Chapter 10 Floors

Chapter 3 Floors, Vertical Transportation and roof Rapti Engineering College (Lecture Note)
Chapter 10
Floors and floor finishes
3.1 Floors and its types
Floors are the horizontal elements of a building structure which divides the
building into different level for the purpose of creating more accommodation
within a restricted space one above the other and provide support for the
occupants, furniture, equipment, etc of a building.
The floors resting directly on the ground surface are known as ground floors, while
the other floors of each storey, situated above the ground level are known as
upper floors.
Requirements of floor (Characteristics of good floor):- The
floor must satisfy the following requirements.
i. Adequate strength and stability.

ii. Adequate fire resistance
iii. It should be durable
iv. Sound insulation
v. Thermal resistance
v. Free from Dampness
vi. Low maintenance cost
vii. Good appearance
viii. Economical
Components of a floor:-
A floor is composed of two essential components or parts:
a. Sub floor or base course or floor base
It is a structural component provided to support the floor covering. It imparts
strength and stability to the floor covering and all other super imposed loads. The
object of floor base is to give proper sipport to the covering so that it does not
settle, and to provide damp resistance and thermal insulation.
b. Floor covering or flooring or floor finishes
CHAPTER 3 FLOORS, VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION AND ROOF PREPARED BY ER. AAYUSH PAUDEL
They are the covering over the sub-floor and are meant to provide a hard, clean,
smooth, impervious, durable and attractive surface to the floor.
Types of floor
According to the structure of building floors may be
1. Ground floor
2. Basement floor
3. Upper floor
1) Ground floor:-
The bottom floor near the natural surrounding ground level is termed as ground
floor or the floor of building immediately above the ground is known as ground
floor.
There are two types of ground floor
a. Solid ground floor
b. Suspended ground floor
a) Solid Ground Floor

There is no gap between ground level and plinth level (ground floor level). The
gap between ground level and plinth level are completely filled with solid
materials.
Material used for sub floor or base course or floor base of solid floor are
• Cement concrete
• Lime concrete
• Stones
• Bricks
• Wooden block ( only for wooden flooring)
b) Suspended ground floor:-

Suspended ground floor is a timber floor that is not touching ground level
and is suspended above the ground. There is always certain air gap between
the ground level and plinth level in such floor. Ventilations are provided in the
wall to keep the air circulation so that the floor becomes dry. Suspended
Ground floor are usually constructed in dancing hall, stage and auditorium, etc.
2) Basement floor
A floor when provided for the accommodation below the natural ground level is
termed as basement floor. A basement floor is similar to ground floor except its
location. 3) Upper floor
All other floor above the ground floor are termed as upper floor (timber upper
floor, Flag stone flooring resting on steel joist, stone partly floors, RCC, etc.
Material used for floor finish/floor covering are
1. Mud and Muram

2. Bricks
3. Flag stones
4. Concrete
5. Terrazzo
6. Mosaic
7. Tiles
8. Marble
9. Granite finish
10.Wood or timber
11.Asphalt
12.Rubber
13.Linoleum flooring
14.Cork
15.Glass
16.Plastic or P.V.C
Selection of flooring material:-
Selection of flooring depends upon following

factors.
1. Initial cost: It includes the expenses associated with the materials and
installation of the flooring.
2. Appearance: The flooring material should be of desired appearance.
3. Cleanliness: Cleaning should be easy and effective, and the flooring should
resist absorbing oil, grease, and other substances.
4. Durability: It should last a long time and stay strong, even when faced with
wear and tear, chemicals, and changes in temperature.
5. Damp resistance: The flooring materials should be able to resist dampness
well enough.
6. Sound Insulation : The flooring materials should be sound insulating.
7. Thermal insulation
8. Fire resistance: It should offer sufficient fire resistance.
10.2 Types of floor finishes – Cast-In-Situ Concrete flooring

(Monolithic, Bonded), Terrazzo Tiles Flooring, Stone (Marble and
Kota) Flooring, PVC Flooring, Glazed Tiles Flooring, Timber Flooring,
Description with Sketched
1. Mud flooring and Muram Flooring:-

