INTRODUCTION

The purpose of a floor is -

To provide a level surface.
To support live and dead loads.

A floor must satisfy the following requirements

Adequate strength and stability.
Adequate fire resistance.
Sound insulation.
Damp resistance.
Thermal insulation.

Floors are of two types

Ground floors.
Upper floors.
 Ground floors may rest directly above the ground or may be
supported at a little distance above the ground.
Floors supported directly above the ground are known as
solid floors
While the floor supported above the ground level are known
as suspended floors.
Suspended floors are generally made of timber.
Construction Materials
Selection Of Flooring
Material
Layer wise construction of floor base for solid
ground floor

Lowest layer, made of compacted earth fill.

Second layer, made either of lean cement concrete or

lime concrete or sometimes of broken brick bats or
stones rammed properly.

Third layer, made either of cement concrete or of bricks

or stones arranged and packed properly.

Fourth layer constitutes of floor finish

Floor finish materials are-

Mud Marble

Bricks Wood or timber

Flag stones Rubber

Concrete Linoleum Flooring

Terrazzo Cork

Mosaic Glass

Tiles Plastic or P.V.C.

MUD FLOORING
Used for unimportant buildings, particularly in villages.

MERITS
Cheap, hard and fairly impervious.
Easy in construction and maintenance.
Good thermal insulation.

DEMERITS
For proper maintenance, the floors are required to be given a
wash of cement cow dung plaster once or twice a week which is
objectionable from sanitary considerations.
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BRICK FLOORING
Suitable for cheap construction
Used in places where heavy articles are to be stored e.g.
warehouses, stores and godowns.
Used in alluvial places like U.P., Punjab where stone is scarce
and well burnt bricks are readily available.

MERITS
Durable and hard.
Non-slippery and fire resistant.
Initial cost is less.
Easy in maintenance.

DEMERITS
It is absorbent.
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FLAG-STONE FLOORING
Stones with rough surface are used on rough works like
godowns, sheds, stores etc.
Stones with polished surfaces are used in schools, hospitals
etc.
Used in places like Tamil nadu and A.P. where slab stones are
available in abundance.

MERITS
Hard, durable and wear-resisting.
Easy in construction, repair and maintenance.

DEMERITS
Appearance is unattractive.
Poor shock absorbing characteristics.
Surface is uneven.
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CEMENT CONCRETE FLOORING
Used for residential, commercial and industrial buildings.
The floor consists of two components
The two components of the floor can be constructed either
monolithically or non-monolithically.
Monolithic construction has the following disadvantages
Base course may be 7.5 to 10 cm thick.
It may be either in lean cement concrete (1 : 3 : 6 or 1 : 5 :
10) or lime concrete containing 40% mortar of 1 : 2 lime-
sand and 60% coarse aggregate.
The topping is then laid in square or rectangular panels of
size 1X1 or 2X2 or 1X2 m. It consists of 1 : 2 : 4 cement
concrete.
 MERITS
Resistant to dampness.
Possesses high durability.
Provides a smooth, hard and even surface.
Can be easily cleaned and is economical.
Fire resistant.

DEMERITS
Defects, once developed, cannot be easily rectified.
Does not provide sound and heat insulation.
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TERRAZZO FLOORING
It is laid in thin layer over concrete topping.
Very decorative and has good wearing properties.
Used in residential buildings, hospitals, offices, schools and
other public buildings.
It is expensive.
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MOSAIC FLOORING
Made of small pieces of broken tiles of china
glazed/cement/marble arranged in different pattern.
Tiles used are available in a variety of patterns and colours.
Commonly used in operation theatres, temples, bathrooms
and superior type of building floors.
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TILED FLOORING
Constructed from square or any other shape made of clay,
cement or terrazzo.
Available in different sizes and thicknesses.
Used in residential houses, offices, schools and other public
buildings.
An alternative to terrazzo flooring.

MERITS
Non absorbent, decorative and durable.
Quick laying of floors.
Easily repaired.

DEMERITS
Initial and maintenance cost is high.
On becoming wet, provides a slippery surface.
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MARBLE FLOORING
Superior type of flooring.
Used in residential buildings, temples, hospitals etc where
cleanliness is required.
Marble slabs may be square or rectangular.
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TIMBER FLOORING
Not used much for residential buildings in India because it is
costly.
Used for carpentry halls, dancing halls, auditoriums etc.
Common in hilly areas where timber is cheap and available.
Entire area below the floor is covered with an impervious
material(cement concrete or asphalt) to prevent dampness.
Elastic in nature.
Resistant to wear and tear.
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RUBBER FLOORING
Consists of sheets or tiles of rubber in a variety of patterns
and colours with thickness varying from 3 to 10 mm.
Sheet or tile is manufactured by mixing pure rubber with
fillers such as cotton fibre, granulated cork or asbestos fibre.
Sheets/tiles are fixed to concrete base by appropriate
adhesives.
Resilient and noise proof.
They are costly.
Used in office or public buildings.
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LINOLEUM FLOORING
A covering available in rolls which is spread directly on
concrete or wooden flooring.
Linoleum sheets may be plain or printed.
It may be 2 to 6 mm thick and 2 to 4 m wide.
Linoleum tiles are also available.
Linoleum coverings are attractive, resilient, durable, cheap
and can be cleaned easily.
It rots when gets wet. Hence it cannot be used for
bathrooms and kitchens.
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CORK FLOORING
Cork is the outer bark of cork oak tree.
This flooring is perfectly noiseless and is used in libraries,
theatres, art galleries etc.
It may be in the form of either carpet or tiles.
It is fixed to a concrete base.
Its size varies from 10 cm X 10 cm to 30 cm X 90 cm and
thickness varies from 5 mm to 15 mm.
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GLASS FLOORING
It is used where light is to be transmitted from upper floor to
lower floor.
Structural glass is available in the form of tiles or slabs.
Its thickness varies from 12 to 30 mm.
These slabs or tiles are fixed in closely spaced frames.
It is very costly and therefore not commonly used.
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PLASTIC OR P.V.C. FLOORING
It is made of plastic material fabricated in the form of tiles of
different sizes and colour shades.
Widely used in all types of buildings.
The tiles are laid on concrete base.
The floor is washed with warm soap water before use.
It is resilient, smooth, good looking and can be cleaned
easily.
It is costly and slippery and is damaged when comes in
contact with burning objects.
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