The installation of the raised floor does not present any particular problems, however it is always advisable to inspect the rooms to be paved, to ascertain the existence of a few but important conditions for optimal installation:
SURVEY AND TRACKING
Once the inspection has been carried out, it is possible to set the project for laying the raised floor and consequently the texture of the supporting structure of the panels. There are rules for establishing the latter, but it can vary by evaluating the aesthetic result and the technical needs of the user. It is also essential to detect the unevenness of the floor to verify that they are not greater than the adjustment heights of the supports.
ASSEMBLY
Checked the conditions outlined above, it is possible to install the floor. It is preferable, after removing the dust from the base, to treat the latter with unalterable dust-proof paint based on polyurethane or epoxy. This treatment is essential if the plenum between the slab and the raised floor is used as an air conditioning duct. The first operation to be carried out after considering the positioning of the panels is to establish a pair of orthogonal axes as a reference for laying the structure, fixing two nylon threads to the walls (normally the orthogonal axes and the dimensions are detected with laser tools), forming a cross and verifying the orthogonality with the Pythagorean theorem. The assembly of the structure begins from point “0”, indicated in the diagram.
Once the structure has been assembled, it is leveled using water bubbles with a 15 m hose or air bubble levels with a 3 m staff. Once the structure is flat, the panels can be laid, starting with the first row of internal panels on the two orthogonal axes. It is advisable not to have too small portions of the panel in contact with the perimeter of the room. For example, if in the modular distribution two portions of the panel are obtained at the ends, one of 55 cm and one of 15 cm, it is advisable to add the two measures and divide them in half. When using a raised floor without cross beams, the supports must be fixed to the ground with adhesive. Supports and panels are laid at the same time and checked with the level from time to time. Before practicing the floor it is essential to wait 24 hours to allow the glue that fixes the supports to dry. In the final phase, the steps, ramps, vertical closures and accessories are assembled. Once the floor has been installed, it is advisable to protect it with cardboard or polyethylene sheets until the end of the setting up of the room.
LAYING TIME
As has been considered so far, the time required to install the raised floor varies according to the following factors:
A team of two / three people can install about 30 square meters of floor per day in small areas, to reach an area of about 90 square meters per day in medium and large rooms, depending on the factors mentioned above and the the fact that the trimming and laying of the perimeter panels takes a longer time.