The document provides an overview of various flooring materials, including seamless chemical flooring, marble, brick, glass, stone, and rubber, detailing their features, care requirements, advantages, and disadvantages. It discusses the characteristics of subflooring and factors influencing the selection of flooring materials such as cost, durability, and maintenance needs. Each flooring type is evaluated regarding its applications in different environments, along with practical care tips.

1. FLOORING

2. Introduction
• Flooring is the general term for a permanent covering of a floor, or for
the work of installing such a floor covering.
• Floor covering is a term to generically describe any finish material applied
over a floor structure to provide a walking surface.
• Materials almost always classified as floor covering include carpet, area
rugs, and resilient flooring such as linoleum or vinyl flooring.
• Materials commonly called flooring include wood flooring, ceramic tile,
stone, terrazzo, and various seamless chemical floor coatings.

3. Sub Flooring
• The floor under the flooring is called the subfloor.
• This provides the support for the flooring.
• Special purpose subfloors like floating floors, raised
floors or sprung floors may be laid upon another
underlying subfloor which provides the structural
strength.

4. Selection of Material
• The selection of flooring materials depends upon the below factors:
• Initial Cost
• Appearance
• Cleanliness
• Durability
• Damp Resistance
• Sound Insulation
• Thermal Insulation
• Fire Resistance
• Smoothness
• Hardness
• Maintenance

5. TYPES OF FLOORING

6. Seamless chemical flooring
• Those resilient flooring systems which have no grout lines or
seams and have extreme chemical and wear resistance.
• Applied in liquid form to achieve a completely seamless
floor covering.
• Used in a Pharmaceutical and research industries,
wet areas such as laboratories or food processing plant,
machine shops etc.
Care:
• Require easy cleaning, that is, frequent sweeping and mopping.
• Do not let dirt, cleanser or detergent sit on the floor for too long.

7. Advantages:
• Have a seamless and impervious membrane which does not allow dirt and bacteria to penetrate
or settle in the floor.
• Durable, smooth, easy to clean, chemically resistant, stain resistant and strong to carry heavy
loads.
Disadvantages:
• Sharp objects or abrasives can accidentally damage the protective layer, thereby causing further
more damage by allowing dirt, dust or moisture to get inside.

8. Marble flooring
• Marble is a natural stone, and when properly finished can be
transformed into beautiful flooring.
• Marble flooring is one of the most luxurious and sophisticated
floorings to install in a home and adds a whole new element of class.
• Used in the kitchens,bathrooms,foyers,hallways ,restaurants, hotels, etc.
Size :
• 12-by-12-inch tiles are the standard and are generally 3/8 inch
thick.16-by-16-inch tiles are also common and are usually 7/16 inch
thick.24-by-24-inch tiles are usually the biggest available and are
typically 1/2 inch thick.

9. Care:
• Use Terry cloth for wiping the dirt. Don't use hot water to clean but lukewarm water to wet the
floor. No need to scrub the marble .Apply smooth polish for marble to retain its glitter ad shine.
Advantages:
• For hot climates, marble flooring is favourable as one feels relatively cold underfoot.As it is soft
in nature.
• It is eco-friendly material as no chemical process is involved in its manufacturing.
• It can withstand any external pressure, and any sudden change of weight can easily be handled
by this material.
Disadvantages:
• It is not suitable for very cold weather regions.
• Marble flooring is very expensive.
• Marble also becomes yellowish in colour , if it has more iron content.

10. Brick flooring
• Red brick is used for the flooring which is made from clay.
• It is cheap, hard, durable and easy to handle and to work with.
• Used in godowns; ware houses, residential houses, garden, roads and
in areas where good bricks are available.
Size:
• Standard thickness 1 ¼” – 1 3/8”)
Care:
• Daily cleaning by thoroughly sweeping, vacuuming, or dry-mopping
the floor to remove any dirt or particles that may be clinging to its surface.

11. Advantages:
• It doesn't harbor dust and other allergens like carpet.
• Brick's hard surface makes it easy to clean.
• Not easily damaged by the rigors of a busy household, pets, high-traffic or frequently moved
furniture.
Disadvantages:
• Brick flooring is extremely hard, which means that it can be hard on your feet and dangerous if
you fall on it.
• It is extremely absorbent, and will soak up water and other liquids if you don't quickly clean
them up.

12. Glass flooring
• Glass floors are made with transparent glass , translucent glass
,toughened glass .
• Used in both residential and commercial structures.
• Special hollow glass blocks known as '"glass pavers" are often used
in combination with a metal frame.

13. Advantages:
• Glass tiles are easy to maintain and clean.
• Adds beauty to your room.
• The process of creating glass tiles is more environmentally friendly than the other tile materials.
Disadvantages:
• They can easily get slippery especially when wet.
• If you are using glass flooring on your entire floor, you may want to add non-slip throw rug.

14. Stone flooring
• This high-quality option adds a luxurious look to any space.
• Floor tiles are made from many different types of stone.
• Softer stone likes sandstone won’t resist moisture as well as
harder stone like granite or marble.
• used in kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, conservatories, living areas,
and for exterior paved areas.
Size:
• First, remember that typical natural stone floor tile sizes are
12”x12”, 13”x13”, 16”x16”, and 18”x18.”
Care:
• Sweeping, dusting or vacuuming your floor regularly removes the
accumulation of dirt.

15. Advantages:
• Natural Stone is an eco-friendly material.
• Natural stones like granite and slate are a very strong and impervious material.
Disadvantges:
• Stones like Italian marble , onyx and travertine develop cracks very easily .
• The most expensive flooring options is stone.

16. Rubber flooring
• Rubber flooring can be made from either natural tree rubber or
from synthetic materials, which are often recycled from vehicle tires.
• Rubber flooring also provides plenty of choices. From interlocking tiles,
sheets to square edge tiles.
• Used in commercial settings such as cafeterias, hospitals and gym
weight rooms, kitchen or bathrooms.
Care:
• Vacuum the floor thoroughly, Mop with warm water and mild dish soap.
• Use a vinegar solution for water-based stains,treat your floor with special
care the first 6-12 months.

17. Advantages:
• Durability
• Easy maintenance
• Water resistant
• Quiet
• Easy installation
• Recyclable
Disadvantages:
• Smooth, untextured rubber tiles can be slippery when wet.
• Quiet expensive.
• Rubber is fairly resistant to catching fire.