Choosing Floors

Floors are largest important area, readily noticed on entering a
room or a particular area. They may be both functional and
decorative. They play a vital part in cleaning ‘and’
maintenance program of any establishment. They cover a
tremendous area and are subjected to a great deal of wear ‘and’
tear.
Floors frequently is the base on which rest of the décor is
franked outstanding others.
Subfloor :- A good levelled, damp proof floor has a
considerable effect on the life of the floor laid above it. Any
dampness must be treated either by using a damp proof
material or asphalt, new concrete floors should be left
uncovered for at least 12 weeks so that it can be completely
dry which prevents the growth of fungi ‘and’ dry rot.
It is essential that floor finish chosen for any particular place
should be in keeping with the purpose of the room.
BY: SUSHANT BIJLANI 2

There may be a place, where durability ‘and’ hygiene are
important than appearance in the kitchen. Appearance is of
prime importance in the lounge where an impression of
warmth, comfort ‘and’ quietness is needed expected.
FACTORS AFFECTING CHOICE OF FLOORINGS
1) The Appearance Requirement of the Area:- This is of major
importance as the floor is the single largest area ‘and’ affects
the appearance of everything else in the room. Colour of the
flooring should be of shade ‘and’ tone which will blend with
the existing ‘and’ future colour schemes.
2) Comfort :- The comfort will depend whether the surface
is hard or soft, ‘and’ in the area of the use. For rooms it is
better to choose flooring which is sound insulator.

3)Durability and Quality:- These two are closely related to the
floor finishing ‘and’ must be chosen depending on the area
used i.e. for heavy duty or light traffic areas.
Most semi-hard varieties of floor finishes like p.v.c. (poly-
vinyl-chloride) are sold in various degrees of thickness. A bed
room will not require the same grade of p.v c that will be
required in the main entrance hall or public area. Also to be
considered is the floor resistant to stains, indentations from
furniture heels, and resistance to burns and heat. Floor should
not easily chip, crack or lose its colour.
4) Ease of maintenance:-cleaning of floors is important in the
running cost of any establishment. It is possible that extra
initial cost which may be involved in providing flooring which
is easier to maintain will be saved over comparatively short
period of time.

5) Safety: - The flooring should have a non-slip quality when
both dry and wet, to prevent accidents or mishaps and for
efficiency of work.
6) Cost:- This may limit the choice of flooring and is always
an important consideration. Cost varies from one type of
flooring to another. The true cost of each floor will
include the initial cost, the laying charges, and the
estimated cost of maintenance each year. It should also
take into account the expected lifespan of the floor.

TYPES and CHARRACTERISTICS OF FLOOR
COVERINGS :-
Floor coverings and finishes may be classified according to
their hardness, porosity of the material from which they are
made. Thus floor coverings can be hard and soft. Hard floor
coverings can be further classified as – Resilient and wood.
Some floor coverings are made to serve specific functions.
These include non-slip flooring and conductive floorings.

Hard floor coverings:-
- Hard floor coverings are durable
- They are mostly cold in feel and impervious to dry rot.
- They are fire retardant and easily cleaned as compared to other
floor coverings.
- They do not conduct static electricity.
- They are noisier, slippery and provide less insulation.
- Because they are less vulnerable to moisture and stains than
carpet, they are most often used in areas where water, soils and
stains frequently collect. These areas include guest bath rooms,
public areas like lobbies and rest rooms and some back-of-the
house areas like kitchens, garages etc.

TYPES OF FLOOR:-
Hard Floors:-
• Hard floors are made from natural stone or clay.
• They are sometimes called stone floors and masonry floors.
• Hard floors are among the most durable of all floor surfaces,
but also are among the least resilient.

