Chapter 14

Notes

Floors

Parquet –

Mastic –

Resilient (Flooring)–

Joist –

Terrazzo–

Vocabulary

Radiant (Flooring) –

Grout –

Truss –

Vocabulary

Floor SystemsWood Floor

ConstructionUses support beams,

joists or trusses, subfloor and finished floor

Floor framing is platform or balloon framing (see pg 253)

Live-load = weight of furniture, people and possessions Average is 30lbs/sq. ft.

Concrete Floor ConstructionMost common in

basements and garages

Two types – thickened edge slab and floating slab (see pg 256)Thickened edge more

soundEach type greatly

affects early construction stages, why?

Floor TreatmentsMaterials vs. Coverings:

Materials: part of the structure AND surface

Coverings: surface onlyMaterials:

Wood – often called hardwoodWear resistant, available

and renewableMay be “hard” woods,

“soft” woods or laminates

Strip wood flooring has tongue and groove edges, may need sleepers when installed

Wood Planks are wider than strips, may require mastic for installation or a floating floor

Parquet flooring is also called wood block flooring, is decorative and needs finishing for protection

Floor Treatments (2)Ceramic Tile

Needs little maintenance, expensive to install, cool on toes

Comes in glazed, mosaic and quarry/paver stylesGlazed=durable & no

extra finishing neededMosaic=popular in

baths and kitchens, mounted to backing, quick to install

Quarry/Paver=high traffic areas, may be used outside

Grout is needed to fill space between tilesCementitious or

resinous

Concrete & MasonryHigh resistance to wearUsed in and outsideBrick, Slate &

Flagstone are popular choices

More expensive than others

Cannot be changed easily

Terrazzo

Floor Coverings - SoftCarpets & Rugs

Depends on fiber construction, texture and density

Made of wool, nylon, polyester and olefin

Pile – the density of a soft floor covering

Padding protects the carpet and provides comfort

Why not hair or felt padding?

When are they used?Wool

Nylon

Polyester

Olefin

Know your construction and pile types (see pg 266)

Floor Coverings - ResilientAny smooth hard

materialsTiles – Cemented or

glued to floorLess waste than sheetsEasy to replace

damagedSheet style– comes on

rollSeamlessGood for areas with

waterAsphalt Tiles

Least expensiveMoisture resistant but

not grease

Cork TilesExpensiveLight trafficWax finishing for

protectionRubber Tiles

Not common in homesMedium maintenanceMany colors & patterns

Vinyl TilesMost durable in homesNo wax finish – easy to

care for

Selecting Floor TreatmentsAlways think function

Beautiful may not mean durable

Consider costShould not go cheapest

because of semi-permanent status

Consider careBusy people may not

want high maintenance flooring

Or it may be costly to have done professionally

Match it to total designCan affect

perceived size of room