NEW FLOORING REGULATION INSIGHTS

UPDATES TO THE NEW ZEALAND BUILDING CODE'S E3/AS1 INTERNAL MOISTURE CLAUSE MAY HAVE AN IMPACT ON YOUR FLOORING CHOICES FOR YOUR UPCOMING HOME PROJECT, BUILD, OR DEVELOPMENT. THE TEAM AT FLOORING CENTRE HAS EXPLORED THESE NEW REQUIREMENTS AND SHARES THEIR INSIGHTS ON HOW TO MEET THEM.

As part of the changes that took effect on 4 November 2021, to meet the Building Code you will need to ensure that flooring within 1.5 metres of a sanitary outlet or appliance is impervious to moisture and easily cleaned.

Identified problem areas may include where an island bench or breakfast bar (with a sink in the island) may have vinyl flooring on the kitchen side and carpet on the dining room side. These changes also impact flooring choices in garages where carpet may be installed right up to a laundry area within the garage.

To meet the requirements of impervious and easily cleaned flooring within 1.5 metres of a sanitary outlet or appliance, you must use either a flooring option that is classed as either an “Acceptable Solution” or “Alternative Acceptable Solution”.

An Acceptable Solution includes sheet vinyl with sealed joints that have been sealed or coved at the edges, ceramic or stone tiles and either steel trowel or polished finish concrete. With the right guidance and advice, you can still, however, choose timber, hybrid, laminate and luxury vinyl tiles, but these options will come under the classification of an Alternative Acceptable Solution. These options now need to be submitted to the council as part of any works that are required to be consented. theflooringcentre.co.nz/blog/e3/ 03 348 0639 | theflooringcentre.co.nz

The Flooring Centre team are experts on E3/AS1 changes and will guide you through any requirements as part of your consultation. They make selecting flooring easy for their clients as all hard flooring options are sourced through quality suppliers who meet the E3/ AS1 requirements.

So long as you supply the correct product and installation information to the council, you shouldn’t have to make many changes to your plans. The biggest change you will probably find is that you are selecting your flooring before consent is filed.

For further information, you can read the E3/AS1 blog on The Flooring Centre website.