UNIT -4

FLOOR AND WALL

COVERINGS
Flooring -permanent covering of a floor
Floor covering is a term to generically describe any finish
material applied over a floor structure to provide a walking
surface.
1. SOFT COVERINGS
2. WOOD FLOORING
3. HARD FLOORING
4. RESILENT FLOORING
5. SEAMLESS CHEMICAL FLOORING
6. SUSTAINABLE FLOORING
The choice of material for floor covering is affected by factors
such as
• cost
• endurance
• noise insulation
• comfort
• cleaning effort.
Soft coverings
1. loose-laid floor coverings
2. Fixed floor coverings
• Carpet is a floor covering woven or felted from natural
or man-made fibers. 
• Fitted carpet is attached to the floor structure,
extends wall-to-wall, and cannot be moved from
place to place.
• An underlay will extend carpet life and improve
comfort.
• Carpet - widths of 12 feet (3.7 m) and 15 feet (4.6 m)
• Fixed to a floor over a cushioned underlay (pad) using
nails, tack strips, adhesives, or decorative metal 
stair rods
Wood flooring
Wood flooring is any product
manufactured from timber that is
designed for use as flooring, either
structural or aesthetic.
Wood is a common choice as a flooring
material and can come in various
styles, colors, cuts, and species. 
Bamboo flooring is often considered a
form of wood flooring, although it is
made from a grass (bamboo) rather
than a timber.
Wood - hardwood or softwood 
1. Hardwood comes from angiosperm — or flowering
plants — such as oak, maple, or walnut, that are not 
monocots. 
2. Softwood comes from gymnosperm trees, usually
evergreen conifers, like pine or spruce.
Wood flooring
wood are fabricated into wood flooring in two primary
forms:
3. plank
4. parquet. 
Hardwoods are typically much more durable than softwoods
. 
Reclaimed lumber has a unique appearance and is used in 
green building.
Parquet flooring 
Plank flooring 
Hardwood flooring
Solid hardwood floors are made
of planks milled from a single
piece of timber. Solid hardwood
floors were originally used for
structural purposes, being
installed perpendicular to the
wooden support beams of a
building known as joists or
bearers. With the increased use
of concrete as a subfloor in
some parts of the world,
engineered wood flooring has
gained some popularity.
However, solid wood floors are
still common and popular.
Hardwood flooring comes in Maple, Pecan, Beech, Cherry, Oak,
Pine, Birch, Walnut, Hickory and more. This type of flooring
provides a long-lasting product, wear resistant surface that could
be refinished if necessary. However, certain types of hardwood
flooring might darken with age and some others could shrink and
expand creating gaps in the floor surface. 
Solid wood manufacturing
1. Solid wood flooring is milled from
a single piece of timber that is kiln
 or air dried before sawing.
2. The timber can be cut in three
ways: flat-sawn, quarter-sawn, and
rift-sawn. The timber is cut to the
desired dimensions.
3. The moisture content is carefully
controlled to ensure it does not
warp.
4. Solid woods come with grooves cut
into the back of the wood that run
the length of each plank.
5. Solid wood floors are mostly
manufactured (19 mm) thick with a
tongue-and-groove for
installation.
Engineered wood flooring
1. Composed of two or more layers
of wood in the form of a plank.
The top layer (lamella) is the
wood that is visible when the
flooring is installed and is adhered
to the core.
2. The increased stability of
engineered wood is achieved by
running each layer at a 90° angle
to the layer above.
3. This stability makes it a universal
product that can be installed over
all types of subfloors above,
below or on grade. Engineered
wood is the most common type of
wood flooring used globally.
Veneer floors use a thin layer of wood
over a core that is commonly a
composite wood product.
Acrylic-impregnated wood flooring
uses a layer of wood that is
impregnated with liquid acrylic then
hardened using a proprietary process.
Laminate and vinyl floors
are often confused with
engineered wood floors,
but are not; laminate uses
an image of wood on its
surface, while vinyl
flooring is plastic formed
to look like wood.
Installation systems
2.Click or Woodloc systems:
1.Tongue-and-groove: 1. A "click" floor is similar
1. One end of the plank to tongue-and-groove, but
have a groove, the other instead of fitting directly
end have a tongue. into the groove, the board
2. Tongue-and-groove must be angled or
flooring can be installed "tapped" in to make the
by glue-down, floating, curved or barbed tongue
or nail-down. fit into the modified
groove.
2. No adhesive is used when
installing a "click" floor,
making board
replacement easier.
Click or Woodloc systems:
3. Floor connection system:
There are a wide range of connection systems, as most of
them are mill-specific manufacturing techniques. The
general principle is to have grooves on all four sides of
the plank with a separate, unconnected, piece that is
inserted into the grooves of two planks to join them. The
piece used for the connection can be made from wood,
rubber, or plastic. This installation system allows for
different materials (i.e. wood and metal) to be installed
together if they have the same connection system.
4. Wood flooring can
