15 FLOOR FINISHES FOR DIFFERENT AREAS. FINISHES FOR SPECIAL EFFECTS

Sarasvathy. V

FLOOR FINISHES FOR DIFFERENT AREAS. FINISHES FOR SPECIAL EFFECTS

The main aim of the floor is to provide a level surface for the occupants to support furniture, equipment, partition walls etc. All the activities in the room are performed on the floor. A floor need to have adequate strength and its stability should be fire resistant. It should have good insulation and be damp proof. The floor consists of two components, one which is designed as a structural component and the other finishing on floor or the floor covering which is decided taking into consideration the use of the floor and the aesthetic appearance. The floors resting directly on the ground surface are known as ground floors and the floors of each storey which are above the geared level are known as upper floor. The materials used for construction of ground floor are cement, concrete, bricks, stones, lime, concrete wood.

Floor Finishes for Different Areas. Finishes for Special Effects

The job of protecting slabs of roofs on the different floors in building and providing suitable finish of floor surfaces is known as flooring. There are many types of floors according to their uses, economy and required level of finishing. Floor covering is a term to generically describe any finish material applied over a floor structure to provide a walking surface. Both terms are used interchangeably but floor covering refers more to lose-laid materials. A floor finish is a liquid which is applied to a resilient tile floor and dries to a hard, durable and smooth film. This film is about the thickness of waxed paper and is expected to protect and extend the life of the floor while providing an attractive appearance and slip resistant surface. Materials almost always classified as flooring include carpet, laminate, tile and vinyl. The selection of floor finishes is very important. It has direct impact on safety.

For a solid ground floor the lowest layer is that a compacted earth fill covered with either lean cement concrete or lime concrete or broken brick bats or stones rammed properly. The last course consists of cement concrete paste. After this, the floor is ready for covering.

Factors in Selecting Flooring Material

1.Initial Cost. The cost of the floor covering is very important factor which needs to be taken into consideration because the cost of the material should be in conformity with the use made of the floor covering.

2. Appearance. The floor covering used should give pleasing appearance e.g., terrazzo and marble flooring gives excellent appearance.

3.Durability. The flooring should be resistant to corrosion humidity disintegration to have a long life. The flooring of marble, terrazzo tiles and granolithic are most suitable from this point of view.

4.Maintenance. The flooring material should require the least maintenance. Marble terrazzo and granolithic flooring can be cleaned easily and are found to be durable.

5.Dampness. For the purpose of maintaining healthy conditions in the house flooring should offer sufficient resistance against dampness. Flooring of concrete brick, terrazzo, mosaic etc. are preferred, while flooring of rubber linoleum wood etc. are not suitable for damp condition.

6.Cleanliness. The flooring should be non-absorbent and should be capable of being drained easily. The marble and terrazzo are the easiest to clean whereas timber and concrete flooring are very difficult of clean.

7.Fire Resistance. Concrete and brick flooring provide maximum fire resistance. For fire proof construction fire resistance flooring is necessary.

Flooring is required to make the surface of the room even. The choice of the material becomes important as cleaning and maintenance is integral part of the flooring. There are two types of flooring: Natural  Flooring and Artificial Flooring

(A) Natural Flooring

1.  Granite

2.  Kota stone

3.  Dholpuri stone

4.  Marble

5.  Sand stone

6.  Slate stone

7.  Cuddappah stone

Natural stones are found in the mountains. Mines are made at the places where hose stones are found. With the help of dynamites blasting was done in these areas and big rocks of marble, granite and other stones were taken out. Then these uneven rocks were cut into slabs with the help of machines. Then required size of the standard size was cut with the help of diamond cutter. Now-a-days, instead of blasting machines are available to dig out stones. During this many uneven sizes came out and lot of wastage occurred, whereas machines are economical.

1.   Granite: This is hard wearing and its sheen and color makes it very desirable. It contains granules or chips into them. Lesser the granules, higher are its price. On the flooring a mosaic effect can be given with the help of marble and granite. This depends on the creativity of a person. Some use brass strips between two granite tiles to enhance the elegance of flooring. Maintenance free, simple wet mopping is enough.

