Floor

A floor is the bottom surface of

a room or vehicle. Floors vary
from simple dirt in a cave to
many layered surfaces made
with modern technology. Floors
may be stone, wood, bamboo,
metal or any other material that
can support the expected load.

The levels of a building are

often referred to as floors,
although a more proper term is
storey.

Floors typically consist of a

subfloor for support and a floor
covering used to give a good
walking surface. In modern
buildings the subfloor often has
electrical wiring, plumbing, and
other services built in. As floors
must meet many needs, some
essential to safety, floors are
built to strict building codes in
some regions.

Special floor
structures
Where a special floor structure
Examples of floors
like a floating floor is laid upon
another floor, both may be
called subfloors.

Special floor structures are used for a number of purposes:

Balcony, a platform projecting from a wall

Floating floor, normally for noise or vibration reduction
Glass floor, as in glass bottomed elevators
Nightingale floor makes a noise when an intruder walks on it
Raised floor, utilities underneath can be accessed easily
 Sprung floor, improves the performance and safety of
athletes and dancers

Floor covering
Floor covering is a term to generically describe any material
applied over a floor structure to provide a walking surface.
Flooring is the general term for a permanent or temporary covering
of a floor, or for the work of installing such a floor covering. Both
Floors may incorporate glass,
terms are used interchangeably but floor covering refers more to
mosaic or other artistic expression,
loose-laid materials.
like this little mosaic from the
Rietberg Museum (Zürich,
Materials almost always classified as floor covering include carpet,
Switzerland)
area rugs, and resilient flooring such as linoleum or vinyl flooring.
Materials commonly called flooring include wood flooring,
laminated wood, ceramic tile, stone, terrazzo, and various seamless
chemical floor coatings.

The choice of material for floor covering is affected by factors such

as cost, endurance, noise insulation, comfort and cleaning effort,
and sometimes concern about allergens.[1] Some types of flooring
must not be installed below grade (lower than ground level), and
laminate or hardwood should be avoided where there may be Art Nouveau mosaic at an entrance
moisture or condensation. in the United Kingdom

The subfloor may be finished in a way that makes it usable without

any extra work. See:

Earthen floor adobe or clay floors

Solid ground floor cement screed or granolithic

A number of special features may be used to ornament a floor or perform a useful service. Examples
include floor medallions, which provide a decorative centerpiece of a floor design, or gratings used to drain
water or to rub dirt off shoes.

Subfloor construction
Floors may be built on beams or joists[2] or use structures like prefabricated hollow core slabs. The subfloor
builds on those and attaches by various means particular to the support structure, but the support and
subfloor together always provides the strength of a floor one can sense underfoot. Nowadays, subfloors are
generally made from at least two layers of moisture-resistant ("AC" grade, one side finished and sanded
flat) plywood or composite sheeting, jointly also termed Underlayments on floor joists of 2x8, 2x10, or
2x12's (dimensional lumber) spaced generally on 16-inch (40.6  cm) centers, in the United States and
Canada. Some flooring components used solely on concrete slabs consist of a dimpled rubberized or plastic
layer much like bubble wrap that provide little tiny pillars for the one-half-inch (12.7 mm) sheet material
above. These are manufactured in 2  ft ×  2  ft (61  cm ×  61  cm) squares and the edges fit together like a
mortise and tenon joint. Like a floor on joists not on concrete, a second sheeting underlayment layer is
added with staggered joints to disperse forces that would open a joint under the stress of live loads like a
person walking.
Three layers are common only in highest-quality construction. The two layers in high-quality construction
will both be thick 3 ⁄4 inch (19.1 mm) sheets (as will the third when present), but they may have a combined
thickness of only half that in cheaper construction  – 1 ⁄2   in (12.7  mm) panel overlaid by 1 ⁄4   in (6.4  mm)
plywood subflooring. At the highest end, or in select rooms of the building there might be three sheeting
layers, and such stiff subflooring is necessary to prevent the cracking of large floor tiles of 9–10 inches
(22.9–25.4  cm) or more on a side. The structure under such a floor will frequently also have extra
"bracing" and "blocking" joist-to-joist intended to spread the weight to have as little sagging on any joist as
possible when there is a live load on the floor above.

In Europe and North America only a few rare floors have no separate floor covering on top, and those are
normally because of a temporary condition pending sales or occupancy; in semi-custom new construction
and some rental markets, such floors are provided for the new home buyer or renter to select their preferred
floor coverings, usually a wall-to-wall carpet or one-piece vinyl floor covering. Wood clad (hardwood) and
tile covered finished floors generally require a stiffer, higher-quality subfloor, especially for the later class.
Since the wall base and flooring interact forming a joint, such later added semi-custom floors will generally
not be hardwood, for that joint construction would be in the wrong order unless the wall base trim was also
delayed pending the choosing.

The subfloor may also provide underfloor heating and if floor radiant heating is not used, will certainly
suffer puncture openings to be put through for forced air ducts for both heating and air conditioning, or pipe
holes for forced hot water or steam heating transport piping conveying the heat from furnace to the local
room's heat exchangers (radiators).

Some subfloors are inset below the top surface level of surrounding flooring's joists and such subfloors and
a normal height joist are joined to make a plywood box both molding and containing at least two inches
(5 cm) of concrete (A mud floor" in builders' parlance). Alternatively, only a slightly inset floor topped by a
fibrous mesh and concrete building composite floor cladding is used for smaller high quality tile floors;
these "concrete" subfloors have a good thermal match with ceramic tiles and so are popular with builders
constructing kitchen, laundry and especially both common and high end bathrooms and any other room
where large expanses of well supported ceramic tile will be used as a finished floor. Floors using small
(4.5  in or 11.4  cm and smaller) ceramic tiles generally use only an additional 1 ⁄4 -inch (6.4  mm) layer of
plywood (if that) and substitute adhesive and substrate materials making do with both a flexible joints and
semi-flexible mounting compounds and so are designed to withstand the greater flexing which large tiles
cannot tolerate without breaking.

