RECOMMENDATIONS
All Airstep underlays should be installed in accordance with best industry practices and relevant Australian and New Zealand standards.
Airstep underlays should only be laid on clean, dry, flat surfaces. Any subfloor imperfections should be addressed before your Airstep underlay is installed.
Rough timber floors can be sanded or filled.
Concrete floors can be levelled using a suitable levelling compound if required. Any subfloor imperfections will eventually mirror through to the surface of the carpet if not attended to before the carpet and underlay are installed.
Airstep Australia Pty Ltd recommend that carpets should be power stretched to ensure that the correct tension has been applied to the carpet to help extend the life of the carpet.
CONVENTIONAL INSTALLATION USING GRIPPER STRIPS (STRETCH-IN)
All Airstep commercial underlays should be installed in accordance with best industry practices and relevant Australian and New Zealand Standards. Airstep underlay should only be laid on clean, dry, flat surfaces.
If you are replacing old, existing carpets, after uplifting old carpet and underlay, inspect all perimeter gripper fixing strips, ensuring the appropriate commercial type is in place.
When the perimeter gripper strip security and condition has been addressed, the floor should then be scraped and cleaned to remove any residual latex and deposits of previous underlay materials. In the case of timber or composite flooring materials, remove any staples, tacks or Sweep the floor surface to remove dust, dirt, granular particles and to expose all floor blemishes such as chips, cracks, gaps, ridges or other surface scars.
Patch all unacceptable locations with appropriate filler or levelling compound as accepted for best industry practices.
Some timber floors may have cross width cupping of floorboards or a level variation where replacement boards have been removed or replaced. In such instances, sanding may be necessary before filling gaps etc with appropriate timber filler. In the case of new buildings with slab concrete floors, floor preparation and moisture checks should be undertaken in compliance with Australian Standards. Fixing of new gripper strips around the perimeter and adjacent to pillar surfaces should be carried out using a combination of nailing and an approved securing adhesive, to provide the optimum trouble-free long term security.
LAYING THE CARPET – CONVENTIONAL INSTALLATION
The selected carpet should be removed from the protective packaging and rolled out over the positioned underlay to condition for the period nominated by the carpet manufacturer.
Position the carpet over the underlay, ensuring that all pattern and style features are true and straight in all directions. Use a knee kicker to assist, ensuring that the pins are sharp and adjusted, to avoid damage to the carpet surface pile.
Commence seaming process by cutting and fitting prior to fusing heat bond seaming tape to join, or alternatively cold bond tape, taking care to maintain an all-direction pattern and design match. Ensure that seams are close fitting, and, where woven or cut selvedges are concerned, that they do not overlap in the seaming process.
Power stretching in a linear and cross width direction – to achieve the desired level of tension for the carpet – should be carried out compliant with the manufacturer’s recommendation.
The final process is to brush all seams to release any caught-down pile or loose yarn, and vacuum as required.
All Airstep Double Bond underlays should be installed in accordance with best industry practices and relevant Australian and New Zealand standards. Airstep underlays should only be laid on clean, dry flat surfaces using pressure sensitive adhesive. Priming of concrete floors is highly recommended.
SUB FLOOR PREPARATION
Prime Floor.
Seal or prime the prepared subfloor with a suitable product sourced from the selected adhesive manufacturer’s product range to form part of the Double Bond system.
AIRSTEP COMMERCIAL UNDERLAYS – CONDITIONING FOR INSTALLATION
Remove your Airstep underlay from protective bag and unroll.
Underlay shall run at a 90º angle to the direction of the proposed carpet. No width or length abutments of the underlay should be positioned less than 300 mm from any seam in the carpet.
After conditioning the Airstep underlay for the period of time set down in AS2455.1:1995 Textile floor coverings – Installation practice Part 1: General. The underlay shall be folded back to allow the pressure sensitive adhesive to be trowelled on the primed surface allowing for the adhesive to tack off before repositioning the underlay into its required location.
The adhesive shall be as specified by the nominated adhesive supplier and applied in the manner, and using the recommended notched trowel requirement stated in the instructions from the supplier. After reasonable time, roll with appropriate roller in an ‘all directions action’.
LAYING THE CARPET – DOUBLE BOND INSTALLATION
The carpet should be moved from the protective packaging and rolled out over installed Airstep underlay to condition for the period nominated by the carpet supplier.
Position the carpet over the underlay ensuring that all pattern and style features are true and straight in all directions. Use a knee kicker to assist aligning, ensuring that the pins are sharp and adjusted, to avoid damage to the carpet surface pile.
Carefully fold back carpet and trowel carpet adhesive onto the upper surface of the Airstep underlay. Leave approximately 50mm each side of the centre of the seam or cross join locations to be coated with seam bonding adhesive. Position one width of the carpet into the trowelled adhesive and apply a 3.0mm to 5.0mm diameter bead of seam bonding adhesive at the base of the pile of the positioned width before locating the adjacent width of carpet. Ensure that the seams are close fitting to a point where they are peaking slightly.
After a period of approximately forty five (45) minutes or as may be required by the prevailing atmospheric conditions in the space, roll the laminated products with the appropriate roller to achieve a flat, even carpet surface.
Remove any deposits of adhesive and seam bonding adhesive with a clean cloth, as per adhesive manufacturer’s recommendation. Brush all seams and cross joins with a stiff brush to release any caught down pile or sprouting primary backing material, before napping with appropriate tool.