Everything about Floor totally explained
In
architecture, a
floor is generally the lower horizontal surface of a
room, and/or the
supporting
structure underneath it.
A floor typically consists of a support structure called a
sub-floor
on top of which is laid a
floor covering to provide a walking surface.
The work of installing a floor covering is called
flooring. This term is also used to refer to any permanent floor covering and in particular to
wood flooring.
The various levels in a
building are also called floors. See
storey for this use.
Support structure
The supporting structure underneath flooring is called a
sub-floor. Sometimes, as for
earthen floors, there's no separate structure.
The subfloor may also provide services like
underfloor heating or
ducts for
air conditioning.
A ground-level floor can be an
earthen floor made of
soil, or be
solid ground floors made of
concrete slab. Floors above may be built on
beams or
joists or use structures like
hollow core slabs.
Ground floor construction
Ground-level slab floors are prepared for pouring by
grading the base material so that it's flat, and then spreading a layer of
sand and
gravel. A grid of
rebar is usually added to
reinforce the concrete, especially if it'll be used structurally, for example to support part of the building.
Upper floor construction
Floors in
woodframe homes are usually constructed with joists that are centered no more than 16 inches or 40 centimeters apart, according to most
building codes. Heavy floors, such as those made of
stone, are more closely-spaced. If the
span between load-bearing walls is too long for joists to safely support, then a heavy crossbeam (thick or
laminated wood, or a metal
I-beam or
H-beam) may have to be used. A 'subfloor' of
plywood or
waferboard is then laid over the joists.
Special floor constructions
Where a special floor structure like a
floating floor is laid upon another floor then both may be referred to as sub-floors.
Special floor structures are used for a number of purposes:
Utilities
Utilities are also run through the floor, by
drilling small holes to go crosswise. Where the floor is over the
basement or
crawlspace, they may instead be run under the joists, making the
installation less expensive.
Ducts for
air conditioning (central
heating and
cooling) are large and can't cross joists or beams, thus they're typically at or near the
plenum, or come directly from underneath (or from an
attic). The floor of one level typically also holds the
ceiling of the level below (if any).
Pipes for
plumbing and
sewerage, as well as for
underfloor heating, may also be laid directly in slab floors, which is also sometimes the case for some other utilities. Maintenance of these systems can be very expensive however, requiring the opening of concrete or other fixed structures. Electrically heated floors are also available, and both kinds of systems can also be used in wood floors as well.
Other services provided by subfloors include:
Cellular floor raceways
Underfloor heating
Floor covering
Floor covering is a term to generically describe any finish material applied over a floor structure to provide a walking surface. Flooring is the general term for a permanent covering of a floor, or for the work of installing such a floor covering. Both terms are used interchangeably but floor covering refers more to loose-laid materials.
Materials almost always classified as floor covering include carpet, area rugs, and resilient flooring such as linoleum or vinyl flooring. Materials commonly called flooring include wood flooring, ceramic tile, stone, terrazzo, and various seamless chemical floor coatings.
The choice of material for floor covering is affected by factors such as cost, endurance, noise insulation, comfort and cleaning effort. Some types of flooring must not be installed below grade (lower than ground level), and laminate or hardwood should be avoided where there may be moisture or condensation.
The sub-floor may be finished in a way that makes it usable without any extra work, see:
Earthen floor adobe or clay floors
Solid ground floor cement screed or granolithic
Carpet
Carpet is a floor covering woven or felted from natural or man-made fibers. Fitted carpet is attached to the floor structure, extends wall-to-wall, and can't be moved from place to place. An underlay can extend carpet life and improve comfort.
Laminate
Laminate is a floor covering that appears similar to hardwood but is made with a plywood or medium density fiberboard ("MDF") core with a plastic laminate top layer. Laminate may be more durable than hardwood, but can't be refinished like hardwood. Laminate flooring is available in many different patterns which can resemble different woods or even ceramic tile. It usually locks or taps together.