Properties

1.  Used in interior and construction.

2.  Porosity is less.

3.  Has got long life.

4.  Becomes smooth when polished.

5.  available in varied colors and designs.

6.  Available and generally available from South India and Rajasthan.

7.  Different standard sizes of tile and slab form.

8.  Doesn’t take stains.

9.  Easy to clean and maintain.

10.  Available in different standard thickness.

11.  Aesthetically good.

12.  Replacement is easy.

13.  hard stone.

Uses

1.  Practically it is used more in flooring.

2.  It is used in kitchen platform.

3.  Carving can be done easily.

4.  It should be polished before fixing.

5.  In residences, hotels, offices etc.

2.  Marble : Marble is a soft, cool, natural stone. It is limestone and contains more of calcium. They are taken out of the mines as explained earlier. Various types of marbles are found in India and the names are given according to the places from where they are available example Rajnagar marble, Indo-Indian marble , Italian marble etc. Long size is used only when the slab is expert, it is a risk and so big sizes are not preferred. We have a several type of marble which is as follow:

Polishing Marble. Marble is polished with the help of the specified stone. According to its properties of polishing, the number are given no. 300 is used when marble is rough. The next stone comes is 400, 600, 900, 1200. Higher stone you go for, you get good effect (shiny effect). A light power from Germany called tin-oxide is used to have mirror effect.

3. Kota Stone

Kota stone is a grey colored stone. The name of the stone is given from the place it is available can be used in interiors & exteriors.

Properties

1. They are economical.

2. They can take stains easily.

3. They absorb water less, but more than marbles & granite.

4. They provide more thickness compare than marble & granite because they break easily.

5.  They are available than other stone that is marble & granite.

6.  They are harder than marble & granite.

Usage:. These are mostly laid in the kitchens, verandahs, railway platform, and hospitals as it is very easy to clean.

4.   Dholpuri Stone : Dholpure comes into 2 colors: white and red. Sizes are same as Kota. These stones are laid mostly on’ otlas.

5.   Sand Stone: Sand stone is a sort of stone consisting of grains of sand together with silica, alumina & oxide etc. Beat sand stone has very fine grains. It is available in different shades of colors. Such as light grey, brown or even red or pink and can resist heat well. But, because of its softness it is not generally used.

6.   Slate Stone: Slate stone is a soft stone and generally used in interiors. It is available in small standard sizes which are not polished for facade. It is generally varnished. Slate stone is not used for flooring. Slate stone is available in and around 8 mm thickness. Slate stone can be replaced easily and are available in Grey, Black, Brown colors. Slate stone are not polished and are kept rough only.

7. Cuddappah Stone

Cuddappah stone is black in color. It is available in south India. Properties

1.  Economical.

2.  Take stains easily.

3.  Absorb water less, but more than marbles & granite.

4.  Provide more thickness compare than marbles & granite because they break easily.

5.  available easily than other stones i.e., marbles & granite.

6.  Hard than marbles & granite.

(B)  Artificial Flooring

1.    Hard Wood (Natural Beauty) : The elegant look of hard wood can add warmth and character to any room in a home. The natural characteristics of a wood can add depth and a visual appearance that many other floors try to duplicate. They are mainly found in foreign countries. There are mainly 3 types of floors available due to demand.

1.  Solid Wood Floors.

2.  Engineering Plank Floors.

3.  Long strips Planks Floors..

2.   Cork: This is a type of wood. This is mainly found in Spain. The life span of cork tree is 400   years. Every year the bark is removed from the tree, the bark is heated, when headed raisins get extracted from the bark then they are hot pressed on wood. They cut to required size. They are not used in India normally. They are very expensive and needs lot of maintenance.

