
WET ROOMS
Because of its beautiful texture it has
become very tempting to use wood as
flooring material in wet rooms. However, it
is against regulations to substitute
traditional ceramic tiles or PVC floors with
wooden floors, cf. B&B-Direction 200
Wet rooms . There reasons are several:
Generally speaking, wood is not suited to
withstand constant exposure to water or
excessive humidity as such exposure may
cause the growth of fungi and worst case
scenario rot or dry rot. The combination
of elevated humidity and high temperature
common to bathrooms is very productive
to the growth of dry rot.
Wooden flooring boards are narrow and as
a consequence there are many joints. Add to
this that most floor are laid as so-called strip
plank decks with caulked joints (elastic
caulking compound).
As a rule of thumb, the water tightness in
wet rooms must not be based on the use of
elastic joints because such joints are not long
term watertight.
Even in cases where a watertight
membrane has been used there is a risk that
water may penetrate the joints which may
cause the growth of fungi and or bad odour.
Seen in this light, wooden floors in wet
rooms are only accepted in the following
cases:
When fixed on top of a finished, approved
and consequently watertight floor, i.e.
inclusive floor covering of ceramic tiles
or PVC.
In areas of the room not frequently
exposed to water.
On the condition that the wooden floor
may be removed again without damaging
wet room constructions.
In general it is not recommended to use
wooden floors in wet rooms because of the
increased risk of obnoxious smells, growth
of fungi and possibly rot or dry rot in case
of excessive humidity.
36 W ET ROOMS
Under all circumstances it must be

considered that wooden floors will have a
shorter lifetime compared to other surfaces
used in a bathroom and as a result they must
be substituted more frequently.
It is an obligation to inform the client that
the risks of inconveniences related to the use
of wooden floors as supplementary floor
covering is entirely his own responsibility.
Should the client still want to use wooden
floors, such floors must only be laid in less
exposed areas of the wet room, and, in order
to minimize the risk of inconveniences,
observing the guidelines indicated in the
summary on page 38, figure 42.
The wooden covering shall be kept well
away from areas particularly exposed to
moisture, for example shower stalls, bath
tubs and floor drains, se figure 41. No pipe
penetrations are accepted in the wooden floor
and it is not accepted to establish a floor
drain, see figure 43 and the guidelines on
page 38.
The wooden floor must be treated and
maintained in accordance with
manufacturer s instructions. As the use of
wooden floors in wet rooms increase the
risk of bad odours, fungi attack etc., it is
recommended:
To immediately remove free water from
the floor surface
To pay special attention to any signs of or
symptoms, which may indicate water
penetration, moisture or the presence of
fungi.
Wooden floors in wet rooms

Are beautiful- but only serve as decoration
Cannot substitute ceramic tiles or PVC
flooring as watertight underlay.
May cause risk of fungi attack etc.
See guidelines for the use of wooden floors
in wet rooms on page 38.
Figure 43 It is not accepted to construct wooden

floors in wet rooms with floor drains or pipe
penetrations.
Figure 42 Wooden floors are only

accepted in wet rooms provided they lay
on top of an approved watertight wet room
floor and observing a distance
requireement of minimum 500 mm away
from shower stalls, bath tub and floor
drain.
VADRUM 37
Guidelines for the use of wooden

floors in wet rooms
The wet room shall have an approved
and completed floor, i.e. inclusive a
floor covering made of PVC or ceramic
tiles.
Wooden floors are only allowed in
impact class L (low) with few baths per
day and of short duration and efficient
ventilation after use. Low impact class is
particularly found in single family
hoses, summer houses and the like, cf.
B&B-Direction 200 Wet rooms
The wooden floor must have a plain
underside with as few cavities as
possible along T&G joints and the
boards should not be supplied with stress
grooves on the underside.
The wooden floor is full-face glued to
the underlay in such a way that cavities,
which may contain water, are eliminated.
In order to prevent the penetration of
water, all joints between boards and
along adjoining walls are caulked with a
mastic caulking compound.
The joints must be inspected at regular
intervals and repaired in case leaks are
detected.
Wooden floor and materials used including adhesives, caulking
compounds and underlay must be
compatible.
A distance of minimum 500 mm
between the floor and shower stall, bath
tub and floor drain must be observed,
see figure 42.
No pipe penetrations or floor drains are
accepted in the wooden floor (neither is
it possible as no flor drains have been
approved for the use in wooden floors)
see figure 43.
Accepted species are teak and species
with similar characteristics in terms of
resistance and durability when exposed
to moisture.
Good heating and efficient ventilation is
required in order to keep the room as
dry as possible and thereby prevent the
attack of fungi.
38
ASPECTS RELATED TO SOUND
ASPECTS RELATED
TO SOUND
Floors on battens
In case there is a demand to the reduction of
impact sound on wooden floors it is
required to place a piece of soft material, for
example a porous wooden fibre with a
thickness of maximum 13 mm and glued to
a pressure distributing piece of plywood
see page 12. The thickness of the soft
material shall be equal in all blocks used for
blocking up.
The packing pieces shall be fixed to the
battens using toe-nailing, i.e. a nail entering
the batten on the side and continuing at an
angle into the block or wedge, see figure 58.
The nail must not enter the soft material.
An alternative packing method to wooden
blocks (combined with soft blocks) is the use
of plastic wedges. When using wedges made
of hard type plastic, the impact sound level
may be increased by 0-4 dB. Always contact
the wedge manufacturer for further
information concerning impact sound
reduction.
Battens and floor boards shall be kept at a
distance of minimum 10 mm away from
surrounding walls and pipes penetrating the
floor.
When electric cables and heating pipes
run under the floor it is required to keep a
distance of 10 mm between cable / pipe and
batten. Notches made for pipes or cables
shall also observe the 10 mm rule.
In case a floor continues under the
threshold, it is recommended to establish a
20 mm joint between floor boards and
between joists under the threshold, see
figure 44.
The use of chipboard or plywood
drastically increases the stiffness of the
floor as compared to floor boards. As a result
the sound diffusion from the floor plane will
be increased and the impact sound in
surrounding rooms will increase as will also
the drum sound effect in the room in
question. It is difficult to reduce the drum
sound effect in rooms with wooden floors.
Some reduction may be achieved by
inserting mineral wool or sand in the cavity
between the battens/joists.
Minimum 10 mm
clearance around
pipes
Minimum 10 mm
clearance
Minimum 20 mm
Minimum
10 mm from
wall
Insulation
Batten
Soft blocks
Floating floors
Floating floors with an elastic intermediate
layer in the form of an insulation material
will reduce the impact sound level.
The thickness and the elasticity
(compressibility) of the layer greatly
influence the potential impact sound
reduction. Large thickness and large
compressibility give high impact sound
reduction.
The use of thin insulation below 10
mm requires a completely level
substrate. Roughness in the underlay
caused for example by a pointed concrete
surface may be pressed into the insulating
layer and may cause contact between the
floor and the underlay, hereby increasing
the risk of sound bridges, see figure 45. The
floors must not touch the surrounding walls
or pipes penetrating the floor.
The efficient sound reduction in floating
floors very much depends on correct
constrution. For further information
concerning sound insulation reference is
made SBI-direction 172, Sound insulation
in buildings - newer buildings and to SBIdirection 173, Sound insulation in buildings
- older buildings.
Insulated joint
under threshold
Minimum. 10
mm above pipes
Figure 44 Construction details ensuring impact

sound reduction in floors on battens.
The latter also discusses possibilities of

improving sound insulation in old storey
partitions by adding supplementary floor
coverings on top of existing.
Minimum 10 mm
from wall
Sub floor
Wooden floor
Intermediate layer
reducing impact sound
Risk of sound bridges caused by pointed concrete

Figure 45 Construction details
reduction in floating floors.
impact sound
ASPECTS RELATED TO SOUND 39
JOINTS
Dilatation joint
The purpose of establishing joints in

wooden floors is: 1) to absorb expansions,
2) to transfer forces and 3) to establish a
characteristic subdivision of the floor
surface.
Differentiation is made between dilatation
joints and insulation joints see figure 46.
The purpose of dilatation joints is to absorb
moisture and temperature caused
movements between materials in the floor
plane, figures 48-49. Dilatation joints are
normally only found in floating floors.
Suspended floors on battens or on joists as
well as glued or nailed floors do not
normally require dilatation joints, provided
they are constructed correctly.
Insulation joints are used to separate
floors from adjacent building components
such as columns and walls, see figure 50.
Insulation joints may function as dilatation
joints at the same time.
Joints shall be so designed that they are
capable of absorbing such movements as
may be expected in the floor plane in
question. The number and position of joints
are determined by type of floor
construction, load, and expected moisture
variations as well as geometry of the room
and the wood species used.
In case dilatation joints have been
established in the sub floor, such joints must
be repeated in the wooden floor.
Mastic caulking compounds and soft
synthetic rubber profiles are used for
smaller joints. Metal profiles are primarily
used when excessive movements are
expected in the floor plane.
Floating floors
Large mechanic loads, for example from
book cases or reception desks in open space
offices may impede the movements of
floating floors, see figure 46. This fact may
reduce the size of floor areas constructed
without joints. The use of hard and strong
joints against adjacent floors or building
components may hamper the free movement
of the floor plane.
40
JOINTS
Dilatation joint
Dilatation joint
Dilatation joint
Insulation joint
around heavy fixed
furniture
Insulation joint
around column
Dilatation joint
between columns
Dilatation joint
Figure 46 The placing of dilatation and insulation

joints in floating floors.
Areas where large movements may be

expected, as a consequence of moisture
variations, require several wide joints of
high quality. Movements must not be
hampered in floors with irregular geometry
and with columns penetrating the floor, see
figure 46.
Subdivision of the floor plane should, as
far as possible, be carried out in rectangular
fields in order to allow for equal size of
expected movements in both directions.
Under normal circumstances it is possible to
construct floor planes without joints up to
8x12 m, where 12 m is the longitudinal
direction of floor boards. When constructing
larger floors it is advisable to consult the
floor manufacturer.
End grain wood block floors
Expected moisture related movements in
end grain wood block floors is greater than
in most other wood floors. Reference is
made to the guidelines issued by the floor
manufacturer concerning field sizes. Such
guidelines should be observed.
Caulking compound
Joints and caulking compounds

Elastic polysulphide-, MS-polymers - or
polyurethane compound are used in
wooden floors. With respect to
compressibility and wear the compounds
must have a hardness corresponding to
40-65 Shore A. In joints along wall a more
flexible compound is used. In order to
avoid the adherence to the bottom of the
joint it is required to use slip tape, see
figure 47. Caulking compounds in
dilatation - and insulation joints must
always be supported from below, see
figures 48-50. Therefore never caulk
joints without backing.
The width of the joint should be minimum
8 mm and maximum 15mm. Along wall,
columns etc. the joints may have a width up
to 30 mm.
In as far as it is possible the cross section
of the joint should be square. When using
thick floor boards this may require
adjustment of the joint depth for example by
the insertion of pressure resistant, acid free
cardboard EPDM profiles or polyester
needle felt, see figures 47 and 50.
Documentation showing compatibility
between applied caulking compound and
wood species must be available. This is
particularly important when using species
containing oil, for example teak. In such
cases the supplier s instructions concerning
priming must be followed carefully because
the extraction of oil and resin from the
wood may cause the forming of blisters in
the caulk.
Caulking
compound
Slip tape
Caulking
compound
Adjustment of joint
depth
Possible adjustment
of joint depth
Floor batten
Caulking compound
Slip tape-
Caulking compoundAdjustment of
joint depth
Loose metal tongue
-Joint support
for example a
loose batten
Figure 48-50 Dilatation and insulation joints

shall always have support from below, for
example by the use of a metal bar serving as a
loose tongue between to floor planes (49) or a
loose batten under floors on battens (48 and 50).
Documentation must also be made

available on the compatibility between oil,
varnish and other remedies for surface
treatment.
Joints must be carried out in
consultation with the supplier of the
caulking compound in order to ensure
correct choice of compound and primer.
IAs a rule of thumb all adhering surfaces
must be cleaned and primed according to
supplier s directions. The caulk groove
must have clear cut and sharp edges. .
Wooden surfaces bordering the joint must be
covered with tape before caulking.
Floor which requires sanding may be
sanded with course sandpaper before
caulking. Fine sanding takes place when the
caulking is hardened and after removal of
excessive compound (by cutting).
For further information, reference is made
to guidelines issued by FSO.
Figure 47 Placing of bottom stop, for example

slip tape. The joint depth should be adjusted in
order to establish a square caulk profile.
JOINTS 41
Movement profiles
Joints designed with metal profiles or

extruded rubber profiles are used in areas
where large movements are expected or
where adherence between the materials on
the two sides of the joints is not accepted
see figure 52.
A movement profile can be made with
metal anchoring legs (for example
aluminium) connected to a movement zone
made of soft synthetic rubber as shown in
figure 52. Such profiles are available for
wood / wood joints and for wood joining
other flooring materials. Special designs
also exist for the joining of floors with
different height levels. The profiles are
produced in a number of special designs,
for example with angles for corners and in
T-shape. The EPDM rubber profiles are
produced in a number of different designs,
for example angle corners or T-shapes. The
rubber is normally renewable.
Always use metal profiles or extruded
rubber profiles where the free
movement of the floor is desirable
Metal cover strip
Metal cover strip
Figure 51 Open joints covered with metal profile

(cover strip). Is applicable to all floor types, see
more details in section Laying guidelines (page
58)
Movement profile with
visible anchoring legs
Movement profile with

concealed anchoring legs
Ships plank joint / groove for fillet

Ships planks are made by routing a groove
next to the tongue on the top side of the
boards. The groove is filled with a contrast
material in order resemble the original
Figur 52 Top: Visible stanard profile fixed from
above. Best solution for dilatation joint in glued /
caulking. This contrast material can be a
screwed floors.
caulking compound, a wooden fillet, or a
Bottom:: Concealed standard profile anchored to
rubber fillet, see figure 53. Ships plank
the sub floor before laying the wooden floor. The
joints can also be established by the
profile is countersunk into the subfloor in order to
insertion of loose fillets between the boards
establish a plane surface.
see figure 49.
When ships plank joints are made using a
caulking compound it is important to notice
that the cross section should be square
similar to other joint between flooring
boards. Bottom stop and priming is also
important. Course sanding of the floor
takes place before caulking, and fine
sanding only takes place after proper
hardening of the caulking compound.
When ships plank joints are made using
wood or rubber fillets, the fillets are placed
in the routed groove where they are
mechanically fixed and / or glued in a
specially created key. Wood fillets are
glued with water resistant PVA-glue.
Rubber fillets should be glued with glues as
specified by the supplier. Rubber fillets
Figure 53
may be joined at ends using cyanoacrylate Examples of grooves using caulking
and loose fillet
glue (10-seconds glue).
42 JOINTS
LAYING
INSTRUCTIONS
The choice of underlay for wooden floors
shall be adjusted to the type of floor in
question and shall always be sufficiently
rigid and plane in order to ensure the correct
laying of the wooden floor.
Covering
Under normal circumstances a wooden
floor should always be covered immediately
after laying in order to protect the floor
against damages during the remaining
construction period. Materials used for
covering could be cardboard or wooden
fibre boards.
Walking lines, door steps and staicases,
which are particularly vulnerable, should
always be covered with cardboard or hard
wood fibre boards. The wood fibre boards
are fixed by taping to the underlaying
cardboard using an appropriate tape in
order to avoid the undesired entering of
dust and dirt particles under the covering,
where such particles may cause dents and
scratches in the finished floor. On door
steps and staicases the fibre boards may be
fixed using small pins along edges.
Wooden floors on battens or joists
Floors on battens are normally laid on a
substrate of concrete or light weight concrete,
but may also be constructed on top of a
wooden sub floor. When laid on concrete it is
recommended always to lay a dpc before
laying the floor in order to avoid problems
originating from the presence of construction
moisture or from capillary rise of ground
moisture. The dpc could for example be a
minimum 0.20 mm PE-foil laid with
minimum 200 mm overlap at joints.
Distances between supports
The support distances for suspended floors
on battens are indicated in tables 4 and 5.
The distances indicated ensure a reasonably
stiff floor preventing inconvenient
vibrations when walking and preventing the
inconvenient inclination of furniture and
equipment caused by floor deflection. The
support distance depends on the chosen
thickness of materials and the expected
load, see figure 54.
Figure 54 Batten or joist distances as well as

blocking-up distances are measured form centre to
centre (c/c)
The laying of battens