Types of hard floors include the following:-
a) Concrete :- Concrete floors are most often found in utility
areas or areas that will receive a great deal of traffic from
heavy equipment. Lodging properties often have concrete
floors in parking areas, garages, and trade shown areas.
Concrete floors may be covered, painted, or sealed.

b) Marble and Terrazzo:- Marble is a type of Crystallized
limestone and comes in various colours and patterns -white,
black (onyx), gray, pink, green (red antique), brown. Orange,
red-orange, banded (serpentine), or mottled. Marble is
relatively durable, but lighter colors often yellow with age.
Marble can be finished in a variety of ways. Polished interior
marbles has a high-gloss finish and is usually used on
tabletops, vanities, or other furniture. Since polished marble
usually requires a great deal of maintenance, it is generally
considered impractical for commercial floor use. Honed
marble (satin-finished with little or no gloss) is recommended
most often for commercial floors, sand-blasted or abrasive-
finished marble has a matte or non-reflective surface and is
best suited for exterior use.

Sheet marble is very expensive because it is difficult to mine.
Even with careful mining techniques, about half the marble
that is quarried crumbles to rubble.
Marble rubble is often salvaged and used in terrazzo floors.
The rubble is made into small tiles or pieces that are embedded
into mortar like a mosaic. Terrazzo can also be made from
granite, a less expensive natural stone. Granite may be pink,
gray, or black. The the mortar, not the stone, gives terrazzo its
durability. Like most porous surfaces, terrazzo floors must be
sealed.

2) RESILIENT FLOORS:-
Resilient floors are easier to stand and walk on and may
reduce noise better than hard floors. Resilient floors are often,
however, less durable.
Types of resilient floors include:
• Vinyl
• Asphalt
• Rubber
• Linoleum

a) Vinyl :- Vinyl floors may be made of pure vinyl or a blend of
vinyl and some other material. Pure vinyl floors cost about
twice as much as vinyl blend floors.
Vinyl may be a conventional or no-wax type. Conventional
vinyl is used most often in commercial operations like hotels
because the wax and finish on the floor protects heavy-use
areas from undue abrading and soiling.
The vinyl best suited for commercial use are thick and have
homogeneous color- that is, color that permeates the entire
layer of vinyl so that the color does not wear of with use.

b) Asphalt:- Asphalt flooring is decay-and mildew proof ,resists
ink stains, and is very fire-resistant. It also resists damage from
alkaline moisture, which means that it can be installed directly
over concrete. Asphalt is relatively inexpensive and durable. It
also cracks and chips easily, which calls for careful
installation. Harsh cleaners should be avoided.

c) Rubber:- Rubber, Whether natural or synthetic(synthetic
rubber is far more common today),
is the most resilient, sound-absorbent flooring available. It is
also relatively expensive. Rubber is durable and provides good
traction, even when wet. Oil, grease, high heat, and detergent
may injure rubber flooring.

d) Linoleum :- Linoleum may be made from a variety of
materials. It has been around so long that it has become an
almost generic term for any kind of resilient floor. It is made
from linseed oil, ground cork or wood, mineral fillers, and
resins. It may be bonded to a burlap or felt backing for extra
resilience and strength. Linoleum is inexpensive, easily
installed, and easy to maintain, but it can be damaged by
strong detergents.

(3)WOOD FLOORS:-
• Oak is the wood of choice for most wood floors because it is
hard and attractively grained.
• Maple, walnut, and teak, which tend to be more expensive
than oak, may also be used.
• Softer woods such as pine are sometimes used. Depending
upon the finish, soft woods may be more susceptible to dents
and scratches.
• Cork, another soft wood, may be shaved, pressed, and baked
into tiles that make a very resilient, but somewhat vulnerable,
floor surface.
• Because all types of wood are porous and absorbent, they are
especially susceptible to water damage. Such alkaline
substances as sudsy cleaners or ammonia can cause dark spots
that must be removed with vinegar applications

• Proper installation, sealing, and finishing are essential to the
durability of a wood floor.
• Wood may be laid on the floor in a number of ways.
• Parquet floors are made of wood “tiles,” usually oak or maple.
• Wood block floors resemble butcher block surfaces and also
come in tiles.
• Strips of end grain, which can weather heavy blows and use,
are laid together to make up the floor’s surface.
• Plank floors are long strips of wood fitted together to make a
smooth surface. The planks may be of similar or varying
widths to make an attractive pattern on the floor.

