FLOORING

ANIMESH JAISWAL
B.ARCH. 3RD YR. FOAP,AKTU,LUCKNOW
11.0 FLOORING

11.1 INTRODUCTION:

Flooring is done to provide a leveled surface capable of supporting applied live load like humans and
furniture and all quasi permanent loads including partitions. In addition to these it also should possess
adequate fire resistance, sound insulation, damp resistance and thermal insulation etc. along with adequate
strength not to undergo any subsequent settlement. The floor resting directly on the ground is known as
ground floors. Other floors are known as upper floors or storey floors.

The upper floors have major problem of facing sound insulation. The fire resistance of the upper floor is
also a problem. The floors also face problem of foundations. While the dampness and thermal insulation is
a major problem for ground floors. The problem of fire resistance for the ground floors is not major but the
problem for the upper floors are concern able. Similarly upper floors do not suffer from dampness. Ground
floors may or may not rest on slab and even it may be found directly on the ground. But upper floors are on
the floor slabs due to lack of foundation beneath the floor. The upper floor slabs may rest on the walls or
may lie on the beams and columns

11.2 FLOORING MATERIALS AND THEIR SELECTION:

Taking in to account, the construction and finishing, the flooring materials can be classified under two
categories. They are floor construction material and floor finish material. Floor construction materials are
those which are used for construction of floors while floor finishing materials are those which are used as
covering materials i.e. they cover the floor surface after construction of floors.

Considering floor construction, following materials are used:

a. Cement / Lime
b. Stone
c. Brick
d. Wood

Similarly considering floor finishing, following materials are used:

a. Muram
b. Bricks
c. Stones
d. Terrazzo
e. Mosaic
f. Tiles
g. Glass and cork
h. Plastic and P.V.C
i. Asphalt
j. Rubber
k. Wood
 l. Granolithic finishing

Also notably the selection of flooring material is of great importance considering economy, safety and
aesthetic point of view. Hence following factors govern the selection of flooring material.

a. Initial cost of flooring; depends upon the extent of dampness, aesthetic and structural requirement.
b. Appearance of flooring; depends upon the aesthetic point of view mainly while structural design
contributes a little towards it. Floorings of mosaic, tile, terrazzo and marble satisfy these criteria.
However, considering users’ point of view and humidity of the area, materials should be chosen.
c. Durability of flooring depends; upon the design life period of the building and type of use i.e.
expected wear and tear, disintegration with time, temperature and moisture changes and abrasion
etc. Concrete, marble, tile and terrazzo flooring give good durability.
d. Damp resistance of flooring; depends upon the geographical location of the area as well as type
of use. Also it depends on the method of construction and surroundings of the building. R.C.C
floors give outstanding results in this consideration.
e. Thermal insulation of flooring; depends on the type of use and geographical location. Also type
of buildings like residential buildings require more thermal insulation than commercial buildings.
Rubber, cork, P.V.C, timber flooring satisfy this criteria.
f. Fire resistance of the flooring; which is another aspect of importance for all most all type of
buildings depends on the type of use and type of structures. The flooring should offer sufficient fire
barriers for stability of buildings. Indian standard specifies at least 1.5 hours of fire resistance
should be offered by the upper floors or storey floors so that it becomes easy for the users to
evacuate the buildings. R.C.C floors are excellent for this while marble and mosaic as well as
terrazzo flooring satisfies this criteria too.
g. Sound insulation of the flooring; is a criteria mainly for commercial buildings and workshops
along with holly places like temples, churches and mosques etc. Cork, rubber and wood (timber)
flooring satisfy these criteria.
h. Rigidity of flooring; depends on the smoothness and hardness of the floors. The flooring material
should provide a smooth surface (not so smooth that the slippery surface is obtained and it becomes
difficult to use) and the material should be hard enough to have adequate crushing strength, resist
indentation marks and imprints etc.
i. Cleanliness of the flooring; depends on type of use and type of buildings like residential or
commercial or public buildings. The flooring materials should be inert against any acidic or basic
or oil action and should be non absorbent to any foreign material. The buildings of hospital should
confirm strictly to this criteria.
j. Maintenance of the flooring; another criteria from economic point of view should have a least
maintenance requirement. For repairing etc., the least cost and easy repair is fundamental criteria.
R.C.C floors are excellent in this case though other floorings like mosaic, marble floorings also
satisfy this criterion.
11.3 CONSTRUCTION OF FLOORINGS:

Construction of flooring focuses on the floor building and construction and varies from material to material
and type to type. Though a wide range of flooring can be constructed, the following floorings are most
important and are discussed below.