As a minimum requirement, the battens
should be planed and straightened on one
side and be in one piece.
The first row of battens is placed 50-80
mm away from the wall. Along walls, where
heavy loads normally occur, extra battens are
placed as shown in figure 55 (unless
otherwise instructed by the manufacturer).
The battens are placed with the desired
distance and chocked with blocks, wedges or
similar in order to adjust the height,
establishing a plane surface across the
battens. Blocks or wedges must rest on a
plane surface in order to secure stability.
Extra batten
Extra batten approx. 70 cm
Block
Figure 55 The placing of battens. Notice the extra

batten along walls and the staggered packing of
battens.
FLOORS ON BATTENS
43
Table 4 Batten and structural joist distances calculated from centre to centre The distances ensure
against undesired deflection and vibrations. When a calculation indicates a dimension somewhere in
between the indicated distances, the nearest lower distance should be applied.
Floor material
Batten or joist distance
Minimum thickness in mm
Dwellings etc.
Smaller shops
Assembly rooms or the like
520
600
720
860
950
420
490
590
700
770
360
420
500
600
670
400
600
600
350
520
520
320
480
480
Floor boards
20 mm tongued and grooved boards
Structural sub floors*
15 mm Plywood glued in T&G
18 mm Plywood glued in T&G
22 mm Flooring chip board glued in T&G
* Guiding values
Wooden based blocks used as packing

pieces should always be glued together in
order to avoid displacement. The packing
piece material should be fixed to the batten
with a nail in order to avoid displacement
during the laying and later during the use of
the floor. The fixing also helps preventing
squeaking floors. The usual nailing method
is toe-nailing , i.e. a nail entering the
batten on the side and continuing at an
angle into the block or wedge, see figure 56.
When soft blocks are used with the
purpose of sound reduction, care must be
taken to ensure that the nail does not enter
the soft material, see figure 57. The density
of the soft wood fibre board shall be 225300 kg/m3 and the size shall be minimum
100 cm2, for example 100 x 100 mm, in order
to avoid settlement in the floor when loads
are applied. The plywood block placed on
top must have the same dimension, see
figure 57.
In basement floors and on ground
supported floors extra care must be taken in
order to avoid the absorption of moisture. It
is therefore recommended to place a piece of
bitumen felt (200 x 200 mm) below the
packing pieces.
44
FLOORS ON BATTENS
Wooden floor
Batten
Toe-nail
Wedges
Figure 56 The packing of battens using wedges
Wooden floor
Batten
Soft block,
100x100 mm
Packing
100x100 mm
Possibly bitumen
felt 200x200 mm
Figure 57 Chocking-up battens using wooden blocks

and posiibly bitumen felt. When soft blocks are used
with the purpose of sound reduction, care must be
taken to ensure that the nail does not enter the soft
material
Floor on battens
Batten
Toe-nail
Packing
Soft block
Wooden joist
/wooden
stringer
Wooden floor
Toe-nail
Insulated pipe
Plastic wedges
Possibly dpc
Wooden deck element or

wooden storey partition
Figure 59 Packing of battens by the use of high

plastic wedges creates sufficient space for the
running of pipes.
Figure 58 When packing battens on a wooden

storey partition the position of the packing pieces
must be aligned and in line with structural joists
below and comply with distances indicated in table
4. When battens are positioned perpendicularly to
structural joists, it is required to choose a batten
dimension which allows for a chocking-up
distance at least coresponding to the distance
between the structural joists.
Chocking-up on top of structural joists is

shown in figure 58. The overall height of
the packing pieces must allow for a gap of
minium 10 mm between batten and
underlay. In case pipes or other installations
are placed under the floor, there must be at
least 10 mm between such installations and
the batten.
Pipes under the floor shall be wellinsulated in order to avoid the undesired
heating of the wooden floor, see figure 59.
In case incisions are made in the battens,
it is required to establish an additional
support on either side of the incision, see
figure 60.
Battens shall always be supported at butt
joints (end joints), see figure 61. Butt joints
must not be aligned under the same floor
board.
Batten
Insulated pipe
Incision
Minimum
10 mm
distance
to batten
Soft block
Figure 60 When incisions are made in the

battens, for example for pipes,it is required to
establish additional supports on either side of
the incision.
FLOORS ON BATTENS
45
In renovation work, where it may be

impossible to avoid the aligning of butt
joints, it is required to reinforce the joints
with fishplates on either side of the joint,
using for example 12 mm plywood
fishplates minimum 300 mm long. The
quality of the plywood used must, as a
minimum, correspond to American C-D or
better.
When joints asr e made without the use of
fishplates it is required to support each end
of adjoining battens using packing pieces
with a minimum length of 125 mm
(measured along battens). The packing
pieces are placed roughly 50 mm from the
ends of the battens see, figure 61.
The distance between packed bases
depends on batten dimension, as shown in
table 5. The spacing between packed bases
shall be reduced at batten ends and batten
joints, see figure 62.
When, in exceptional cases, stress relief
cuts are established, it is required to place
packed bases under each such cut and the
spacing between bases shall be reduced
according to figure 62.
Fishplates minimum
300 mm
Spacing of packed bases and

Battens used as underlay for wooden floors
shall be sufficiently stiff in order to ensure
that it feels safe to walk on the floor.
Table 5 shows the normal spacing
between packed bases (lmax in mm) for a
number of cross sectional dimensions and
types of battens
The spacing shall be reduced by at least
10 % along batten ends. This also applies to
battens butt joints and possible stress relief
cuts, see figure 62.
In dwellings, offices and light industry
the point load Q is set to 2 kN, for smaller
shops Q equals 3 kN, and for assembly
rooms and bigger shops Q is set to 4kN.
The spacing between supports and
packed bases indicated in tables 4 and 5
may be used in normal rooms according to
mentioned user classes. In cases where the
floor is temporarily exposed to loads
exceeding the loads normally occurring in
the user class in question, it is required to
reduce the distance between supports and
packed bases in accordance with the
expected extra load, for example from
electric wheelchairs, trucks and heavy
book cases.
Spacing between
packed bases
Maximum 100 mm
Figure 61 An additional support shall always be
established when battens are butt jointed or
joined with fishplates.
10 %
The spacing between packed bases

is reduced by minimum 10 % at
batten ends.
Figure 62 The distance between packed bases shall
be reduced at batten ends, at batten joints and where
stress relief grooves are established. The reduction
normally corresponds to 10 % of normal spacing.
46
FLOORS ON BATTENS
Table 5 Spacing of packing pieces and cradle systems under floor battens in main floor area. Along ends of
battens the spacing shall be reduced by 10 %, see figure 62. Design assumptions for table 5 are described on
page 48.
Batten
Dwellings, offices and
dimension
light industries
height x width
(Q = 2 kN)
mm
Sawn
Laminated
battens1
battens2
Smaller shops
(Q = 3 kN)
Sawn
Laminated
battens1
battens2
Assembly rooms and

larger shops
(Q = 4 kN) ____________
Sawn
Laminated
battens1
battens2
1 The indicated distance is allowed provided the wood used has a stiffness corresponding to K18 (E0 = 9000
MPa)
2 The indicated distance is allowed provided the laminated wood used corresponds to L30 (E0 = 12000 MPa)
or to L40 (E0 = 14000 MPa). The stiffness in laminated products depends on number of layers, wood quality
and production method. Supplier will inform about Elasticity module upon request.
3 Sawn battens produced from solid coniferous wood and graded in accordance with grading class T1 will
comply with strength class K18 requirements.
4 Laminated battens produced (glued together) from planed coniferous staves will normally achieve
strength/stiffness properties equivalent to strength class L30.
5 Laminated battens type LVL (Kerto and others) normally have) v strength/stiffness properties equivalent to
strength class L40.
FLOORS ON BATTENS 47
Design assumptions used in the calculation of spacing between packed bases

and other supports under floor battens:
Battens used as underlay for wooden floors
shall be sufficiently stiff in order to ensure
that it feels safe to walk on the floor.
The below mentioned formulas describe the
acceptable distances between batten supports
depending on load, cross sectional
dimensions and wood quality (E-module).
The formulas are defined on the basis of
traditional norms, but adjusted to loads and
stiffness requirements listed in DS 410:1998
Code of Practice for Loads for the Design of
Structures and in DS 413:1998. Code of
Practice for the structural use of timber
The code values for point loads and surface
loads in different user classes (for example
dwellings, offices, assembly rooms) are
assumed to represent the correct mutual
relationship between loads. In practice, the
only factor of real interest is the deflection
caused by the point load.
The stiffness of normal structural timber is
usually much higher than the mean value
Eo stated in DS 413. In order to achieve
uniform stiffness in battens made of
traditional structural timber and in battens
made of processed materials with a
predefined stiffness, the effective E-module
used in following will be defined as:
Maximum support distance lmax for supports

under central part o a batten with the
width b, the height h and the effective Emodule Es and exposed to point load Q can
be determined by the use of this formula:
l max 3 = l0mm bh 3 Es/Q
The distance is rounded off to whole 10

mm units. Along ends, and in rare cases of
stress relief cuts in battens, it is required to
reduce the support distance by 10 %.
The constant 10 mm has been chosen in
such a way that lmax becomes 600 mm
for a sawn batten with cross sectional
dimensions of 45x45 mm and normal
stiffness Eo = 9000 MPa (Structural
timber class K18).
Table 5 shows the support distances for a
number of cross sectional dimensions and
code stiffness with maximum support
distance lmax in central floor area as a
function of point load, wood quality and
batten dimension. In dwellings, offices
and light industry the point load Q = 2kN,
in smaller shops Q = 3 kN and in assembly
rooms and larger shops Q = 4 kN.
It should be noticed that battens are not
part of the load bearing structure and as
such are not subject to code requirements.
Es = Eo12000 MPa for Eo < 12000 Mpa Consequently, it is irrelevant whether
Es = Eo for Eo 12000 MPa
calculations show whether or not the
battens will be able to accept assumed
point loads in DS 410:1998.
The laying of floor boards nailed or

screwed.
Before laying the floor it is required to pack
of batten supports in order to establish a
level surface across the battens. This is
controlled by the use of a straightedge and a
spirit level or by laser levelling, see figure
63. The first row of boards is laid with the
groove facing the wall. The boards are
aligned using a building line. A clearance of
48
FLOORS ON BATTENS
minimum 10 mm between wall and floor

board must be observed. In larger rooms it is
necessary to increase the distance, depending
on room dimensions and floor product in
accordance with manufacturer s instructions.
Temporary distance blocks are placed
between the first row of boards and the wall
in order to avoid the displacement of the
board during laying. see figure 63.
Distance blocks
Extra batten
Straightedge
Extra batten
Dpm - optional
Batten
Figure 63 The battens must be completely level and stable. The boards are aligned using a building line
and clearance is established along walls.
Floor boards nailed / screwed from above.

When boards are fixed using visible
nailing /screwing, the nail / screw is placed
at a distance corresponding to of the
board width from the grooved edge of the
board. When boards are particularly wide,
i.e. more than 200 mm, the visible nailing
/screwing requires two nails / screws in
every board, see figure 64.
In the case of secret fixing from above,
the boards are fixed using countersunk
wood screws. Screw holes are plugged
with wooden plugs, see page 19. Otherwise
the floor is laid in accordance with
guidelines applying to floors with hidden
nailing / screwing.
Tongue
Min. 50 mm
Distance blocks,
minimum 10 mm
Groove
Batten
Tongue Groove
Figure 64 Floor boards - screwed / nailed from above.

In case the boards are wider than 200 mm it is required
to use two screws / nails according to distances
indicated.
Floor boards with hidden nailing

Floor boards may be fixed using hidden
nailing or hidden screwing. When boards
are screwed, pre-drilling is always required.
The first board is nailed to the batten from
above and by the use of hidden nailing in
the tongue, see figure 65. The visible nail in
the first board is places roughly 20 mm from
the grooved side of the board. Finishing
nails are driven into the wood with a nail
set, and the holes are filled with adequate
filler.
The tongue side is fixed by hidden nailing
from the upper side of the tongue the nails
are placed at an angle roughly 45-60 in
relation to the upper side of the floor board.
Nails are driven into the wood. It may be
necessary to pre-drill in order to avoid
damaging the tongue, see figure 66.er
It is recommended to blunt the nail point in

order to avoid splitting of the wood. When
doing so, the head of the nail may be used
to drive the previous. Doing so, the nail
head becomes slightly rectangular. Placing
the long side of the nail head parallel to the
board will reduce the risk of splitting.
Guiding dimensions for nails are
indicated in table 2, page 17. Boards are
nailed in all battens. However, it is not
recommended to nail at a distance shorter
than 50 mm from the end of a board, see
figure 64.
Subsequent boards are laid and knocked
together using a hammering block or a
hammering rail making sure to observe the
10-board measurement, see figure 67. The
hammering block, in some cases, be made
from a board off-cut. In other sases it is
required to use a special hammering block
in order to avoid damaging the profile.
Hammering block
Floor board
Batten
Figure 65 Fixing the first board and nailing

principles in remaining boards.
Packing pieces
3.4x90 mm
3.4x90 mm
3.1x80 mm
2.8x65 mm
Figure 66 Placing and dimensions of nails

when nailing through the tongue (hidden
nailing).
50
FLOORS ON BATTENS
Figure67 The boards are knocked together using

a hammering block or a hammering rail.
Cupped and warped boards can be difficult

to force in place alone by nailing. The use
of wedges as shown on figure 68 may help
solving this problem forcing the board into
place. Clean cut board ends must be joined
along batten centreline. Butt jointed boards
should have the same orientation of annular
rings in order to avoid the curving in
opposite directions when the boards dry out,
see figure 69. Boards are square cut in order
to ensure a tight joint. In order to further
secure a tight joint both cuts may have
slight inclination away from the joint, see
figure 69.
Butt joint along batten

centreline
Wedges
Wooden
block fixed
to batten with
screws
Figure 68 Warped boards may be forced in place
by the use of wedges.
2 bays
Board
Batten or joist
Figure 70 Butt jointed boards must span across
minimum 2 bays. Not more than every third board
should be joined on the same batten.
Bevelled cut
No unsupported joints
Unsupported
butt joints
with T&G end
joints
No unsupported joints
Avoid different
orientation of
annular rings
Board
2 bays between butt
joints
Figure 69 Butt jointed boards must have similar

orientation of annular rings, and it is an advantage
to bevel the cut slightly in order to establish a
tight joint.
Figure 71 Boards with T&G unsupported butt

joints may be used in dwellings or similar.
Unsupported joints may not be used in first and last
board and not in more than every third board
within the same bay never in neighbouring bays.
Boards and joints of this type must span

across two bays at least, and not more than
every third board should be joined on the
same batten, see figure 70.
Boards supplied with T&G in the ends
may be joined without support from
beneath, so-called unsupported butt joints.
This type of joints must always be glued.
When using boards with T&G unsupported
butt joints, the laying is continued using off
cut piece from previous row as starter piece
in subsequent row.
End joints within the same bay may only

occur in every third board, i.e. there must
be two continuous boards between every
unsupported butt joint, see figure 71.
Unsupported butt joints must not occur in
neighbouring bays, and no unsupported
butt joints may occur in the first and the
last row. Unsupported butt joints should
not be used in floors exposed to loads
exceeding those occurring in dwellings.
The last board is designed as shown in

figure 72. It is sometimes difficult to fit in
the last board, and to help this problem it
may be expedient to chamfer the upper lip
of the groove on the side facing the centre
of the board. It is also possible to bevel the
side of the board facing the wall. In case the
last board is very narrow it may be
necessary to lay the last two boards
simultaneously. They are glue-jointed before
laying, see figure 73.
In case the supplier recommends
observation of the 10-board measurement it
is required to comply with the said
measurement. The 10-board measurement
indicates the cover width of 10 boards. The
10-board measurement is indicated as an
interval, for example 1293 1298 mm
within which random check measures of the
width of 10 boards must fall.
Maximum. 250 mm
Figure 74 Door with threshold and floor boards

perpendicular relative to door opening. Notice
maximum joist distance.
Packing
Figure 75 Packing of threshold

different levels.
Figure 72 Designing the last board.

