Armstrong DLW

WETROOM

RECOMMENDED INSTALLATION PROCEDURE

Armstrong DLW WETROOM floorcoverings and our range of vinyl floorcoverings are ideal for sensitive areas
where hygiene is an important issue. In areas that can be cleaned with water (bathrooms, shower rooms,
toilets, laundry rooms and food preparation areas) and which need to be sealed to prevent damp, the Armstrong DLW WETROOM floorcoverings offer a reliable and ideal solution thanks to their watertight overlap
between wall and floor.

General requirements

The fitter must check pipe feed-throughs, the positioning of the drain in the floor as well as the possibility of achieving a proper finish for the floor next
to the door. He is entirely responsible for ensuring
that the work is completed to the highest standard
and should always bear in mind that he cannot
rectify a faulty installation of water or heat connections or bathroom equipment by installing Armstrong DLW WETROOM floorcoverings correctly.
Before installation, therefore, a comprehensive
approval inspection must be carried out.
In order for these floorcoverings to be laid seamlessly, walls must be straight and must have no
protrusions or recesses. If there are any protrusions or recesses, then the covering is laid with
new pieces joined on and with incisions that will
require sealing.

The wet zone for a shower or bath includes the

whole of the floor and the wall areas from floor to
ceiling to a minimum of 0.5 m (a) from the shower
or bath.

2 Wet zones and damp zones

in wet rooms
In wet rooms a distinction is made between wet
zones and damp zones for different sections. The
wet zone includes all the floor and the wall areas in
the area of the room exposed to water. The damp
zone includes all walls outside the areas exposed
to water.
For a washbasin the wet zone includes the entire
floor, the area between floor and washbasin and
an area of at least 0.5 m (a) above and to the side
of the washbasin.

Date 11/2005

If instead of a shower tray a shower edge is fitted

to the substrate and combined with a shower curtain, the shower edge must be positioned 0.15 m
(b) from the curtain to ensure that water dripping
from the curtain falls on the sloping floor rather
than outside. The wet zone includes the entire
floor, the shower walls and an area extending for
at least 0.5 m (a) outside the shower enclosure.

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WETROOM
3

Substrate

All substrates must conform to DIN 18365 and/or

the relevant regulations in the country in question.
When laying Armstrong DLW WETROOM floorcoverings in wet areas the substrate must be level,
solid, free of cracks and dry, and must remain in
this condition.

In the case of fixed screen walls of at least 25 cm

width all round the shower or bath, only the wall
areas inside the screen walls are treated as a wet
zone.

In the areas exposed to water the floor must have

a slope of between 1% and 2% leading down towards the waste, while the remainder of the floor
can be laid level. A slope in the opposite direction
is not permissible.
To ensure optimum performance of the adhesive,
absorbent surfaces in the wall area should first be
treated with primer. Primer must be dry before the
fitter starts to lay the floorcovering, and should be
used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Low-tension fillers should be used on the floor to
ensure that the substrate is uniformly absorbent. A
layer of filler approx. 2 mm in thickness is recommended.

4
When a shower cubicle or upright splash walls are
installed on a bath, the entire floor is treated as a
wet zone. The area inside the shower cubicle or
splash walls counts as an area exposed to water.

Adhesives

The adhesives recommended by the manufacturer

for a wet-area installation should be used for Armstrong DLW WETROOM floorcoverings. Adhesive
should be applied over the entire surface. It is extremely important that the adhesive manufacturer's
recommendations are followed.
Solvent-based contact adhesives may cause discolouration with heterogeneous Armstrong DLW
WETROOM floorcoverings. These kinds of adhesive must therefore not be used.
Adhesive manufacturer's certificate: See Annex

5 Determining measurements
and quantities required
In order to determine the strip length of materials,
the lengths and widths required must be ascertained. Before measuring up it is therefore important to decide which directions the strips will be laid
on the floor.

