Figure 6-7.—Fasteners for underpayment.Figure 6-8.—A1ignment of finish flooring materials.angles to those in the subfloor. Be especially careful toavoid aligning any joints in the underpayment with thosein the subfloor. Leave a 1/32-inch space at the jointsbetween hardboard panels. Particleboard panels shouldbe butted lightly.FASTENERS.— Underlayment panels should beattached to the subfloor with approved fasteners.Examples are shown in figure 6-7. For hardboard, spacethe fasteners 3/8 inch from the edge.Spacing for particleboard varies for differentthicknesses. Be sure to drive nailheads flush. Whenfastening underpayment with staples, use a type that isetched or galvanized and at least 7/8 inch long. Staplesshould not be spaced over 4 inches apart along paneledges.Special adhesives can also be used to bond under-payment to subfloors. They eliminate the possibility ofnail-popping under resilient floors.PlywoodPlywood is preferred by many for underpayment. Itis dimensionally stable, and spacing between joints isnot critical. Since a range of thicknesses is available,alignment of the surfaces of various finish flooringmaterials is easy. An example of aligning resilientflooring with wood strip flooring is shown in figure 6-8.To install plywood underpayment, follow the samegeneral procedures described for hardboard. Turn thegrain of the face-ply at right angles to the framingsupports. Stagger the end joints. Nails may be spacedfarther apart for plywood but should not exceed a fieldspacing of 10 inches (8 inches for 1/4- and 3/8-inchthicknesses) and an edge spacing of 6 inches OC. Youshould use ring-grooved or cement-coated nails toinstall plywood underpayment.RESILIENT FLOOR TILEAfter the underpayment is securely fastened, sweepand vacuum the surface carefully. Check to see thatsurfaces are smooth and joints level. Rough edgesshould be removed with sandpaper or a block plane.The smoothness of the surface is extremelyimportant, especially under the more pliable materials(vinyl, rubber, linoleum). Over a period of time, thesematerials will “telegraph” (show on the surface) eventhe slightest irregularities or rough surfaces. Linoleumis especially susceptible. For this reason, a base layer offelt is often applied over the underpayment whenlinoleum, either in tile or sheet form, is installed.Because of the many resilient flooring materials onthe market, it is essential that each application be madeaccording to the recommendations and instructionsfurnished by the manufacturer of the product.Installing Resilient TileStart a floor tile layout by locating the center of theend walls of the room. Disregard any breaks orirregularities in the contour. Establish a main centerlineby snapping a chalk line between these two points.When snapping long lines, remember to hold the line atvarious intervals and snap only short sections.Next, lay out another center line at right angles tothe main center line. This line should be established byusing a framing square or set up a right triangle (fig. 6-9)Figure 6-9.—Establishing center for laying floor tile.6-5
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