Ripstaal Dovetail Plates are easy to process with the processing advice below.
When processing Rip steel dovetailed sheets It is important to pay attention to your safety. The Ripstaal dovetail sheets have sharp edges and corners. It is therefore recommended to always wear protective clothing, protective gloves, and safety shoes when processing the sheets. The sheets must always lie on a stable substructure. If the sheets are subjected to too much pressure during assembly, there is a risk of deformation.
Storage
Ripstaal Plates should be stored indoors, under dry conditions.
2. Customisation and cut-outs
The Ripstaal Dovetail Plates can easily be cut to size. When cutting to size, use an angle grinder with a cutting disc for steel. Cut-outs can also be made with an angle grinder or a jigsaw.
3. Laying the plates
Before laying the Ripstaal sheets, first check the supporting structure for strength, stiffness, and quality.
The Ripstaal boards must be laid perpendicular to the direction of the wooden joists. The standard laying order that should be followed is: first a row of boards one after another, with the first board with the blue print underneath, the next with the print on top etc. Start the next row with a board with the blue print on top, the next underneath etc. It is also possible to lay the boards in a half-bond pattern.
4. Overlapping of plates
The overlapping of the plates is achieved by “clicking” the plates into each other. The overlap can be adjusted by sliding the plates in or out of each other. Only place the end flanges of the plates on top of each other. The end overlaps can be adjusted by sliding the plates into or further apart from each other.
If the Ripstaal floor is laid on sound-insulating bearing strips, the sheets must first be clicked together on a hard surface.
5. Overlap side
Lay all the panels one on top of the other with the Ripstaal sticker facing up and down. So: sticker on sticker and plain on plain. The overlap on the long side is created by sliding the lower and upper side flanges of the Ripstaal panels over each other up to the first profile. The working width of the Ripstaal panel is then approx. 580 mm. The Ripstaal panel can be easily slid over the side flange of the previous row of panels.
When laid on a joist, the sheets must overlap at the joist.
6. Edge connections
The Ripstaal floor must be kept free from abutting construction (walls, penetrations, and the like) using edge strips of approximately 10 mm.
To soundproof the Ripstaal floor, Ripstaal sound-insulating edge strips must be applied. Do not nail the panels down!
7. Confirm
When fitting Ripstaal plates to new wooden beams and floorboards, they must be nailed in place on the overlap in the top flange. This can be done using standard wire nails or self-tapping screws. On old wooden beams or floorboards, the plates must be nailed in the bottom flange. On steel beams, Ripstaal plates should be secured with drive rivets, dowels or pop rivets. When a rigid connection is achieved using drive rivets or dowels, additional shrinkage reinforcement is required.
On concrete beams and brick supports, the panels can be laid in cement mortar and temporarily loaded until the mortar has hardened. The panels can be secured to aerated concrete blocks with screws. When installing a Ripstaal sound insulation floor, or when installing underfloor heating, the panels must never be fixed to the substructure.
8. Provisional confirmation
When the Ripstaal dovetails lie loose on the sub-structure (for example, with a floating floor or a floor with underfloor heating), the panels must be secured with clamp strips or wooden wedge-shaped blocks. This prevents the floor from lifting during the drying of the mortar.
9. Sound-insulating (floating) Ripstaal floors
Apply mineral wool overlay strips directly to the joists. On the floorboards, the strips must be fitted over the joists. Keep the total floor clear of structural walls, pipes, and penetrations using mineral wool.
10. Ripstaal flooring with underfloor heating
Secure the underfloor heating pipes to the upper flange of the Ripstaal dovetail plates using Ripstaal Fixing Rails. Use a minimum of 20 mm of screed cover. Do not fix the plates themselves to the substrate! Due to shrinkage and creep that occur with varying temperatures, it is important that the floor is kept free from the rising work (walls, penetrations and the like) by approximately 10 mm all around.
As a rough guide for quantities, you can allow 3 rails per square metre of surface area. You should install the rails over the entire floor area that will be fitted with underfloor heating.
11. Rip steel flooring finish
The Ripstaal floor can be finished with a soft or hard floor covering. Allow the mortar to dry for at least one week first. Tiles, flagstones, and natural stone must be installed in accordance with current standards and regulations. It is preferable to use a flexible tile adhesive for bonding tiles, flagstones and natural stone.
12. Mortar to apply diamond steel plates
Ripstaal sheeting acts as formwork during the application of the (concrete) mortar. Only when the mortar has hardened does the mortar function as reinforcement. No reinforcement or earth netting needs to be incorporated into the Ripstaal floor; the dovetail sheeting itself serves as reinforcement. It is not possible to directly apply a ceramic or natural stone floor finish to the mortar. Terrazzo (granito) floors must always be laid on a substrate of smoothly finished concrete.
The following types of mortar can be applied to the Ripstaal sheets:
- Sand cement
- Concrete
- Lightweight concrete
- Floor screed
Mortar drying time
After 3 days of drying, the Ripstaal floor can be walked on with care. After 1 week, the floor will have reached approximately 80% of its final strength. As a rule of thumb for final strength: allow 1 week’s drying time per CM before the floor reaches its final strength.
It is important to allow the floor to dry as gradually as possible to prevent shrinkage cracking. Therefore, cover the floor with polyethylene sheeting and do not put any load on the floor until it has sufficiently hardened.
Recommended amount of mortar
- Standard floor, residential floor: 20 mm
- Sound-insulating + fire-resistant floor: 34 mm
- Utility floor: 33 mm
- Underfloor heating: 40 mm
- Spans > 1.5 to 2.5 m: 54 mm or more
13. Deposit support
When the slabs are not nailed, approximately 35 mm of mortar can be applied for spans of up to 1200 mm without temporary propping. If the slabs are nailed, approximately 50 mm of mortar can be applied for spans of up to 1500 mm.
If the span or thickness of the mortar is greater than the above dimensions, it is necessary to temporarily shore up the Ripstaal sheets. A row of shores per span is sufficient.
14. Waterproof bathroom flooring
Floorboards should preferably be removed or provided with a few ventilation holes. To make the edge connections waterproof, the horizontal and vertical connections must be sealed with sealing paste and sealing tape. After tiling and grouting, apply a final seal.
A watertight connection must be made at the wall-floor connection, shower drain, drainage channel (e.g. Ripstaal Stardrain®) and any penetrations on the Ripstaal concrete floor using sealing tape (sealing tape + sealing paste).
Ripstaal Dovetail plates are: load-bearing, fire-resistant, waterproof, and sound-insulating.
For more information on our dovetail plates Click here.