11.4 BRICK FLOORING:

i. For the cheap construction, brick floorings are used generally. Also in old buildings and
other buildings especially where flooring is not a major issue like ware houses, stores and
go-downs etc. this flooring can be adopted considering economy.
ii. Well burnt bricks desirably first class or at least second class brick of good color and
uniform shapes are used for this flooring. Bricks are arranged either flat or on edges,
arranged in herring bone fashion or set at right angles to the walls, or set any other good
looking pattern. The buildings like go-downs, ware houses etc., the looking pattern is not
so much important.
iii. There are basically two methods of brick laying. In one method, the sub grade after proper
compaction to the desired level a 7.5 cm thick layer of sand is spread over it and over this,
a course of bricks laid flat in mortar is built. This forms the base course over which a 12
mm thick cement concrete bed is laid before placing the brick flooring, in the desired
pattern.
iv. In the 2nd method, 10 to 15 cm thick layer of lean cement concrete (1:8:16) or lime concrete
is laid over the prepared sub grade which forms the base course over which the bricks are
laid on edge or flat on 12 mm thick mortar bed. Proper attention should be given to joints
in filling up with mortar.
v. In both the cases the joint is rendered flush and finished. Curing is the subsequent and final
operation of this type of flooring.
11.5 STONE FLOORING:

Stone flooring consists of flooring of any type of suitable stone. This includes basically flag stone flooring
and marble flooring. Both are discussed as below.

11.5.1 FLAG STONE FLOORING:

i. It’s the laminated sand stone available in 2 to 4 cm thickness in the form of stone slabs of
squares 30 cm  30 cm, 45 cm  45 cm, 60 cm  60 cm or in the rectangular form as 45
cm  60 cm. another name of this type of work is paving.
ii. The method of construction is proper compaction of sub soil over which the 10 to 15 cm
thick lime or cement concrete is laid. This forms the base course of the floor over which
flag stone slabs are laid over the 20 to 25 mm thick bed mortar.
iii. The work is started from the two diagonally opposite corners and brought from both sides
in laying the slabs. Correct leveling is another important criterion which should be checked
time to time or permanently a string is stretched between two sides for maintaining the
leveling.
iv. After finishing of the work, when the slabs of flag stone are set properly, the mortar in the
joints is raked out to a depth of about 15 to 20 mm and then flush pointed with 1:3 cement
mortars. For easy drainage, proper slope should be maintained.

11.5.2 MARBLE FLOORING:

i. This is another type of stone flooring which is little bit costly and prone to acidic action but
considering hygiene and cleanliness, this proves a best choice. Due to higher cost, only kitchens
and bath rooms in common buildings floor is done with this. Hospitals and temples etc. where
cleanliness and hygiene is of prime importance, this flooring is given priority.
 ii. Base concrete is prepared which is 7.5 cm to 10 cm thick and of composition 1:3:6 (M10) to 1:5:10
(lean concrete). Over the base course, 20 mm thick bedding mortar of 1:4 cement : sand or mortar
of 1:1:1 of Lime : Surkhi: Sand is spread.
iii. Marble slabs of usually rectangular size is gently pressed over the course and little bit patted with
mallet. The marble slabs are withdrawn very next time.
iv. Then fresh mortar is patched to hollow of the already laid mortar over which cement slurry is
spread. This is allowed to harden little bit and then the marble blocks smeared with cement slurry
at their edges are laid over the mortar.
v. The laid slab is patted with wooden mallet so as to make the slurry to ooze out of the joints which
is cleaned later. Proper leveling is checked and the flooring is cured for at least 7 days.

11.6 CONCRETE FLOORING:

This is the most commonly used flooring everywhere i.e. at residential, commercial and public buildings
including other buildings like workshops, thermal power plants etc. due to its property of moderately cheap,
durability and easy for construction. The floor consists of 2 components i.e. base concrete and toping of
wearing surfaces. There are basically two type of construction procedure. In one type, the floor is
constructed monolithically i.e. topping is laid immediately after the base course and in other type non
monolithic construction is done where there is two different separate layering exist. The good bond is
resulted in monolithically done flooring but it has several disadvantages like topping gets damaged during
subsequent operation on the floor, hair cracks may develop and slow rate of work progression as base course
is not set mason has to wait for initial setting time. Hence non monolithic construction is preferred in most
cases.