3.   Vinyl (Floors with Style) : No other category offers the variety of colored and patterned styles as vinyl floorings. These are due to great advancement in styling and technology. The unique manufacturing two classes used today can replicate the look and texture of real ceramic tiles, stones and wood grains. It is mainly used for heavy traffic areas like offices, hospitals, hotels, restaurant, railways, etc. It can be maintained by regular mopping, matching cleaning and polishing facility is also available. Rubber can discolor vinyl flooring. Rubber mats or castors should not be used.

Properties

• Totally hygienic. Non slippery.
• Easily replaceable. Light Weight.

Advantages/Disadvantages

• Installed on all grade levels.
• Poor damage and scratch resistant. Good moisture resistance.
• Easy to maintain.
• Average stain and fade resistant. Cannot be repaired easily.
• Available in wide variety of colors and design.

4.   Glass : The size of glass is 10 mm thick. This is a very rare type of flooring not much in practice because of its delicacy & brittle properties. This flooring can be seen in Vadodara central library in Mandvi. Here the glass used is of 45-50 mm thick. This was brought from Egypt. Glass is the costliest so they are not in practical use. They are used in discos, hotels and stages.

Glass Mats are used for

Floating floors Flooring

Glass Mats for Floating Floors: These types of products are used to construct independent acoustic screens b/w floating floors in the apartment building. This material limits the passage of sound waves b/w various floors.

Glass Mats for Flooring : These products are used as reinforcement PVC for the production of PVC flooring, as subtract for carpet tiles and wall to wall carpet. Glass mats with its dimensional stability helps flooring product keep perfectly flat on the floor, in the most extreme of hyquoneetial/ temperature.

5.   Laminates : The size of rectangular is 47″ x 18″ & square 15″ x 15″, 24″ x 24″. These boards have core of strips not exceeding 7 mm in thickness glued together b/w 2 or more venues are known as laminates. Laminates are stronger and durable. They originally came from Europe, where they have been used for 20 years. They are the most innovative flooring in the market today. Laminates are usually confused with wood but they are not wood.

Properties

• Easy to clean and maintain Exceptional durability
• Stain and fade resistant
• They are not soft under foot

Pergo Flooring: This is a revolutionary laminate floor from Sweden. Laminate flooring is, a plank floor. Its thickness is 8 mm. It constitutes 80% of wood & core material.

Quick vacuuming can be done or one’s over with a maintenance damp rog or mop. The cost of it is approximately to Rs. 202/-sq. ft. It is easy to clean, install easily, wear resisting, no burn marks.

6.  Fiber The size of it is 1.2-5.5 mm in length, 12 mm in width & 3-12 mm in thickness.

Properties

• They are fibrous in texture.
• They contain large number of air cavities to make them heat proof and sound proof. They are patented fibers imported from Australia.

Uses

• They are used for internal finish as well as paneling, suspended ceilings and for floors.
• Against heat and sound insulation. Making partitions.
• Making flush doors, table tops, bus bodies, railway coaches, etc.

7.   Carpet : The advancement of modern technology induced people to cover the floor by attractive carpets. Carpets are the ideal dress code for the hardworking floors. The usage of the carpet rose from the olden days, the conventional mat was replaced by different types of carpets with different ranges. It is an added advantage for extreme climatic conditions. It is widely seen in the all star hotels and office establishments. There are wall to wall carpets, Chinese superfine carpets, Cash more carpets, wooden carpets.

Pashmina, plain & embroidery carpets, Kashmiri carpets, Silk kashan carpets, Rich roso carpets. These all are mostly used in interior of the house flooring for the decoration purpose. Hitkari carpets, Bajaj tex type of carpet which gives the floor looks & durability. It deserves & are mostly used in offices & hotels. They are chemically treated with a special impregnation & latexing process.

Properties

• Quieter than hard suitable floors.
• They are available in variety of colors & designs.
• They are warmth & soft under foot and easier on children knees.

Disadvantages

• Poor moisture and stain resistant. They cannot be repaired.
• Average damage and fade resistant.

8. Tiles

The tiles which are used for paving floors are called as floor tiles. These tiles are usually flat and square or rectangular in shape. These tiles can be made in any color and of any geometric shapes.

