Caberfix gives housebuilders the edge on flooring

Reliable, cost-effective squeak-free flooring that is quick to install is now a reality thanks to the Caberfix system from leading manufacturer, Norbord.

Designed specifically for use with Norbord’s market-leading Caberdek tongue and groove flooring boards, the Caberfix range comprises two new adhesives and a special waterproof tape for sealing joints.

New Caberfix Tongue&Groove is a high quality fast setting PVA D3 adhesive which creates a firm bond along the tongue and groove joints between Caberdek boards.

Caberfix Joint&Joist is a strong, flexible polyurethane elastomeric adhesive designed to fix the Caberdek boards securely to their supporting joists.

Noisy floors that squeak and creak underfoot are a common cause for complaint in new houses. The noise is created by differential movement between the floor boards, the joists and the metal fixings used to secure them.

Caberfix Joint&Joist eliminates this problem by creating a solid bond between the floor and the joist yet it remains flexible when cured so that it can absorb any movement without cracking or losing its bond.

Norbord recommends that, to reap the full benefit of the Caberfix range, housebuilders employ the new Caberfix Pro Kit to install their Caberdek floors. Each kit contains everything needed to install 50m² of floor and hence two kits will suffice for every 100m² pack of Caberdek boards.

As well as eliminating squeaks and creaks, Caberfix cuts the number of mechanical fixings required by 80%, thereby reducing installation time by up to 30 minutes per 50m². Instead of the 17 nails normally required to fix each board to the joist, only three nails are required when Caberfix Joint&Joist is used. The nails have no structural role and are used simply to hold the board in position while the adhesive cures.

Once the boards are laid, all joints are sealed with Caberfix Tape to prevent moisture penetrating the floor. When the house in finished, the Caberdek protective film is simply peeled off, taking the Caberfix Tape with it, to reveal a clean, dry floor ready to accept the selected finish.

Housebuilders which manufacture flooring cassettes off-site will also benefit from Caberfix and, for them, Norbord recommends its Caberfix ProPlus system. This uses the Caberfix Joint&Joist adhesive not only for fixing the floor to the joists but also to seal the tongue and groove joints between boards.

Because Caberfix Joint&Joist is waterproof, no taping is required to seal the joints. Saving on the taping procedure results in time savings – an important factor when building multiple units.