Installation of carpet tiles

Installation Procedures

To ensure that all JHS carpets perform to the required standard the following installation procedures should be followed:

• Inspect the carpet before laying is commenced and before it is cut in to
• Allow the carpet to acclimatise to at least 65°F
• Check for dye lot and roll sequence

Surface Preparation

1. The floor surface must comply with: British Standard BS 5325:1996, meaning that the floor must be clean, smooth, dry and structurally sound. Uneven concrete floors should be screeded and should be neither friable nor loose and powdery. Concrete floors laid direct to the ground should incorporate a damp proof membrane and should be sealed to prevent dust rising from joins and perimeters.
2. The sub floor must be free from excessive moisture, otherwise long adhesive drying times will occur.
3. The surface must be free from contaminates such as grease, paint, dirt etc. which will affect adhesion.
4. Under no circumstances should the adhesive system be directly applied to an asphalt floor, because of the likelihood of migration of material from the asphalt.
5. Timber floors must be smooth. If resurfacing is necessary use 6mm plywood or hardwood nailed or stapled at regular closely spaced intervals.

Installation

• Direct Stick: Ensure that the carpet is cut to plan allowing for adequate pattern matching. Fit the carpet into the recommended wet adhesive. Using a power stretcher, not a kicker, stretch the pattern into register. Always seal all of the seams. Use a lino roller to get any creases out. This will also allow the carpet to fully adhere to the adhesive.

• Double-stick Contract Installation System: The JHS Multi-Fit underlay system is recommended for Heavy Contract and Luxury Contract Double-stick Installations, but not recommended for use on wood block floor, unless the subfloor is able to breathe. Please note: Impervious backed carpets should be direct stuck down only.

  Unroll the underlay, with the printed side up. Cut to shape leaving excess around the margins. Fold back one half of the underlay and using the notched trowel apply a recommended tackifier to the subfloor ensuring coverage is complete. Allow the tackifier to dry completely – it will turn from white to clear.

  Unfold the underlay onto the dry tackifier (if it is not completely dry, the underlay will bond permanently to the sub-floor).

  Repeat this method with the other half of the underlay. Trim in the underlay neatly around the margins, allowing a gap around the area if a tuck finish is required. The gap will depend on the quality and the thickness of the carpet being laid. All carpet selvedges should be stripped, where necessary, and sealed to prevent fraying. Position the carpet precisely on the underlay before any adhesive is used. All pattern matching, borders and mitred corners should be carefully preplanned. The underlay seams should always be laid at right angles to the carpet seams. Fold back one half of the carpet and apply the adhesive with a trowel.

  The size of the notch will depend on the backing of the carpet being laid, but it will be a minimum of 1.2mm x 2.5mm. When double-sticking carpets with non-porous or low absorbent backs (such as action back), it is important to allow the adhesive to pre-air before the carpet is bonded to the underlay.

  Unfold the carpet on to the wet adhesive and use a glider to smooth out any wrinkles or bubbles and to ensure a firm bond.

  The use of gripper should be considered on all double-stick installations, on account that carpet shrinkage – be it natural, caused by atmospheric conditions or carpet cleaning, may result in movement away from the walls.

  Unlike other systems Multi-Fit will lift cleanly and not break up on lifting. The underlay may be re-laid after access has been achieved.

Critical: “Seam Trimming Technique”

All Joseph Hamilton & Seaton products share a common characteristic with regard to “Rows of Face Fibre”. All Joseph Hamilton & Seaton products will have tufting rows that will be straight and not staggered.

Because of the characteristic, Joseph Hamilton & Seaton requires all seams to be trimmed “on the row” and we further state, no pattern carpet will be matchable unless this row cutting requirement is strictly adhered to.

Our procedure is simple and effective if the following points are observed.

1. Using a broad straight bit screw driver open the rows
2. Using a loop pile or cushion back cutter follow the open row with the cutter keeping the trimmer blade close, opposite of the salvage edge.
3. On pattern carpet trim on pattern centre if at all possible
4. Row cutting works best on side seams and under ideal conditions will also work on butt seams.

Tolerances

The tolerances for Joseph Hamilton & Seaton Carpet are as follows:

Bowing/Trueness of Edge	2.2cm in 4m width
Skewing	4cm in 4m width
Pattern Repeat	1.25% or 5cm in 4m or 10cm in 8m
Construction Specification	5% (Industry Standard)

Other tools and techniques

• Joseph Hamilton & Seaton require F-Ball & Co Ltd adhesives to be used on all glue down or double glue installations, following the techniques set out in their technical data sheets.
• Joseph Hamilton & Seaton require all seams to be row cut, be sure you have the appropriate seam tools prior to beginning.
• Joseph Hamilton & Seaton require all seams to be sealed with the appropriate seam sealer; latex for hot melt; solvent based seam sealer for all others.
• Joseph Hamilton & Seaton require the use of a least a 1/8” x 1/8” V or U shaped notched trowel with no greater the 1/16” spacer. This will result on a proper spread rate approximately 3m2 per litre.
• Joseph Hamilton & Seaton required all glue down installations to be thoroughly “rolled” with a 50-75 pound “lino roller” to assure a good transfer of wet adhesive to the carpet back.
• Joseph Hamilton & Seaton require all stretch installations to be Power Stretched, 1-1.5% length and width.
• Joseph Hamilton & Seaton require the use of architectural tackless on any “stretch-in” installation greater than 10m x 10m