Size

Length	Breath	Height
15 cm	15 cm	18 cm
20 cm	20 cm	20 cm
22.5 cm	22.5 cm	22.5 cm

Requirements:. These tiles should be free from flies, lines or other foreign material visible to naked eyes. They should give ringing sound when struck with one another. When broken the fractured surface should be cleaned, denser and shaped at the edges.

(a)    Glazing Tiles. These tiles can be earthen wall, having top surface glazed and underside unglazed so that the tiles may adhere property to the base. The edges may also be face for glaze. Its size is 149 mm x 149 mm & thickness is 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm. Glazed earthen wall tiles and associated fittings are generally used for finishing surface of floor of water closure, bathroom, kitchen, hospital, and similar places where cleanliness is an important factor.

Glazings are of two types

(i)  Salt Glazing. It is the simplest method of glazing when heated at about 1200-1350°C the salt vaporized and attaches itself to all exposed surfaces of day products, forming a thin layer of transparent glass over the surfaces.

(ii)  Opaque or Slip Glazing. This is the most unknown purpose of glazing articles of domestic use like crockery and sanitary wares,

(b)  Ceramic Tiles. These tiles are of two types. Glaze (glossy) and Matte finish tiles.

A glazed tile is a term that encompasses a glossy ceramic tile. The glazing process is one where the glaze is a mixture of grits using various glass & elements such as zirfloor, zirconium, and feldspars is applied on the raw tile to give a glossy finish. These are mostly used in walls. A matte finished tile, where the glaze is transparent is used for floor, although it is not hard & fast rule. Normally glazed tiles are used on bathroom dedo and kitchen dedo. Matt tiles are used on the passages, stairs and cleading.

Tiles are basically maintenance free. If whenever required, clean with dull acid. But everyday cleaning just wet mopping is enough. Acid proof and do not absorb water. They are available in wide selection of color, size, shape and new textures that were not available decade ago.

Properties

• Durable
• Easy to call stain
• Odor and dirt resistant Easy to clean
• Scratch resistant
• Environment friendly Fire and water resistant.
• Installed on below grade levels.

     (c)   Vitrified. It has a zero water absorption property. They resemble granite but offer a greater variety in terms of finish, color and design options. Polished vitrified floor tiles such as mirror stone, granitite and marbo granite are a cheaper substitute for marble and granite. It is the most versatile e.g., the benefit of it is from top to bottom it is just I layer. i.e., even though after polishing the next layer has the same design of the previous one. Rs. 90 is the cost of the 1′ x l’ size. Rates depend upon the designs. Vitrified tiles are the mixture of marble and granite chips. When vitrified tiles are cut no matter from where they are cut the same material is found all over the tiles. They are costlier then tiles. They are hard and thick then tiles. They are lustrous than tiles.

(d)   Checkered Tiles. The size of this tiles is 30 cm x 30 cm and the thickness is 45, 55, 60, & 80 mm.

Advantages

These tiles are suitable for any external heavy duty non skid applications. They are maintenance free, for life time. They are most economical & easy to handle and install. They are available in different shapes, sizes, colors, designs. They add unique touch of style and grace to your building environment. They are non slippery.

Disadvantages

1.  There basic strength is less.

2.  Cleaning is difficult because of rough surface.

3.  They fade easily.

Light Usage—garden path, swimming pool decks, terrace bicycle path.

Medium Usage—Hotel drive ways, restaurants, shopping malls, plazas, railway station, holiday resort.

Heavy Usage—Industrial floors, loading docks, maintenance terminals, petrol pump, service station, factory compound.

(e)    Others-Porcelain Tiles. They are more or less same like that of ceramic tiles. Porcelain tiles combines hardness with unfading beauty that generates on imperial ambiance around. These tiles are manufactured by Naveen, Restile, Pedder, Bisazza, etc.

Industrial Tiles. On the industrial scene too, tiles have made in roads, industrial tiles are made to satisfy stringent performance criteria and have to be durable with long lasting finishes that can resist chemicals as well as high loads e.g., N1TCO.