Date 11/2005

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When calculating floor covering it is important to
remember that each piece should be laid approx.
10 cm up the wall on all sides (to form a tray). No
seams should be planned close to waste (they
should be at least 50 cm away). With Waterelite
1.5 mm Pavone a pattern repeat of about 1.00 m
should also be allowed.
When fitting a wallcovering it can be fitted either
vertically or horizontally according to preference.
Either way, the covering can be fitted to the height
of the room or to a specified height.
The following wallcoverings are suitable for fitting
horizontally or vertically: Walldesign (may also be
used in combination with Walldesign Border),
Wallflex or Waterelite 1.5 mm. Other floor coverings can only be fitted vertically to the wall.
When fitting a wallcovering horizontally, the
amount required is derived from the area of the
wall. When fitting coverings vertically, wall surfaces
must always be divided up into roll widths. Care
should be taken to ensure that there is always a
minimum clearance of 10 cm between seams and
inside or outside corners.

Storage, air conditioning,

installation conditions

Storing floor/wallcoverings correctly is the best way

of ensuring that their technical characteristics in
respect of installation are retained.
Before the floorcovering is laid it should be stored
upright in a dry and not too warm area, most importantly not in a boiler room. If elastic floorcoverings are stored at too low a temperature, then it will
in all likelihood prove impossible to lay them correctly. Industry rules require an ambient temperature of at least + 18 C, a substrate temperature of
at least + 15 C, and if underfloor heating is installed it should be between + 18 C and + 22 C.
The relative humidity should not exceed 65 % (ideally it should be between 40 - 60 %). These climatic conditions should be maintained for 3 days
before installation work commences and for a
minimum of 7 days after the floor is laid.
Even when temperatures are suitable, the floor
coverings need to be acclimatised before they are
laid. It is therefore advisable to cut the floorcovering to size the day before laying it.

Date 11/2005

WETROOM
Armstrong DLW WETROOM floorcoverings should
ideally be laid out one on top of another to enable
them to adjust to the room temperature overnight.
Experience has shown that this reduces the likelihood of waves forming.
You should look out for colour differences between
the strips.
Care should be taken to ensure that rolls in the
same room all have the same manufacturer's
batch number, and that they are laid in order of roll
number.

Laying

7.1

Laying on the floor

Once the floor area has been measured, it should

be marked to indicate where each roll is to be positioned. Armstrong DLW WETROOM floorcoverings
should be laid in such a way as to minimise the
number of joins.
When cutting the rolls to size the fitter must always
take into account the additional length required for
wrapping round (10 cm up the wall), and additionally with Waterelite 1.5 mm Pavone the pattern
repeat (approx. 1.00 m). It is also important to ensure that there are no edges within a radius of
50 cm of wastes.
Even if edges will be bonded later, it is advisable to
cut both edges of the roll because only a cleanlycut edge can guarantee a tidy seam. The first roll
edge is easy to cut using a strip cutter or straight
edge, and the second edge can be cut either before or after the adhesive is applied depending on
the size of room. With Waterelite 1.5 mm Pavone
attention must be paid to the pattern. Seams
should be cut to leave a gap of no more than 0.
5 mm between the runs, but wide enough for the
material edges not to be pushing against one another. The incision should be either vertical or at a
slight angle.
The height of the fold-round (at least 10 cm) is
marked on the wall.
The day before installation a heat-activated onesided adhesive is applied to the wall up as far as
the mark using a spatula.
On the day of installation the dispersion adhesive
is applied to the floor. For larger areas the adhesive should be applied one roll's width at a time.

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WETROOM

The rolls are positioned according to the marks

that were made earlier. The cut roll edges are laid
and butted up to one another.
After laying, the surface must be carefully pressed
down or rolled (work from the middle of a run outwards) so that the strips are stuck firmly to the
adhesive and all air bubbles are squeezed out. Be
careful not to damage the floor surface with tools.
To allow the floorcovering to be pushed well into
the corner, the best technique is to warm it up with
a hairdryer and then press it firmly into the corner
and down against the wall with a staircase tool or
similar.
The hairdryer can
also be used to soften thermal adhesive
that has already
been applied to the
wall by warming the
surface of the adhesive and carefully
pulling the floorcovering away from the
wall.
At inside corners the floorcovering overlaps in the
wall area. By the wall on one side it is cut in such a
way that the join runs at an angle of 45 from the
corner point to a wall surface. The cut wall side is
now chamfered onto the wall. A triangular cutout is
thus produced in the corner. The projecting material from the wall on the other side is fitted into this
cutout.