Mud flooring
Such flooring is cheap, hard, fairly impervious, easy to construct and easy to
maintain. It has good thermal insulation property due to which it remains cool in
summer and fairly warm in water.
Methods of construction:-
• 25cm thick select moist earth is spread and is then rammed well to get a
compacted thickness of 15cm.
• To prevent cracks due to drying small quantity of chopped straw is mixed in
moist earth.
• Sometimes co-dung is mixed with moist earth and thin paint of cement cow
dung (1:2 to 1:3) is also applied.
Muram Flooring:-
It is also similar to the mud flooring but different with extra layer of bat brick or
disintegrated rock.
Methods of Construction:-
• The surface of earth filling is properly consolidated
• 20cm thick layer of rubble or broken bats is laid, hand packed, wet and
rammed
• 15cm thick layer of muram or good earth is laid and
2.5cm thick layer of powdery variety of muram earth is uniformly spread the
whole surface is well watered and rammed until the cream of muram earth rises
to the upward surface.
• After 12 hours the surface is again rammed for three days.
• The surface is smeared with a thick paste of cow-dung and rammed for two
days.
• Thin coat of mixture of 4 parts of cow-dung and 1 part of Portland cement is
evenly applied.
• The surface is wiped clean by hand.
• For maintaining this type of floor properly, gobar (fresh/green cow-dung)
leaping is done once a week.
Suitability of mud and muram:- These floors are generally used for unimportant
building in rural areas.
2. Cement Concrete Floor / Cast-in-situ concreting flooring

(Monolithic, Bonded)
The floor having its topping consisting of cement concrete is called Cement
Concrete Floor or Conglomerate Floor

 Commonly used for residential, commercial, industrial buildings.
 Moderately cheap, quite durable and easy to construct.
 Floor consists of two components .
(i) Base Concrete: Base concrete may be 7.5 to 10cm thick in plain cement
concrete (1:3:6 to 1:5:10) or lime sand (or 1 lime: 1 surkhi : 1sand) and
60% course aggregate of 40mm nominal size.
(ii) Topping or wearing surface
 After hardened base concrete, surface is brushed and cleaned
thoroughly and wetted the previous night and topping os then laid in
square or rectangular panels by use of glass or plain asbestos strips or
wooden battens set.
 The topping consists of 1:2:4 cement concrete and laid to desired
thickness (usually 4cm).
Types of Cement Concrete Floor:

According to the method of finishing the topping, Cement Concrete Floor can be
classified into the following two types
i. Non-monolithic or bonded floor finish concrete floor

ii. Monolithic floor finish concrete floor
i. Non-monolithic or bonded floor finish concrete floor:

The type of Cement Concrete Floor in which the topping is not laid monolithically
with the base concrete is known as Non-monolithic or bonded floor finish
concrete floor
Method of Construction:
• The earth is consolidated.
• 10cm thick layer of clean sand is spread. 10cm thick Lime Concrete (1:4:8)
or Lean Cement Concrete (1:8:16) is laid thus forming base concrete.
• The topping {4cm thick Cement Concrete (1:2:4)} is laid on the third day of
laying base cement concrete, thus forming Non-monolithic construction. 
This type of construction is mostly adopted in the field  The topping is laid
by two methods:
Topping laid in single layer:
• The topping consists of single layer of Cement Concrete (1:2:4), having its
thickness 4cm.
Topping laid two layers:
• The topping consists of 1.5cm thick Cement Concrete (1:2:3), which is laid
monolithically over 2.5cm thick Cement Concrete (1:3:6)
ii. Monolithic Floor Finish Concrete Floor:

The Cement Concrete Floor in which the topping consisting of 2cm thick Cement
Concrete (1:2:4) is laid monolithically with the Base Concrete is known as
Monolithic Floor Finish Concrete Floor Method of Construction:
• The surface of earth filling is leveled, well watered and rammed 10cm
layer of clean and dry sand is spread over
• When the sub soil conditions are not favorable
• monolithic construction is desired, then, 5cm to 10cm thick hard core of
dry brick or rubble filling is laid.
• 10cm thick layer of Base Concrete consisting of Cement Concrete (1:4:8) or
Lean Cement Concrete (1:8:16) is laid.
• The topping {2cm thick layer of Cement Concrete(1:2:4)} is laid after 45
minutes to 4 hours of laying base Concrete.
3) Brick Floors:
The floors having its topping consisting of bricks are known as brick floor
Features:
These floors can easily be constructed and repaired.
But this type of floor provides a rough surface.
These can easily absorb moisture from the surrounding areas and may
cause dampness in the building.
• The earth filling is properly consolidated.

