Preamble:
Flooring generally refers to the finishing given to any floor surface to enhance the quality of walking through regulation of friction and other such factors. Flooring and floor covering are interchangeable terms. However, floor covering might often refer to loosely laid materials.
Subfloor:
Subfloor is usually employed to furnish structural support to floor. There are commercialized special purpose subfloors for being placed above original subfloors. This primarily includes sprung floors, floating floors and raised floors. This is to furnish strength for subfloor. Ground level floors are generally laid with cement subfloors whilst floors above ground level are laid with plywood subfloors.
Selection process of flooring materials:
There are various factors influencing the selection of flooring materials. This includes endurance, cost efficiency, cleaning effort, noise insulation and comfort quotient. It is essential to avoid the installation of flooring materials like hardwood and laminate, for these material varieties are susceptible to damage from moisture.
Categories of flooring:
There are various types of flooring prevalent for residential, commercial and industrial purposes worldwide. This essentially includes soft coverings, resilient flooring, non resilient flooring and seamless flooring.
Soft covering:
Soft covering usually refers to carpet materials that generally incorporate textile fibres like olefin, wool, polyester and nylon. These textile fibres are either bound carpet fibres or stapled fibres and possess life duration of around 15 to 18 years. Quality assays are performed usually for carpets to test their endurance. They are mostly employed for wall to wall coverage and are preferred for both low and high traffic areas.
Non resilient flooring:
Ceramic tiles form an essential part in the enhancement of aesthetic values whilst constructing the floors in various rooms of any industrial, residential or commercial purpose fulfilling housings. Besides, the growing demand for slip resistant tiles has created quite the fuzz. The hard flooring generally implicates the usage of glass tiles, ceramic tiles, cement or concrete and natural stone products. Ceramic tiles are the most rampant and have various categories in them as well. This includes porcelain, quarry tile and terracotta. Polished concrete floors are quite pervasive as well for their durability. Stones are generally cut in different sizes and shapes and are used subsequently as flooring materials.
Resilient flooring:
Resilient flooring implies that the flooring surface is furnished with flexibility properties. This primarily involves the usage of products like vinyl composition tile (VCT), rubber, LVT, linoleum, fibre glass, sheet vinyl and cork. The presence of reinforced materials has enhanced liquid and heat resistant properties. However, the environmental concern pertaining to the usage of vinyl is a huge drawback.
Seamless flooring:
A seamless resin floor cover incorporates enhanced chemical resistance and wear and impact resistance. They are widely preferred for ameliorating aesthetic appearance purposes. Laboratories and food processing plants demand this flooring to a large extent so as to eliminate the issues pertaining to oil spillage that renders difficulties in cleaning efforts.