Q U I C K I N S T A L L A T I O N G U I D E

Q U I C K I N S TA L L AT I O N G U I D E

PREPARATION

HardieFloor dB® structural flooring may be fitted to timber or steel

joists installed at 600mm centres maximum.

Floor joists must be 45mm wide as a minimum to enable adequate

jointing of panels.

600mm maximum joist

spacing45mm minimum

TIMBER FRAMING

• Use of timber framing must be in accordance with building

regulations.

• Use only seasoned timber. Unseasoned timber must not be

used because it is prone to shrinkage and can cause sheets

and frames to move.

• Timber used for house construction must have the level of

durability appropriate for the relevant climate and expected

service life and conditions, including exposure to insect attacks

or to moisture, which could cause decay.

TOLERANCES

To achieve an acceptable finish, it is imperative that framing

is straight and true. Framing tolerances must comply with the

relevant regulations and the manufacturer’s specifications.

C U T T I N G I N S T R U C T I O N S

S T O R A G E & H A N D L I N G

HardieFloor dB should be stored with edges protected. The

product must be stored on a smooth, level surface, and installed

in a dry state. These installation instructions cover the use of

HardieFloor dB sheets in an internal residential application.

Sheets in all applications are installed across the floor framing,

over timber or light gauge steel frames.

CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS

Mark a cut on the top or bottom side of the HardieFloor dB®

sheet. The floor can be cut as follows:

PREFERRED CUTTING METHOD

Dust reducing circular saw equipped with a HardieBladeTM

saw blade and HEPA vacuum extraction.

ACCEPTABLE CUTTING METHOD

Dust reducing circular saw equipped with a HardieBlade

saw blade (only use for low to moderate cutting).

MINIMUM CUTTING METHOD

Hand saw with hardened teeth (for low to moderate cutting only).

GENERAL GUIDANCE

NEVER use a circular saw indoors.

NEVER use a circular saw blade that does not carry the

HardieBlade saw blade trademark.

NEVER use a grinder or continuous rim diamond blade for cutting.

ALWAYS follow tool manufacturer’s safety recommendations.

DIMENSIONS AND EQUIPMENT

HARDIE JOINT & JOIST SEALANTA specialist sealant for gluing

sheets to the floor frame to

ensure acoustic performance

between board joints.

VACUUM EXTRACTION WITH HEPA FILTERUsed with a HEPA filter and

paper bag for reduced dust

exposure.

HARDIEBLADETM SAW BLADEDesigned for the optimal

cutting of our flooring sheets,

the HardieBlade saw blade

lasts longer and reduces

dust levels.

HARDIE ACOUSTIC FLANKING BANDTM

Use this anti-noise seal

around the perimeter

between HardieFloor® and

walls to reduce flanking

sound transmission.

NAILS OR SCREWSMinimum 2.8mm x 51mm

D head corrosion resistant,

gun nails or minimum

4.5mm x 50mm corrosion

resistant self-embedding

head screws.

GUN NAILER,CORDLESS DRIVERSuitable pneumatic gun

nailer or cordless driver.

NOTE: All fasteners must be corrosion resistant. Typically these are hot

dip galvanised or stainless steel nails/screws or non-ferrous screws.

Fasteners with equivalent dimensions (i.e. head size and shape, shank

diameter and length to those above) are acceptable to use.

PRODUCT DIMENSIONSLong edges have a tongue and groove feature for easy jointing.

Size: 2400mm x 500mm x 27mm Approx. weight 35kg

*All dimensions and masses provided are approximate only and subject to manufacturing tolerances. Masses are based on equilibrium moisture content of product.

ACCESSORIES Use the following products when installing HardieFloor

dB® acoustic flooring:

Staggered sheet layout

(brick pattern)

Fully support short square

ends

STEP 1:

FRAME PREPARATION

Floor joists must be reasonably

level and must have a maximum

spacing of 600mm centres.

STEP 2:

APPLY ADHESIVE

Apply a continuous bead of

Hardie Joint & Joist Sealant to

the joists. Fit the HardieFloor®

acoustic flanking band between

the board edges and the

perimeter walls for the first

boards to hold it in place,

forming a continuous seal.

STEP 3:

FIXING FIRST PANEL

HardieFloor dB® should be fixed

with the acoustic sheets side up.

It should never be installed

upside down. A minimum of

2.8mm x 51mm D head

corrosion resistant gun nails

or a minimum of 4.5mm x

50mm corrosion resistant

self-embedding head screws

should be used to install

HardieFloor dB to a floor joist.

STEP 4:

FASTENER LAYOUT

Fasteners should not

be more than 200mm

apart and have a minimum

distance 25mm from the

tongue and groove edge

of the HardieFloor dB®

panel, and 12mm from

the square edge.