Date 11/2005

In the case of outside corners the material is likewise cut in at an angle of 45 from the corner to the
wall on one side. Then it is laid around the outside
corner, and the missing piece of material on the
outside corner of wall is filled in with a wedge (triangle) of material.
The floorcovering's up-wall extension is cut off to a
uniform 10 cm. The seams now need to be sealed
up with heat (see point 9: Sealing the seams).
7.2

Laying the floorcovering near pipes and

drains

Hot water pipes which subject the floorcovering to

temperatures above 30 C may cause discolouration of the material and may adversely affect the
adhesive.
Apart from the waste, the floorcovering should
have no other opening in an area exposed to water.
When laying floorcoverings around wastes, the
installation instructions of the waste manufacturer
should be taken into account.
Waste manufacturer's certificate: see Annex

It is advisable to remove the cap, which is generally screwed onto the waste, before applying the
adhesive. The floorcovering is then bedded into
the adhesive and cut in approximately. The floorcovering next to the waste is warmed up, pressed
down and then cut in precisely.

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WETROOM
7.3

Fitting material horizontally to the wall

with Walldesign, Wallflex or Waterelite

To achieve the best possible transition to the wall

surface, the thickness of covering on the up-wall
extension can be skimmed with a plaster-based
filler for damp areas.

Due to the contact pressure of the clamping ring or

screwing on of the ring that was earlier removed,
the floorcovering is pressed so firmly against the
substrate that no moisture or wetness can penetrate into the substrate.

A line is drawn horizontally at the width of a roll

plus approx. 6 cm. Check for inclination at the corners. The dimensions of the space are then measured and the wall covering can be cut to size or the
complete roll used.
Fitting is started by the doorframe. The upper edge
of the covering should be matched up to the drawn
line taking into account the inclination of the corner.

Where drain pipes penetrate above the finished

floor level it is advisable to heat the floorcovering
with a hairdryer, cut it in with a cross incision and
pull it over the drain pipe so that the floorcovering
sits about 1 - 2 cm proud of the drain pipe.
When there are drainage pipes in the floor, the
floorcovering must be laid with an overlap of 1.5
cm. If the drainage pipe has a diameter of 6 cm or
more then this kind of overlap is achieved by pulling the floorcovering over the pipe.

Adhesive is applied to the wall surface as far up as

the horizontal line.
General points: Appropriate adhesives should be
used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions according to whether the substrate is
absorbent or not. To avoid premature setting of the
adhesive it should not be spread over large areas
all at the same time. Solvent-based contact adhesive must not be used.

This is done by marking the centre of the pipe on

the floorcovering and cutting out a hole 3.5 cm
smaller than the pipe diameter. When cutting the
hole out you should start at the fold. The floorcovering is warmed up and pulled over the pipe. Cover
caps may also be used as an alternative.

Date 11/2005

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WETROOM

Wallcovering
can
be
placed in the moving Htrolley and unrolled from
there. Alternatively it can
be handled without an Htrolley but just stood up on
the floor.
* available from Armstrong
DLW

The covering is heated with hot air to enable the

material to be formed into a sharp edge for the
corner.

The wallcovering should overlap the floorcovering

to a height of approx. 7 cm and be cut off cleanly
before the adhesive sets. The lower edge of the
overlapping wallcovering must be sealed up with a
filler in a wet area.

If required, the material edge can be skimmed with

a plaster-based filler for damp areas.

The border is cut to the correct length and width. If

the material for the borders comes from different
rolls you will need to check that the pattern
matches up at the correct height.
The roll of border material can be placed on the
moving H-trolley or rolled out along the wall using
other forms of assistance.
The adhesive is applied to the wall surfaces to
which the border is to be stuck. Care should be
taken to ensure that the adhesive extends down as
far as the horizontal line, and that there is sufficient
adhesive everywhere between the border and the
wallcovering. Alternatively, an adhesive tape can
be installed along the horizontal line.