i. The soil is properly compacted over which the base course of 7.5 to 10 cm thick cement
concrete 1:3:6 (M10) to 1:5:10 (lean concrete) or lime concrete containing 40 % mortar of
1:2 lime : sand or 1:1:1 as lime : sand : surkhi and 60 % course aggregate of 40 mm
nominal size is laid. The base course is properly cured.
ii. When the base concrete is hardened, its surface is scratched with brush with stiff broom
and cleaned thoroughly and watered to make it wetted. Then the topping is laid in square
or rectangle panel either by using glass or plain asbestos strips or by use of wooden battens
set on the mortar bed.
 iii. The panel may be 1  1 m2,2  2m2 or 1  2 m2 size. The topping consists of the 1:2:4
cement concrete (M15), laid to the desired thickness usually 4 cm in one single operation
on the panel.
iv. Alternate panels are laid 1st. prior to laying concrete; neat cement slurry is used to ensure
the proper bond between the base course and panel.
v. The topping concrete after spreading evenly over the entire surface it is thoroughly tamped
and floated with wooden float till the cream or concrete comes on the top. Further the
troweling is done when the mix get stiffened. The asbestos or glass strips or panels should
have a depth equal to thickness of the floor.
vi. Dusting of the surface with neat cement and then troweling results in the smooth finish at
the top. Other alternate layer is then laid after 72 hours. So that the initial shrinkage of
already laid panels take place eliminating the cracks. The prepared surface is protected
from sunlight, rain and other damages for 12 to 20 hours.
vii. Proper leveling is maintained all the time and also it’s ensured that a correct slope exists
for easy drainage of surface water. The surface is then properly cured for 7 to 14 days.
viii. In case of monolithic construction, the topping is laid 1 hour to 4 hours after placing the
base course.

Granolithic finishing is applied to industrial buildings requiring tough surface for resistance against
abrasion. This consists of coarse aggregate of granite, basalt or quartzite mixed with rich cements mortar
and is applied over the topping. The cement concrete is of 1:1:2 (M25) concrete for heavy duty industrial
buildings and for public buildings, it’s of grade M15 i.e. 1:2:4 to 1:2:3 and the thickness is of 25 mm (1
inch) laid monolithically with top concrete. For very hard surfaces, fine aggregates of granite chips replace
the sand in the concrete composition.

11.7 TILED FLOORING:

i. Tiled flooring is constructed from square, hexagonal or other shapes of tiles which are
made up of clay, cement concrete or terrazzo. These are available in different sizes and
thicknesses and are used in residential houses, public buildings and commercial buildings
particularly where the floor is to be laid quickly.
ii. It serves a good alternative to terrazzo and flag stone and the method of laying is similar to
that of flag stone except only greater care is taken.
iii. Over a concrete base, 1:3 lime mortars is spread to serve as bed which is allowed to harden
for 12 to 24 hours. Before laying neat cement slurry is spread on the bed to ensure proper
bond and tile is laid on it.
iv. During laying, the tiles are gently pressed with the help of wooden mallet till the leveled
surface is achieved. Before laying the tiles, it’s smeared with thin cement slurry at its all
sides so that the tiles have a thin coat of cement mortar over the entire perimeter of the
surface. After laying, cement slurry should ooze out of the sides for proper fitting and
anchorage among tiles.
v. The joint between the adjacent tiles is cleaned up of loose mortars in the next day of laying
operation to a depth of 5 mm which is grouted with cement slurry of same color as that of
the tiles. The slurry is also applied over the surface with a thin coat.
 vi. The leveling is checked and the flooring is cured for 7 days after which grinding and
polishing operation is done.

11.8 MOSAIC FLOORING:

i. In mosaic flooring, flooring is done by using the small pieces of broken china glazed or of
cement, or marble, arranged in different pattern and cut to desired shape and size for use.
ii. The flooring is no different from other type of flooring. At first a concrete base is provided
as in the case of the concrete flooring and over it 5 to 8 cm thickness of lime-surkhi mortar
is spread and leveled over an area which can be completed conveniently within working
period so that the mortar may not get dried before the floor is finished.
iii. On the prepared base, a 3 mm thick cementing material in the form of paste of two parts of
slaked lime, one part of powdered marble, and one part of puzzolana material is spread and
is left to dry for about four hours.
iv. Then small pieces of broken tiles or marble pieces are arranged in definite pattern. These
are hammered into the cementing layer. The chips of tile and marble may be of different
color for good looking purposes.
v. The surface so prepared is gently rolled by a roller of 30 cm diameter and 40 to 60 cm long.
Water is continuously sprinkled over the surface during rolling operation so that the even
surface is obtained because of upcoming of cementing material.
vi. The surface is dried for 1 day and rubbed thereafter to get a smooth and polished surface.
The floor is allowed to dry for 2 weeks before use. Also proper leveling and water slope
should be checked before finishing.
11.9 TERAZZO FLOORING:

