Product Specifications

11 November 2005

L'AIR "EXCELLE II" SUSPENDED FLOOR SYSTEM
for Permanent or Temporary Studios

PART 1 - GENERAL

Excelle II is an easily installed, pre-fabricated, modular-integrated suspended floor system designed for temporary or permanent installation in multi-use studios intended for dance, aerobics, martial arts, and other athletics. Excelle II is also designed for acoustic isolation installation. Along with acoustic isolation, Excelle II is primarily designed to provide correct, consistent, and safe suspended flooring and is to be installed with an appropriate overlay as performance surface.  Excelle II is designed to interlock without the need of permanent attachment, module to module, and can be disassembled if installed with L'AIR DanceVinyl or L'AIR Pre-Finished Hardwood.  EXCELLE II IS NOT FURNISHED WITH A COSMETIC/SEALED SURFACE.  A performance surface must be installed for designed usage. L'AIR furnishes two performance surfaces: L'AIR Professional DanceVinyl, and L'AIR Pre-Finished Free-Floating Hardwood for installation onto Excelle II surface. L'AIR Professional DanceVinyl overlay is designed for all dance disciplines and is to be loose laid to Excelle II surface. Excelle II and L'AIR DanceVinyl are designed to surface grip without the need of vinyl adhesive. DanceVinyl seams are to be lap-cut then double-sided taped and chemical or heat welded, as typical. L'AIR DanceVinyl is integral to Excelle II design and is the only dance vinyl recommended for use with Excelle II Suspended Flooring. Alternate overlays not furnished by L'AIR and installed by flooring contractor may include other hardwoods, softwoods, high-pressure laminates, and carpet.

For studio installations, L'AIR furnishes suspended flooring, performance surfaces for Excelle II including high-quality dance vinyl, and pre-finished, fully-floating hardwood, doorway reducers, (transitions) and vented vinyl cove molding.

1.1 DESCRIPTION

Furnish 100% suspended, acoustically rated, fully integrated modular wood floor system which provides a consistent, and progressively resilient surface with controlled rebound over entirety of installed floor surface. Excelle II is designed for appropriate L'AIR Performance Surface.

1.2 ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENT

A. Module Dimensions

1. Suspended Floor Module sizes (includes structural panel and attached suspension towers):  47-1/2" long by 47-1/2" wide x 1-1/4" thick & 23-7/16" L by 47-1/2" W x 1-1/4" thick. (Excelle II Suspended Flooring thickness for inclusion of L'AIR Pre-Finished Hardwood: 1-1/8" thickness) L'AIR DanceVinyl or various hard or softwoods are installed onto Excelle II surface following installation of Excelle II.

Average weight per module: 38 pounds. Module is pre-fabricated and includes all suspension components attached and all grooves and tongues machined and installed, ready for installation.

B. Module Composition

1. Suspended Module - Structural Panel:  5/8" (15mm) thickness or (1/2" engineered structural panel for installation of L'AIR Pre-Fabricated Hardwood as performance surface) composed of void free, knot free, wood pieces (MDF with structural reinforcement) bonded under extreme pressure and heat with water resistant #2 or better glue mixtures. Panel contains no interior or exterior veneers and is entirely void free. Panel is a "green" designated product. Panel top surface is designed to grip backing of L'AIR DanceVinyl, eliminating the glue-down installation of L'AIR DanceVinyl. Panel is precision sanded on both sides to assure uniform 17/32" thickness and smoothness. Panel is water resistant. Panel has excellent resistance to warping. Exceeds or meets PS2 Performance Standard for Wood Based Structural Panels as tested by PFS, TECO, or APA. Panel has manufactured with no formaldehydes, toxic chemicals, and emits no harmful emissions. Panel has no cosmetic finish. Factory attached to bottom of Excelle II panel by manufacturer: L'AIR Multi-Durometer™ Suspension Towers at 5/8" thickness, standard. Custom tower sizes can be created based on client's criteria.