Ground floor construction

A ground-level floor can be an earthen floor made of soil, or be solid ground floors made of concrete slab.

Ground level slab floors are uncommon in northern latitudes where freezing provides significant structural
problems, except in heated interior spaces such as basements or for outdoor unheated structures such as a
gazebo or shed where unitary temperatures are not creating pockets of troublesome meltwaters. Ground-
level slab floors are prepared for pouring by grading the site, which usually also involves removing topsoil
and other organic materials well away from the slab site. Once the site has reached a suitable firm inorganic
base material that is graded further so that it is flat and level, and then topped by spreading a layer-cake of
force dispersing sand and gravel. Deeper channels may be dug, especially the slab ends and across the slab
width at regular intervals in which a continuous run of rebar is bent and wired to sit at two heights within
forming a sub-slab "concrete girder". Above the targeted bottom height (coplanar with the compacted sand
and gravel topping) a separate grid of rebar or welded wire mesh is usually added to reinforce the concrete,
and will be tied to the under slab "girder" rebar at intervals. The under slab cast girders are used especially
if it the slab be used structurally, i.e., to support part of the building.

Upper floor construction

Floors in wood-frame homes are usually constructed with joists

centered no more than 16 inches (41 centimeters) apart, according
to most building codes. Heavy floors, such as those made of stone,
require more closely spaced joists. If the span between load-bearing
walls is too long for joists to safely support, then a heavy
crossbeam (thick or laminated wood, or a metal I-beam or H-beam)
may be used. A "subfloor" of plywood or waferboard is then laid
over the joists.
Multi-floor construction, Katowice
(2012)
Utilities

In modern buildings, there are numerous services provided via

ducts or wires underneath the floor or above the ceiling. The floor of one level typically also holds the
ceiling of the level below (if any).

Services provided by subfloors include:

Air conditioning
Communication fibers
Electrical wiring
Fire protection
Thermal insulation
Plumbing
Sewerage
Soundproofing
Underfloor heating

In floors supported by joists, utilities are run through the floor by drilling small holes through the joists to
serve as conduits. Where the floor is over the basement or crawlspace, utilities may instead be run under the
joists, making the installation less expensive. Also, ducts for air conditioning (central heating and cooling)
are large and cannot cross through joists or beams; thus, ducts are typically at or near the plenum, or come
directly from underneath (or from an attic).

Pipes for plumbing, sewerage, underfloor heating, and other utilities may be laid directly in slab floors,
typically via cellular floor raceways. However, later maintenance of these systems can be expensive,
requiring the opening of concrete or other fixed structures. Electrically heated floors are available, and both
kinds of systems can also be used in wood floors as well.

Problems with floors

Wood floors, particularly older ones, will tend to 'squeak' in certain places. This is caused by the wood
rubbing against other wood, usually at a joint of the subfloor. Firmly securing the pieces to each other with
screws or nails may reduce this problem.
Floor vibration is a problem with floors. Wood floors tend to
pass sound, particularly heavy footsteps and low bass
frequencies. Floating floors can reduce this problem. Concrete
floors are usually so massive they do not have this problem,
but they are also much more expensive to construct and must
meet more stringent building requirements due to their weight.

Floors with a chemical sealer, like stained concrete or epoxy

finishes, usually have a slick finish presenting a potential slip
and fall hazard, however there are anti skid additives and
coatings which can help mitigate this and provide increased
traction. Reliable, science-backed floor slip resistance testing
can help floor owners and designers determine if their floor is
too slippery, or allow them to choose an appropriate flooring
for the intended purpose before installation.

The flooring may need protection sometimes. A gym floor

cover can be used to reduce the need to satisfy incompatible
requirements. Floor tiles

Floor cleaning
Floor cleaning is a major occupation throughout the
world and has been since ancient times. Cleaning is
essential for hygiene, to prevent injuries due to slips,
and to remove dirt. Floors are also treated to protect
or beautify the surface. The correct method to clean
one type of floor can often damage another, so it is
important to use the correct treatment.

See also
Floor area
Floor numbering Monk sweeping the floor Sailors scrubbing the
(1472) deck floor of the
Floor plan battleship HMS Rodney
Self-cleaning floor
Sensing floor
Sidewalk
Storey

References
1. Vojta, Patrick J; Friedman, Warren; Marker, David A; Clickner, Robert; Rogers, John W; Viet,
Susan M; Muilenberg, Michael L; Thorne, Peter S; Arbes, Samuel J; Zeldin, Darryl C (2002).
"First National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing: survey design and methods for the
allergen and endotoxin components" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12408
43). Environmental Health Perspectives. 110 (5): 527–532. doi:10.1289/ehp.02110527 (http
s://doi.org/10.1289%2Fehp.02110527). ISSN 0091-6765 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/009
1-6765). PMC 1240843 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1240843).
PMID 12003758 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12003758).
 2. Anderson, L. O. (April 2002). Wood Frame House Construction (https://books.google.com/bo
oks?id=9ZDpdupFBoQC&q=%C2%A0Floors+may+be+built+on+beams+or+joists&pg=PA1
9). The Minerva Group, Inc. ISBN 9780894991677.

External links
Media related to Floors at Wikimedia Commons

SS Linden Floors (http://www.sslindenfloors.co.in/)

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