6 steps to properly construct outdoor plastic wood floors

Plastic Laminate flooring is an outdoor flooring material made of wood plastic material (Wood Plastic Composite), specifically made from wood powder, plastic powder and additives. The product has many advantages such as being termite-free, limiting warping/shrinkage, reducing slippage, ensuring durability and safety for users.

To own a beautiful and durable floor, in addition to product quality, proper construction techniques are also an extremely important factor. Steps to construct plastic wood floors include:

• Step 1: Prepare tools and materials to construct outdoor plastic wood floors.
• Step 2: Surface treatment for outdoor plastic Laminate flooring.
• Step 3: Installing skeleton for plastic wood floors.
• Step 4: Proceed to install the first bar.
• Step 5: Install the remaining plastic wood floor bars until completed.

When constructing this type of floor, it needs to be built with a skeleton frame and must have mandatory compliance notes such as:

• Must be installed on a foundation with a magnetic slope 2 - 3% (in the same direction as the skeleton) to avoid water stagnation under the floor.
• The maximum distance between the bar (plastic wooden beam/galvanized iron bar/stainless steel bar) is 350mm.
• The distance between the floor and the wall must be larger 15mm.
• When the project uses Kosmos plastic latches, the distance between the two bars is 6 - 8mm.
• When the project uses stainless steel dowels, the distance between the two bars is 3 - 5mm (Only used in areas at least 500mm higher than the foundation and covered)

To cover the edges of the floor, we can use v-splints (installed after installing the floor) or plastic wooden steps (installed before installing the floor).

B1Prepare tools and materials for outdoor plastic Laminate flooring construction

The tools and materials for outdoor plastic Laminate flooring construction include:

• Plastic wood floor.
• Plastic wooden braces/plastic wooden steps.
• Plastic latch/Stainless steel latch.
• Stainless steel screws.
• Screw machine.
• Drill.
• Rubber hammer.
• Cutting tools (cutters, angle cutters).
• Measuring tools (tape measure, angle ruler, laser meter).
• Skeleton frame (stainless steel bars, galvanized box iron bars, plastic wooden beams)
• Iron frame welding machine (if any).

B2Surface treatment of outdoor plastic Laminate flooring

Before installing outdoor plastic Laminate flooring, you need to survey the ground to see what the area is? Is the shape of the building square? In particular, is the background slope qualified for drainage?

Recommendation: Outdoor plastic Laminate flooring is required to be installed on the background has a slight inclination of about 2-3% (in the same direction of the skeleton), avoiding the case of stagnant water under the floor.

B3Install skeleton for plastic wood floor

SaOnce the ground has been prepared, you proceed to install the skeleton (plastic wooden beams/stainless steel bars/galvanized iron bars) onto the surface of the project.

Note:

• Maximum distance between ribs is 350mm (35cm).
• The distance between the bar connectors is 15 mm.
• We should only use plastic wood beams when the floor has a high level of flatness. If not, please use galvanized iron box or stainless steel bar to make the skeleton for the floor.
• It is mandatory to leave a gap between the plastic wood floor and the foundation, specifically:
  • The thickness of the beam used as the frame to install the plastic wood floor must be ≥25mm.
  • The thickness of the galvanized/stainless steel bar used as the frame to install the wood-plastic floor must be ≥30mm.
• In case the construction area is too large, it is necessary to connect the plastic wood floor, right at the joint position, it is necessary to install the bone bars close together. This helps to protect the floor from breaking.
• Install the skeleton along the slope of the foundation to support drainage.

B4Installing the first outdoor plastic wood floor bar

Ta Place the first plastic wood floor bar close to the wall. Then, we use Kosmos plastic pegs to fix the floor bar to the bone bar.

Recommendation:

• Minimum distance between floor and wall is 15 mm.
• The floor bar is perpendicular to the bone bar.
• We only use stainless steel dowels instead of plastic dowels on projects with small areas, roofs, stable temperatures, little water contact and a minimum height of 500mm (50cm) such as: yacht decks, prefabricated houses (huts),...

B5Install the remaining wood plastic floor slats until finished

At this time, the plastic dowel (or stainless steel dowel) acts as the connection point between the floor bars and is fixed to the bone bar with stainless steel screws. The distance between the concrete wooden floor bars is as follows:

• Range 6 - 8 mm: when the project uses Kosmos plastic latches.
• Range 3 - 5 mm: when the project uses stainless steel latches (under permitted conditions).

Note:  Outdoor plastic Laminate flooring should be installed in a staggered 50 - 50 pattern (forming a ladder). That is, 2 floor bars next to each other should be installed with the wrong length in the ratio ½. This installation method helps to ensure the highest level of floor structure.

This operation is performed continuously until the complete floor surface is completed. Private distance at end of floor bar (where the docking pin is not used), Kosmos recommends that you keep the distance ≥5mm.

B6Proceed to cover the end point of the plastic wood floor

Leave on the surface plastic wood floor construction completed, we need to cover the edges of the floor. Construction workers can use v-braces or plastic wooden steps to cover.

In case of covering the floor edge at a right angle, you need to cut the splint/step edge at an angle 45 degrees. In this way, when joining two bars together, they will form a perfect right angle, ensuring the aesthetics of the project.

>>> Watch more video instructions on how to properly construct outdoor plastic wood floors:

Related question

Cost of labor to construct plastic wood floors?

Construction labor cost outdoor plastic Laminate flooring, indoors ranges from 200.000 VND – 250.000 VND/m2. This price depends on many factors such as crew, floor area, surface finish, etc.

Compare plastic wood floors and natural wood floors?

Thus, the article has fully guided the steps outdoor plastic Laminate flooring construction for you. Currently, the plastic Laminate flooring distributor Kosmos Vietnam provides enough accessories to carry out this project. If you have any questions about the construction process, you can contact via Hotline: (+84) 903.093.221

Kim Hoa Kosmos

Kim Hoa is an expert in interior and exterior decorative materials at Kosmos Vietnam. She has professional knowledge of interior design and loves finding creative ways to optimize space with simple construction decoration materials such as wood, stone, bamboo, brick and plastic.

Kim Hoa regularly participate in seminars and exhibitions on interior decoration materials to update the latest trends, as well as to learn more about interior decoration materials. Meet interior and exterior designers, architects, and material experts to continuously learn. She also actively shares her knowledge and experience on social media channels such as Facebook, YouTube, Tiktok... with more than 100 thousand followers.

Mission of Kim Hoa not merely providing information, but also ensuring that All information posted is quality, has in-depth investment and is most useful to viewers.

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