The last two boards
can be glued /
nailed together.
Wedge-
Figure 73 Laying the special-made last board.
52
FLOORS ON BATTENS
floors with
The measurement depends on the width of

the individual boards, the expected highest
humidity during use, and the chosen wood
species.
Doors with threshold
The floor boards meet under the threshold.
There should be a clearance of 20 30 mm
between ends of floor boards in the door
opening depending on extend of
adjoining floors. When boards are placed
perpendicular to door opening, as shown
in figure 74, the joints between the
Metal cover strip
Figure 76 Floor boards may continue through

door openings when the door has no threshold.
This solution should only be used in smaller
rooms.
Figure 77 Joint covered with metal strip. This

solution is used when floor boards are positioned
perpendicularly or parallel in relation to each other.
boards should be aligned on either side of

the threshold. The floor planes in
adjoining rooms should have the same
level. In case this is not possible, the
threshold should be packed to align it with
the level of the highest floor, see figure 75.
Pipe penetrations
Holes for pipes shall have a diameter 20
mm larger than the pipe going through the
hole in order to allow for the independent
movement of the floor, and in order to
ensure that there is no contact between
floor and pipe.
When floors are fitted after pipe
installation the hole is cut as illustrated in
figure 78. Once the floor board is in place
the cut out block is glued back into
position, and the hole is covered with an
escutcheon.
Doors without a threshold

In case the doors do not have a threshold it is
possible to let floor boards continue through
the door opening when the floor boards are
positioned perpendicularly relative to the
opening, see figure 76.
When floor boards continue through a
door penning it is required to design the
width of the joints along walls as if the floor
were in one room, measuring the width
from wall to wall through the door opening.
When floor boards in one room are
positioned perpendicularly relative to floor
boards in adjacent room, as shown in figure
77, it is required to establish a joint with a
between the two floors. The width of the
joint should be 15-20 mm depending on the
size of adjoining floors. If needed, the joint
may be covered with a flat or curved metal
cover strip. The strip should one be fixed to
one of the floors and must not be
countersunk to become flush with the floor
surface.
This solution may also be applied in
cases where the floor boards in both
rooms are positioned parallel to the door
opening. In this case the joint will accept
movements from both floor planes.
Wedge with
bevelled
sides
Figure 78 Cutting a hole for pipe penetration. The

wedge has bevelled sides ensuring a tight fit in the
opening.
Floating floors
Floating floors are normally laid on structural
floors made of cincrete, lightweight concrete
or wood. When laid on concrete or
lightweight concrete it is recommended
always to lay a moisture barrier in order to
avoid construction moisture or ground
moisture from entering the floor. The
moisture barrier should consist of minimum
0.20 mm PE-foil laid with minimum 200
mm overlap at all joints. In case it is
required to lay the wood floor very soon
after casting the concrete it is required to
use a very tight moisture barrier, for
example bitumen felt glued to the concrete
slab and with airtight joints, see Gluing
bitumen felt, page 21.
with coherent wood or concrete sub floors on

top of which the wood floor is laid out and
maybe glued. The sub floor has a pressure
distributing function and, being so, the floor
covering does not need to be a suspended
floor, but can be made of short stave parquet
or mosaic parquet, see figures 79-83
Underlay and intermediate layer

Before laying intermediate layers it is
required to level the sub floor creating a
plane surface, for example by the use of a
smoothing compound. Deviations from
planeness should be less than 2 mm when
compared to a 2 m straightedge.
Type of intermediate layer is chosen with
consideration to establishing a reasonably
rigid floor which does not shake
unnecessarily when walked on, and does not
cause the inclination of furniture or
equipment due to deflection. Maximum
deflection should not be more than be 2.5
mm.
The preferred materials for intermediate
layers are: Expanded polystyrene type
EPS 150 or EPS 250, hard mineral wool
batts, porous wood fibre boards, robust
geotextile in more the one layer, foam
plastic sheets with air bubbles and special
mats based on rubber and cork. When using
compressible intermediate layers like
mineral wool and polystyrene, it is
recommended to insert a pressure
distributing board, for example 22 mm
floor chipboard.
Intermediate
layer
Moisture
barrier
Concrete
The floor plane
Floating floors are made in such a way that the

floor constitutes one coherent floor plane able
to move independently in relation to the
underlay. The floor plane may be constructed
54
FLOORS ON BATTENS
Glue
Wood floor
Wood flooring panel
Figure 79 Floating floor constructed with parquet

staves or parquet boards glued onto a wooden
panel laid on a thin intermediate layer
Glue
Wood floor
Wood flooring panel
Moisture
barrier
Hard
insulation
Concrete
Figure 80 Floating floor constructed with parquet
staves or parquet boards glued onto a wooden
panel which again is laid on hard insulation.
Glue
Wood floor
Concrete slab
T&G flooring boards joined with steel clips

Intermediate layer
Wood flooring
panel
Moisture
barrier
Hard insulation
Moisture
barrier
Hard insulation
Concrete
Concrete
Figure 81 Wooden floor glued on top of a floating

concrete slab. Notice that the concrete slab must
be completely dry and plane before gluing the
wood floor.
Figure 83 Floating floor made with pressure

distributing flooring panels laid on top of hard
insulation. The floor cover is T&G flooring
boards joined with steel clips and laid on a thin
intermediate layer in order to reduce clattering.
Intermediate layer
Wood floor
Wood flooring panel
Wood floor
Intermediate layer
Moisture
barrier
Moisture
barrier
Hard insulation
Concrete
Concrete
Figure 82 Floating floor made with pressure

distributing flooring panels laid on top of hard
insulation, The wooden floor (glue-joined wood
veneer boards) is laid on a thin intermediate
layer in order to reduce clattering.
Figure 84 Floating floor made with glue-joined

wood veneer floor boards laid on a rigid
underlay, for example concrete, and with a thin
intermediate layer, which may function as a
sound reducing layer and as a moisture barrier at
the same time.
Floating floors may also be constructed by

the use of wood vceneer floor boards or
similar laid on a rigid substrate. The boards
are placed on top of a thin sliding layer, for
exampe a 0.20 mm PE-foil and/or a cork
sheet placed on the rigid underlay. The ri-
gid underlay could be a concrete slab, a

wooden sub-floor made of flooring panels
laid on battens or joists etc. The boards are
joined either by gluing in the T&G according
to manufacturer s instructions or by the use
of purpose-made clips placed in grooves on
the backside of the boards, see figures 84-85.
SV0MMENDE GULVE
55
It is required to supply planks and flooring

panels with T&G on all four sides in order
to use them as floating floors placed directly
on top of an intermediate layer.
Flooring panels used as sub-floors must
carry a marking stating approval for use in
floor constructions.
The floor palne must not be fixed, i.e.
should be able to move freely. It is
important to observe that there shall be a
distance of minimum 10 mm between floor
and all surrounding walls and around
penetrating installations, for example
pipes,. This distance depends on the size of
the floor and the manufacturer s
recommendations should always be
followed.
In order to prevent the floor from
cracking it is normal procedure to establish
dilatation joints at every 8 m across the
width of the (perpendicular to grain
direction in the wood). It is also
recommended to establish dilatations joints
in floating floors subject to heavy loads, as
for example in offices with heavy filing
cabinets, because the load may prevent the
floor from moving freely. In case
dilatations joints are not established the
result may be cracks and chinks in the
floor. The floor may also crack in case the
room is very irregular and in this way
hindering the free movement of the floor.
fladen bliver hindret.
T&G flooring boards joined with steel clips
Laying a floating floor

The laying instructions described below refer
to plank floors in the form of floor boards,
wood veneer flooring boards and the like.
For the laying of parquet staves, parquet
tiles or blocks on a floating sub-floor,
reference is made to the subsequent section
about glued and nailed floors.
The first row of boards is laid with the
groove facing the wall. The boards are
aligned by the use of a building line. A
distance of minimum 10 mm between the
wall and the board must be established. In
rooms exceeding 6 m measured across the
grain direction in the wood and 12 m along
the grain direction, the distance shall be
increased in accordance with room
dimension and wood species. Temporary
distance blocks are placed between the first
row of boards and the wallin order to
ensure that the boards are not displaced
during the laying, see figure 86.
Distance blocks
Intermediate
layer
Groove
Tongue
Figur 86 Laying the first row of boards with the

groove facing the wall and fixed by the use of
temporary distance blocks.
Intermediate
layer
Moisture
barrier
Concrete
Figur 85 Floating floor carried out with floor
boards joined with clips and laid on a rigid

underlay, for example concrete. A thin
intermediate layer which may function as a sound
reducing layer and as a moisture barrier at the
same time.is introduced between flor and
underlay.
56
FLOATING FLOORS
The next row of boards is now placed and the

boards are knocked together using a
hammering block or a hammering rail. In
some cases the hammering block may simply
consist of a sawn off piece of board, whereas
other porducts may require the use of special
hammering block in order to avoid damaging
the profile (the tongue side of the board)
The boards are joined by gluing the T&G or

by the use of clips. When joining the boards
end-to-end, the T&G must also be glued.
The laying continues using the cut- off from
a previous row as the starting board in the
next row. Using this principle, the end-toend joints of the boards will be staggered.
End-to-end joints in two neighbouring rows
shall be staggered by minimum 500 mm, see
figure 87,
The last board is adapted as shown in
figure 88. It may be difficult to fit in the last
board. The process of fitting the last board
can be made easier if the lower side the
upper lip of the groove is chamfered.
The last two boards my be

nailed/glued together. ,
WedgeBevelled edge
Figure 89 Laying the last board(s)
Hammering
rail
Minimum 500 mm
Avoid uniform staggering of the

boards
Figure 90 The last board is knocked into place by

the use of a hammering rail or squeezed into
place by the use of a crowbar.
Figure 87 Placing end-to-end joints of the
boards. Avoid closely placed end-to-end joints
in neighbouring rows (zig-zag-pattern).
Figure 88 Tracing the size of the last board.
It is also possible to cut the edge of the

board at a slight inward angle on the side
facing the wall. In case the last board is very
narrow it may be necessary to lay the last
two boards simultaneously. In this case they
should be glue-joined before laying them,
see figures 89-90.
In case the supplier recommends that the
floor is laid in accordance with the 10-board
measurement, it is required to observe the
measurement requirement indicated. The
10-board measurement indicates how wide
an area 10 boards should cover. The 10board measurement is indicated as an
interval, for example 1293-1298 mm, i.e.
the covering width of 10 boards shall fall
within this interval. The measurement
depends on: The width of the boards, the
expected highest air humidity and the floor
product used. .
FLOATING FLOORS
57
Doors with a threshold

The floorboards extend under the threshold.
It is required to establish a distance of
minimum 20-30 between the floor boards
where they meet in the door opening
depending on the sizes of the adjoining floors.
In case the boards are perpendicularl to the
door opening, as shown in figure 91, the
joints between the borads should be aligned
on the two sides of the threshold. The levels
of the floors in adjoing rooms should be the
same. In case this is not possible, the threshold
should be packed to the level of the highest
floor, see figure 92.
Doors without a threshold

It is usual practice to establish a joint
between the two floors where they meet in
the door opening in order to allow for
movements caused by humidity changes.
The joint can be concealed by the use of a
flat or curved metal cover strip fixed in
one of the floors only, see figure 93. The
cover strip must not be countersunk into
the floor as this may prevent the free
movement of the floor.
Wooden floor
Wooden floor
Wooden floor
Cover strip
Minimum 20 mm
Intermediate layer
FtfstSpter-re
Moisture
barrier
Intermediate layer
Moisture
barrier
Concrete
Figure 91 Floating floor with boards perpendicular to

door opening doors with a threshold.
Figure 93 It is usual practice to establish a joint

between floor in adjoining rooms, in particular
when the floor boards are perpendicular to each
other or when they are paralel to the door
opening.
Wooden floor
Wooden floor
Wooden floor
Wooden floor
Packing
Intermediate layer
Intermediate layer
Moisture
barrier
Moisture barrier
Concrete
Figure 92 Packing the threshold between

floating floors at different levels.
58
FLOATING FLOORS
Concrete
Figure 94 Where there is no threshold, the flooring

boards may cantinue through the door opening. It
is, however, recommended to use this method in
smaller rooms only.
Where there is no threshold, the flooring

boards may continue through the door
opening, as shown in figure 94.
When boards run through the door
opening, it is required to dimension the joint
along the walls in both rooms as if the floor
were one floor with a total width
corresponding to the width of both rooms
measured through the door opening.
Pipe penetrations
All holes for pipes shall have a diameter 20

mm larger than the pipe going through the
hole in order to allow for movements. t.
Around existing pipes it is possible to cut
out a V-shaped block shown in figure 95.
After placement of the board, the block is
glued back into place and covered with a
pipe escutcheon.
V-shaped block
Intermediate layer
Concrete
Figure 95 Cutting out for a pipe. The V-shaped
block is glued back into place and covered with a
pipe escutcheon.
Glued or nailed floors
A wide range of wooden floor materials

may be laid either as glued floors or as
nailed floors directly on a subfloor.
The subfloor shall be stable and rigid. The
requirements to evenness and flatness of the
subfloor are equal to same requirements to
the final floor. Deviations from flatness
shall be less than 2 mm measured with a
2 m straightedge, see Appendix: Flatness.
The subfloor must be without any level
differences and there must be no sharp
points. In case the requirements to flatness
are not fulfilled, it is required to adjust the
flatness, for example by means of sanding or
by the use of a filler compound.
Nailing/screwing
All wooden floors with a tongue and a

groove may be nailed or screwed to the
substrate provided the substrate is suitable
for such fixing for example a new subfloor
made of particle board or an existing wooden
floor. Nail and screw dimensions must be
chosen in accordance with board thickness,
see Fasteners and adhesives. In case the
subfloor is made of particle board, it is
required to use screws.
Fixing is normally carried out as secret
fixing, i.e. by screwing or nailing at an angle starting at the topside of the tongue (see
figures 97-98). The secret fixing of wood
veneer flooring boards with a core of
particle board must not be carried out
without consulting the manufacturer. On
concrete subfloors, the fixing may be
carried out by screwing directly into the
concrete - see Fasteners and adhesives.
Laying of flooring boards screwing or
nailing.
The principles applied are similar to those
principles described in the section
concerning floors on battens/joists.
The firs row is laid with the groove facing
the wall. The boards are aligned by the use of
a building line. A minimum distance of 10
mm must be observed between the board
and the wall.
In rooms with dimensions exceeding 6 m
measured across the boards, and 12 m
along the boards, it is required to increase
the distance between the boards and the
walls in accordance with room size.
Temporary distance blocks are placed
between the first row of boards and the
wall in order to ensure that the boards are
not being displaced during the laying of the
remaining part of the floor.
GLUED AND NAILED FLOORS
59
Flooringboards/screwed from top side