GENERAL FLOOR MAINTENANCE
• Floors require regular cleaning and finishing retaining their
appearance and durability.
• Some housekeeping departments caution that soap should not
be used on floors.
• Hard water often fails to rinse soap residue adequately, this
residue can soften finishes or make the finishes unnecessarily
slippery.
• While floors generally resist stains far better than carpets,
housekeeping staff should note floor spills and correct them
quickly.

Some general rules follow:
• Identify the stain and determine how to treat it. (see your
property’s cleaning manual.)
• Remove solid particles with a hand-held scraper. Be careful
not to scratch or gouge the floor.
• Use a wet vacuum on large wet stains.
• Spot-test the stain remover and apply it according to the
manufacturer’s directions.
• In today’s world of no-wax floors, floor polish may seem like
a thing of the past. However, floor care experts advise that
proper waxing not only makes the floor more attractive, but is
vital to its survival in commercial operations. Waxing protects
all floor surfaces –even no-wax surfaces-from abrasions. It
also strengthens porous floor materials such as wood.

• Despite their stain resistance, floors still need protection
against scuff marks and abrasives. Mats can help reduce
scuffing and scratching – especially in entry-ways where the
greatest number of abrasives are found. As with carpets,
routine floor maintenance involves a regular cleaning schedule
and prompt attention to problem spots.

FLOOR CLEANING METHODS:-
MOPPING
• Floors in most hospitality operations must be mopped daily,
either with a damp mop or, on floors that cannot tolerate much
water, with a chemically treated dust mop.
• Staff should be careful not to over treat mops because the
chemical on the mop head will transfer to the floor.
• This can create a haze or dulling effect and may destroy the
finish.
• Mop heads come in a variety of natural or synthetic fibres.
• Some properties recommend rayon.
• Soaking new mop heads in water for 30 minutes before use
will remove the sizing chemicals.
• Floor cleaners should make sure mop heads are rotated so that
can be cleaned and dried after each use.

BUFFING AND BURNISHING
• Buffing involves spraying the floor with a polishing solution
and buffing the floor with a rotary floor machine.
• Some rotary machines can spread the polishing solution as
well as buff the floor.
• Spray buffing effectively removes scuff marks, heel marks,
and restores the gloss to the floor.
• High-speed rotary machines are available that will make
buffing quicker and the buff coat more durable.
• Burnishing (polishing) is relatively new kind of floor cleaning
method. Burnishing is something like buffing except that it is a
dry method.
• Another difference between buffing and burnishing is the
speed of the rotary floor machine. Burnishing requires faster
rotation of the machine head.

• Some properties recommend burnishing only in low-traffic
areas.
• Burnishing can only be used on hard floors.
• Whether to buff or burnish a floor depends on the wax, sealer,
or finish on the floor itself.
• Also, before a floor is buffed or burnished, it must be clean.

SCRUBBING
• Scrubbing usually requires a stiff scrubbing brush or pad, a
suitable cleaning mixture, and a rotary floor machine.
• Scrubbing is often followed with buffing or burnishing,
depending upon how much of the old wax comes off the floor
during scrubbing.
STRIPPING AND REFINISHING
• Housekeepers agree that stripping and refinishing are
expensive and time-consuming tasks.
• However, to ensure proper floor care, they should be done on a
regular basis.
• Stripping Solutions may be water-or ammonia based.
Ammonia is a very powerful chemical and should be used
carefully on floors.

• A rotary floor machine can be used to strip the old finish
and spread the new finish on the floors.
• Finishes come in two types-wax-based or polymer finish.
• Wax-based polishes require at least two coats of wax to
attain maximum protection for the floor.
• Many manufacturers and housekeeping departments
recommend three or more coats.
• Almost all finishes can be spray-buffed. Wax-based
finishes are buff able.

Choosing Floors

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