7.4

Laying Walldesign Border

The lower limit of the border is marked with a horizontal line. An overlap of approx. 3 cm should be
included in the calculation here.

Date 11/2005

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Armstrong DLW
Fitting starts in a corner in a part of the room that is
not exposed to water and where the two ends of
the border come together. The border is pressed
lightly into the adhesive. Then the adhesive tape is
removed and the border rubbed firmly on.

WETROOM
At outside corners the butting edge is positioned at
least 10 cm from the corner. Here, too, the wallcovering is heated in the corner with hot air to form
it into a sharp (straight) edge that can be stuck
securely. The butting edge is likewise cut off vertically and the new strip fitted to it.
The areas around seams near inside and outside
corners are spread with dispersion adhesive as a
contact adhesive for at least 10 cm in either direction both on the wall and on the covering. Material
should be cut on a material edge using a strip cutter or straight edge.

Any surplus adhesive where the borders overlap

should be carefully removed and cleaned off with
water.
7.5

Vertical fitting to a wall with

Walldesign, Wallflex or Waterelite

The height of the room is measured and the strips

are then cut to the right length plus a finishing allowance. The wallcovering must overlap the floorcovering by about 3 cm. The wall areas are divided
up into roll widths minus approx 4 cm. They should
be arranged to avoid having any seams close to
the shower.
It is important to avoid seams running down inside
or outside corners. There should always be a distance of 10 cm from a corner to the nearest seam.
Check for inclination at the corners. Sloping corners can be corrected by adjusting the butting
edges to the inside or outside corners as described
below.
At inside corners the strip is laid around the corner.
In the corner the wallcovering is heated with hot air
to form it into a sharp (straight) edge which can be
stuck securely. For working on the covering in
inside corners a tool should be used which will not
damage the material (e.g. a corner roller). At least
10 cm of material must be left on the next wall; the
strip is subsequently cut off vertically. The new
strip is matched up to the cut edge.

Adhesive is then applied to the wall surface. Appropriate adhesives should be used in accordance
with the manufacturer's instructions according to
whether the substrate is absorbent or not. It is
important to ensure that sufficient adhesive is
used. To avoid premature setting of the adhesive it
should not be spread over large areas all at the
same time. Solvent-based contact adhesive must
not be used.
The first strip is laid into the adhesive bed with the
cut edge on the side on which the next strip is to
be laid.
The covering must be rubbed on carefully and
firmly. The next strip is then laid up against the one
already laid with an overlap of approx. 2 cm.
Using the hook knife, the overlapping strip can
then be cut off with a joint of approx 0.5 mm along
the cut material edge and rubbed home.
The strips should be rubbed carefully and firmly to
prevent air bubbles. The best tool for rubbing is a
rubbing block. Hollow points should be eliminated
by stroking the trapped air out.
The separate strips
are sealed with the
welding cord provided
for the purpose. Before
welding,
the
joints are milled or
angled. Angling and
welding is performed
only after the adhesive has set. Angling
must be carried out
using a straight edge and cutting tool. The best
result and a total seal is obtained by thermal welding (see Point 9: Sealing the seams).
The wallcovering is cut off cleanly where it meets

Date 11/2005

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Armstrong DLW
the floorcovering with an overlap of approx. 3 cm.
Care must be taken to avoid any damage to the
floorcovering. Any surplus adhesive should be
removed immediately with clean water.
Finally, the lower edge of the overlap in wet areas
is sealed off with sealing filler.
7.6

Vertical fitting to a wall with

2-mm thick vinyl wallcoverings

These wallcoverings are fitted in exactly the same

way as Walldesign (described above). However,
there is no need to skim the up-wall extension, and
the ends of strips should be cut off with a seam of
approx. 0.5 mm up to the end of the floorcovering
as it comes up the wall. The seam is sealed using
the welding cord supplied for the purpose.
7.7

Fitting around windows

Windows must not be directly exposed to water,

and are therefore not found in wet-loaded areas.
Beyond the areas exposed to water there are two
alternative ways of fitting a wallcovering up to the
window frame.
The wall covering is chamfered as far as the corners of
the window recess, then cut
at an angle of approx. 45
and stuck down into the
recess. The recess corners
are then lined with a triangle
of material.

