Waste factors are applied to flooring installations to ensure there’s enough material after accounting for cuts made during fitting.

Several factors influence the waste percentage:

Room shape: Irregular rooms with curves, angles, or lots of corners create more offcuts and require more waste allowance.

Timber stability: Less stable timbers can twist, cup, or crack during acclimatisation, leading to more boards being discarded.

Flooring type: Solid timber flooring typically requires a 15% waste allowance, increasing to 20% for less stable species.

Engineered timber: More dimensionally stable, often needing significantly less waste.

Our flooring systems are more efficient—requiring up to 50% less waste compared to traditional tongue-and-groove solid timber flooring.

Pinch points occur when there are inadequate expansion gaps around the perimeter of a timber or bamboo floor.

These materials naturally expand in warmer, more humid conditions, as moisture in the air is absorbed into the floorboards. Without proper expansion gaps, the flooring has nowhere to move and begins to press against fixed surfaces like walls or cabinetry.

This pressure can lead to:

Cupping in glued-down floors

Peaking or gapping in floating floors

Correctly allowing for expansion during installation prevents these issues and ensures the floor performs as intended.

Can I install Uniclic flooring?

Presented below is a YouTube video demonstrating the installation process for our flooring products.

All our flooring variants, including Timber, Bamboo, Cork, Laminate, and Hybrid, utilize the same advanced 3rd generation Uniclic Multifit joint. As a result, the installation procedure remains consistent across all these options.

In cases where the moisture content falls within the standard range (8-10%) upon delivery, the flooring only needs to acclimate for 48 hours on-site.

To ensure the flooring hasn’t absorbed moisture during transport, it’s crucial to assess its moisture content upon arrival at the site.

Furthermore, it’s recommended to assess the room’s moisture level (relative humidity or RH). If the RH exceeds 50% or goes below 40%, it can impact the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) that the installed floor will eventually adjust to. An RH exceeding 50% may lead to floor expansion, while an RH below 40% can cause contraction. This underscores the importance of maintaining proper expansion gaps.

For HDF core flooring, the expansion gap should not be narrower than 8mm, while for Spruce or Hevea core flooring, the minimum is 10mm. As for LVT, an expansion gap of 2-3mm is recommended.

Our provided underlay functions as a damp-proof membrane (DPM) and offers acoustic control. Consequently, there is no need to apply any additional DPM coating to the subfloor, a requirement seen with some other flooring brands.

Installing Quick Step Laminate

Installing Incizo Nosing

Incizo installation all options

The relative humidity (RH) of a room directly affects the moisture content (MC) of timber flooring, causing it to expand or contract.

In modern, low-moisture homes (e.g. RH 45% = MC 10%), flooring with high initial moisture content will lose moisture, leading to shrinkage and potential failure over time. In solid timber, this can cause cracking, checking, and cell collapse.

To address this, Unilin developed dimensionally stable timber flooring that performs reliably even in low-humidity environments (as low as RH 30% = MC 6–7%).

Under the 2022 Wet Area Compliance Codes, flooring prone to gapping is no longer permitted in areas such as:

Kitchens

Toilets

Laundries

Bathrooms

Ensuites

Proper product selection and acclimatization are essential for long-term flooring performance.

Unilin floating floors (such as Quick-Step and Pergo) are not fixed to the subfloor, which means they’re unaffected by subfloor movement, cracking, or moisture changes. This helps maintain a smooth, consistent surface over time.

Unilin floors are also dimensionally stable, allowing them to expand and contract with seasonal humidity changes without gapping. In fact, they’re the only timber floors backed by a no-gapping warranty on the board-to-board joints.

In contrast, glued tongue-and-groove flooring is permanently fixed to the subfloor and will often reflect subfloor issues on the surface. Over time, this can lead to visible gapping and surface irregularities.

Timber, laminate, and bamboo floors naturally expand and contract with seasonal changes in humidity. Expansion gaps are essential to allow for this movement and to prevent issues like buckling, peaking, or gapping.

Here are the recommended expansion gaps based on flooring type:

Laminate flooring: 5–8mm

Timber flooring: 8–10mm

Bamboo flooring: 10mm

Solid 19–21mm tongue & groove timber: 12–15mm

Expansion gaps are typically hidden beneath skirting boards or floor trims. However, 10–12mm skirtings may not fully cover the required gap. Wider skirtings or trims may be necessary for a clean finish.

It’s important to remember:

Expansion gaps allow for expansion

They do not manage shrinkage, shrinkage must be addressed by using stable, acclimatized flooring materials.

Yes, our timber flooring is designed to meet the 2022 Wet Area Compliance Standard, making it suitable for use in areas such as:

Kitchens

Laundries

Toilets

Bathrooms

Ensuites

This compliance means the flooring resists gapping and moisture-related damage when installed correctly with sealed joins and perimeter protection.

Always follow the manufacturer’s installation guidelines for wet areas to ensure full compliance and maintain your warranty coverage.

Yes, our timber and laminate flooring ranges are designed to work efficiently with underfloor heating systems, and come with a no-gapping warranty when installed over heated subfloors (excluding Spotted Gum and Blackbutt species).

To ensure proper performance and warranty coverage, the following conditions must be met:

Maximum subfloor temperature: The temperature at the underside of the flooring must not exceed 27°C.

Gradual heating: When turning the system on for the first time, increase the temperature gradually up to 27°C.

Moisture protection: A continuous damp-proof membrane (DPM) must be applied over all concrete subfloors.

Moisture draw: Heating can pull residual moisture up through concrete — making a DPM essential, not optional.

Our recommended underlay includes a 200-micron built-in DPM.

Following these guidelines ensures both floor performance and long-term durability when using underfloor heating.

Yes, We offer competitive installation rates, covered by our master installer warranty. We import a large range of finishing profiles from Europe that go with the flooring we are installing

If you’re installing flooring on stairs, we’ll provide all the necessary compliance documents to meet New Zealand Building Code requirements.

Here are the typical slip ratings for our timber floor coatings:

Semi-gloss: P1

Low sheen: P2

Matt: P3

Oiled finish: P2

For stairs that may become wet, the NZ Building Code requires a slip rating of P3 or higher (equivalent to a slip resistance value of 0.40+).

We recommend confirming the required slip rating with your architect or builder, especially for stair installations.