also be installed
utilizing the glue-down
method. A layer of
mastic is placed onto
the sub-floor using a
trowel similar to those
used in laying ceramic
tile. The wood pieces
are then laid on top of
the glue and hammered
into place using a
rubber mallet and a GLUE DOWN METHOD
protected 2x4 to create
a level floor.
5. Floating installation:
A floating installation is where
the flooring is laid down in a
glue less manner on top of a
layer of underlay. The
individual planks are locked
together using a Woodloc
system, and they are not glued
or nailed down to the subfloor.
By doing this the floor is
floating above the underlay,
and can be laid on top of
existing tile or marble, without
the risk of damaging the
subflooring.
Bamboo flooring 
1. It is a floor manufactured from the bamboo plant and is a type of
hardwood flooring,
2. Bamboo is known to be durable and environmentally friendly.
3. Available in different patterns, colors, and textures.
4. Durable, elegant, usually ranging from honey brown to light tan.
5. It provides a strong, clean surface, but could darken over time or
when exposed to sunlight. 
6. Bamboo flooring should not be left wet.
7. Manufactured bamboo floors are typically made available in planks
with either vertical or horizontal-grain orientation.
8. In vertical bamboo floors, the component pieces are stood vertically
on their narrowest edge and then press laminated side to side. The
effect is a lined, almost uniform look to the surface of the finished 
floor plank.
9. In horizontal bamboo floors, the slats are arranged in a horizontal
direction, on their widest edge, and then joined side by side with
adjacent pieces using a high-pressure laminate system.
Bamboo flooring 
Laminate is a floor covering that appears similar to
hardwood but is made with a plywood or medium
density fiberboard ("MDF") core with a plastic
laminate top layer.
HDF laminate consists of high density fiberboard
topped by one or more layers of decorative paper and
a transparent protective layer.
Laminate may be more durable than hardwood,
but cannot be refinished like hardwood.
Laminate flooring is available in many different
patterns which can resemble different woods or even
ceramic tile. It usually locks or taps together.
HDF laminate
 Laminate flooring.
One of the cheapest flooring types available, laminate flooring
are very easy to maintain. 
It  provides a strong, durable surface that can resist burns,
scratches, and chipping. 
It is an excellent solution for high traffic areas, resembles
natural materials and comes in a wide range of colors and
designs.
However, laminate flooring could not be refinished and can be
scratched easily.
For installations in high-moisture rooms, select laminates
designed for this use.
Laminate flooring has grown significantly in popularity,
because it may be easier to install and maintain than more
traditional surfaces such as hardwood flooring. 
Resilient flooring
1. Unlike tiles which are made of minerals, resilient flooring is
made of materials that have some elasticity, giving the flooring
a degree of flexibility called resilience.
2. The flooring is available in large sheets or pre-cut tiles, and
either comes with pre-applied adhesive for peel-and-stick
installation or requires adhesive to be troweled on to the
substrate.
3. Resilient flooring products, such as PVC and polypropylene are
becoming more popular in specialty applications such as trailer
flooring and garage flooring.
4. New applications have also emerged for marine flooring.
5. For example, certain tires will leave marks on PVC flooring but
those marks will be less prevalent on polypropylene products.
Adhesives also change based on application.
Resilient flooring includes many different manufactured
products including 
1. linoleum
2. sheet vinyl
3. vinyl composition tile (VCT) 
4. cork (sheet or tile)
5. rubber. 
Performance surfaces used for dance or athletics are usually
made of wood or resilient flooring.
The two basic categories of vinyl floor tiles are
6. solid vinyl
7. vinyl composition
and the three basic categories of vinyl sheet flooring are
homogeneous, inlaid, and layered composite. These types of
vinyl flooring differ in manufacturing process and content,
ranging in vinyl (polyvinyl chloride) content from 11% to 55%.
Cork Flooring
Cork has excellent thermal and acoustical qualities. It's
beautiful, lightweight, warm to the touch, fire and insect-
resistant, stable and renewable every 8-10 years.
Cork Flooring is a flooring material
manufactured from the by-product of the 
cork oak tree.
Cork floors are considered to be eco-
friendly since the cork oak tree bark is
stripped every nine to ten years and
doesn't damage the tree.
Cork flooring comes in both tiles and
planks, and can have glue or glues-less
installation.
The cork industry is generally regarded as environmentally
friendly. Cork production is generally considered sustainable
 because the cork tree is not cut down to obtain cork; only the
bark is stripped to harvest the cork. The tree continues to live
and grow. The sustainability of production and the easy 
recycling of cork products and by-products are two of its most
distinctive aspects. 
Properties and uses

