This presentation takes you through the various theoretical aspects of FLOORS. This comprehensive presentation has self explanatory diagrams which are very easy to comprehend.

1. FLOORS
By Chakamba john

2. Definition
A Floor is a horizontal structure which carries imposed
and live loads in a building or divides a building into
storeys (Obande,1996).
A solid base of a room

3. PURPOSES OF FLOORS
 To support live and dead loads
 To divide high rise buildings into storeys

4. FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
i. Strength and stability
ii. Resistance to weather and ground moisture
iii. Durability and freedom of maintenance
iv. Fire safety
v. Resistance to the passage of heat
vi. Resistance to the passage of sound

5. Functional requirements
Ground floors
To withstand the loads imposed upon them (e .g.,
people, furniture)
To prevent vegetable matter from growing inside the
building, by provision of over site concrete
To prevent damp penetration into the building by
inserting damp proof membrane in the floor

6. To meet prescribed thermal insulation standards by
incorporating a layer of insulating material to reduce
the heat loss into the ground below it
To be reasonably durable and so reduce amount of
maintenance or replacement work
To provide an acceptable floor finish which meet
needs of users with regard to appearance, comfort,
safety, cleanliness etc.
To provide a level surface for people

7. TYPES
There are two types of floors namely
1. Upper floors
2. Ground floors

8. GROUND FLOORS
 The two types of ground floors are
i. Solid ground floor
ii. Suspended ground floor

9. Upper floors
 Are floors that divide a building into storeys.
Functional requirements
To support their own weight, ceilings and
superimposed loads
To restrict the passage of fire
Sound insulation

10. Durability
To bridge the specific span economically and be
capable of quick erection
To accommodate services readily
To provide an acceptable surface finish

11. Solid ground floor
 Has the whole of its area direct contact with the
subsoil.
 Is made out of a concrete slab laid on
 Advantages
 Cheaper on fairly level sites
 May reduce quantity of walling
 Reduce heat loss through the floor
 Avoid the risk of dry rot
 Offer a greater selection of floor finishes

12. Components of solid ground floor
1. Hardcore
 a layer of hard material put before laying the over site concrete
 must be 150mm thick
purposes
-to create a level and firm base for concrete slab
-reduces capillary action
-it fills up low areas created after the removal of topsoil
Materials used for hardcore
-broken bricks, tile rubble, clinkers, colliery shale, gravel, quarry waste,
and pulverized fuel ash,stones

13. Over site concrete
is the over site bed of concrete which is placed on top of
hardcore
it should not be less than 100mm thick.
mix of concrete can be 1:3:6 if its mass and 1:2:4 when
reinforced.
can be left rough, wood or steel float finish
PURPOSE
To provide a suitable base on which a desired floor finish can
be applied

14. Damp-proof membrane(dpm)
A polythene sheet or a coating of bituminous felt or asphalt
-prevent passage of moisture into the building through the
floor.
Is normally lapped with dpc in the surrounding walls
-dpm must be -:
 impermeable to water.
 continuous with damp-proof course in adjoining walls.
 tough enough to remain undamaged when laying the screed
or finish.
-suitable materials for dpm are-mastic asphalt, bitumen
sheets and polythene sheets.

15.  Blinding
 Is a layer of weak concrete or river sand of a depth of
40mm
 It is meant to prevent piercing of dpm by hardcore or
over site concrete

18. Floor screeds
Functions
1. To provide a smooth surface to receive the finish
2. To bring a number of floor finishes each of different
thicknesses up to the same finished level
3. To provide falls for drainage purposes
4. To provide thermal insulation
5. To accommodate service pipes and cables.
-cement sand screeds mix of 1:3 is recommended
-thickness of floor screed is usually 25-75mm.

19. Methods of constructing floor
screeds
1.Monolithic construction
-is when a screed is laid on an in situ
concrete base before it has set
(within 3hrs of placing).
-complete bonding is obtained and
the minimum thickness should be
15mm.

20. 2.Bonded construction
-the screed is applied after the base has
set and hardened.
-maximum bond is secured by
hacking, cleaning and damping the
surface of concrete, then apply wet
cement grout before screed is laid.
-thickness of screed should be at least
40mm.

21. 4.Floating
 -screeds are laid in bays of at most 15m.
 -edges of bays should be vertical.
 -screed is laid on a compressible layer of thermal or
sound insulating material such as compressed board.
 Curing
 -A screed should be cured for at least 7 days after
laying.
 -methods-covering with polythene sheet or water
proof paper and sprinkling water

22. SUSPENDED GROUND FLOORS
 Consist of boarding nailed to floor joist which are laid
on timber plates running in the opposite direction and
bedded on brick sleeper walls built off over site
concrete.

23. Requirements of suspended ground
floor
 should be above highest level of adjoining ground.
 As approved by the Building Regulations Document C4(1991);
 The ground surface to be covered with a layer of concrete not less than
100mm thick.
 Ground surface concrete cover can be at least 50mm thick if laid on
polythene sheet.
 Top surface of concrete

26. Timber floor boarding
 Suspended timber floors may be covered with timber
boards or strips or sheet of chip board.
 Boards are usually 100-150mm wide with thickness of
25mm
 Boards are laid at right angles to joists.
 Floor boards are normally joined with tongue and
grooved joints.

