For Ideal Results Follow the Installation Guidelines

Always Check the Guidelines

Many factors contribute to a good quality building job. Things like quality materials, experience in installation, and the ability of the builder, but my focus here is the importance of following the advice of product Installation Guidelines. These recommended procedures have been developed to reach the best result and service of a product.

Our guidelines cover the following products: Flooring, Decking, Baltic Weatherboards, Cladding and Treated Pine Sleepers. These products have featured many times in past articles often because clear guidelines have been overlooked resulting in notorious problems. Classic issues like poor ventilation for Decks, no pre-painting of Baltic Weatherboards, no resealing of cut ends for Treated Pine Sleepers and high moisture in sub-floor areas are all cautioned of in the Installation Guidelines.

In our constant efforts to provide the right information for these products, our quotes and invoices are linked with QR codes which make ‘Installation Guidelines’ available as a PDF file.

A QR code is a Quick Response code which we see everywhere nowadays, providing users a 2-dimensional barcode that links you to additional information. Once you have downloaded a QR scanner on your phone, you simply scan the QR code and it brings up the document to read, download or print.

‘Installation Guidelines’ are also available from our stores and from our website. They should be read carefully as often a problem arises because a recommended procedure hasn’t been followed and it can become expensive for the builder.

Many manufactures have their own recommended guidelines for their products, and these should also be followed to reduce the chance of any problems occurring. If further clarification of the guidelines is required, Bowens recommends contacting your local store for advice. A recent question was asked by a builder, so our timber specialists provided the following advice.

The builder was checking whether a gap should be left between the plywood sheets or could the edges be butted up against each other when fixing the sheets down over the moisture membrane barrier on concrete.

Bowens recommended installing the sheets in a ‘brick pattern’ or a 45-degree angle to the strip floor with a 3-6mm gap between the sheet’s edges. This meant the small gap provided a preventive measure to avoid any friction between the sheets that could contribute to a squeak, as well as allowing for any possible expansion.

If you are unsure about the installation of a product, please contact us here and as always, check the installation guidelines.