i. It’s laid over thin layer of the concrete topping and looks decorative along with that exhibits
a good wearing property. Due to this, it’s widely used in the residential buildings, offices,
schools and other public buildings.
ii. It’s a specially prepared concrete surface containing cement and marble chips of 3 to 6 mm
in size and of different colors in the proportion of 1:1.25 to 1:2. The chips are exposed by
grinding operation on setting of surface prepared.
iii. The sub base preparation and concrete base laying is exactly similar to that of concrete
flooring. The top layer is kept normally 40 mm thick which is of 34 mm thick 1:2:4 concrete
(M15 grade) layer laid over base concrete and about 6 mm thick terrazzo topping.
iv. The entire area is divided into panels for which aluminum or glass strips are used for
partition up to same depth as that of flooring i.e. 40 mm. They are jointed to the base
concrete with the help of cement mortar and their tops are perfectly set to the level and
line.
v. Alternative panels are filled for stability where the width of the strips is kept normally
between 1.5 to 2 mm.
vi. The surface of the base concrete is cleaned and thoroughly wetted. The wet surface of the
base concrete is smeared with the cement slurry and concrete of grade 1:2:4 (M15) is laid
in alternative panels and leveled to rough surface.
vii. When the surface is hardened, the terrazzo mix containing cement, marble chips and water
is laid and finished to the leveled surface. Additional marble chips may be added during
rolling and tamping operation so as to get at least 80 % of the finished surface showing the
exposed marble chips.
viii. The surface is then floated and troweled and left to dry for 12 to 20 hours followed by
curing properly for 2-3 days.
ix. At 1st machine grinding is done using grade (No.16) carborundum stones adding plenty of
water to the grinding operation. The ground surface is then cleaned and cement grout of
cream like consistency of same color is then applied so that pores and holes etc. are filled.
The surface is cured for 7 days.
x. The 2nd grinding is done with carborundum stone of grade (No.120). After cleaning the
surface the cement grout is again applied. The surface is cured for 4-6 days.
xi. Final grinding is done with the carborundum stone of grit size 320. The surface is scrabbed
and cleaned, using plenty of water followed by washing with dilute oxalic acid.
xii. Final operation is polishing of floors with machine which gives a shining surface. For
obtaining glossy surface, wax polishing is adopted. The floors should be leveled and should
have a slope of desired angle for wash water drainage.
Note: Some authors treat mosaic flooring as terrazzo flooring and do not differentiate between them.

11.10 ASPHALT FLOORING:

There are basically four types of asphalt flooring. They are described one by one below. Each flooring has
got its own advantage and disadvantage as well.

11.10.1 Asphalt Mastic Flooring:

It’s a mixture of sand and asphalt in a ratio of 2:1. It’s heated and in hot condition, it’s laid as
continuous sheets. However, it can also be applied cold by mixing mineral oil and asbestos. The
thickness is normally kept 2.5 cm unless any special requirement is felt. It’s laid on the cement
concrete base course which is spread upon the concrete base using the trowel to get the leveled
surface. On the top surface, the sand is spread which is rubbed with a trowel. Proper lapping is
maintained in the joints of mastic asphalt.
11.10.2 Asphalt Tiles:

These are tile shaped pieces which are prepared from the asphalt, asbestos fibers, inert material and
mineral pigments, by pressing the mix in different sizes (20 cm2 to 45 cm2), with thickness varying
from 3 to 6 mm. These tiles are either directly cemented or are fixed to the wooden floors by using
an intervening layer of mastic asphalt. However asphalt saturated felts may be used instead of
mastic asphalt. These tiles are cheap, sound proof, non absorbent, resilient and moisture proof
hence serve excellently for flooring but these may get deformed due to exposure to direct sun in
summer season in hot climates.

11.10.3 Asphalt Mosaic:

Its preparation is similar to the mastic asphalt except the marble chips replace sand. Asphalt may
be of black or any other suitable color and is laid in hot condition.
11.10.4 Acid Proof Mastic Flooring:

Asphalt is made acid proof by molding acid proof asphalts and inert crushed rock aggregate under
high pressure. The asphalt blocks are 1st laid on concrete base and then acid proof asphalt is
uniformly spread over the blocks. Fine sand is spread over the liquid asphalt before it gets hardened
up. They may be turned in to asphalt mosaic with addition of suitable inert mosaic material in place
of sand in hot condition to asphalt in liquid stage.