Floors

Floors are provided to divide a building into different levels for creating more accommodation one above the other within a certain limited space. The bottom floor near the ground is known as the ground floor and the other floors above it are termed as upper floors, like first floor and second floor. If there is any accommodation constructed below the natural ground level, it is known as basement and the floor provided in it is known as the basement floor.

A floor may consist of two main components:

1. A sub-floor that provides proper support to the floor covering and the superimposed loads carried on it.
2. A floor covering which provides a smooth, clean, impervious and durable surface.

FACTORS AFFECTING SELECTION OF FLOORINGS

Each type of floor has its own merits and there is not even a single type which can be suitably provided under all circumstances, and more so when floors have to serve different purposes in different types of building.

1. Initial cost: The cost of construction is very important in the selection of a type of floor. A floor covering of marbles, granite, special clay tiles, etc. is considered to be very expensive, whereas a flooring of cork, slate, vinyl tile, etc. is moderately expensive. The floors made of concrete and brick offer the cheapest type of floor construction. It should be ensured during the comparison of cost for different floors that the cost of both covering and sub-floor has been accounted for.
2. Appearance: Flooring should produce the desired colour effect and architectural beauty in conformity with its use in the building. Generally, flooring of terrazzo, tiles, marble and cement mortar provides a good appearance whereas the asphalt covering gives an ugly appearance.
3. Cleanliness: A floor should be non-absorbent and capable of being easily and effectively cleaned. All joints in flooring should be such as to offer a watertight surface. Moreover, greasy and oily substances should neither spoil the appearance nor have a destroying effect on the flooring materials.
4. Durability: The flooring material should offer sufficient resistance to wear and tear, temperature, chemical action, etc. so as to provide long life to the floors. From the durability point of view, flooring of marble, terrazzo, tiles and concrete is considered to be of the best type. Flooring of other materials such as linoleum, rubber, cork, bricks, wood blocks, etc. can be used where heavy floor traffic is not anticipated.
5. Damp-resistance: All the floors, especially ground floors, should offer sufficient resistance against dampness in buildings to ensure a healthy environment. Normally, floors of clay tiles, terrazzo, concrete, bricks, etc. are preferred for use where the floors are subjected to dampness.
6. Sound insulation: According to modern building concepts, a floor should neither create noise when used nor transmit noise. Sometimes, it is required that any movement on the top floors should not disturb the persons working on the other floors. Suitable flooring is provided which is somewhat noiseless when travelled over.
7. Thermal insulation: It should be possible for a building to maintain constant temperature or heat inside the building irrespective of the temperature changes outside. Thermal insulation is needed to reduce the demand of heating in winter and refrigeration in summer. It is important in the case of wooden floors where heat losses are considerable and in solid floors with heating pipes or cables where the heat losses at the edges of the floor slab can be higher. Floors of wood, cork, etc. are best suited for this purpose.
8. Smoothness: The floor covering should be of superior type as to exhibit a smooth and even surface. However, at the same time, it should not be too slippery which will otherwise endanger safe movements over it, particularly by old people and children.
9. Hardness: It is desirable to use good quality floor coverings, which do not give rise to any form of indentation marks, imprints, etc. when used for either supporting the loads or moving the loads over them. Normally, the hard surfaces rendered by concrete, marble, stone, etc. do not show any impressions, whereas the coverings like asphalt, cork, plastic, etc. do form marks on the surfaces when used in traffic.
10. Maintenance: It is always desired that the maintenance cost should be as low as possible. Generally, a covering of tiles, marble, terrazzo or concrete requires less maintenance cost as compared to the floors of wood blocks, cork, etc. It should, however, be noted that the repairing of a concrete surface is more difficult than the floorings of tiles, marbles, etc.