2. Suspended Module - Suspension Towers: 5/8" thick closed cell sponge (L'AIR LMD) adhered with non-toxic adhesive. Other thickness materials are available for custom installations. Chemical compounds, size, and placement of L'AIR LMD suspension material is proprietary. Suspension Tower thickness can be altered to accommodate criteria of client.

3. Tongue & Groove - Side and end tongues are factory installed into panel. Side and end Kerfs (grooves) are machined into panel. Tongue and groove designs are proprietary to L'AIR. Excelle II tongue is extruded RPVC. Tongue and groove are designed to interlock without the need of permanent attachments. Modules can be easily disassembled.
RPVC Test Data: Tensile Modulus @ 10^5 P.S.I by ASTM method D638: 3.5-6.0; Flexural Modulus @ 10^3 P.S.I. @ 73^0 F by ASTM method D79C: 300-500; Tensile Yield @ Stength, P.S.I. by ASTM method D638: 5900-6500; Tensile Strength at Break, P.S.I. by ASTM method D638: 6900-7500

4. Surface Overlays:  Install following installation of Excelle II modules: L'AIR Excelle II suspended module surface must be over-layed with appropriate material for intended purpose, including L'AIR DanceVinyl, and L'AIR Pre-Finished Free-Floating Hardwood. Other overlays, not available from L'AIR, include, but are not limited to high-pressure laminate floorings, carpet, hardboard, and plank softwood. Overlays should be Installed In accordance with manufacturer's Instructions. L'AIR DanceVinyl is engineered for and is integral to Excelle II design and is the only vinyl overlay recommended for Excelle II installation.

C. Engineered Transition Ramp-Reducer Dimensions

1. Standard Ramp-Reducer: 47-1/2" long by 7" (non-ADA) or 16" (ADA ) wide by 1-3/8" thick at flooring to reducer contact.

D. Engineered Transition Ramp-Reducer Composition - 5/8" (16mm) thick, void free (as defined by APA standards) wood core, Engineered panel bonded with #2 or better water resistant glue lines, Finish is non-slip, high durability lacquer based paint, factory applied. Reducers are delivered pre-fabricated for immediate installation.

E. Vented Vinyl Cove Molding Dimensions - molding is pre-fabricated vinyl casting, vented, and delivered ready for installation. Vertical: 4" x horizontal: 3" x 48" Lengths. Outside corners are furnished for columns, pilasters, door casings, etc.

F. Vinyl Vented Cove Molding Color: Standard: Black. Special Order: Brown

A. Concrete Sub-floor

Allow at least 60 days for new concrete to cure. Surface concrete shall be dry and free of grease, oil, or contaminating agents. Eliminate cracks, nails, and other protrusions. Vacuum and damp mop concrete sub-floor no less than 24 hours prior to installation. Concrete sub-floor shall be smooth, on same elevation, and exhibit no greater deviation in elevation than 1/4" over a 12 ft. radius. If sub-floor requires leveling with compound, use only designed leveling compound applied at least 1/4" thick having point load capability of no less than 250 lbs per square foot static load. 1 layer of 8 mil or thicker plastic sheeting is to be used as moisture barrier. Assess moisture content of slab prior to installation based on L'AIR specifications. L'AIR International is not responsible for site conditions inclusive of but not limited to sub-floor conditions or assessing sub-floor moisture levels. Concrete Sub-floor moisture levels are to be assessed and made available to L'AIR International no less than 7 days prior to shipping of L'AIR materials.

Below are the recommended maximum levels of moisture, based on average conditions only. Installation conditions may vary; therefore, manufacturer accepts no liability for the following data:

cement / smooth	2.0 per cent or 3 lb. density
cement coating w/ pumice	3.0 per cent or 3 lb. density
cement/bitumen	2.0 per cent or 3 lb. density
anhydrite coating	0.5 per cent
plaster coating	0.7 per cent
magnesite coating	5.0 per cent

If sub-floor contains excessive alkaline salts, or moisture content of sub-floor is beyond limits specified , sub-floor must be sealed accordingly to achieve a continually dry sub-floor surface, free of contaminants. L'AIR accepts no responsibility for sub-floor conditions.