Area rugs
Rugs are also woven or felted from fibers, but are smaller than the room in which they're located, have a finished edge, and usually lie over another finished floor such as wood flooring. Rugs may either be temporarily attached to the flooring below by adhesive tape or other methods to prevent creep, or may be loose-laid.
Resilient flooring
Resilient flooring includes many different manufactured products including linoleum, sheet vinyl, vinyl composition tile, cork (sheet or tile), and others.
Wood flooring
Many different species of wood are fabricated into wood flooring in two primary forms: plank and parquet. Bamboo flooring is also available. While bamboo is technically not a wood, bamboo flooring is installed and functions much like wood flooring. Reclaimed lumber has a unique appearance and is green.
Ceramic tile
Ceramic tile includes a wide variety of clay products fired into thin units which are set in beds of mortar or mastic with the joints between tiles grouted. Varieties include quarry tile, porcelain tile, terra cotta tile, and others.
Stone
Many different natural stones are cut into a variety of sizes, shapes, and thicknesses for use as flooring. Stone flooring is usually set in mortar and grouted similar to ceramic tile.
Terrazzo
Terrazzo consists of marble or other stone aggregate set in mortar and ground and polished to a smooth surface.
Seamless chemical flooring
Many different seamless flooring materials are available. These are usually latex, polyester, or epoxy compounds which are applied in liquid form to provide a completely seamless floor covering. These are usually found in wet areas such as laboratories or food processing plants.
Other floorings
Linoleum
Marble
Mosaic
Parquetry
Performance surface flooring for dance or athletics
Rubber
Tile Includes slate, ceramic and stone tiles
Flooring tools
Special tools used for flooring include:
Flooring clamp, a clamp for tongue and groove floors while nailing
Knee kicker, used to stretch carpets flat
Issues with floors
Wood floors, particularly older ones, will tend to 'squeak' in certain places. This is caused by the wood rubbing against other wood, usually at a joint of the subfloor. Firmly securing the pieces to each other with screws or nails will remove this problem.
Floor vibration is a particularly annoying problem with floors. Wood floors tend to pass sound, particularly heavy footsteps and low bass frequencies. Floating floors can reduce or eliminate this problem. Concrete floors are usually so solid they don't have this problem, but are also much more expensive to construct, and much heavier, resulting in further requirements regarding the structure of the building.
The flooring may need protection sometimes for example a gym floor used for a graduation ceremony. A Gym floor cover can be used to reduce the need to satisfy incompatible requirements.
Floor Cleaning
Floor cleaning is a major occupation throughout the world. The principal reasons for floor cleaning are:
To prevent injuries due to tripping or slipping. Injuries due to slips and trips on level floors are a major cause of accidental injury or death. Bad practice in floor cleaning is itself a major cause of accidents.
To beautify the floor
To remove stains, dirt, litter and obstructions
To remove allergens, in particular dust
To prevent wear to the surface for example by using a floor wax or protective sealant.
To make the environment sanitary for example in kitchens
To maintain an optimum traction for example for dance floors
The treatment needed for different types of floors is very different. For safety it's most important to ensure the floor isn't left even slightly wet after cleaning or mopping up.
Sawdust is used on some floors to absorb any liquids that fall rather than trying to prevent them being spilt. The sawdust is swept up and replaced each day. This was common in the past in pubs and is still used in some butchers and fishmongers.
It used to be common to use tea leaves to collect dirt from carpets and remove odours. Nowadays it's sill quite common to use diatomaceous earth, or in fact any cat litter type material, to remove infestations from floors.
Good well-maintained entrance matting can dramatically reduce the need for cleaning. For public and office buildings about 80 to 90% of the dirt is tracked in from outside. Installing a total of 15 feet of matting consisting of both indoor and outdoor sections will remove about 80% of this. Thus about two-thirds of the dirt can be removed at the entrance. BS 7953 'Entrance flooring systems. Selection, installation and maintenance' has standards relating to barrier matting.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Floor'.
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