Indelval | Rubber Flooring

Some problems may arise when, in refurbishing jobs, other types of subfloors appear.
Find below how to proceed with some of them.

Ceramic Tiles The floor should be degreased using a degreasing agent and then rinsed with water. Once finished, install the floorcovering following the instructions as described in the Basic rubber flooring installation section.
Enameled Ceramic Tiles Enameling must be completely removed by using an abrasive pad or solution. Once finished, install the floorcovering following the instructions as described in the Basic rubber flooring installation section.
Granite Floor the floor should be cleaned with a 10% diluted solution of muriatic acid. Then rinsed with water. Once finished, install the floorcovering following the instructions as described in the Basic rubber flooring installation section.
Painted Screed All paint must be completely removed using any dry system to prevent screed from absorbing solvents. Once finished, install the floorcovering following the instructions as described in the Basic rubber flooring installation section.
Rubber Flooring All existing rubber flooring and its adhesive must be removed before installing a new one. Once finished, install the floorcovering following the instructions as described in the Basic rubber flooring installation section.
Vinyl Flooring All existing vinyl floorcovering and its adhesive must be completely removed. If adhesive used was water-based it must be removed using an abrasive pad; if the adhesive used was asphalt-based you should use a manual and abrasive equipment to remove it completely. Never use solvent to remove asphalt-based adhesives as it will seep through the screed voiding adhesive bonding. Once finished, install the floorcovering following the instructions as described in the Basic rubber flooring installation section.
Metal decking Indelval rubber floorings have been successfully applied to many differents type of metal decking. The application and suitability is dependent upon individual cases. Consult Indelval´s technical staff for specific advice on each application.
Wooden floor Common problems in these areas is that the differential movements of wooden boards will most likely cause markings, bubbles, blisters and/or detachment of the rubber flooring. One possible solution for this type of surface is to screw plywood, phenolic or similar boards in an interlocked pattern, with a minimum thickness of 12 mm. The screw heads should be countersunk to avoid surface protrusions. It is convenient to putty both the screw heads and joints between slabs or boards, using only pyroxylin-based putty (mostly used in car body repairs) and thoroughly sand all the surface, in order to obtain a perfectly smooth and even finish. Never use emulsion or levelling layer on this kind of surface.

TILES: Carefully measure the room to be laid in both directions. All Indelval tiles have a mark indicating direction, which must be followed to achieve the best results. Studded tiles (Deco, Leganti, Cerama and Clasica) have this directional mark positioned in one angle of the top surface. Smooth tiles have a line indicating direction at the back of the tile.

ROLLS: it is important to notice that roll edges are not rectified and this must be carried out in site. There are two techniques commonly used to install rubber rolls.
1.- Place the roll to be cut over the edge of the last roll laid, and cut both of them. (Overlapping method)
2.- Rectify all rubber roll edges and then lay them tight-fitted (edge to edge).
Always hired specialized workmanship. Notice: Instructive videos available upon request.

Conductive floorcovering (ESD Control) installation method
The basic techniques for installation of conductive floorcoverings are the same as described for standard rubber floorcoverings (using emulsion, levelling layer and contact adhesive). There is no need to use neither conductive adhesive nor copper grid. There is only one difference: conductive floorcoverings must be connected to earth using a copper strip. The following illustration shows how to install a conductive floorcovering.

The copper strip must be fitted to the screed by means of a copper screw and/or copper washer, which must be in touch with the conductive floorcovering top surface. Electrical testing of the floor must be carried out with a multiple-purpose tester: electrodes must be in touch with a perfectly clean 20-mm diameter washer. Floorcovering must also be clean to ensure it is free of grease and silicone. Electrical resistance for Indelval conductive floorcovering should be 10-6 ohms.

SANITARY FLOORING INSTALLATION
This type of installation is completely easy, as the installation procedure is the same used with conventional rubber floorings. It requires seams welding and a set of accessories to form the sanitary coved skirting. There are two different methods to weld rubber floorings:

a) Laying the rubber sheets in order to leave a separation between the of 2 - 3 mm. This can be achieved by using a metal strip.
b) Cutting in the seams (once the rubber sheets are laid) using a grooving tool to create a groove which will accept the welding rod.
Once the seams are ready, proceed to weld the joints using a heat gun. Once the welding is finished, trimming of the weld must be carried out using a spatula knife with its trimming guide.

Site formed coved skirting is formed with a cove former and a capping strip.

Site formed coved skirting: Apply contact adhesive to the face of the cove former (previously cleaned with solvent to remove dirt) and the wall. When dry, push the cove former into place. Then lay the rubber flooring onto the screed and extend it up the wall (max. recommended height 90 cm). Finally apply the capping strip, which must be previously cleaned.