Boards fixed with visible nails/screws,
should be fixed with a screw/nail placed
approximately board width from the
grooved edge of the board. Boards which
are particularly wide, i.e. 200 mm or more,
are fixed with two visible nais/screws in
every board, see figure 96. It is possible to
close the nail/screw holes using wooden
plugs.
Wood floor
Distance blocks
Tongue
Groove
Figure 97 Fixing of the first board and secret

nailing of the remaining boards.
Min. 10 mm
Intermediate layer
Wood panel subfloor
Figure 96 Flooring boards nailed or screwed from

the top side. In case the boards are more than 200
mm wide, they must be fixed with two screws in
accordance with the distances indicated.
Floor boards scret nailing/screwing

The first board is nailed from the top and
also secretly in the the tongue, see figure
97. The visible nail in the first board is
placed some 20 mm from the grooved edge
of the board. Brads are countersung with a
nail puncher, and the holes are filled with a
filler. The tongue side of the board is nailed
through the upper side of the tongue. Nails
are placed at an angle between 45 and 60
in relation to the upperside of the board.
Nails are punched. In some cases it may be
advisable to prebore in order to avoid the
splitting of the wood. A similar fixing
may be carried out using screws, also in
concrete, see figure 98.
When nailing, it is important to blunt the
point of the nail in order to avoid splitting.
The heah of the nail may be used for
punching the previous nail. In this way the
head will be slightly flattened with an
oblong shape.
60
GLUED AND NAILED FLOORS
Figure 98 Placering og dimensioner pa

skruer ved fordsskt fastg0relse, f.eks. i beton.
Slagklods
Figur 99 Brsedderne
bankes sammen med slagklods eller slagjern.
smallere pa den ene led. Nar den lange side

af hovedet holdes parallelt med braettet ved
S0mning, reduceres risikoen for flaek-ning.
Vejledende dimensioner for S0m er angivet i tabel 2, side 17. Der s0mmes mindst
pr. 600 mm, dog b0r der ikke s0mmes
nasrmere end 50 mm fra braeddeender, se
figur 96.
Efterf0lgende brasdderaskker laegges, og
brasdderne bankes sammen med slagklods
eller slagjern. Slagklodsen kan for nogle
produkter besta af et afskaret stykke brast,
mens andre produkter krasver, at der anvendes en speciel slagklods for ikke at skade
profileringen, se figur 99.
Braeddest0dene (endesamlingerne) skal
limes i fer og not, derimod ma fer og not pa
de lange sider ikke limes. Lasgningen
fortsasttes i de efterf0lgende braedderaskker
med det overskydende stykke fra den foregaende raekke. Herved forskydes samlingerne imellem brasdderne. Endesamlinger i
to naboraskker skal vaere forskudt mindst
500 mm, se figur 100.
Det sidste braet kan vaere vanskeligt at fa
pa plads, men det kan g0res lidt lettere ved
at affase den 0verste lasbe af noten pa den
side, der vender ind mod midten af braettet.
Brsettet kan ogsa afskaeres lidt skrat nedadtil pa den side, der vender ind mod vaeggen. Er det sidste brast meget smalt, kan det
vaere n0dvendigt at lasgge de to sidste
brsedder samtidig. De limes sammen inden
lasgningen, se figur 101-102.
Anbefaler leverand0ren, at gulvet laegges
efter 10-braetsmal skal det oplyste mal
overholdes. 10-braetsmalet angiver, hvor
meget 10 braedder skal daskke. 10-braetsmalet angives som et interval, f.eks. 1293-1298
mm, som en vilkarlig maling af bred-den pa
10 bradder skal falde indenfor. Malet
afhaenger af brasddernes bredde, den
forventede variation i luftfugtighed under
brug og den anvendte trasart.
De sidste to bradder kan

evt. limes/s0mmes sammen
KileMindst 500 mjg.
Skra bagkant Undga-ensartede forskydningcr mcllcm
braddest0d
Figur 100 Placering at brasddest0d. Undga tastliggende, ensartede forskydninger af braddest0d i

nabobraedder (zig-zag-m0nster).
Figur 101 Lajgning af tilpasset endebrat
Figur 102 Sidste brast slis pa plads med et slagjern
eller presses pa plads med et koben.
Slagjern
LlMEDE OG S0MMEDE GULVE
61
Limning
Ved limning skal overfladerne vaere rene,

t0rre og klasbbare, se Befcestigelsesmidler.
Gulvmaterialerne ma ikke vasre vindskasve og skal have en helt plan underside, der
sikrer en god klasbeflade.
Parketstave uden fer og not ma h0jst vaere
300 mm lange. Parketstave med fer og not
ma h0jst vaere 700 mm lange.
Braeddegulve af massivt trte kan normalt
ikke limes til underlaget, da det er svaert at
fa tilstraskkelig kontakt over hele braeddelaengden og fordi de fugtbetingede beveegelser i gulvbrasdderne er st0rre end limens
elasticitet.
Lamelbrasdder b0r kun limes til underlaget, hvis leverand0ren anbefaler produktet
til formalet og kan anvise en egnet laegningsmetode. Det skal sikres at limen er udfyldende og at underlaget er sa plant (dvs.
h0jst +/- 2 mm afvigelse pa 2 meter retholt
og +/- 0,6 mm pa 0,25 meter retholt), at der
kan opnas god kontakt mellem lim og brasdder pa hele ktebefladen.
Fremgangsmaden er den samme som for
S0mmede gulve.
Den f0rste raskke stave laegges med notsiden mod vasggen. Stavene rettes ind efter
en snor, sa de ligger pa linie. Der holdes
mindst 10 mm af stand til vaeg.
I rum, der er st0rre end ca. 6 m malt pa
tvasrs og ca. 12 m malt pa langs af arernes
retning i traeet, skal afstanden til afgraensende vasgge etc. 0ges afhasngigt af rumdimensionen. Der anbringes midlertidige
afstandsklodser mellem den f0rste raskke
stave og vasg for at sikre, at stavene ikke
forskubber sig under laegningen, se figur 103.
Skal der limes direkte pa et betonunderlag,
henholdsvis et afretningslag, skal restporefugten vaere under 65 % RF, nar der males i
temperaturintervallet 17-25C, se figur 104.
Er der behov for at lime ved et h0jere fugtindhold i betonen, ma der indskydes en
effektiv fugtspaare, f.eks. en asfaltpap,
mellem underlag og trsegulv, se figur 105.
62
\fstandsklodser
Min. 10 mm
MindstW) mm
Traguiv
Not
Lim
lam
Beton
Fer
Not-
Beton
Figur 103 Lasgning at de f0rste parketstave med

notsiden mod vasggen og fastholdt med afstandsklodser. Stavlasngden skal vadges, sa endest0d i
naboraskker forskydes mere end 80 mm.
Figur 104 TriEgulv, f.eks. stavparket, limet direkte
pa beton eller afretningslag. Der skal vasre sikkerhed for at betonlaget er tilstrskkeligt plant og t0rt.
TrcSgulv
Lim
Trgulv
Lim
Beton
Asfaltpap
Lim
Figur 105 Tragulv, f.eks. stavparket, limet pa en

effektiv fugtspasrre at f.eks. asfaltpap, nar betonunderlaget er for fugtigt til en direkte montage.
Fugtspasrren kan limes til betonunderlaget, hvis
Lim
Beton
restporefugten er under 85 % RF.

Trinlydsisolering
Figur 106 Treegulv, f.eks. stavparket, limet pa et
trinlydsisolerende mellemlag, der igen er limet til
betonunderlaget.
Asfaltpap kan klasbes til underlaget med en

acryldispersionslim, f.eks. parketlim eller
lim beregnet til limning af PVC-belsgninger, nar restporefugten er under 85 % RF.
Asfaltpappens kvalitet fremgar af afsnittet
om Underlag, asfaltpap.
Er der behov for et bl0dere gulv eller for
trinlydsisolering, indskydes der et mellemlag af f.eks. gummikork. Mellemlaget limes
til betongulvet, og trasgulvet limes til mellemlaget, nar limen under mellemlaget er
haerdet, se figur 106.
Underlaget b0r vasre sa ensartet og plant
som muligt for at sikre den bedst mulige
klcebning. Det kan evt. opnas ved en fuldspartling af underlaget.
Por0se og stasrkt sugende undergulve af
beton, letbeton, anhydrit, gips m.v. skal primes inden limningen pabegyndes. Til
anhydrit skal der anvendes en specialprimer, som udover at sikre vedhasftningen
hindrer, at fugten i limen skader underlaget.
Gulvmaterialerne fuldlimes til underlaget,
idet der anvendes en udfyldende lim efter
trasgulvleverand0rens anvisning.
Lasgningen b0r tilrettelaegges, sa allerede
lagte omrader ikke betrasdes. Der b0r ikke
paf0res lim pa st0rre arealer, end at la^gning
kan ske inden for ca. 15 minutter. St0rrelsen af arealet afhaenger af rummets fugt- og
temperaturforhold og af underlagets beskaffenhed.
Gulvet b0r belastes, f.eks. med sandsskke, for at sikre et tilstraskkeligt pressetryk,
indtil limen er hasrdet. Det er saerligt n0dvendigt langs gulvets kanter.
Limede gulve ma ikke betrasdes, f0r den
anvendte lim er haerdet. Normalt vil det
tage mindst 24 timer.
Trasgulvet ma ikke afslibes eller overfladebehandles, f0r stavene er i fuldstaendig
fugtma^ssig balance efter nedlaegningen.
Det kan tage op til 7 d0gn.
LIMEDE OG SOMMEDE GULVE
63
Lcegning af parketgulve med enkeltstave

Parketgulve udf0rt af enkeltstave kan lsegges i mange forskellige m0nstre, f.eks. sildeben, hollandsk m0nster og fletm0nster.
M0nsterIaegning er mere kompliceret end
andre former for laegning. Starten af rn0nsterlaegningen kraver saerlig stor papasselighed, fordi resten af laegningen afhaenger
af, at de f0rste stave ligger helt korrekt, se
figur 107-110. Til m0nstergulve kan der
leveres h0jre og venstre stave samt specialelementer, f.eks. firkanter og smalle lister i
forskellige traearter. Ved de mere komplicerede m0nstre skal der tildannes specielle
passtykker pa stedet, hvilket kraever stor
handvaerksmaessig kunnen og specialvaerkt0j. Ncermere oplysninger om udf0relse af
forskellige m0nstre fas hos parketleverand0ren.
Parketgulvet skal afslibes efter laegningen, se figur 11 l.Omfanget varierer efter
stavenes kvalitet og b0r aftales med leverand0ren ved valg af parketgulvet.
Lim
Figur 108 Paf0r kun lim til en stavrjekke ad gangen. Saet stavene ned i limen sa tst ved nabostavene
som muligt, og pres staven fast og op mod nabostavene, uden at der kommer l im op i fugen.
Krydsfinerskabelon
utirn
Styielinie
Styrelinia
Lim
Arbejdslinie
Midterlinie i
rummet
Figur 107 Laegning af enkeltstave i sildebensm0nster. Marker midterlinien i rummet og afsEet en
arbejdslinie en trediedel stavbredde til h0jre herfor.
AfsEEt styrelinier vinkelret pa arbejdslinien med en
stor vinkel. En krydsfinerlaere g0r det nemmere at
placere stavene vinkelret mod hinanden.
64
Figur 109 Tilpasning af stave mod vaeg
Figur 1 1 0 Udlasg sandsskke pa stavene for at

etablere et tilstekkeligt pressetryk, indtil limen er
haerdet - isEer langs kanterne.
Lcegning af mosaikparket eller parketruder

Gulve af mosaikparket eller parketruder bliver smukkest, hvis m0nstret er anbragt
symmetrisk pa. gulvet. Derfor opmales gulvet f0r udlaegningen, sa antallet af hele
ruder i hver retning kan bestemmes. Den
resterende laengde deles med to og angiver,
hvor store tilpasningsstykkerne ved vaeggene skal vasre. Hvis tilpasningsstykkerne bliver mindre end en halv rude, lasgges en
halv rudebredde til og m0nstret gar sa stadig op, se figur 112-114.
Ved lasgning kan der f.eks. gas frem pa
f0lgende made: Hj0rnet af den f0rste hele
rude males ind. Herfra anbringes og fastg0res to retholter i en vinkel pa n0jagtig 90
langs de to vasgge. Den f0rste rude lasgges
pa plads, og herefter lasgges en rakke ruder
langs hvert af retholterne. Den sidste rude i
hver raskke tilpasses og fastg0res. Ruderne
drejes i forhold til hinanden, sa fiberretningen skifter fra rude til rude. Ruderne slas
sammen med lette slag med en slagklods,
sa hverken rude eller vinkel forskydes.
Lasgningen af de resterende ruder foregar
diagonalt over gulvet.
Lim
Figur 1 1 1 Trsgulvet afslibes og overfladebehandles, nar limen er hasrdet, og gulvet er i fuldstsndig

fugtmaessig balance med omgivelserne.
Figur 1 1 2 Paf0r kun lim pa et sa begreenset omrade, at rudeme kan lsgges indenfor ca. 15 min.
Lceg ruderne fra midten at rummet, skiftevis i de
fire gulvfelter, ud mod vajggene.
LlMEDE OG S0MMEDE GULVE 65
Midterlinie
Midterlinie
Stor vinkel
Figur 1 1 3 Lasgning af parketruder og mosaikparket. Mosaikparket, hvor stavene er limet sammen

kant mod kant, knaskkes inden lasgningen i de gennemgaende fuger, sa der fremkommer fire kvadrater
kun holdt sammen af bagbekla^dningen. Afsast to
midterlinier i rummet vinkelret pa hinan-den og lg
et antal mosaikparket eller parketruder fra rummets
midte og ud til alle fire sider. Tilpas sidste rude ved
vaeg.
D0re med bundstykke