1. Varnished cork tiles can be used for flooring

, as an alternative for linoleum, stone or 
ceramic tiles
2. Cork's bubble-form structure and natural
fire retardant make it suitable for acoustic
and thermal insulation in house walls,
floors, ceilings and facades.
3. Sheets of cork, also often the by-product of
stopper production, are used to make 
bulletin boards as well as floor and wall tiles
.
Linoleum
1. solidified linseed oil , pine rosin, ground cork
dust, wood flour, and mineral fillers such as 
calcium carbonate, most commonly on a burlap or 
canvas backing; pigments are often added to the
materials.
2. The finest linoleum floors, known as 'inlaid', are
extremely durable; they were made by joining and
inlaying solid pieces of linoleum.
3. Cheaper patterned linoleum were printed with
thinner layers which were more prone to wear and
tear.
4. High quality linoleum is flexible and thus can be
used in buildings where a more rigid material would
crack.
Asphalt Tiles
1. Asphalt tiles are the true pioneers of the resilient tile field,
and are the most economical of the different flooring types.
available only in a limited number of colors and patterns and
requires a bit more maintenance than do the others.
2. Another disadvantage is that it is considerably more rigid,
so it tends to be more susceptible to  cracking. However,
seems to be the perfect choice for utility areas or for other
places demanding an economical floor.
3. Asphalt tiles were developed for damp and alkaline
conditions where linoleum just doesn't perform that well.
4. It is extremely resistant to mold and fungal attack, mild
acids, and oils and grease, and it can be used where floor
temperature is less than 80º F (27º C).
1. Asphalt tile is not damaged by alkali, so can you use alkaline
cleaners on it.
2. Simply damp mop as recommended for vinyl.
3. When soil is not removed by damp-mopping, wash with
detergent and water, or mild ammonia and water solution, and
rinse well. Also it can be inadvertently softened/dissolved by
solvents, so do not use solvents, or solvent-based polishing
waxes on it.
Asphalt tile flooring was mainly used commercially and in
many family basements primarily because it Is inexpensive.
4. It is hard and non flexible, usually 9 inches by 9 inches by 1/8"
thick. When you go to replace it, especially if it has been
installed over a wood floor, it will be extremely difficult to
restore the wood floor to it's natural condition as the black
adhesive used to install it is very troublesome to remove.
1. Hard flooring is a family of flooring materials that includes
concrete/cement, ceramic tile, glass tiles, and natural stone
products.
2. Ceramic tiles are clay products which are formed into thin tiles
and fired.
3. Ceramic tiles are set in beds of mortar or mastic with the joints
between tiles grouted.
4. Varieties of ceramic tiles include quarry tile, porcelain, 
terracotta.
5. Many different natural stones are cut into a variety of sizes,
shapes, and thicknesses for use as flooring. Stone flooring, a
similar installation method to ceramic tile. 
6. Slate and marble are popular types of stone flooring that
requires polishing and sealing.
7. Stone aggregates, like Terrazzo, can also used instead of raw
cut stone and are available as either preformed tiles or to be
constructed in-place using a cement binder.
Ceramics tiles include 
earthenware (terracotta), 
stoneware or porcelain.
Stoneware is harder and
more durable than
earthenware, and so more
suitable for floors, but there
is a slight difference
between porcelain and
ceramic tiles.

Terracotta is traditionally used for roof tiles, but other

manufactured materials including types of concrete may
now be used.
Ceramic tile are clay products which are formed into thin tiles
and fired. Ceramic tiles are set in beds of mortar or mastic with
the joints between tiles grouted. Varieties of ceramic tiles
include quarry tile, porcelain, terracotta.
1. Many different natural stones are cut into a variety of sizes,
shapes, and thicknesses for use as flooring.
2. Stone flooring is a similar installation method to ceramic tile. 
3. Slate and marble are popular types of stone flooring that requires
polishing and sealing.
4. Stone aggregates, like Terrazzo, can also be used instead of raw
cut stone and are available as either preformed tiles or to be
constructed in-place using a cement binder.
5. Porcelain stoneware can be used instead of natural stone.
6. It is a ceramic material like a tile, however, it is typically 20 mm
(0.79 in) thick and often comes in squares of 60 cm.
7. Concrete/cement finished floor is also used for its ability to be
treated for different feel and its durability.
marble
G
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CERAMIC TILE
Seamless chemical flooring
Many different seamless flooring materials are available.
1. latex
2. polyester
3. urethane or epoxy compounds
which are applied in liquid form to provide a completely
seamless floor covering.
These are usually found in laboratories or food
processing plants- granular or rubberized particles
added to give better attraction.
Seamless chemical flooring
Sustainable flooring
Sustainable flooring is produced from more
sustainable materials (and by more
sustainable processes) that reduces demands
on ecosystems during its life-cycle.
1. WOODEN FLOORING
2. CORK FLOORING
3. BAMBOO
4. NATURAL RECYCLED CARPET
5. COCONUT TIMBER FLOORING
6. LINOLEUM FLOORING