Smee Timber Ltd is established as one of Britain's leading and most comprehensive timber importing and manufacturing companies, offering an enormous choice of timber to manufacturers and users.
With a permanent stockholding of more than 60 hardwood species, sourced from sustainably managed forests around the world Smee Timber Ltd is able to control raw material quality from sawmill to specifier.
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Clip System Fitting Instructions |
| The 129mm wide ”Clip System” is available in both 14mm and 20mm thick strips. |
| Environmental Conditions: |
| The conditions in which the flooring is stored and laid must be the same as they will be when the room is in normal use. This means the heating must be in operation and any wet trades involving plaster and cement complete. All solid wood flooring requires at least 3 weeks to acclimatise to the normal conditions in which it will be expected to perform. The temperature should be around 15-20°c and the relative humidity should be between 35% - 65%. |
| Sub-floors – Clip system floors can be laid over most sub-floors provided they are dry and level. |
| Timber Sub-floors: |
| Whether the sub floors consist of floorboards, chipboard or plywood it is essential to check the floor has adequate protection from moisture below. The base must be level to no more than 3mm gap along a 3m straight edge. Uneven floors can be levelled by sanding or screwing down chipboard. |
| Sand/Cement Screeds: |
| These must be dry and flat. It is wise to apply a damp proof membrane on all screeded sub floors prior to fitting wood flooring. As with other sub floors the screed must be level to no more than 3mm variation over a 3m length. If there is too much variation we recommend using a self-levelling compound. |
| Clips |
| Domestic (14mm) 13 clips/m2 |
| Commercial (20mm) 17 clips/m2 |
| Expansion Gaps |
| Board Width - Allow 15mm plus 3mm for every metre of room width |
| Board Length - Allow 10mm plus 1mm for every metre of room length |
| Laying The Floor: |
| 1st Row – use spacers to allow the correct expansion gap and lay the first board with the groove facing the wall. Use a hammer to tap the correct end of the clip (the end with the holes) into the groove on the back of the board. The first and last clips must be no further than 80mm from the wall. Glue the head joints using PVA glue but not the side joints except for on the last board. For domestic floors the clips should be 400mm apart for the first and last rows and 700mm apart for the rest of the floor. For commercial applications the clips should be 400mm apart for the first and last two rows and 500mm apart for the rest of the floor. Never fix the clips or boards directly to the sub-floor. |
| Remaining Rows |
| The off-cut from row one starts the next, ensuring that there is never less than 250mm between adjacent head joints. When fitting the clips, try and ensure that they are no closer than 50mm from the clips on the previous row. |
| Last Row |
| This row will require cutting to width to allow it to fit. This row is glued along the tongue and groove, as a clip cannot be fixed. Remember to leave sufficient expansion gap. |
If at all in doubt contact a specialist flooring contractor/fitter. |