Alternatively the wallcovering

can be bonded right into the
window recess on the left
and right. An extra section of
wallcovering material is inserted at the top and bottom;
this is applied at least 10 cm
above or below the respective edge of the window recess. The wall sides of the
window recess are then overlapped by the inserted
pieces of wallcovering material by at least 10 cm
so that the seam in the wallcovering runs at an
angle of 45 out from the corner.

Date 11/2005

WETROOM
8

Bonding

Bonding must always be carried out over the entire

surface. The adhesive manufacturer's instructions
should be followed carefully. Choosing the correct
indentation, replacing spatula blades and
sheepswool rollers in good time and thorough rubbing are all vitally important for wetting the rear
side of the covering. Ongoing checks should be
carried out to ensure that the rear side of the covering is wetted by pulling the covering up during
fitting. Around pedestals and inside and outside
corners bonding should be performed using heatactivated one-sided adhesive or, for PVC coverings, suitable dispersion adhesives.

Sealing the seams

Seams must be sealed with a thermal sealing

process.
The floor- and wallcoverings are sealed with the
welding cord provided for the purpose. The 45
inside and outside corners of the up-wall extension
are likewise weld-sealed. The sections cannot be
weld-sealed until the adhesive has set. Depending
on the type of adhesive used and the climatic conditions in the room, this may take several days.
The adhesive manufacturer's instructions should
be followed carefully.
To achieve a perfect welded seam the joints must
be cut to the correct angle and should be milled
using a joint-milling device and joint plane to a
depth of 2/3 of the thickness of the covering.
On the wall the joint is drawn with a three-edged
scraper. The width of the seam must not exceed
3.5 mm. The channel must be cleaned carefully
(vacuumed or blown out).
At a 45 floor angle the joints are milled up to
about 2/3 of the material thickness or cut in and
weld-sealed. The swan-neck manual welding device is used for this purpose.
The Armstrong DLW welding cord is worked with
the manual welding device with rapid weld nozzle
attachment and narrow air outlet (d = 5 mm). For
the rapid weld nozzle, the rear part of the foot by
the air outlet should be no wider than the milling
groove. The maximum working temperature is
500 C, and working speed approx. 4 5 m per
minute. When welding the 45 outside and inside
corners it is advisable to adjust the temperature to

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approx. 300 C and to reduce the speed accordingly.
The overlapping part of the welding cord is removed in two stages. Immediately after it is applied, the welding cord, which is still hot, is cut off
using the quarter-moon knife and attached blade.
The welded seam is only cut back with the quartermoon knife flush with the upper edge of the covering once the welding cord has cooled down. In the
inside and outside corners the best tool for cutting
off the welding cord is a shaving knife with a suitable blade fitted.
Great care is called for when paring to ensure that
the floor- or wallcovering's wear layer is not damaged.

WETROOM
11 Cleaning and maintenance
The contractor should hand over to the customer
written maintenance instructions for the floorcovering in accordance with VOB DIN 18365, Section C,
Paragraph 3.1.4.
The information sheet "Cleaning and maintenance
recommendations for Armstrong DLW WETROOM
floorcoverings" is available free-of-charge, either
by download from the internet or by telephoning
+49 (0) 7142 71-340.

12 Special notes
12.1 Burns

10 Fitting floorcovering on
a heated floor

Burns may be caused on synthetic floorcoverings

by smouldering cigarette butts.
12.2 Discolouration

Armstrong DLW WETROOM floorcoverings can in

principle be laid on substrates with underfloor heating. Their resistance to heat passing through is so
small as to be virtually insignificant for operating
the heating (see information sheet entitled "Elastic
floorcoverings, textile floorcoverings and parquet
on floors constructed with underfloor heating systems", published by the Zentralverband des
Deutchen Baugewerbes (Central Association of the
German Construction Industry)).

