Fitting Floor Finishes over Phonewell®
Wood Flooring • Ceramic Tiles • Wet Rooms • Carpets • Linoleum & Vinyl

Where the Developer has opted for a traditional 18mm or 22mm tongue & groove overlay then all flooring finishes are treated conventionally and the following instructions are redundant.

Fitting Solid Wood, Engineered Wood, Parquet & Laminate Floors Directly over Phonewell®

1. Wood flooring must be acclimatised in the fitting location prior to fitting for the length of time specified by the flooring manufacturer. This prevents shrinkage, cupping and warping at a later date.
2. Prior to installation, the installer has the final responsibility to inspect the finished flooring as to grade, manufacture and factory finish. The installer must use reasonable selectivity and discard or cut off pieces with deficiencies.
3. It is imperative that the expansion gap is carefully adhered to, as this is also necessary to prevent the transmission of sound from the wood flooring to the adjoining walls which in turn would transmit flanking noise. This gap is usually 6mm (12mm when floating) around all vertical objects and the whole perimeter of the room.

Mechanical fixing (usually 6mm expansion gap):
a. Solid wooden flooring must not be nailed directly to Phonewell® or through to the sub-deck, which would cause a sound bridge. For ‘Hidden Nail Technique’ glue 9mm (minimum) plywood, OSB or chipboard on top of Phonewell® with wood flooring glue. Leave a 6mm gap between the wooden layer and the walls (and any other vertical structures) to reduce vibration and flanking noise.
b. Then nail the timber flooring directly into 9mm top layer only, leaving expansion gaps as per manufacturer’s instructions. Leave a 6mm gap between the flooring and the walls and any other vertical structures. The gap at the perimeter can be sealed with flexible acoustic sealant.

Bonding (usually 6mm expansion gap):
a. If the installer requires the option of being able to remove the wood flooring at a much later date without damaging the Phonewell® acoustic layer, then a wooden overlay must be laid and bonded to Phonewell® - 3mm to 6mm thick plywood is common. It is important to leave a 6mm expansion gap around vertical objects and the whole perimeter of the room.
b. For bonding wooden flooring, use the wooden flooring adhesive as recommended by the flooring manufacturer (usually rubberised wood flooring glue) which should be spread evenly on the floor with a medium notched trowel, as per the flooring manufacturer’s instructions.
c. Always check for an adequate adhesive bond before proceeding.

Floating (usually 12mm expansion gap, 6mm for Laminate):
a. Flooring suitable for fitting as a floating layer, as per manufacturer’s guidance, (usually over 7mm thick), should be laid directly over Phonewell® without underlay for the best acoustic performance.
b. It is important to leave a 12mm expansion gap, as recomended by flooring manufacturer, around vertical objects and the whole perimeter of the room. For laminate use the manufacturers recommended 6mm gap.
c. Joint Sealant for Laminate Flooring can be used to permanently protect laminate from moisture effects, if necessary.

Fitting Ceramic Tiles Directly over Phonewell®

a. It is recommended to use marine plywood as your sub floor, if possible.
b. If floor height is not an issue it is recommended to lay a Tile Backing Board or a 6mm Marine (WBP) Plywood board over Phonewell® which is bonded to Phonewell® using a grab adhesive.   This will protect the Phonewell® acoustic floor should you wish to change the tiles in the future.  It is imperative to leave a 6mm expansion gap between the tile backing board / plywood and any vertical objects, as well as the whole perimeter of the room, and fill the gap with a permanently flexible and waterproof sealant, to reduce flanking noise.
c. If floor height is an issue, place a 100mm wide fibre glass mesh ‘scrim tape’ over all Phonewell® joints.  Then lay the tiles in a thin bed of rapid setting flexible cement based tile adhesive, suitable for wooden floors.  The scrim tape ensures no movement will take place due to vapour in bathrooms and kitchens.  If tiling a wet room, please see the next section.

Fitting Ceramic Tiles Directly over Phonewell® in Wet Rooms

a. It is recommended to use marine ply as your sub floor, if possible.
b. Phonewell® is moisture resistant and its performance will not deteriorate in these applications.  Do not knock boards tightly together - simply lay lightly butted allowing for minimal expansion. 
c. In high moisture areas it is important to lay a vapour barrier, or else it is recommended that a Tile Backing Board or a 6mm Marine (WBP) Plywood board should first be laid and bonded over Phonewell® using a grab adhesive.   It is imperative to leave a 6mm expansion gap between the tile backing board and any vertical objects, as well as the whole perimeter of the room, and fill the gap with a permanently flexible and waterproof sealant, to reduce flanking noise.

Fitting Carpet Directly over Phonewell®

Carpets requiring an independent underlay:
a. Phonewell® is not an ‘underlay’; a good quality carpet underlay is still required to protect the carpet and Phonewell®.
b. Carpet grippers can be bonded to Phonewell® in the same manner as for solid concrete floors; using a rapid set grab adhesive recommended for carpet grippers.  The nails are hammered through the carpet and into the carpet gripper - however it is imperative that the nails do not pass through into the sub-deck below.  Common carpet gripper nails are insufficient length to pass through the 15mm Phonewell®, but it is the installer’s responsibility to confirm this on site.

Carpets with a pre-bonded foam or felt underlay:
a. These carpets usually incorporate a thin foam or felt backing, insufficient to spread point pressure load, and therefore require a 3mm to 6mm plywood bonded to Phonewell® prior to fitting the carpet.
b. The plywood is bonded to the Phonewell® leaving a 6mm expansion gap around all vertical objects and the whole perimeter of the room, which can be filled with permanently flexible acoustic sealant.
c. Foam backed carpets should always have a brown building paper laid prior to fitting which prevents the foam from sticking to the floor when its glue seeps out.

Fitting Linoleum & Vinyl Directly over Phonewell®

a. Linoleum or Vinyl cannot be fitted directly on the surface of Phonewell®.  For commercial applications use a hard Linoleum and Vinyl subfloor system floating over Phonewell® or 6mm plywood bonded to Phonewell®.  For domestic applications, bond 3mm to 6mm plywood or similar to Phonewell®. 
b. The plywood is bonded to the Phonewell® leaving a 6mm expansion gap around all vertical objects and the whole perimeter of the room, which can be filled with permanently flexible acoustic sealant.