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Good Design Practices

  1. Panel layout and replacement: 
  • When laying out the placement of panels on the floor frame, the first row width should be set to insure that the last row width is 24” wide minimum.  Also, the length of the beginning and ending panels must span at least three joists. 
  • When replacing a damaged panel the same rules apply. 
  • Do not install panels that are less than 24” wide.  The minimum length of panels is controlled by the joist spacing.  On framing 16”o.c. the minimum length is 32” and on 24” o.c. framing the minimum length is 48”.
  1. Application of Finished Flooring: 
  • Do not install any finished flooring materials over FORTACRETE® Panels that are wet or frozen.  Remove all dust from the panels with a vacuum prior to installing the finished floor. 
  • Panels should be allowed to acclimate to in service conditions for a minimum of 48 hours. 
  • Ceramic tile should be applied over a tile underlayment or crack isolation membrane applied to the FORTACRETE Panels.  Do not apply tile directly to the FORTACRETE Panels. 
  • Engineered wood floors as well as carpet and pad may be installed directly over the FORTACRETE Structural Panels.
  1. Precautions in unloading and handling pallets of FORTACRETE panels:
  • Pallets of FORATCRETE panels weigh over 3000 lb. and must be unloaded properly from the delivery truck to avoid damage to the panels (especially the tongue and groove edges).  It is recommended that a fork lift be used to unload the pallets. 
  • Pallets should be stacked in a level location and no more than 4 pallets high to prevent toppling of the units.
  • When a crane is used to unload the units from the truck or to lift units (or partial units) from the ground to the desired application location, in addition to all the normal safety precautions used for crane operations, it is recommended to use spreader bars with lifting hooks to minimize bending of the pallets and damage to the T&G edges.