Flooring protects the slabs on the various floors of the building and provides a suitable finish for the floor surfaces. Flooring materials are also an integral part of the interior design of a home.
Types of flooring materials and their applications
Concrete floor materials
Concrete is the most widely used flooring material because it is suitable for any type of construction and is cheaper as well as durable than others.
A cement-concrete mixture of 1:3:6 to 1:5:10 or lime concrete with 40% 1:2 lime-sand mortar and 60% coarse aggregate is used as the base course.
After hardening, the cement concrete mix 1:2:4 is applied with a layer of 40 mm thickness as a cover.
In industrial buildings, a granite finish is used to obtain a durable surface, where a granolitic finish is obtained from concrete enriched with a mixture of high-quality coarse aggregates.
Brick flooring materials
Bricks can be used for flooring purposes but are not suitable for public or residential buildings.
These brick floors are usually used in obscure rooms such as workshops, floors, warehouses, etc.,
Well-fired bricks are preferred for this type of flooring, and they must be of uniform size and the same color, as they provide a non-slip and fire-resistant surface.
Marble flooring materials
Marble is a kind of metamorphic rock and is widely used for floors in commercial buildings, bathrooms, kitchens, etc.
This type of flooring is stain resistant and easy to clean, so they are employed in places that require extra cleaning, especially in bathrooms.
Marble can be turned into beautiful floors, if finished properly, and these are the most sophisticated floors to install in a home.
Glass floor materials
Glass is used as a flooring material when there is a need to transmit light from the upper floor to the lower floor and so on.
These are not very common, but can be used in aristocratic buildings,
both residential and public, to obtain a smooth and pleasing surface.
Glass floors are generally resistant to bacteria and dirt, and they provide a beautiful appearance but are expensive to operate.
Ceramic floor materials
Ceramic is an inorganic material used for flooring, and ceramic tiles are popular flooring materials that possess properties such as good compressive strength, brittleness and hardness.
PVC flooring materials
Plastic tile floors or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tiles are commonly used nowadays which are laid on a concrete base.
These tiles are available in different shapes, sizes and colours.
Plastic tiles are slippery in nature and are not fire resistant and therefore can be easily damaged.
Clay and maram floors
Clay is just a moist soil that has been supplied as flooring material since a very long time, and it has good thermal insulation property.
To prevent cracking, chopped straw is mixed with it, which is usually built in villages.
Wood flooring materials
Wood is one of the most popular flooring methods, and it is mostly used in mountainous areas where it is available very cheaply.
Wooden blocks are provided as floor coverings, and the cleaning of wooden floors involves applying a bright polishing solution while cleaning from time to time.
And laminate flooring is most suitable for dance floors, halls, etc.
Flooring linoleum
When the linseed oil is oxidized from the gum, resin, cork pigments, etc.,
the linoleum is extracted.
It is available in sheets that are generally used as a covering for concrete or wood floors,
and the sheets may be plain or printed with a design.
Asphalt pavement materials
Asphalt is a highly viscous liquid form of petroleum. When asphalt and sand are mixed in a ratio of 1:2,
it is called asphalt paste which is poured onto a concrete base as a floor covering.
When sand is replaced by marble chips, it is called asphalt mosaic.
Asphalt tiles produced from inert materials, asphalt fibers and mineral pigments are also available.
Rubber flooring materials
Rubber tiles are available for flooring purposes,
and they are developed from pure rubber mixed with cotton fibers and asbestos fibers.
Suitable adhesives are used to fix rubber tiles to concrete or wood bases.
Rubber flooring is also silent, comfortable to walk on and extremely durable.
The initial cost of rubber flooring is a little high but provides an excellent wear surface.
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