How to Install ZEEZOO® Flooring

1. Let the planks acclimatise for 48 hours in the unopened packaging at the normal room temperature, in the middle of the room where the floor is to be installed. The ideal conditions are 15-22°C at a relative humidity of 30-75%. If climate conditions are outside this 30-75% range, we strongly advise to acclimatise for 1 week with opened packages.

2. Remove any damp-porous floor covering (carpet, needle felt, etc.) first. Damp- sealed floor covering (PVC, linoleum, VCT, etc.) does not have to be removed. 

3. WOODEN SUBFLOOR: Remove any existing floor covering first. No signs of mould and/or insect infestations should be present. Make sure the subfloor is level. Nail down any loose parts. If the wooden subfloor is flat (no unevenness greater than 2mm over the length of 1 meter) you can lay Zeezoo® rigid core flooring with its built in underlay directly on top. If the wooden subfloor is not flat and has unevenness > 2mm and < 4mm (because of cupping of the wooden subfloor planks: you would be best to add board the floor with plyboard or hard board. If the wooden subfloor is not flat and has unevenness > 4mm: you have to install a fibered levelling compound or plywood / OSB levelling floor. Install the new floor at ninety degrees to the existing subfloor. The crawl space under the plank floor must be sufficiently ventilated. Remove any obstacles and make sure there is sufficient ventilation (minimum 4cm² (1/2”) total ventilation openings per m² (40”) of floor). The moisture content of the wood must not exceed 10%.

4. Additional instructions apply if there is underfloor heating or cooling. Your dealer or installer of the floor heating system must guarantee that the floor surface temperature never exceeds 28 degrees°C. The heating element of the electric or wet system, must be at least 8mm distance from the back of the ZEEZOO Flooring. This can either be encapsulated in a screed, or a thick enough board placed between the UFH and the flooring. This ensures the heat is evenly dissipated across the flooring.

5. Make sure the subfloor is level. Any unevenness greater than 2mm over the length of 1 meter must be smoothed out. The same applies to any unevenness of more than 1mm over a length of 20cm.

6. Make sure that the floor base is flat, clean, firm, and dry. Please note: Any movement underneath your floor after installation can stress the product, resulting in the click system and other parts to break once trafficked, it is very important the subfloor is prepared correctly before installation.

7. To install your Zeezoo® rigid core flooring you need the following standard tools: utility knife, pencil, tape measure, safety goggles and gloves.

8. Apart from that, you also need the following accessories: installation kit (a pulling iron, spacers and a tapping block suitable for the Uniclic® click system) and suitable maintenance products. The use of accessories other than products suitable with Uniclic® floors might cause damage to the Zeezoo® rigid core flooring. In such case the guarantee provided by Zeezoo® rigid core flooring will be void. We therefore advise to use only Unilin compatible accessories as these have been especially designed and tested for the use with Zeezoo® rigid core flooring.

9. Check all panels before and during installation. Defective panels must never be used.

10. Check whether the old skirting can be removed. You can leave the wall skirting boards in place and finish the floor with necessary beading / profiles.

11. Check that the doors can still open and close after the floor has been installed.

12. Cooking islands for kitchens and other very heavy objects should be installed first and not placed on top of the Zeezoo® rigid core flooring. The Zeezoo® rigid core flooring must be able to move around the heavy objects to avoid open joints and separating planks.

13. Make sure the panels are mixed sufficiently when you install them, so that you do not end up with too many identical, light or dark panels next to each other. To obtain the best visual effect, it is best to fit the floorboards in the direction of the longest wall and parallel to the incidence of light.

14. Before starting, carefully measure the length and the width of the room to plan a precise layout to achieve a balanced appearance of the floor. This is very important when installing typical tile decors. This will ensure also you won’t end up with the last row being too narrow. If the last row would be less than 40mm, the installation will be easier if you cut down the planks of the first row in the length.

15. Begin the first row with a whole plank. First saw off the tongue on both the long and the short sides.

16. Put the plank with sawn off sides against the walls. Put spacers from the installation kit between the planks and the wall. This will ensure that your expansion joint is wide enough: 3 to 5mm.

17. Position the panel to be installed at an angle of 20 to 30° to the panel already installed. Move the panel gently up and down and at the same time exert forward pressure. The panels will automatically click into place.

18. With Uniclic® you can also tap the panels into each other without lifting. For this method you must use the special Uniclic® tapping block. The planks should not be joined with a single tap. To avoid damaging the panels you must tap them together gradually.

19. In places where it is too difficult to install the Unilic® planks with the tapping block (e.g. against the wall), you can tap them together using the pulling iron and a hammer.

20. Once enough rows are installed, it is easy to continue the installation as follows: Put an unopened pack of panels on the already installed rows. Switch your position and click the short side of the panel in the previous panel.

21. Now place your BOTH hands close to the joint as shown in the figure and pull the long side of the plank towards you. The panels will now click together.

22. Continue like this to the end of the room.

23. With lengths of more than 13 m and widths of more than 13 m, there should be an intermediate expansion joint. The swelling and shrinking is linear, so the bigger the surface, the bigger the play at the edge has to be.

24. Room humidity can vary according to the season, so it is vital that the floor is able to expand and contract. For this reason, make sure you leave an expansion joint of minimum 3 to 10mm on all sides of the floor, around pipes, thresholds and under doors. Expansion joints can be finished by means of a skirting that is attached to the subfloor. It is mandatory to provide an expansion joint between different rooms (e.g. under the door). If laying ZEEZOO® in areas subject to temperature change ensure the maximum expansion gap is left to allow for exponential expansion. Ensure on extremely warm days the product is protected from direct sunlight and the floor does not exceed 28oc. As this may cause the product to expand too much and this can cause it to unclick and become distorted. 

25. Remove all spacers.

26. You can walk on the floor during and immediately after installation. Ensure that

humidity in the room is always at least 50%. Use a humidifier if you need to.

27. For dry maintenance, we advise a dust pan and brush or vacuum cleaner. Make sure the vacuum cleaner is equipped with soft wheels and a special parquet brush to avoid scratches on your floor.

28. damp maintenance is allowed. Wet maintenance is not recommended.

29. Protect furniture and chair legs. Avoid bringing dirt, water and sand indoors by providing a suitable floor mat at the door. Use (office) chairs and seats with soft wheels that are suitable for a Zeezoo® rigid core flooring and/or use a suitable desk mat.

30. Never drag items of furniture over the floor, but lift them up.

31. Remove stubborn stains carefully with a recommended specific luxury vinyl floor cleaner, do not use heavy alkaline or acidic cleaning fluid as this will affect the PU coating. Regular maintenance and polishing of the floor every 8-12 months is recommended to restore the PU coating. For more information contact your Zeezoo® rigid core flooring supplier.