• 10cm thick layer of dry clean sand is evenly laid10cm thick layer of
Lime Concrete (1:4:8) or Lean Cement Concrete (1:8:16) is laid,
compacted and cured to form a base concrete.
• Well soaked bricks are laid in Cement Mortar (1:4) in any desired
bond pattern e.g. Herring Bond, Diagonal Bond or any other suitable
bond.
• In case the pointing is not to be done, the thickness of joints should

not exceed 2mm and the mortar in joints is struck off flush with a
trowel
• In case the pointing is to be done, the minimum thickness of joints is

kept 6mm and the pointing may be done as specified.
Suitability:
This type of floor is suitable for stores, go-downs etc.
4) Tile Floor:
The floor having its topping consisting of tiles is called tile floor.
Tiles are made from baled clay and are available in different sizes, shapes and
colors.
The methods of layering tiled flooring is similar to the flag stone except that
greater care is reauired.
It is widely used in bathrooms, kitches, enteyways.
• The earth filling is properly consolidated.
• 10cm thick layer of dry clean sand is evenly laid
• 10cm thick layer of Lime Concrete (1:4:8) or Lean Cement Concrete (1:8:16) is
laid, compacted and cured to form a base concrete.
• A thin layer of lime or cement mortar is spread with the help of screed
battens.
• Then the screed battens are properly leveled and fixed at the correct height.
• When the surface mortar is harden sufficiently, 6mm thick bed of wet cement
(1:5) is laid and then over this the specified tiles are laid.
• The surplus mortar which comes out of the joints is cleaned off.
• After 3 days, the joints are well rubbed with a  Corborundum stone to chip
off all the projecting edges.
• Rubbing should not be done in case of glazed tiles.
• The surface is polished by rubbing with a softer variety of a corborundum or a
pumice stone.
• The surface is finally washed with soap.
Suitability:
This type of floor is suitable for courtyard of buildings. Glazed tiles are used in
modern buildings where a high class finish is desired.
5) Mosaic Floors:
The floors having its topping consisting of mosaic tiles or small regular cubes,
square or hexagons, embedded into a cementing mixture is known as Mosaic
Floors.
• The earth is consolidated.
• 10cm thick layer of clean sand is spread.
• 10cm thick Lime Concrete (1:4:8) or Lean Cement Concrete (1:8:16) is laid
thus forming base concrete
• Over this base course 5cm thick Lime Mortar or Cement Mortar or Lime and
Surkhi mortar (1:2) is laid.
• The mortar is laid in small area so that the mortar may not get dried before
finishing the wearing course.
• 3mm thick cementing mixture is spread.
• The cementing mixture consists of one part of pozzolana, one part of
marble chips and two parts of slacked lime.
• After nearing 4 hours, patterns are formed on the top of the cementing
material.
• Now the tiles of regular shaped marble cubes are hammered in the mortar
along the outline of the pattern.
• The inner spaces are then filled with colored pieces of marble.
• A roller 30cm in diameter and 50cm in length is passed gently over the
surface.
• Water is sprinkled to work up the mortar between the marble pieces.
• The surface is then rubbed with pumice stone fixed to a wooden handle
about 1.5m long.
• The surface is then allowed to dry up for 2 weeks.
6)Terrazzo tiles flooring

 This is a composite material made up of cement and marble chips/aggregate
(3mm to 6mm size) in the proportion of 1:1.25 to 1:2.
 It is then mixed and poured in-situ onto a concrete base.
 The chips are exposed by grinding. The surface is then cleaned and wax polish
is applied to get final shiny surface.
 Marble chips may be vary from 3mm to 6mm in size.
 Colour can be mixed to white cement to desired tint.
 The sub base preparation and concrete base laying is done in a similar manner,
as explained for cement concrete flooring.
 The top layer may have about 4mm thickness, consisting of
(i) 34mm thick cement concrete layer (1:2:4) over the base concrete.
(ii) About 6mm thick terrazzo topping is done.
 It has very decorative and has good wearing properties.
7) Stone (Marble and Kota) flooring