Gulvet f0res ind under bundstykket. Der
skal vasre 20-30 mm afstand mellem stavene i d0rabningen afhaengig af de sammenst0dende gulves st0rrelse. Ligger stavene vinkelret pa d0rabningen, som vist pa
figur 115, b0r fuge ligge ud for fuge pa de
to sider af bundstykket.
Traegtuv
Linj
Figur 1 1 4 Udlaeg sandsa^kke pa ruderne for at

etablere et tilstraekkeligt pressetryk, indtil limen er
hasrdet - iseer langs kanter.
66
LIMEDE OG SOMMEDE GULVE
Beton
Figur 1 1 5 Limede gulve lagt vinkelret pa d0rabning ved d0re med bundstykke.
Gulvfladerne i to tilst0dende rum b0r ligge

i samme h0jde. Er dette ikke muligt, opklodses bundstykket svarende til det h0jest
liggende gulv, se figur 116.
D0re uden bundstykke
Normalt udf0res der en fuge mellem gulvfladerne i to sammenst0dende rum, sa fugtudvidelser kan optages. Fugen kan f.eks.
daekkes af en flad eller buet metalskinne,
Trseeulv /
Opkjedsiiing
Lim
som kun ma fastg0res i det ene gulv. Skinnen ma ikke nedstemmes og g0res plan
med gulvfladen, da det kan hindre bevasgelser i gulvfladen, se figur 117.
Ved d0re uden bundstykke, hvor stavene
ligger vinkelret pa abningen, kan stavene
eventuelt forl0bes gennem abningen mellem to mindre rum. Vter dog opmaerksom
pa, at afstanden til vaegge og andre faste
begrasnsninger skal tillade de n0dvendige
fugtbevaegelser i gulvfladen i begge rum.
R0rgennemf0ringer
Huller for r0r skal udf0res 20 mm st0rre

end r0rdimensionen, sa gulvet har mulighed
for at bevasge sig uden at komme i kontakt
med r0ret.
Ved eksisterende r0r saves der ud i brasdderne som vist pa figur 118. Nar brasttet er
pa plads daskkes udskasringen med en r0rroset.
Beton
Figur 1 1 6 Opklodsning at bundstykke ved limede
gulve i to niveauer.
Lim
Jiflegulv .^
Mjatfiskinne
Frasgulv
Figur 1 1 8 Udskaering for r0r i limede gulve

Lim
Betpn
Figur 1 1 7 Normalt udf0res der en fuge mellem

gulve i to sammenst0dende rum, isser nar gulvene
ligger vinkelret pa hinanden eller parallel! med
d0rabningen.
LIMEDE
OG SOMMEDE GULVE
Lcegning af klodsgulve ved limning

Klodsgulve laegges bedst pa et undergulv af
trasplader, der mindst b0r have samme tykkelse som traeklodserne. Klodserne lasgges
med gennemgaende fuger i klodsernes
lasngderetning, se figur 119-121. Tvaerfugerne skal vaere i forbandt, se figur 119120. Der skal holdes mindst 20 mm afstand
til vasgge, r0r mv., sa gulvet kan svinde og
kvaslde (udvide sig) uhindret, se figur 121122. Det bedste resultat opnas normalt, nar
de gennemgaende fuger er parallelle med
rummets korteste vaegge.
F0r lasgning b0r limleverand0ren tages
med pa rad ved valg af limtype.
Klodserne fuldklaebes til underlaget, se
figur 121-122. De laegges side om side i
limlaget og ma ikke skubbes sammen, efter
at de er nedlagt, idet der herved kan presses
lim op i fugerne. Dette vil normalt medf0re
problemer med brud i fugerne ved fugtbevasgelser i gulvet, fordi klodsernes mulighed for at udvide sig individuelt hindres.
Lcegning af klodsgulve pa beton
Limning af traeklodser anbefales ikke af alle
klodsleverand0rer, idet der kan vaere
Figur 1 1 9 Lsg klodserne rigtigt og i forbandt splintside mod splintside - marvside mod marvside.
risiko for vedhasftningssvigt, fordi forbehandlingen af betonoverfladen er kraevende.

F0r laegning skal betonen vasre t0r, dvs.
med en fugtighed under 65 % RF. Det gaslder ogsa afretnings- og spartellag, der samtidig skal have tilstraekkelig styrke.
Midterlinie
Vinkel
Styrelinie
Trasgulvplade
Figur 120 La;gning af klodsgulve. Afsaet rummets midterlinie samt et antal styrelinier vinkelret herpa. L<Eg
klodserne i forbandt f'ra rummets midte og ud mod vajggene.
68
"frasklodser
Fwgtsparre
Mellemlag
Lim
Tragulvplade
Figur 121 Klodseme sasttes i limen taet ved naboklodseme og presses ned i lirnen taet til naboklodserne, uden at der presses lim op i fugerne.
Trasklodser
O verfladebehandling
Tidligst to d0gn efter nedlaegning foretages
en total afslibning af overfladen. Alt slibest0v fjernes og gulvet overfladebehandles
f.eks. med gulvolie efter leverand0rens
anvisning.
Lim
Thegulvplade
Ved anvendelse af por0se, selvnivelerende

afretningslag, f.eks. anhydrit, skal overfladen vaere slamfri og grundig primet.
Hvor der kan vaere risiko for opstigende
fugt, f.eks. pa terraendask, skal betonlaget
vaere forsynet med en fugtspaerre. Ved
anvendelse af flydende fugtspasrrer, f.eks.
epoxybaseret, skal den anviste paf0ringstykkelse overholdes, for at der opnas en
fugtspaerrende virkning.
F0r lasgning b0r leverand0ren tages med
pa rad ved valg af primer, grander, fugtspaerre og limtype.
Beton- eller afretningslag primes, og der
fuldspartles f.eks. med en selvnivelerende
spartelmasse, sa der opnas en helt plan
flade uden ujasvnheder (+/- 2 mm malt pa 2
m retskede). Efter t0rring maskinslibes
overfladen sa den er fri for grater, overgange og slam. Herefter grundes overfladen
f.eks. med parketlim i forholdet 1:2. Nar
grundingen er t0r lasgges klodserne som
beskrevet ovenfor.
MeHemlaa.
busspea'ft)
Figur 122 Udskeering for r0r i limede klodsgulve
Lcegning af klodsgulve i sand

Klodsgulve kan ogsa laegges i et 20-30 mm
tykt lag afrettet sand med sandfyldte fuger.
Denne metode giver mindre sikkerhed mod
forskubninger imellem klodserne som f0lge
af mekaniske pavirkninger eller af fugtbeveegelser i gulvet. Til gengaeld er der st0rre
mulighed for at foretage aendringer eller
reparationer, og klodserne kan genbruges.
Klodserne b0r vaere mindst 80 mm tykke.
Ved klodsgulve skal der veere en fri afstand til vasgge, r0r mv. pa mindst 20 mm.
Kvaliteten af det anvendte sand fremgar
af afsnittet Sand, se side 16.
Gulvet b0r kun reng0res ved fejning.
69
RENOVERING
Ved renovering stilles de samme krav til
underlaget som ved Isegning af nye trasgulve. Det skal have den forn0dne styrke og
stivhed, samt vaere fast, t0rt og plant, sa der
kan opnas et tilfredsstillende resultat.
Gamle gulvbelaegninger som linoleum og
taepper b0r derfor fjernes, hvilket ogsa b0r
foretrakkes af indeklimamasssige og hygiejniske arsager. Eksisterende trasgulve, der
skal danne underlag for et nyt, skal om
n0dvendigt efters0mmes, sa det ligger helt
fast.
Ved Icegning afbrcedder pa eksisterende
underlag, kan det vaere n0dvendigt at rette
underlaget op, sa det opfylder de aftalte
krav til planhed og vandrethed. Normalt
kraeves det, at gulve er vandrette, og at afvigelser fra planned ligger inden for 2 mm
pa et 2 m retholt og 0,6 mm for et 250 mm
retholt. Ved renoveringsopgaver kan det i
visse tilfaelde vaere forbundet med store
vanskeligheder og omkostninger at opfylde
det ene eller begge disse krav pa grund af
sffitninger, deformationer eller trasbjielker,
der ha?nger forskelligt. Det b0r derfor
aftales pa forhand, hvilke krav der i den
aktuelle renoveringsopgave stilles til vandrethed og planhed.
Opretning kan ske ved spartling og for
brasddegulve desuden ved afslibning eller
udlaegning af masonit- eller spanplader.
Ved opretning af et eksisterende bjaslkelag, ma der pafores mindst 45 mm tykke
bradder ovenpa eller pa siderne af de gamle
bjaelker, sa der er et tilstrakkeligt underlag
for s0m eller skruer, se figur 126.
Nye brceddegulve som s0mmes ovenpa
gamle brajddegulve lasgges med samme
bradderetning som de gamle. S0mning skal
ske i bjaslker eller str0er og ikke i brasdder.
Sv0mmende traegulve udlasgges med fordel pa tvcers af et eksisterende trasgulv, se
figur 123-125. Meget tynde traegulve
70
RENOVERING
Nyt tfxgulv
Meitemlag
Eksisterende
konstruktion
Figur 123 Leegning at nyt traegulv pa et eksisterende asldre gulv.
rrinlydsisolering
Nyt Trsegulv
Eksisterende
konstruktion
Figur 124 Lasgning at nyt traegulv med et trinlydsisolerende mellemlag pa et eksisterende gulv. Bundstykket heeves evt. ved en opklodsning.
(10-14 mm) vil i visse tilfaelde kunne give

uens fjedring af gulvet. Dette skyldes, at
basreevnen af undergulvet varierer fra sted
til sted, og at samlingerne mellem de tynde
brasdder kun har ringe stivhed pa tvasrs.
Undergulve afbeton skal vtere t0rre. Hvis
der males porefugt pa over ca. 65 % i gamle
terrsendask, krybekaslderdaek eller
kaeldergulve af beton, b0r det unders0ges,
om der kommer fugt nedefra, f.eks. opsugning af jordfugt i terraendask pga. manglen-
de fugtspaerre. Udlasgning af diffusionstaette

eller fugtf0lsomme lag i konstruktioner,
hvor der kan forekomme fugttilf0rsel nedefra, kan resultere i skader, f.eks. limslip
eller deformationer af trasgulvmaterialet.
Inden et nyt traegulv lsegges, skal konstruktionen vasre sikret med en fugtspasrre,
som beskrevet i afsnittet om Fugttekniske
krav, se side 26-29.
Figur 126 Opretning af eksisterende bjaslkelag ved
paforing pa siden af bjaslkerne. Ved paforing pa
IJaforing af
hardt tras ^
Nyt ffasgulv
TririlydslSoJering
Afslibning
Gamle trasgulve renoveres ofte ved en

afslibning, der fjerner slidt og misfarvet
overflade pa gulvet, f.eks. gammel lak. Se
ogsa TRM 47, Trcegulve 2.
Der afslibes f0rst diagonalt med groft
slibepapir. Nar gulvet er jaevnt, mellemslibes med finere slibepapir pa langs ad gulvbrasdderne. Der st0vsuges mellem hver
slibning. Der afsluttes med en finslibning.
I hj0rner, ved fodpaneler og under radiatorer, hvor gulvslibemaskinen ikke kan
komme til, anvendes en speciel kantsliber
med rund, roterende slibeskive. Hvor kantsliberen ikke kan komme til, bruges et skrabejern og en deltapudser.
Gamle gulve med tykke lak- eller fernislag paf0res et tyndt lag gulvslibningsolie
for at hindre, at lakken sastter sig fast i slibepapiret under afslibningen.
Fuger
Eksisterende
konstruktion
Figur 125 Lsgning af nyt trasgulv pa et eksisterende gulv - med et trinlydsisolerende mellemlag.
Bundstykket pafores lister af hardt tras.
Paroiijjg pa Bpefker
Renovering af asldre trasgulve med fugning

af eksisterende fuger med fugemasse kraever
n0je vurdering og planlaegning. Det er n0dvendigt med en grundig rensning af fugen,
hvilket bedst sker ved frassning med overfrasser. Er gulvet olie- eller ludbehandlet,
anbefales det at udf0re en pr0vefuge, inden
fugearbejdet ivaerksaettes. Pr0vefugen vurderes for vedhasftning og forenelighed,
typisk efter 8 dages hasrdning. Det anbefales at radf0re sig med en fugemasseleverand0r for en vurdering af l0sningens egnethed.
Fugeskader
Eksisterende
konstruktion
begge sider kan underst0tningsafstanden reduceres.
Skader i fugemassefuger kan vaere vedhasftningssvigt som f0lge af uforenelighed mellem fugemasse og traesort eller st0rre bevasgelse end den udf0rte fuge er i stand til at
optage. Disse fuger udskiftes ved udskasring, afrensning, primning og fugning, som
for nye fuger. Vasr opmasrksom pa, at renoverede fuger ikke kan opna samme udseende som nye fuger. Ved udskiftning af fugemassefuger kan det vasre n0dvendigt at
efterslibe gulvet.
RENOVERING
SKADER OG
AFHJ/ELPNING
Gulvbrat ud^n
underlsbe i nc ten
Partielle reparationer
Afgrasnsede skader, f.eks. pa et enkelt braet
eller en enkelt parketstav, kan udbedres ved
partiel reparation eller udskiftning.
Brcedderpd str0er eller bjcelkelag
For brasdder lagt pa str0er eller bjcelkelag
saves det skadede brast igennem i to langsgaende og to tvasrgaende spor, der lasgges
ca. 20 mm fra kanterne. Der anvendes en
rundsav, hvis dybde stilles sa den passer til
brasddetykkelsen. Herefter kan midterstykket fjernes, idet det dog kan vaere n0dvendigt at l0shugge stykket med et stemmejern pa grund af det runde savspor. Dernasst
fjernes de resterende stykker med stemmejernet, og limrester i not og fer pa nabobrasdder afrenses. Et nyt brast tildannes i
samme materiale og dimensioner, og underlasben af noten afskaeres. Pa undersiden af
det tilbagevaerende bracts ferside fastlimes
ca. 80 mm brede stykker af 12 mm krydsfiner eller lignende som underst0tning for det
nye brast. Krydsfineren skal spasndes mod
brasttet til limen er haerdet. Dernasst paf0res
lim pa. underst0tningen og brasddernes fer
og not. Endelig lasgges det nye brast ned ved
at f0re dets fer ind i noten pa nabobrast-tet,
hvorpa brasttet vippes ned pa plads, se figur
127.
Ved brasdder med fer og not pa alle fire
sider ma feren i enden afsaves. Ved flyvest0d ma begge ender underst0ttes med palimet krydsfiner eller lignende pa. samme
made som pa brasttets langside. Limsamlingen skal belastes indtil limen er hasrdet.
Dernasst slibes brasttet ned, sa det er i
niveau med nabobrasdderne. Ved skader pa
enkelte parketstave kan midten af staven
frasses vask med en overfrasser. Der frasses
til ca. 2 mm fra stavkanter. Resten af staven
fjernes med et stemmejern.
72
SKADER
Lim
Krydsfinerlaske
Figur 127 Udskiftning af beskadiget brast pa str0er
eller bjslkelag. Der indsasttes en forstsrkning af
krydsfiner mellera str0erne, som det nye brast limes
fast til.
Limede gulve
Limede gulve med stave uden fer og not
kan repareres med en ny stav, der nedlimes
direkte.
For stave med fer og not fjernes feren pa
stavens ende og underlasben af noten. Staven lasgges ned ved at f0re feren ind i noten
pa nabostavens langside, se figur 128. Limsamlingen skal belastes, indtil limen er
hasrdet. Dernasst slibes staven ned, sa den er
i niveau med nabostavene.
For lamelparket findes der reparationsstave, som tillader udskiftning af enkeltstave i slidlaget, men ofte vil en udskiftning
af et helt brast vasre det mest veleg-nede.
Figur 128 Udskiftning af beskadiget parketstav
limet til underlaget. Staven belastes indtil limen er
. Parketstav uden
-underleebe i no
hasrdet.
Lim
Knirken
De fleste problemer med knirkende gulve