Attun Qudi Tiles. This is an earth colored flooring. It is a warm toned, deep red based glazed tile from Tamil Nadu. It is a thick tile, seals wells but is economical. These tiles are used in residences like verandahs and dens and not in commercial places. These tiles will improve with age.

Pavers. Short blasted pavers are now-a-day available in our country. It is a product of Italy. These paving tiles are used for outdoor purpose i.e., atlas or pavements in the gardens etc. These are available in variety of design & styles. e.g., Waschbetons, shot blasted double & multi grooves, Kerbed stone, granite cobbles, etc.

Innovation. New entries are the anti-skid tiles. Once with grooves understand which accommodate excess mortar or cement to give a perfect fit. Once printed the tile is backed at 700-800 centigrade in a kiln.

Terracotta. This is a traditional looking type of a flooring & seen much in the South India. This type of flooring can be done in the interiors as well as exteriors of the house. Kajaria has made Terracotta type of tiles.

Terrazzo. This type of flooring is prepared on site. The cost of this tiles is Rs. 25/- to Rs. 45/- per sq. ft. This is done on the outskirts of the house, passages or the terraces. Marble pieces are cut into small different shapes. They are laid on the mortar. A mixture of white cement, marble chips & water is plastered between these pieces. This type of flooring is cheaper compared to marble, granite or even ceramic tiles. Great care has to be taken to maintain.

Linoleum: This is a floor covering by Birla group. It has an extra cushioning effect that makes it safe & comfortable for small children. It is also light reflective. It is hygienic, water proof, fire retardant, prevents slippage & is a noise dampened.

Indian Patent Stone (IPS): This type of flooring is normally prepared on site. cost of it would be Rs. 12/- to Rs. 15/- per sq. ft. It is cheapest flooring. Normally this type of flooring is suitable for low cost houses. Useful where carpet is used as flooring.

Acrylic: They can be made in any sizes due to technology.

Bell Granite: it is a type of granite tile. They are the latest. They can be broken easily. Its size is 10 mm.

Mosaic: They are known for its work ability & highness of product. Its prize is Rs. 45/- sq. ft.

Granite Tiles.; They are easily to clean. They are durable. It is used in flooring & dado. Its cost is Rs. 100/- to Rs. 300/- per sq. ft.

Common Flooring Materials: Mud Flooring Mud flooring is cheap, hard, fairly impervious, easy to construct and easy to maintain. It has good thermal insulation property due to which it remains cool in summer and fairly warm in winter. The method of construction is very easy over a well prepared ground 25 cm thick selected moist earth in spread and is then rammed well to get a compacted thickness of 15 cm. In order to prevent it from cracks due to drying, small quantity of chopped straw is mixed in the moist earth, before ramming.

 Muram Flooring : Muram is a form of disintegrated rock with binding material. This flooring has practical the same  properties as that of mud flooring. To construct such a floor, a 15 cm thick layer of muram is tried over prepared sub grade. Over it, a 25 cm thick layer of power muram is spread and water is sprinkled over it. The surface is then rammed well. After ramming the, surface is saturated with a 6 mm thin film of water. The surface is well trampled under the feet of workmen till the cream of muram rises to the top. The surface is leveled and then kept in that state for a day, so that dry hard surface is formed. This surface is then smeared or rubbed within paste of cow dung and rammed again for two days, during morning hours. Finally, a coating of mud cow-dung mix or cement cow-dung mix is applied over the surface.

Brick Flooring : Such flooring is used in cheap, construction specially where good bricks are available. This flooring is specially suited to ware-houses stoves go down etc. Well burnt bricks of good color and uniform shapes are used. Bricks are laid either flat or on edge, arranged in herring bone fashion on set at right angles to the walls, or set any other good looking pattern.