A. Marble flooring
 It is superior types of flooring used in bathroom, kitchen.
 It comes in numerous colors such as white, grey, green, etc.
 Marble slabs be laid in different sizes, usually in rectangular or square shapes.
 Concrete base is prepared in same mammer as that for concrete flooring.
 Over the concrete base, 20mm thick bedding mortar of 1:4 cement sand ratio
is spread under the area of each individual slab. The marble slab is then laid
over it, gently pressed with wooden mallet and levelled.
 After pushing gently with wooden mallet, the cement pastes oozes out from
the joint. It should be thin like paper thick.
 The ooze out cement is clean with cloth. Proper cured for about a week should
be done for paved area.
B. Kota flooring
Kota stone is a type of limestone that is found in the Kota district of Rajasthan, India.
Kota stone is a popular natural stone used for flooring. It is known for its durability,
versatility, and affordability.
Kota stone is used in two finishes i.e rough dress and polished finish. It is used in
chemical industries due to its resistant properties.
Methods of construction.
 The earth is consolidated
 10cm thick layer of sand is spread
 10cm thick lime concrete (1:4:8) or lean concrete (1:8:16) is laid thus forming
base concrete.
 Measure the area where the Kota stone flooring is to be installed and calculate
the number of tiles required.
 Kota stone tiles are usually available in standard sizes, but if required, they can
be cut into specific shapes and sizes using appropriate cutting tools.
 Apply a layer of cement mortar or adhesive on the prepared surface using a
notched trowel.
 Place the Kota stone tiles on the mortar/adhesive, pressing them firmly and
ensuring they are properly aligned.
 Once the tiles are set, allow them to dry and cure for a specific period
 Polish the Kota stone tiles using a buffing machine or polishing pads to
enhance their natural shine and Kota Stone Design.
Advantages/benefits of using kota stone flooring

 Kota Stone flooring is tough, non-porous, and uniform, suitable for various
areas.
 It’s ideal for humid places as it’s not water absorbent and offers good grip to
prevent slipping.
 Resistant to different climates, whether dry, humid, or cold.
 Available in slabs and tiles, can be arranged in various patterns, and is cost-
effective.
 Kota stone can be finished in various ways according to requirements such as
natural cleft both faces, one sided honed, both sides honed, hand
cut/machine cut/polished, mirror finish and calibrated etc.
 Adds a luxurious look to both indoor and outdoor floors.
 It’s cost-effective compared to other natural stones.
 Available in various sizes for different applications.
Kota stone are available in different sizes slab/tiles of 30*30, 40*40,
30*60, 40*60, 60*60, 50*50, 55*55 and 60*90 centimeters.
 It Can be used for exteriors, pathways, corridors, driveways, and
balconies.
 The stone can be polished again and again (repeatedly) to look fresh
 It can reflects the heat so makes comfortable to walk.
 It Forms a strong base for kitchen countertops, with granite or marble
often placed on top.
 Suitable for wall cladding.
Disadvantages of kota stone

 Kota stone is smaller in size compared to marble or granite slabs
because it’s a fragile type of limestone.
 Kota stone is not resistant to acid and alkali and can be easily stained.
 Continuous use of Kota stone can lead to flaking. However, regular
maintenance and polishing can help prevent this.
 Its surface finish is not so lustrous as marble or granite.
 The stone doesn’t need regular maintenance, but avoid dragging heavy
furniture over it.
Suitable place for use of kota flooring
 Kota stone is ideal for high-traffic areas like corridors, entrance halls,
porches, and staircases where there's more wear and tear.
 Suitable for commercial building.
 Suitable for public place such as bus stand, railway plateform and other
circulation space.
 It is placed in kirchen and dinning hall.
 Suitbale for bath rooms flooring due to non-sloppy, non-water
absorbent and less porous.
 If budgets limitations, it can very well laid in the bedroom, drawing
room, lobby, balcony etc and give decorative effevt amd have long life.
 Suitable for wall cladding.
8) PVC flooring
 PVC tile flooring is made of a plastic material called Poly-Vinyl-
chloride (PVC), available in various sizes and colors.
 These tiles are commonly used in residential and non-residential
buildings, laid on a concrete base.
 Adhesive is applied to both the base and the back of the PVC, and it is
laid when the adhesive has set.
 The floor Is washed with warm soapy water before use.
 PVC tile flooring is resilient, smooth, and easy to clean but is costly,
slippery, and can be damaged easily by heat.
9) Glazed Tiles flooring