skyldes, at traeet i bjaelker eller str0er har
vasret for fugtigt ved lasgningen. Problemerne kan derfor i vid udstraskning undgas
ved at berrytte t0rt tras. Knirken kan opsta,
nar traeet svinder ved udt0rringen, sa der
bliver et mellemrum mellem str0 og brast.
Knirkelyden opstar ved, at brsedderne ved
faerdsel pa gulvet bevasger sig op og ned i
forhold til s0mmene.
Knirken fjernes ved at presse brasdderne
ned pa underst0tningen, og efters0mme
eller skrue brasdderne fast. Eventuelt kan
det i f0rste omgang vasre tilstraekkeligt at
banke de eksisterende s0m laengere ind, ved
at anbringe en stor hardttrassklods pa gulvets overside, og banke pa den med en klaphammer.
Knirken kan ogsa skyldes, at gulvet er
maskins0mmet fordaskt med f.eks. trads0m
og ikke presset tilstraekkeligt hardt ned pa
str0er eller bjaelkelag. Gulvbrasdderne hviler herved pa trads0mmene. Det giver anledning til knirkelyde mellem s0m og gulvbrasdder, fordi brasdderne ikke ligger fast til
underlaget.
Knirken forekommer ogsa, hvor lamelgulve med spankerne s0mmes fordaskt,
fordi s0mmets vedhasftning i den bl0de
spankerne er for ringe. Knirkelydene afhjaslpes bedst med efters0mning oppefra.
Til efters0mning oppefra af gamle, knirkende trasgulve pa str0er eller bjaelkelag
skal der anvendes ringede, spiralsnoede
gulvs0m, f.eks. 3,5 x55 mm for 20-22 mm
brasdder, og 3,8 x 65 mm for 25-28 mm
brasdder. Efters0mning b0r f0rst ske, nar
der er sikkerhed for, at bJEelkerne fugtmasssigt er i ligevasgt med fugtindholdet i bygningen. Ved fordaskt S0mning kan str0- eller
bjaslkeplaceringen som regel findes ved at
banke pa gulvet eller ved hjaslp af en metal s0ger.
Knirken kan ogsa skyldes svigt i underlaget, enten pa. grund af at nogle opklodsninger har forskudt sig, eller fordi str0- eller
bjajlkelaget ikke er ordentligt afrettet. Efter

et stykke tid vil der kunne opsta en afstand
mellem braeddeme og de str0er eller bjselker,
der har sat sig. Dette medf0rer, at brasdderne kan bevasge sig i forhold til S0mmene, sa
gulvet knirker og opfattes som eftergiveligt.
Der er ingen sikre metoder til udbedring
af svigt i str0- eller bjaelkelag. I nogle tilfaelde kan der opnas en acceptabel udbedring, ved at str0en og brasdderne traskkes
tset sammen med skruer oppefra.
Der findes specielle skruer med groft,
selvskasrende gevind beregnet til udbedring
af str0konstruktioner, hvor underst0tningen
svigter. De skrues ned igennem str0en, hvor
de laver et gevind. Ved at justere skruen kan
str0en hasves og sasnkes, sa den lokalt overtager underst0tningens funktion, se figur 129.
Ved brug af specialskruer skal man vasre
opmasrksom pa ikke at beskadige r0r og
kabler, som kan vaere f0rt under gulvet.
Ved skader af st0rre omfang kan udbedring kun ske ved omlsegning af gulvet og
opretning af underlaget.
Trasgulv -
Traprop
Str0
-Gulv-Jack skrue
Figur 129 Gulv-Jack skrue kan anvendes, hvor opklodsningen svigter lokalt. Spasnd ikke for hardt sa
gulvet bliver hcevet.
SKADER 73
Figur 130 Tvsrkrumme brasdder - vaskebrcet skyldes som regel fugt pa brfeddemes underside.
Tvasrkrumme braedder
LiEgges traegulve pa et fugtigt underlag, vil
bagsiden blive opfugtet og udvide sig. Det
kan vise sig som blivende deformationer i
form af tvaerkrumme brasdder, der normalt
gar under betegnelsen vaskebrcet, se figur
130. Vaskebrset kan undgas ved at s0rge for,
at underlaget er t0rt, eller ved at der anvendes en fugtspasrre. Er der tale om byggefugt, kan skaden eventuelt afhjaslpes ved en
afslibning af gulvet, nar der er opnaet fugtligevasgt i bygningen.
Ved opstigende grundfugt vil det normalt
vaere n0dvendigt at indskyde en fugtspasrre
for at hindre yderligere fugttilf0rsel og en
gentagelse af problemerne. Det betyder, at
gulvet ma laegges om.
Vaskebrcet kan ogsa optrade, hvis gulvbrasdder nedlaegges med et fugtindhold pa.
12-17 %. Ved senere udt0rring til 6-8 %
fugtindhold vil braedderne t0rre hurtigst pa
oversiden og blive tvasrkrumme.
Tryksvind og udvidelsestryk
Hvis et traegulv opfugtes efter laegningen,
kan det fa en betydelig fugtudvidelse, der
kan medf0re problemer. Bliver braedderne
forhindret i at udvide sig, f.eks. ved at de
st0der mod en s0jle eller en vasg, vil cellerne i traset blive presset sammen, og braedderne vil blive synligt smallere ved senere
udt0rring. Dette fsenomen betegnes tryksvind.
74
SKADER
Hvis kraefterne bliver for store, vil gulvet

enten bule op, hvilket normalt vil ske for
sv0mmende gulve, eller det kan i vaerste
fald skubbe vaeggene ud.
Hvis et trasgulv af fyrretras med ca. 10 %
fugtindhold netop ber0rer f.eks. omgivende vaegge, er det tryk, det kan ud0ve
ved opfugtning under brug, ca. 2,5 N/mm2
1radial retning og ca. 1,5 N/mm2 i tangen
tial retning. Anvendes et gennemsnit pa
2N/mm2 vil et 22 mm brast kunne levere
et tryk svarende til 2 x 22 x 1000 N/lbm
ca. 4,4 ton pr. meter.
Udbedring af skader efter fugtudvidelser
bestar i at friskaere langs de kanter, som er
forhindret i at bevasge sig. De aestetiske
skader som bestar af revnedannelser er vanskelige at udbedre med et godt resultat. Ved
mindre skader kan en afslibning vasre tilstraskkelig, ellers vil det normalt vaere n0dvendigt at lasgge gulvet om.
Revnedannelser
Ved udt0rring vil trasgulve svinde, og der
vil naturligt komme fuger mellem braedder
og stave. Hindres det fugtbetingede svind,
kan det resultere i kraftige partielle revnedannelser, idet de spasndinger der opstar i
traset ofte udl0ses ved de svageste steder.
Svindet koncentreres ofte i enkelte fuger
eller i enkelte bradder. Revner far en samlet bredde svarende til hele gulvfladens
svind. Det er et udbredt problem ved sv0mmende gulve, som er fastholdt af tunge
belastninger fra inventar, s0jler eller harde
og stasrkt klaebende fugemasser, der ofte er
udf0rt uden harftebrydende bundstop i
fugens bund.
Afhjffilpning kan eventuelt ske ved at indlasgge en dilatationsfuge i revnen. Indlasgges dilatationsfuger fra starten, er det
muligt at planlasgge, hvor gulvet skal kunne
bevasge sig, og hvor brede fugerne skal
laves.
APPENDIX
Fugtmaling
For at kunne vurdere de fugtmasssige forhold, f.eks. byggefugt, forud for l<egning af
trasgulve eller for at fastlasgge skadesarsager, er det n0dvendigt at kunne male fugt.
Maling af fugt i forbindelse med taegulve
omfatter maling af relativ luftfugtighed,
maling affugt i undergulve, isaer beton og
letbeton, og maling affugt i trcematerialer. I
det f0lgende er der givet en kort omtale af
nogle almindeligt anvendte metoder. En
mere uddybende gennemgang af metoder
findes i SBI-anvisning 170: Mdlemetoder til
bygningsunders0gelsei; GSO Gulvfakta og
diverse standarder.
Der skal ved fugtmaling ofres opmasrksomhed pa l'0lgende forhold:
Brugeren skal vasre fortrolig med det
anvendte instrument og skal vasre i stand
til at vurdere resultatet
Bygningsfysisk viden er en forudseetning
for tolkning af resultater udover almindelig kontrol af fugtindholdet
Fugtforholdene i en konstruktion kan
variere betydeligt fra et omrade til et
andet, og derfor skal der som oftest flere
malinger til for at give et ordentligt billede af forholdene
Malingerne b0r forega tilstraekkeligt
lsenge, sa man er sikker pa, at der er tale
om en ligevaegtstilstand
Fugtforholdene kan variere betydeligt
over aret, og vurdering af resultater b0r
tage hensyn til dette
Maling affugtvariationer i underlag kapacitiv fugtmdler
Maleinstrumentet, der er billigt og nemt at

anvende, anbringes direkte pa overfladen af
det materiale, der skal pr0ves, se figur 131.
Ved maling vises resultatet som en maleva?rdi, der er afheengig af fugtindholdet.
Figur 131 Fugtf0ler - kapacitivfugtmaler - er

egnet til at finde forskelle i fugtindhold.
Kapacitive fugtmalere egner sig ikke til

maling af absolut fugtindhold udtrykt i %.
Derimod er de velegnede til at finde forskelle i fugtindhold, f.eks. til at lokalisere
sasrligt t0rre eller Scerligt vade omrader i
det gulv, der skal unders0ges. Maleren er
ikke-destruktiv, idet der males pa trasets
overflade med en maledybde pa op til 35
mm.
I Appendix: Fugtmaling i beton er der
givet en lidt fyldigere forklaring pa fremgangsmaden ved lokalisering af vade og
t0rre omrader i undergulve af beton. I
0vrigt henvises der til GSO Gulvfakta.
Maling affugt i beton og letbeton
relativ
luftfugtighed i borehul
Den almindeligst anvendte metode til maling af fugt i beton er at male luftfugtigheden i et borehul i betonen. Der bores normalt til en dybde svarende til 0,4 x tykkelsen af betondaskket. Efter st0vsugning af
hullet anbringes en f0ler i hullet, og der
tastnes, sa f0leren kan komme i ligevasgt
med den relative luftfugtighed i det bo-rede
hul - og dermed ogsa med fugten i
materialet. Det vil normalt tage fra mange
FUGTMALING 75
meter er et udtryk for den relative luftfugtighed. Metoden er forholdsvis n0jagtig og

benyttes ofte til kalibrering af andre maleinstrumenter, f.eks. termohygrograf.
Maling af temperatur og relativ luftfugtighed med termohygrograf
En termohygrograf bestar af et bimetaltermometer og et hygrometer i form af en harharpe. Begge dele er forbundet til en pen,
som indtegner malevEerdierne pa en langsomt roterende tromle forsynet med et stykke malepapir. Tromlen drejer en omgang i
l0bet af en bestemt tidsperiode, som normalt er en uge. Derved fas en registering
af, hvordan luftens fugt og temperatur har
varieret.
Som alle hygrometre krasver harharpen
regenerering og kalibrering med forholdsvis
korte mellemrum, hvis der skal opnas
palidelige resultater, jf. SBI-anvisning 170.
Figur 132 Elektronisk fugtmaler til maling af relativ luftfugtighed og relativ luftfugtighed i borehul i
beton eller letbeton.
timer til flere dage inden ligevasgt er indtradt, se figur 132 og 136.
Alternativt kan der udtages pr0ver, som
anbringes i plastbeholdere med tastsluttende
lag, hvori malinger senere kan foretages.
Udtagning af pr0ver skal ske ved udhugning, idet vand eller varme, f.eks. fra en
vandk0let boremaskine, kan medf0re misvisende resultater.
Maling af relativ luftfugtighed med
psykrometer
Med psykrometret kan der foretages en 0jebliksmaling af luftfugtigheden. Der benyttes to prEecisionstermometre hvoraf det ene
er overtrukket med en vad bomuldsstrfimpe.
Luften bringes til at str0mme forbi termometrene, hvorved der sker fordampning fra
strfimpen og derved afk0ling. Afk0lingens
st0rrelse - dvs. forskellen mellem temperaturen malt med det vade og det t0rre termo76
FUGTMALING
Maling af temperatur og relativ luftfugtighed med data-logger

Data-loggere er en forholdsvis ny type
instrumenter til maling af temperatur og
relativ luftfugtighed, se figur 133. De betjenes via en pc og kan programmeres til
Figur 133 Datalogger til maling af temperatur og

relativ luftfugtighed.
at male i varierende tidsperioder, fra fa minutter til mange maneder. Maling og dataopsamling sker ved hjaslp af et lille elektronisk instrument, og der kraeves ingen ledninger under malingen. Efter malingen
indlffises data pa pc'en, hvor ogsa videre
behandling kan ske.
Maling af trceets fugtighed med elektrisk
modstandsmaler (stikbensmaler)
Den almindeligste metode til fugtmaling i
tra; pa byggepladsen er elektrisk modstandsmaling mellem to elektroder, som
stikkes ind i traset, se figur 134. Metoden er
baseret pa, at modstanden mellem elektroderne er afhasngig af traets fugtindhold.
Der findes mange fabrikater, men kun to
hovedtyper af instrumenter. Den ene type
har isolerede elektroder, sa der kun males
ved spidsen af elektroderne. Dette kan vaere
en fordel, fordi der ikke sker forstyrrelser,
f.eks. pa grund af kondens pa overfladen.
Den anden type instrumenter har uisolerede
elektroder og er som regel billigere og
nemmere at arbejde med.
Der skal males pa langs ad arerne og ikke
henover revner og knaster eller i nasr-heden
af s0m eller skruer. Malinger skal foretages
mindst 300 mm fra endetrae, og der males
normalt mindst tre steder, se figur 135.
Fugtindholdet i gulvbradder b0r males i
begge ender af brasdderne, da densiteten i
top- og rodende varierer. Det betyder ofte, at
der er forskelligt fugtindhold og udt0rringstid i de to ender.
De fleste instrumenter angiver direkte
fugtindholdet i %. Normalt er instrumenterne kalibreret til at male i fyr og gran, og der
ma korrigeres ved maling i andre materialer, ligesom der ma korrigeres ved temperaturer, der afviger vaesentligt fra 20C.
Da trykimprasgneringsmidler kan asndre
traeets ledningsevne, vil malinger i trykimprasgneret tra give misvisende resultater.
Figur 134 Elektrisk modstandsmaler til maling af

traeets fugtighed.
Figur 135 Der males pa langs ad arerne og mindst

300 mm fra endetras.
FUGTMALING 77
Fugtmaling i beton
F0r lffigning af traegulve pa underlag af

beton, letbeton og lignende skal man sikre
sig, at der ikke er fugt i undergulvet, som
kan skade traegulvmaterialerne. Fremgangsmaden ved udf0relse af fugtmaling i
betonunderlag er kort omtalt her. En mere
udf0rlig gennemgang findes i GSO Gulvfakta.
Fremgangsmade
Gulvet opdeles i et modulnet, saledes at der
inden for hver maske i modulnettet er ca. 10
m2. Der males f0rst med et ikke-destruk-tivt
maleudstyr, f.eks. en kapacitiv fugtma-ler, i
hvert skaeringspunkt i modulnettet for at
fastlaegge de fugtigste og de t0rreste steder. Dernaest males med udstyr til maling af
relativ fugtighed i et antal borehuller, se
figur 136.
Der males i de fugtigste, de t0rreste og de
normale omrader. De normale omrader skal
forstas som de omrader, der har fugtindhold
ca. midt mellem de to yderpunkter. Antallet
af malinger afhaenger af gulvets st0rrelse, se
tabel 6.
Tabel 6
Antal
Gulvst0rrelse im2
fugtmalingcr
pr.
Antal ikke-
op til 100
op til 200
op til 400
op til 600
destruktive
malinger
14
27
54
80
over 600
14 pr. m2
gulv
Antal RF
malinger i
borehuller
2
4
5
6
1 pr. 100 m2
Vasr opmaerksom pa, at der ved maling af