27. Tongue and groove boarding(T&G Boarding)

28. -when boarded floor is required T&G boards are
recommended for both suspended and for solid floors.
-use of T&G boards prevents splitting of the boards due to
draughts that may pass through between the joints.
-For strip flooring and where the boarding provides the
floor finish, secret nailing may be used so that nails do not
show on the surface . In this case splayed tongue and groove
is preferred.
-The diagram below shows splayed T&G boarding:

29. Tongued and grooved boards

30. FLOOR FINISHES
Functional requirements
1. Durability- the material must have a reasonable life to avoid
premature replacement.
2. Resistance to wear-floor finish should match type of wear in
the specific part of the building so as to last long without
replacement.
3. Economy-reasonable initial and maintenance cost.
4. Resistance to oil, grease and chemicals-should not be damaged
by grease and oil spills and they should be easy to remove
from the floor. Spills are a particular problem in kitchens,
bathrooms and laboratories.
5. Resistance to moisture-should resist to water spills and this is
important in kitchens, bathrooms, entrance passages and halls.
6. Should be easy to clean.

31. 7.Warmth or coolness-hard smooth surfaces are cool to walk
because they reflect heat away. Soft textured finishes like
carpets provide warmth which may be suitable for cooler
climates.
8.Sound insulation-hard surfaces do not absorb sound so
they are noisier than soft surfaces. Buildings like hospitals
and libraries need floor finishes with high degree of sound
absorption.
9. Cost-this has a bearing capacity of the pocket. Generally a
simple cement finish is cheaper than carpet, wood bock or
special floor tiles.
10.Non slip qualities-especially in bathrooms and kitchens
where floors may be damp.
11.Appearance-attractive floor finishes are needed for many
rooms of domestic buildings.

32. Classification of floor finishes
a) Can be divided into four groups namely
b) Stone floor finish eg concrete ,terazzo,granolithic
c) Wood floor finish eg strip and board, wood block, parquate and mosaic
d) Sheet and tile eg rubber, mastic asphalt, pitch mastic, pvc ,thermoplastic
e) Carpert eg light domestic,medium

33. GRANOLITHIC FINISH
 A mixture of river sand and cement laid on wet or dry
concrete subfloor
 Suitable for heavy duty industrial floors, domestic
entrances, verandas and church floors
 ADVANTAGES
 It is cheap to construct
 hardwearing
 DISADVANTAGES
 It is generally cold and unattractive

34. Granolithic floor finish

35. TERRAZO
 A decorative form of concrete made from Portland cement and crushed
marble aggregate and polished using a fine abrasive stone
 PROS
 Attractive in appearance
 Hardwearing
 Easily cleaned
 Resistant to chemical attack
 CONS
 Noisy
 Cold
 Expensive

36. Terrazzo floor finish

37. 3.Carpet
-One of the most important finishes and is widely used
in domestic properties and public areas of commercial
buildings.
-A wide variety of qualities exist and expert advice is
required on selection.
-Quality is dependent on the yarn, construction,
backing and density.
-Carpets should always be laid in dry situations and a
suitable underlay (foam rubber or cotton waste) and at
times should be secured by suitable adhesives, nailed
around the perimeter.

38. Carpet Grading
LIGHT DOMESTIC For rooms subject to light traffic-bed rooms; guest rooms
MEDIUM DOMESTIC For rooms subject to light traffic-lounges, dining rooms, hotel
bed rooms
HEAVY DOMESTIC Rooms corridors subject to heavy traffic
MEDIUM CONTRACT For offices, shops, hotel bars, lounges subject to heavy traffic
HEAVY CONTRACT Areas subjected to very heavy traffic and frequent cleaning-
public buildings, theatres, hotel/shop entrances, hospital
corridors

39. Carpet floor finish

40. Properties
 Quiet
 Warm
 Resilient- durable, stain and water resistance
 Non slip

41. RUBBER TILES AND SHEETS
 Made from natural or synthetic rubber
 Normally 2-4mm thick for domestic buildings and 4-6mm
for public buildings
 The floor finish must be fixed with a suitable adhesive
 MERITS
 Quiet
 Warm
 Non slip
 Resilient
 Resistant to moisture, acids, oils and fats

42.  Rubber floor finish

43. Flexible PVC tiles
 oils
 Water proof
 DurablePopular for domestic, commercial and
industrial interior.
 They are laid on a suitable adhesive preferably
bitumen adhesive. These have precise measurements
(300×300×3mmthick)
Properties
 Resistant to grease and

44.  PVC tiles come in a wide range of colors and textures and are one
of the cheapest floor finishes one can buy and lay.
 They are maintained by applying a surface coating of wax and
the washing with soapy water.
 pros
 Attractive
 Smooth
 Cool
 Waterproof
 Durable
 Resistant to grease and oils
 Can be repaired very easily as they are made in small square units

45.  Pvc floor finishes

46. Clay tiles
-Two main types are floor quarries and ceramic floor
tiles. They provide hard semi glazed finish.
-They usually measure about 150mm×150mm or
100mm×100mm and are 15 to 20mm thick and are laid in
mortar.
-They are cold, noisy and expensive.

47.  Clay tiles floor finish

48. Wood mosaic / parquet flooring
Consist of fingers of hardwood arranged in groups to
form 115mm squares laid to form simple basket weave
pattern. This finish can easily be affected by moisture
Provides a warm, decorative, resilient and durable
flooring

49. Wood parquets floor finish

50. Stone
- most suitable floor finish for entrance halls and public
bars as these places are subjected to heavy foot traffic.
Below is stone floor finish;

51. Brick
-Suitable for kitchens, toilets and entrance halls.

52. Wood strips
-where 150 to 380mm(length) strips of wood are laid in
tongue and groove jointing.
-are often laid to herringbone or basket weave patterns
with surface of blocks sealed and waxed.
-Thickness vary from 20mm to 38mm.
Properties
- warm, quiet, resilient, attractive, hardwearing.

53. Wood blocks floor finish

54. Wood blocks floor finishes