B. Wood Sub-floor

Surface of wood sub-floor shall be dry and free of dust, oil, grease, and cracks. Eliminate nails, splinters and other protrusions. Sub-floor shall be smooth, on same elevation, and exhibit no greater deviation in elevation than 1/4" over a 12 ft. radius. Use hardboard, plywood, or OSB to level sub-floor if necessary. Moisture content shall not exceed 7-10 per cent. Must be structurally sound with point loading capability of no less than 250 lbs per square foot. Built-up wood flooring shall have beams or sleepers on at least 16" centers, surfaced by no less than 1-1/2" of composite sheeting such as plywood, plycore, OSB, or other sheeting products appropriate for conditions. Evidence of shift or instability in existing wood sub-floor, including but not limited to separation of floor boards, excessive or inconsistent spaces between wood sub-floor and walls, buckling or warpage, requires upgrading or replacement of sub-floor prior to installation of Excelle II.

C. Steel Sub-floor

Surface of steel sub-floor shall be dry and free of dust, oil, and grease. Eliminate burrs, slag, cracks, and any protrusions prior to installation. Sub-floor shall be smooth, on same elevation, and exhibit no greater deviation in elevation than 1/4" over a 12ft. radius. Must be structurally sound with point loading capacity of no less than 250 lbs. per square foot.

D. Ballet Barres - Remove existing floor-mounted ballet barres prior to installation of Excelle II Floor System. Modify specific modules located under ballet barres according to manufacturer's installation instructions, and install within system. Re-install ballet barres onto modified floor modules.

A. General

IF INSTALLATION IS NOT BEING CONDUCTED BY L'AIR INTERNATIONAL, customer is responsible for off-load and installation labor. L'AIR Excelle II Suspended Floor System™, including specified transition ramps, vinyl vented cove molding, installation kits s, instructions, and any other installation accessories are palletized flat. Pallets loaded to maximum capacity are approximately 48" length by 48" width by, maximum, 72" height, and weigh up to approximately 1,300 lbs. Pallets are pallet jack and fork-lift compatible from ends or sides. Pallets contain spacers between modules to prevent crushing of suspension towers during shipping or acclimatizing storage at site. Spacers must immediately be replaced if hand off-loading onto pallets. See below for greater detail

Manufacturer is not responsible for damage resulting from shipping or off-load.

B. Domestic

L'AIR Excelle II Suspended Floor System™ is typically delivered to designated destination by 75' - 85' tractor trailer. Handling: Flooring is, typically, not to be off-loaded to other equipment prior to site delivery. Pallets require up to 1,300 lb capacity forklift or pallet jack from ground or dock. L'AIR Excelle II Suspended Floor System™ should be off-loaded by pallet jacks and forklift. Excelle II System can be off-loaded by hand. Use caution, handle carefully to not damage product, and replace white, high-density styrofoam packing spacers between modules, as spaced by manufacturer, if material is to be palletized and moved to site or stored for any length of time. 2 hours are allowed for site off-load by most shippers. Following 2 hours, client may be charged for down time by shipper. L'AIR has no responsibility for materials once materials have departed L'AIR docks.

C. International

L'AIR Excelle II Suspended Floor System™ is delivered to designated destination custom packed inside 40' or 20' sea containers, typically. Client or client's agent is responsible for custom tariffs, duties, and other national charges. See "Handling" specifications in B., above.

SPECIFICATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. 

Copyright 2001 L'AIR INTERNATIONAL.
L'AIR Excelle II Floor System, L'AIR Dance Vinyl, LMD, L'AIR Multi-Durometer ,Encore Theatre-Touring System, are registered trademarks of L'AIR INTERNATIONAL

L'AIR International
900 North Main Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76106  USA
Phone: 817.237.9390
Fax: 817.237.9407
Email: info@lairfloors.com

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