RF i et borehul skal ga lang tid f0r der er
ligevaegt mellem betonfugten og den relative luftfugtighed i borehullet, se Appendix:
Fugtmaling, side 75, vedr0rende maling af
fugt i beton og letbeton.
78
FUGTMALING
Fugtmaler
Borehul
lietnifig
0,4xBeton- /,
tykrketeen (B
TcEt belasgning
Borehul
%RF
Borehul-
% RF
Figur 136 Fugtmaling i beton ved maling af den

relative luftfugtighed i borehuller. Bema;rk at
fugtindholdet i betonunderlaget udjsev-nes ved
palaegning af et diffusionstxt lag f.eks. tag-pap. I
maledybden, ca. 0,4 xbetontykkelsen er fugtindholdet nogenlunde uforandret.
Fugtindholdet i betonunderlag skal vasre

mindre end 65 % RF, hvis traegulve skal
lasgges direkte pa betonen.
Hvis der limes en asfaltpap pa betonen
som fugtspaerre, skal fugtindholdet i betonen vaere mindre end 85 % RF af hensyn til
limens hasrdningsmulighed.
Modtagekontrol
Nar trasmaterialer modtages pa en byggeplads, b0r der foretages en modtagekontrol,

som omfatter synlige mekaniske skader,
styktal, dimensioner, traekvalitet mv.
For trasmaterialer, f.eks. braedder og str0er, skal ogsa trafugtigheden, der er en
skjult kvalitet, vurderes. Der b0r stilles krav
til trasfugtigheden, f.eks. h0jst 12 %
middelfugtindhold, hvilket vil vaere et realistisk krav til bl.a. gulvstr0er. Er trasfugtigheden ikke i overensstemmelse med det
Stillede krav, kan der senere opsta vanskeligheder.
Fugtindholdet kontrolleres ved, at der
udtages en stikpr0ve. Det b0r pa forhand
fastlaegges, hvordan stikpr0ver skal udtages,
hvor mange pr0ver der skal udtages,
hvordan der skal males, og hvordan maleresultaterne skal behandles/vurderes.
Antallet af stikpr0ver, der skal indga i en
modtagekontrol, er afhasngigt af det an-tal
braedder, str0er eller parketstave, der indgar
i opgaven, og af den valgte kvalitets-klasse.
I tabel 7 er der opstillet et forslag til det
antal stikpr0ver, som er tilstraekkeligt ved
mindre opgaver.
Tabel 7 Forslag til stikpr0veantal ved mindre
gulvopgaver
Styktal/antal Stikpr0veantal
m2 i opgave
Kunstigt t0rrede
brsedder/stave
Eksempel 1:
Der kraeves ti stikpr0ver med et middelfugtindhold pa h0jst 12 %. Desuden ma h0jst en ud af
ti malinger vsere st0rre end eller lig med 14%.
Hvis en maling er 14% eller derover, skal der
foretages yderligere ti malinger, og ingen af
disse ma VEere 14 % eller derover.
De ti malinger skal altsa bade have et middelfugtindhold pa h0jst 12 % og opfylde kravet
om at vre rnindre end 14 %.
Naturligt t0rrede
emner
23
23
45
45
51-90
91-150
ts> oo
2-8
9-15
16-25
26-50
If0lge EDG-Recommendation af22. oktober 1994 specificeres der tre fugtklasser for
tramaterialer: Standard, Kvalitetst0rret og
Eksklusiv. For hver klasse er der tolerancer
for de afvigelser, der ma vasre fra det 0nskede fugtindhold (malvasrdien). For standard er afvigelserne 0,3 x malvasrdien, og
for kvalitetst0rret er afvigelserne 0 2 x
malvasrdien.
For kunstigt t0rrede brasdder og stave kan
et symmetrisk interval, f.eks. 8 2 %,
omkring det 0nskede mal vasre relevant. For
str0er og bjaslker vil der derimod nor-malt
kun vaere interesse for den 0vre grasn-se.
Der kan f.eks. stilles krav om, at h0jst 5 %
af maleresultateme overskrider en fastlagt
0vre graense. For stikpr0ver med meget
sma antal malinger kan der alter-nativt
stilles krav om antal stikpr0ver, h0je-ste
middelfugtindhold, utarg, og antal malinger,
som ma overskride utarg + 2 eller 3 pro-cent.
9 13
151-280
281-500
18
27
20
32
501-999
over 1000
36
48
45
60
Ved st0rre opgaver kan det vasre af betydning at danne sig et synligt billede af malingerne, variationsbredden og den skasve
fordeling, der altid vil va;re for trasfugtindhold i et parti kunstigt t0rret Xx'<.
Dette gaslder isaer for traematerialer fra et
savvasrk, medens f.eks. parketbrasdder og
pladematerialer ofte har en meget konstant
middelfugtighed med en meget lille variationsbredde omkring middeltallet.
MODTAGEKONTROL
Eksempel 2:
I et parti pa 500 fyrreplanker til str0er pi 50x
100 mm krasves, at fugtindholdet h0jst ma
vsere 12%. Stikpr0vest0rrelsen er 50. Det er
aftalt, at der males med modstandsmaler med
isolerede elektroder i en dybde pa 1/3 af tykkelsen pa bredsiden pa midten af plankernes l;sngde. Der males kun et sted pa hver planke.
De enkelte maleresultater indf0res og behandles som vist i tabel 8.
Der er taget udgangspunkt i kravet Standard, og stillet krav om at 95 % af resultaterne skal ligge under 12 + 0,3 x 12 dvs.
under 15,6 %, idet der kun er ensidige krav
til afvigelsen (krav til h0jeste fugtindhold).
Dette krav er klart opfyldt, idet kun en
maling, svarende til 2 %, ligger uden for
intervallet.
Er kravet Kvalitetst0rret skal 95 % af
malingerne ligge under 12 + 0,2 x 12, dvs.
under 14,4 %. Der ligger fire malinger
svarende til 8 % over den 0vre graense. Med
dette kvalitetskrav ma partiet altsa forkastes.
Planhed
Planhedsmaling af gulve og underlag er

kort omtalt her. For yderligere oplysninger
henyises til GSO Gulvfakta, der mere detaljeret beskriver fremgangsmaden ved maling.
Bemcerk at det er vigtigt bade at vaere
enige om, hvilke krav der skal opfyldes, og
hvordan der skal males. Henvises der til
forskellige metoder, vil krav og maleresultater ikke kunne sammenlignes.
Kravene til gulve er som regel, at de skal
vasre plane og vandrette. Ved planhed forstas, at alle gulvets punkter ligger i samme
plan, som kan vasre vandret eller have en
hffildning. Afvigelser konstateres som lunker eller forh0jninger. At gulvet er vandret
betyder, at alle punkter bade er i samme
plan, og at planet ligger vandret. Afvigelser
konstateres som hasldning af gulvet.
Normalt regnes der ved planhed med 2
mm pa et 2 m retholt (og 0,6 mm pa et
250 mm retholt), se figur 137.
Kravene til planhed gaslder ikke kun
gulvoverfladen men for mange trtegulve
ogsa underlaget, dvs. oversiden af str0laget
for basrende gulve og undergulvet for de
0vrige typer.
Tabel 8 Registering af fugtmaling. Be msrk den

asymmetriske fugtkurve.
0,25 m
Traefug %
t
Luhke
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
80
linn
iiiiiiim
IIIIIIIIIIII
imiiiii
linn
mi
in
i
Antal
5 10
12 9
6
4
3
i
MODTAGEKONTROL
Akkumuleret
antal
%
5
15
27
36
42
46
49
50
10
30
54
72
84
92
98
100
0,6 mm
Lunke
0,6 mm
Forh0jning
Forhoining
Figur 1 37 Maling at planhed med et retholt pa
henholdsvis 250 mm og 2000 mm.
Mdleudstyr og mating
Der anvendes retholter pa henholdsvis 2 m
med 2 mm h0je ben og 0,25 m med 0,6 mm
h0je ben.
Ved kontrol af planhed anvendes f0rst
den side af retholtet, som ikke har ben. Retholtet skubbes hen over gulvet for konstatering af eventuelle ujaevnheder. Kontrollen
foretages jeevnt fordelt over gulvet, men
dog med en overvsegt langs vtegge og foran
d0re og vinduer. Hvis der ved den indledende kontrol konstateres ujaevnheder, vendes
retholtet, sa det hviler pa benene. Uanset
placeringen ma der ikke vasre mere end
henholdsvis 4 mm og 1,2 mm afstand mellem gulvet og underkant af 2 m og 0,25 m
retholt. Retholtet skal endvidere hele tiden
hvile pa begge ben, ellers er tolerancekravene overskredet.
Afstanden mellem gulv og retholt kontrolleres mest bekvemt med en maleklods
med den dobbelte tykkelse af det anvendte
tolerancekrav, f.eks. en 4 mm klods til at
male tolerancer pa 2 mm, og en 1,2 mm
klods til tolerancer pa 0,6 mm.
Eftergivelighed
Trsegulve ma gerne vasre elastiske og fjedrende, men ma ikke vaere sa eftergivelige at

det resulterer i generende nedb0jninger
eller rystelser, f.eks. i form af at m0bler
vipper og porcelaen klirrer i skabene, ved
gang pa gulvet.
En forudsaetning for at fa et stabilt gulv er
at alle underst0tninger for str0er fungerer
korrekt. Underst0tningerne skal vaere solide
og skal kunne fikseres i forhold til str0en,
som skal hvile pa alle underst0tninger. Jo
h0jere underst0tning jo mere stiv/uelastisk
b0r den vaere for at reducere deformationerne ved trafik pa gulvet. Ved meget h0je
underst0tninger - dvs. over 100 mm anbefales det at anvende uelastiske materialer som mursten eller beton til den nederste
del af underst0tningen, i stedet for mere
elastiske materialer som f.eks. plast. Bl0de
brikker udf0res med dimensioner og af
materialer som specificeret pa side 13.
For str0gulve, som er dimensioneret i
henhold til tabel 4 og 5, ma der forventes
nedb0jninger pa op til 2 mm ved gang pa
gulvet. Nedb0jningen males enten i midten
af et str0fag i forhold til de 2 str0er som
afgraenser faget, eller for nedb0jning af en
str0 midt mellem opklodsningerne, se figur
138.
Nedb0jning op til 2 mm
Mellem str0er eller opklodsningcr
>
Figur 138 For str0gulve ma der forventes nedb0jninger pa op til 2 mm mellem str0er og opklodsninger.
PLANHED 81
KRAV Til
TR /FH III UP
Bygningsreglementet, BR 95, har kun f0lgende krav til tragulve:

Flugtveje
Gulvbelasgninger i flugtveje, forsamlingslokaler og butikker over 150 m2 skal vasre
brandmaessigt egnede, klasse G gulvbelaegninger, hvilket f.eks. kan opnas med mindst
21 mm sammenpl0jede bradder, eller
belasgning af trae i brandteknisk fast forbindelse med ubrasndbart underlag.
Anvendes der belasgninger af toe i mindre tykkelse end 21 mm uden brandteknisk
fast forbindelse med ubrasndbart underlag
skal belaegningen afpr0ves efter NT 007/DS
1063.2. Se endvidere TJUE 38, Tra: og brand.
Ildsteder
Gulvet skal vaere af ubrandbart materiale
eller vsre fast beklaedt med ubrasndbart
materiale indtil 300 mm foran lukkede ildsteder, 500 mm foran abne ildsteder. Materialet skal desuden ga mindst 150 mm ud til
hver side for ildstedets abnine.
82
KRAV TIL TR/ EGULVE
Skorstene
Gulvbelaegninger af tra;, hvis tykkelse ikke
overstiger 30 mm, kan f0res umiddelbart op
til den udvendige side af murede skorstensvanger (mindst 228 mm tykke eller tilsvarende f.eks. ved foring) og 50 mm fra stalskorstene.
Fugtisolering
Der er kun generelle bema;rkninger. Derudover henvises til SBI-anvisning 178, Bygningers fugtisolering.
Lydisolering
Der er krav til lydisolering for etageadskillelser, og derfor kan der indirekte blive stillet krav til gulvets trinlyddasmpning mv.
TERMINOLOGI
Brcedder
Handelsbetegnelse for savskarne emner der
er mindst 16 mm i tykkelsen og 75 mm i
bredden, svarende til mindst 12 x 68 mm for
rettede og h0vlede emner.
Dilatationsfuge
Fuge beregnet til at optage bevaegelser i
bygningsdele og -komponenter, f.eks. gulve.
Dispersionslim
En lim hvor t0rstoffet er jaevnt fordelt i
opl0sningsmidlet. Til brug ved gulve er t0rstoffet ofte acryl eller PVAc og opl0sningsmidlet vand.
Elastisk lag
Et lag som i sv0mmende gulve anvendes
mellem gulvfladen og det basrende underlag for at opna de 0nskede lydmaessige og
gangmasssige egenskaber.
EPDM
En speciel gummitype (Ethylen Propylen
Dien Monomer).
Flyvest0d
Flyvest0d er samlinger, som ikke er underst0ttede, f.eks. endest0d mellem brasdder i
et trsegulv.
Forl0be
Forl0be betyder at et traestykke eller en
bygningsdel fortsastter uden afhrydelse gennem en abning, f.eks. gulvbrasdder gennem
en d0rabning.
Grat
Langstrakt lokal forh0jning pa overfladen,
se figur 39.
HDF
High Density Fibreboard er en homogen
trasplade af fine sammenlimede trarfibre,
der ved produktionen er komprimeret
endnu staerkere end MDF plader. Densiteten af HDF plader er ca. 870-1070 kg/m3.
Isolationsfuge
Fuge mellem gulv og tilst0dende bygningsdele. Fugen skal hindre skader, der kunne
opsta ved kontakt mellem traegulvet og de
tilst0dende va?gge, s0jler etc. pa grund af
fugtudvidelser.
Kalibrere
Kalibrering af maleinstrumenter skal foretages for at vaere sikker pa, at malingerne er
korrekte. Principielt sker kalibrering ved at
sammenligne maleinstrumentet med et
instrument, som er mere preecist. Ofte kan
maleinstrumentet blot justeres, sa det viser
korrekt, ellers ma der laves en tabel eller
kurve, der viser hvordan, maleresultatet kan
overf0res til den korrekte vasrdi.
Laskning
Samling mellem traestykker der foretages
ved at sla et ekstra stykke materiale pa
siden af de to traestykker, der skal samles.
Lastfordelende pladeltrykfordelende lag
Et lag som i sv0mmende gulve optager
lasten og fordeler den ud over et st0rre
omrade pa underliggende lag, f.eks. en
spanplade som fordeler lasten ud over et
underliggende isoleringslag.
Lokal defekt
Enkelte afgraensede ujasvnheder f.eks.
spring eller grater, se figur 135. For traagulve kan det vasre landingsspring, dvs. afvigelse i h0jden mellem to nabobradder.
TERMINOLOGI
Grube/pore
Grat
Lunke
Spring
Figur 139 Betegnelser for lokale defekter
Lunke
Lokal forsEenkning af overfladen.