STEP 5:

SHEET LAYOUT

Hardie Acoustic Flanking

BandTM should be placed

along perimeter walls

during installation of

boards. HardieFloor dB

sheets should then be

laid in a staggered pattern,

like a brick wall. All short,

square ends should be

fully supported.

STEP 6:

FIXING SUBSEQUENT

PANELS

Set the next HardieFloor dB

sheets in place. Finish

fastening the previous panel

by putting in the third row

of fasteners then continue

fastening. If you need to join

HardieFloor dB midspan

between two joists, an

additional nogging is required.

Corner fasteners should be a minimum distance of 50mm from the

tongue and groove edge. The third row of fasteners should only be

completed after the subsequent adjoining panel has been placed.

Tongue end

50mm minimum distance from

tongue & groove

12mm minimumfastener edge distance

Gro0ve end

S T E P B Y S T E P G U I D E

If used in conjunction HardieQStrip® acoustic batten, use 40mm

screws and refer to HardieQStrip acoustic batten installation

instructions.

Hardie Acoustic

Flanking bandTM

HardieFloor dB®

acoustic flooringHardie

Joist & Joint

Sealant bead

Force together to form a sealHardie Joist & Joint Sealant bead

STEP 7: BUTT JOINTING

HardieFloor dB® sheets

should be butt jointed

with a 2mm gap which

is then filled and spread

over with sealant. Fixing

nails or screws should be

a minimum of 12mm from

the square edge and a

minimum of 5mm from

the side of the joist.

Note: For tiled floors, the edges of tiles should overlap the butt

joint by a minimum of 50mm.

STEP 8:

CLEANING SURFACE

Clean surface with

a damp cloth.

Continue installing

recommended surface

finish to manufacturers’

specifications.

As with all other building materials, safety precautions must

be taken into account. Cutting and drilling are subject to dust

development, and proper precautions must be taken.

Dust from fibre cement boards is characterised as mineral dust

and EU-approved respirators should be used in conjunction with

the recommended cutting practices to further reduce dust

exposures.

When cutting, drilling or abrading always wear a CE marked

FFP2/3 dust control or full face mask adjusted and fitted in

conformity with regulatory recommendations. For further

information, refer to our Material Safety Data Sheet available

at www.jameshardie.co.uk/working-safely.

H E A LT H & S A F E T YI M P O RTA N T !

1. There shouldn’t be gaps anywhere inthefloor.

2.Alljointsinacousticfloormustbe sealedtopreventnoisetransmission.

3. Fixings should be overdriven.

HardieFloor dB®

acoustic flooringHardie

Joist & Joint

Sealant bead

force boards together and then nail

Hardie Joist & Joint Sealant beadJoist

HardieFloor ®

Structural Flooring

240mm (min)timber I-Joist

Secure HardieFloor

Strucural Flooring to

HardieQStrip with 40mm screws

Secure HardieQStrip to floor joists with 40mm screws at 200 angle, at 200mm staggered spacing

HardieQ

Strip®

Acoustic

Batten

Run HardieQStrip continuously along top chord of floor joists

Secure HardieQStrip

to floor joists with

40mm screws at 200

angle, at 200mm

staggered spacing

240mm (min)timber I-Joist

HardieQStrip®

Timber Joist(solid or I-Joist) Align HardieQStrip directly over joists

HardieQS

trip®

Acoustic

Batten

HardieFloor ®Structural Flooring

Structural wood sub-floor

Hardie Joint &

Joist Sealant

HardieFloor ®

Structural Flooring

Structural

concrete floor

Hardie Joint & Joist Sealant

HardieQStrip®Acoustic Batten

A C O U S T I C B AT T E N

Use HardieQStrip® in conjunction with any HardieFloor®

product to enhance acoustic performance.

Product dimensions: 1m x 60 x 25cm

STEP 1: CUTTING

Using a sharp knife or general purpose handsaw, cut the

HardieQStrip to the required length.

STEP 2: APPLY ADHESIVE

Apply two continuous beads of flexible Hardie Joist and Joint

Sealant.

STEP 3: FIXING HARDIEQSTRIP ACOUSTIC BATTEN TO JOIST

Place acoustic batten centrally onto joist and screw using 50mm

long screws at 200mm staggered spacing, angled along the sides

of the acoustic batten.

STEP 4: APPLY ADHESIVE TO HARDIEQSTRIP ACOUSTIC

BATTEN

Ensure surface is clean of dust and debris and apply two

continuous beads of flexible construction adhesive to the batten.

†

www.jameshardie.co.uk

T: 0800 068 3103

E:info@jameshardie.co.uk

www.jameshardie.co.uk

© 2015 James Hardie Building Products Ltd. All rights reserved. TM and ® denote trademarks of James Hardie Technology Ltd. A James Hardie 10 year limited warranty applies to all our fibre cement products. See www.jameshardie.co.uk/warranty for terms and conditions.

* © Photos : Stéphane Groleau † © Bruce Damonte