 Glazed tiles were initially used only for walls. Glazed ceramic tiles are
made in two main steps:
 The tiles' bodies are made from special white clay fired at 1200
degrees Celsius, creating biscuits.
 The biscuits are glazed and decorated, if needed, and fired in the
oven.
 Ceramic tile glazes can be earthenware or colored enamels.
 Colored enamels can have different finishes:

 Bright or glossy surfaces
 Eggshell or vellum finishes
 Matt finishes
 For different types of floor and different abrasion due to traffic, the
glazing technique can be improved.
10) Timber flooring

 Timber flooring is used for dancing halls, auditoriums, sitting rooms, etc.
 One of the problems of timber flooring is dampness.
 To protect from dampness D.P.C layer should be provided below the
flooring.
 Timber flooring either be suspended type or solid type..
 When suspended timber flooring is to be done then
 To keep the space between the flooring and the concrete underneath
dry and well-ventilated, air bricks are installed in the outer walls and
voids are created in the sleeper wall.
 The flooring is made of boards held up by timber bridging or floor
joints. These joints are nailed to the wall plates at their ends.
 Sleeper walls are not spaced more than 1.8 to 2m.
 Where the problems of dampness is not acute, timber floors may
be supported on the ground along (i.e. solid type)
 For this type of construction, firstly, a base concrete layer is laid about
15 to 20 cm thick.
 Then, a layer of mastic asphalt is applied over the concrete.
 Wooden block flooring is laid on top of the asphalt.
 The wooden blocks are short but thick, with sizes ranging from 20 x 8
cm to 30 x 8 cm and a thickness of 2 to 4 cm.
 The blocks are laid in suitable designs.
 To fix the wooden floor on concrete slabs, longitudinal nailing strips

with a beveled section are embedded in the concrete at suitable
intervals.
10.3) Special Emphasis on level/slope/reverse slope in

bathroom, toilet, kitchen, balcony and staircase
 When you need to drain off water from your floors, like
in your bathroom or other wet areas, having the right
slope in the flooring helps the water to drain away
quickly and effectively.
 There are floor surfaces in an apartment or home that
requires slope. Each surface given below needs a
different slope.
1. Bathrooms
2. Balconies
3. Toilets
4. Kitchen
5. Staircase
6. Terrace
7. Drains and plumbing lines
 Apart from floor surfaces, window sill and chajja also
have a slope requirement
 Slope requirements for flooring also depends pn two
factors.
1. Floor finish’s undulation level
2. Rate of water draining requirement
 The below table shows the slope requirements against

the above factors.
 The slope may be mentioned in two ways in ratio (ex:

1:100 or 1 in 100) or in percentage (ex: 1).
The below table gives the slope requirement for
assumed floor finish,
 In case of change in floor finish slope has to be

decided suitably.

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Chapter 3 Floors, Vertical Transportation and roof Rapti Engineering College (Lecture Note)

i. Adequate strength and stability.

b. Floor covering or flooring or floor finishes

a) Solid Ground Floor

b) Suspended ground floor:-

Material used for floor finish/floor covering are

1. Mud and Muram

Selection of flooring material:-

Selection of flooring depends upon following

10.2 Types of floor finishes – Cast-In-Situ Concrete flooring

1. Mud flooring and Muram Flooring:-

2. Cement Concrete Floor / Cast-in-situ concreting flooring

Concrete Floor or Conglomerate Floor

Types of Cement Concrete Floor:

i. Non-monolithic or bonded floor finish concrete floor

i. Non-monolithic or bonded floor finish concrete floor:

ii. Monolithic Floor Finish Concrete Floor:

• The earth filling is properly consolidated.

• In case the pointing is not to be done, the thickness of joints should

• In case the pointing is to be done, the minimum thickness of joints is

6)Terrazzo tiles flooring

7) Stone (Marble and Kota) flooring

Advantages/benefits of using kota stone flooring

Disadvantages of kota stone

Suitable place for use of kota flooring

9) Glazed Tiles flooring

 Colored enamels can have different finishes:

10) Timber flooring

 To fix the wooden floor on concrete slabs, longitudinal nailing strips

10.3) Special Emphasis on level/slope/reverse slope in

 The below table shows the slope requirements against

 The slope may be mentioned in two ways in ratio (ex:

 In case of change in floor finish slope has to be

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