Where rubber remains in contact with any elastic

floorcovering for a lengthy period it can cause
permanent discolouration. This type of discolouration may be caused, for instance, by car tyres,
covering materials, wheels or the feet on washing
machines, refrigerators or buggies. They do not
develop immediately, but through the ingress of
materials and subsequent exposure to light.

10.1 Dry construction

To avoid this kind of discolouration, polyurethane

rollers must be used. If this is not possible, then
castors should be used.

Dry constructions may consist of plaster/gypsum

fibre boards. After the preparation of the substrate
as specified by the manufacturer concerned, Armstrong DLW WETROOM floorcoverings can be
fitted.
10.2 Wet construction
In wet constructions the heating pipes or cables
are bedded into a floating cement screed or anhydrite floor (A1 A3). Before the floorcovering is
laid, the heating engineer must make sure that the
moisture that has been driven out by the effect of
heat can escape before the flooring is fitted. He
must issue a report on the measures employed to
warm up and cool down the floorcovering as stipulated. Moisture testing must only be carried out at
the measurement points identified by the screeder.
If there are no measurement points, then the floor
layer must raise his concerns in writing to his customer.

Date 11/2005

Tar asphalts, mineral oils, fats or coloured floor

polishes that may get trodden onto the floorcovering from soles of shoes may lead to discolouration
in areas of light-coloured floorcovering where traffic
is heavy. This could be the case, for instance, in
areas which are accessed via tarred roads as well
as in kitchens and offices associated with filling
stations and car repair workshops.
12.3 Adhesive tapes
If adhesive tapes are used on a floorcovering, then
the manufacturer should be asked to clarify the
compatibility.

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WETROOM

Your contact for dealing with any technical questions about installation:
Stephan Brendel
Tel:
+49 (0) 7142 71-735
Fax:
+49 (0) 7142 71-146
E-mail:
service_germany@armstrong.com
Internet
www.armstrong-europe.com
Armstrong DLW AG
Bodenbelge Beratung Service
Stuttgarter Strae 75
D 74321 Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany
Earlier issues of this document are no longer valid
after the publication of this issue.

Date 11/2005

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WETROOM

Annex
Manufacturer's certificate: Adhesives
Name
Bostik GmbH
Henkel Bautechnik GmbH
Thomsit Fubodentechnik
Kiesel Bauchemie GmbH & Co. KG
MAPEI GmbH
WULFF GmbH u. Co. KG
SCHNOX GmbH
Uzin Utz Aktiengesellschaft
Wakol GmbH

Address
An der Bundesstrae Nr. 16
D 33829 Borgholzhausen, Germany
Postfach 10 28 52
D 40019 Dsseldorf, Germany
Wolf-Hirth-Strae 2
D 73730 Esslingen, Germany
Bahnhofsplatz 10
D 63906 Erlenbach, Germany
Wersener Strae 3
D 49504 Lotte, Germany
Alfred-Nobel-Strae 6
D 48720 Rosendahl, Germany
Dieselstrae 3
D 89079 Ulm, Germany
Bottenbacher Strae 30
D 66954 Pirmasens, Germany

Contact
 +49 (0) 5425 801-222
www.bostik-findley.de
 +49 (0) 211 7379-256
www.thomsit.de
 +49 (0) 711 93134-352
www.kiesel.com
 +49 (0) 9372 9895-0
www.mapei.de
 +49 (0) 5404 881-0
www.wulff-gmbh.de
 +49 (0) 2547 910-234
www.schoenox.com
 +49 (0) 731 4097-258
www.uzin-utz.com
 06331 8001-186
www.wakol.com

Address
Am Herrlebhl 17
D 78479 Reichenau, Germany
An den Lindenbumen 1 - 3
D 34277 Fuldabrck, Germany
D 65322 Aarbergen, Germany

Contact
 +49 (0) 7531 9740-0
www.blucher.de
 +49 (0) 561 5812-30
www.ehmer.de
 +49 (0) 6120 28-6111
www.awk-passavant.de

Manufacturer's certificate: Wastes

Name
BLCHER Germany GmbH
Martin Ehmer GmbH
ACO Guss GmbH

Date 11/2005

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