MDF
Medium Density Fibreboard er en homogen trasplade af sammenpressede/-limede

fine trtefibre. Densiteten af MDF plader er
ca. 640-720 kg/m3.
Naddefuge
Speciel fuge af tras eller fugemasse der
anvendes for at give braddegulve et udseende som et skibsdcek. Oftest er fugen i en
kontrastfarve til gulvbraedderne.
Oppinding
Opstabling af brasdder eller planker med
sma pinde indlagt mellem de enkelte lag, sa
luften kan cirkulere mellem lagene.
OSB
Oriented Strand Board er plader, der er
opbygget af retningsorienterede traeflager,
sa der opnas bedre styrke og dimensionsstabilitet.
Planhed
Planhed betyder, at alle gulvets punkter
ligger i samme plan, som kan vaere vandret
eller have en hasldning. Afvigelser konstateres som lunker eller forhojninger, se figur
140.
Planker
Handelsbetegnelsen for savskarne emner,
der maler mindst 50 mm i tykkelsen og
100 mm i bredden svarende til mindst 43 x
92 mm for rettede og h0vlede emner.
Gulvbraedder betegnes ofte gulvplanker.
Betegnelsen er dog ofte misvisende, fordi
bradderne ikke har plankemal.
Plansk&ret
Et tangentialsnit parallelt med toeets la^ngdeakse. Giver ofte et flammet udseende pa
braeddeflader pga. stammens kegle-form.
PVAc
Poly Vinyl Acetat er almindeligt anvendt i
gulvlime.
Paforing
Ved paforing forstas, at der pa et eksisterende materiale eller konstruktion pasaettes
et stykke materiale for at foretage opretning.
Radon
Radioaktiv luftart, der findes i jorden, og
som pa grund af stralingsrisiko skal hindres i at komme ind i bygninger.
Retholt
Et fuldstaendig retliniet braet eller skinne,
som bruges som reference ved maling af
overfl adeuj as vnheder.
Regenerere
Regenerering af harharpen i et hygrometer
eller en termohygrograf sker for at bibeholde harets lcengdeasndring ved fugtpavirkning.
ShoreA
Tolerance
Figur 140 Maling af planhed. Afvigelser konstateres som lunker eller forh0jninger.
84 TERMINOLOGI
Et udtryk for hvor hardt et materiale (fugemasse) er malt efter en bestemt malemetode. Jo st0rre vaerdi, jo hardere er materialet.
Spejlskdret
Et radialsnit - vinkelret pa arringene giver et stribet udseende pa brasddeflader.
LlTTERATUR
Stukning
Statens Byggeforskningsinstitut:
Sammenpresning af fibrene i et stykke tra,

som derved far en blivende deformation.
Tolerance
Tolerance bruges til at definere hvilke
grasnser for afvigelser, der er acceptable.
Normalt anvendes symmetrisk tolerance,
dvs. en afvigelse kan vaere enten positiv
eller negativ, f.eks. 2 mm.
Vandrethed
Vandrethed betyder at gulvet er plant, og at
planet ligger vandret. Afvigelser konstateres som hasldning af gulvet, se figur 141.
Malemetoder til bygningsunders0gelser,

Erik Brandt, SBI-anvisning 170, 1990.
Bygningers lydisolering - nyere bygninger, J0rgen Kristensen, SBI-anvisning 172,
1992.
Bygningers lydisolering - asldre bygninger, J0rgen Kristensen, SBI-anvisning 173,
1992.
Bygningers fugtisolering, Nils Erik
Andersen mfl., SBI-anvisning 178, 1993.
Konstruktioner i smahuse, J0rgen MunchAndersenm.fi, SBI-anvisning 189, 1997.
Vadrum, Erik Brandt, By og Byg Anvisning 200, 2001.
Trabranchens Oplysningsrad:
Afvfgelsir fra^arfatet Figur 141 Afvigelser fra vandrethed konstateres

ved haddning at gulvet.
Vaskebrcet
Lidt st0rre regelmaessigt gentagne ujasvnheder. Ses f.eks. ved fugtskadede traegulve,
hvor bradderne krummer pa tvasrs af bredden pa grand af udvidelse af undersiden, se
figur 142.
Figur 142 Vaskebrxt skyldes tv<erkrumme brsedder
Vindskceve
Vindskasve betyder, at de fire hj0rner i et
brast, en str0 eller en planke ikke ligger i
samme plan (typisk pa grand af at der er
sket en vridning i traestykket).
TR/E 32, Krydsfiner, 1991.

TFLE 36, Trarfiberplader, 1993.
TR^ 37, Spanplader i byggeriet, 1994.
TR^ 38, Tra; og brand, 1995.
TRiE 47, Traegulve 2 - Valg og vedligeholdelse, 2001.
TRiE 50, TRyE - Kvalitet og egenskaber, 2003
BygErfa-blade:
Fugt i tragulve over kraftigt isolerede
terrsendsek, (13)950224
Terrsendask med trasgulve pa str0er og
varmer0r, (13)980924
yandskade pa trajgulve, (43)930113
Abne fuger i trajgulve, (43)990923
Opbuling af trasgulve som f0lge af
(bygge)fugt i rumluften, (43)991123
0vrige:
GSO Gulvfakta, Gulvbranchens Samarbejds- og Oplysningsrad.
FSO Fugeguide, Fugebranchens Samarbejds- og Oplysningsrad, 2004.
LlTTERATUR
S TIKORDSREGISTER
Aflastningsspor, s. 46
Afretningslag, s. 16
Afslibning, s. 71
Asfaltpap, s. 13
Betondask, s. 16
Bjadkeafstande, s. 44
Bjaelkelag, s. 16 Bl0de
brikker, s. 13 Braidder,
s. 83 Basrende gulve,
s. 4 B0jler, s. 21
Dampspasrre, s. 14 Datalogger, s. 76
Dilatationsfuge, s. 40, 83
Dispersionslim, s. 83
Dykkere, s. 19
Eftergivelighed, s. 81 Elastisk
lag, s. 83 Elektrisk
modstandsmaler, s. 77 EPDM,
s. 83
Finerede bradder, s. 10
Flugtveje, s. 82
Flyvest0d,s. 51,83
Forl0be, s. 83 Fugemasse,
s. 41 Fugeprofiler, s. 42
Fuger, s. 40, 71
Fugtisolering, s. 82
Fugtmaling, s. 75
Fugtmaling i beton, s. 78
Fugtspaerre, s. 14
Fuldlimning, s. 20
Grat, s. 83 Gulvbra;dder, s.
7 Gulve pa. bjaslkelag, s. 4
Gulvopbygning, s. 6
Gulvpap, s. 15
86
STIKORDSREGISTER
Gulvstr0er, s. 11,47
Gulvtyper, s. 6
Gulvvarme, s. 31
Gulvvarmesystemer, s. 32
Gummikork, s. 15
HDF, s.83
Ikke-basrende gulve, s. 4
Ildsteder, s. 82
Isolationsfuge, s. 40, 83
Isoleringsmaterialer, s. 13
Kalibrere, s. 83 Kapacitiv
fugtmaler, s. 75 Klammer,
s. 18 Klik-samlinger, s. 21
Klodser, s. 10 Klodsgulve,
s. 68 Knirkende gulve, s.
18, 73 Korkgummi, s. 15
Korksmuldpap, s. 15
Krumme braedder, s. 51
Kvaeldning, s. 22
Lamelbraedder, s. 9
Laminat brasdder, s. 10
Lasknihg, s. 83
Lastfordelende plade, s. 83
Lim, s. 20
Limede gulve, s. 5, 59
Limning af asfaltpap, s. 20
Limning i fer og not, s. 20
Lokal defekt, s. 83 Lunke,
s. 84 Lydisolering, s. 82
Lydmajssige forhold, s. 38
Lasgning af gulve, s. 43
Maskins0m, s. 18
MDF, s. 84
Melamin brasdder, s. 10
Modtagekontrol, s. 79
Monta-flex, s. 19
Mosaikparket, s. 9, 65
Maleudstyr, s. 81 Maling, s.
81
Naddefuge, s. 42, 84
Opklodsninger, s. 12, 44
Opklodsningsafstande, s. 47
Oppinding, s. 84 OSB, s. 84
Parketbraedder, s. 8
Parketgulve, s. 64
Parketruder, s. 9, 65
Partielle reparationer, s. 72
Planhed, s. 80, 84 Planker,
s. 84 Planskaret, s. 84
Plastfolier, s. 14 Plata-Flex,
s. 19 Psykrometer, s. 76
PVAc, s. 84 Paforing, s. 84
Radon, s. 84
Regenerere, s. 84
Renovering, s. 70
Reparationer, s. 72
Retholt, s. 84
Revnedannelser, s. 74
Sand, s. 16
"Shore A, s. 84
Skibsfuger, s. 42
Skorstene, s. 82
Skruer, s. 17, 19
Skumplast, s. 15
Spacers, s. 24
Spejlskaret, s. 85
Spirals0m, s. 18
Spunskruer, s. 19
Stavparket, s. 8
Str0afstande, s. 44
Str0er, s. 11
Str0gulve, s. 4, 38, 43
Stukning, s. 85
Svind, s. 22
Sv0mmende gulve, s. 4, 39, 54
S0m, s. 17, 18
S0mmede gulve, s. 5, 59
T-dykkere, s. 17
Termohygrograf, s. 76
Tolerance, s. 85
Trinlydsdasmpende materialer, s. 15
Trykfordelende lag, s. 83
Tryksvind, s. 74 Tvasrkrumme
braedder, s. 74 10-braetsmal, s. 24
Udvidelsestryk, s. 74
Underst0tningsafstande, s. 43
Vandrethed, s. 85
Vaskebrast, s. 85
Vindskssve, s. 85
Vadrum, s. 36
STIKORDSREGISTER
Bogen er udarbejdet at Statens Byggeforskningsinstitut og

Traebranchens Oplysningsrad i samarbejde med:
Dansk Byggeri
Casco By glim A/S
Dana Lim A/S
Ditas A/S
Faxe A/S
Fugebranchens Samarbejds- og Oplysningsrad
GS Trapper og Gulve
Gulvbranchens Samarbejds- og Oplysningsrad
H0rning Parket Fabrik A/S
Timberman Denmark A/S
Junckers Industrier A/S
Knudsen Kilen A/S
Kahrs Danmark A/S
Moland Byggevarer A/S
ITW Construction Products ApS
Rockwool A/S
Skandinavisk Timport ApS
Sunds Paneler/Parket A/S
Tarkett Danmark A/S
Thermisol A/S
Tool-Matic A/S
Trip Trap Denmark A/S
Vibopan v/Novopan Traindustri A/S
Woodfloor A/S
Manuskript: Seniorforsker civilingeni0r Erik Brandt,

By og Byg, Statens Byggeforskningsinstitut
Redaktion: Trasbranchens Oplysningsrad
Grafisk tilrettela?gning: Trine Preisler
Tegninger: Peter Nielsen Koncept & Illustration
Fotografi: Per Jacobsen Fotografi og Digital Studio
Tryk: G0tze Grafisk, Herning
Copyright 2004: Trasbranchens Oplysningsrad
3. udgave, 1. oplag, juni 2004
Eftertryk kun tilladt efter aftale med
Traebranchens Oplysningsrad,
Lyngby Kirkestreede 14,
2800 Kgs. Lyngby
Telefon 45 28 03 33
Telefax 45 28 03 30
top@top.dk
www.top.dk
ISBN: 87-90856 59-7
Handbogen anviser gennempr0vede metoder for laegning af

traegulve og opstiller de byggetekniske forudsaetninger for at
trsegulve kan udf0res korrekt.
Handbogen er udarbejdet af
Statens Byggeforskningsinstitut
og Traebranchens Oplysningsrad.
TR/EBRANCHENS OPLYSNINGSRAD

Wooden Floors

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Wooden Floors

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WOODEN FLOORS 1

LAYING AND REPAIRING

THE WOOD INDUSTRY

Flooring materials ........................

In spite of different construction

Advisory Council for the Wood Industry

Floor fixed with glue

Floor fixed with glue

Floating floors may be laid on top of a

Figure 3 Non-suspended floors glued/nailed

Glued and nailed floors

Floor construction - terminology

Long stave Minimum

Laminated Laminate, Blocks

-Tongue Stress groove

Figure 5 Floor boards

be socalled guiding grooves used in

Strip floor / parquet staves

Figure 6 Parquet staves

Groove for clip

Figure 7 Parquet boards

Figur 8 Parquet tiles and mosaic parquet

Laminate flooring boards

Laminate flooring boards are composite

End grain wood blocks

End grain wood blocks are rectangular

Figur 10 Laminate flooring

Figure 11 End grain wooden blocks

Figure 12 Floor battens: Sawn battens (1), strip

the floor and with one end fixed against the

The battens must be of a quality

Packing pieces and cradle systems

Materials used to chock up battens could be:

Figure 15 Materials used as packing pieces and

Bitumen felt is used under blocks in order

Figure 17 Insulation materials

Bituminous felt may be used as

Figure 16 Soft blocks made of 12-13 mm porous

Insulation materials are used in the floor

Figure 19 Clatter impact sound reducing materials

For further information concerning concrete

Screeds are used for the leveling of

Sand used as underlay for floating floors

On the other hand, hidden (secret) nailing

Air gun nails

For planks with a width between 100 mm

Nailed from above

Hidden (secret) nailing

Figure 20 Fixing methods using nails or screws

Air gun nailing is used for certain flooring

Figure 21 Nail type for hand nailing

In sub floors made of chipboard the screws

Figure 23 Screw types

The fixing time is short for materials with a

PVA glue is normally used when gluing

Figure 25 As an alternative to gluing tongue and

when the air is moist and contracts when the

Relative air humidity (per cent)

Scrinkage (per cent) from

WOOD AND MOISTURE

How does wood shrink?

Figure 27 The three dominant directions for

Normally, the tangential shrinkage is

How much does wood shrink?