Flagstone Flooring : Flag stone is any laminated sand stone available in 2 cm to 4 cm thickness in the form of stone slabs of squares or rectangular size. This type of work is also called paring. The stone slabs stones are laid over 20 to 25 cm thick layer of bed mortar. In laying the slabs, work is started from two diagonally opposite corners and brought up from both sides. A string is stretched between two women slabs laid first to correct level. Other slabs are then so laid that their tops touch the string. When the stone slabs are properly set, mortar in the joints is raked out to a depth of about 15 to 20 mm and then flush; pointed with 1:3 cement mortar proper slope is given to the surface for drainage. The work is properly cured.

Cement Concrete Flooring : This is commonly used for residential commercial and even industrial building, since it is moderately cheap, quite durable and easy to construct. The floor consists of two components:

1.  Base concrete

2.  Topping or wearing surface

The two components of the floor can be constructed either monolithically or non monolithically.

The base course may be 7.5 to 10 cm thick, either in lean cement concrete or lime concrete containing 40% mortar of 1:2 lime sand and 60% coarse aggregate of 40 mm nominal size. The base course is laid over well compacted soil, compacted properly and leveled to rough surface. It is properly cured.

Terrazzo Flooring : Terrazzo flooring is another type of floor finish that is laid in thin layer over concrete topping. It is very decorative and has good wearing properties.

Asphalt Flooring : Asphalt flooring are of many types:

• Asphalt mastic types
• Asphalt tiles flooring
• Asphalt terrazzo
• Acid proof mastic flooring.

Asphalt Mastic Flooring. It is a mixture of sand (or grit) and asphalt in the ratio of

2:1 mixed hot and then laid in continuous sheet.

Asphalt Tiles. These are prepared from asphalt, asbestos fiber’s inert materials and mineral pigments by pressing the mix in different sizes with thickness varying from .3 to 6 mm. Asphalt tiles are cheap, resilient sound proof, non absorbent and moisture proof.

 Asphalt Terazzo. This is prepared similarly to mastic asphalt, except that marble chips are used in the place sand/grit. Asphalt may be either in black or other suitable color and is laid in hot condition.

Acid Proof Mastic Flooring. Acid proof blocks of asphalt are available which are manufactured from moulding acid proof asphalt and insert rushed rock aggregate under high pressure.

Granolithic Flooring : In industrial building hard wearing surface is sometimes required. This can be achieved by applying granolithic finish over the concrete topping. Granolithic finish consists of rich concrete made with very hard and tough quality coarse aggregate.

Rubber Flooring: It consists of sheets or tiles of rubber in variety of patterns and colors with thickness varying from 3 to 10 mm. The sheets or tiles are manufactured by mixing of pure rubber with filers such as cotton fiber, granulated work or asbestos fiber. The sheets or tiles are fixed to concrete base or wood by means of appropriate adhesives. Rubber floorings are resistant and noise proof. However they are costly. They are used only in the office or public buildings.

Linoleum Flooring: Strictly speaking, it is a covering which is available in rolls, and which is spread directly on concrete or wooden flooring. Linoleum sheet is manufactured by mixing oxidized linseed oil in gun resins pigments, wood floor cork dust and other fillers materials. The sheets are either plain or oriented and are available in 2 to 6 mm thickness and 2 to 4 mm wide rolls. Linoleum tiles are also available which can be fixed to concrete base or wood floor in different patterns. Linoleum covering are attractive, resilient, durable and can be cleaned very easily. However it is subjected to rotting when kept wet or moist for some times. It cannot, therefore, be used for bathrooms, kitchens etc.

Conclude

Numerous flooring materials now available may be used over a variety of floor systems. Each has a property that adapts it to a particular usage. Of the practical properties, perhaps durability and ease of maintenance are the most important. However, initial cost, comfort, and appearance must also be considered. Specific service requirements may call for special properties, such as resistance to hard wear.

Web links

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminate_flooring https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrazzo
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_carving
• http://fmar.in/attachment/1376298733-SANDSTONE%20(1).pdf
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bark_(botany)
• https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/replicate
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinforcement
• https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/adhere
• https://www.slideshare.net/shatabdim1/what-is-wall-cladding-with-pictures
• https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/nonskid
• https://gharpedia.com/types-of-flooring-materials/
• https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Types_of_flooring