The document discusses various types of floor finishes, including their composition, properties, and criteria for selection, highlighting options like concrete, terrazzo, rubber, vinyl, cork, wood, and linoleum. Each type of flooring has specific characteristics and maintenance needs, emphasizing durability, aesthetics, and resistance to moisture and damage. The information serves an educational purpose and includes attributes that influence flooring choices.

1. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FLOOR
FINISHES?
INTRODUCTION
A floor finish is a liquid that is put to a porous tile floor and dries into a firm, long-lasting, and smooth film. This
film, which is about the thickness of waxed paper, is designed to safeguard and enhance the longevity of the
floor while also creating a pleasing appearance and a slip-resistant surface.
What Does A Floor Finish Contain?
As manyas twenty-five elementscanbe foundinhigh-quality floorfinishes.Afterdrying,some of these
substancesevaporate,whileothersremainonthe floor.Ingredientsthatevaporate are referredtoas
"volatile"components,whereasthose thatremainonthe floorare referredtoas "non-volatile"
components.
The volatile elementsaidinthe developmentof the film, aswell asthe dryingandcuringof the finish,
before evaporating.The solidcomponentsthatstayonthe floorand developthe floorfinishfilmare
knownas non-volatileingredients.
The elementsinfloorfinishescombine toprovide awell-balancedmixof physical andperformance
attributes.Hardness,gloss,clarity,scuff resistance,slip resistance,wateranddetergentresistance,
buffability,removability,recoatability,andtoughnessare some of these properties.
(1) polymeremulsions,(2) filmformers,(3) modifiers,(4) preservatives,and(5) waterare the five basic
typesof floorfinishingredients.
Criteria For Flooring Selection
 It shouldbe long-lasting.
 It shouldbe simple toclean.
 Noiseless

2.  Have a Professional Appearance
 Free of any moisture
 It isfire-resistant.
 Low cost of maintenance
Different Types Of Floor Finishes
Concrete Flooring (Vacuum Dewatered)
Under concrete flooringsystem,concrete ispouredinplace andvibratedwithapokervibrator.The
surface isthenvibratedwitha screedvibrator,whichissupportedbychannel shutteringspaced4.0
metresapart.To get the bestcompactionand levelling,the screedvibratoris usedtwice.Followingthat,
a systemof lowermatsand a top mat is installedonthe greenconcrete andconnectedtoa vacuum
pump.Thishelpstoremove anyextrawater.
Terrazzo Flooring (marble Chips )
In India,terrazoas well astile floorswere formerlyquite popularandare still usedinmiddle-class
homes.However,unlessthe tilesare producedof the rightmaterialsandare properlycured,theyare
prone to pitting.Italsorequirespolishingafterinstallation,thusenoughtimeshouldbe allocated forits
installationduringthe designstage inrelationtothe building'scompletiondate.
Rubber Flooring
Syntheticrubber,suchasstyrene butadienerubber,isusedtomake all modernrubberfloors(SBR).By
applyingheat,the tilesare curedorvulcanized.Rubberfloorsare nonporousandwatertight.One of
theirkeyadvantagesisthattheyare highlydurable andcanwithstandawide range of temperatures.
Alkalies,oils,grease,solvents,UV light,andozone inthe aircan damage rubberflooring.When these
elementsattackarubberfloor,itoftenbecomesstickyandsoft.Itwill thenbecome brittle,crackingand
powdering.
Floors made of vinyl (IS 3492-1966)
Vinyl tilesandfloorscome inavarietyof styles.Vinylcompositiontiles,homogeneousorflexible vinyl
tiles,andlaminatedvinyl flooringare the mostcommontypes.Vinyl compositiontilesalsoincorporate
mineral fillerslike asphaltandcoloursinadditiontothe vinyl resins.
The cost of manufacturinglaminatedvinylflooringislowerthanthatof vinyl compositionor
homogeneousvinyl flooring.The cheapinitialcostmaybe misleading,because the floorwill needtobe
replacedafterthe topwearlayeris wornthrough.Withmoderate use,some laminatedflooringsare
onlyguaranteedforthree years.The thicknessof the topvinyl wearlayerwill determinethe price of
laminatedvinylflooring.

3. Cork Tile
Cork tile ismanufacturedfromthe outerbarkof the cork oaktree,Cork iscrushedintohuge grains,
combinedwithsyntheticresins,andpressedintosheetsbefore beingcutintotiles.A transparentvinyl
top layeriscommonlyputto contemporarycorktilesforfloors.The corkis protectedfromstainsand
damage by thisvinyl covering.
Cork tileshave alonghistoryof beingusedinindustrial andinstitutional contexts.One reasonisbecause
cork isone of the most porousof all floorcoverings,makingitsubjecttostains.Anotherdisadvantage is
that itis not long-lastingandiseasilyabraded.Corkfloorswill be badlyshortenedif cinders,sand,or
gravel are tracked ontothem.Finally,itiscostly.
Dirt lodgedinthe grains,splinteringof the woodfibres,abrasionsproducedbytypical foottraffic,and,
of course,dampness,the nemesisof woodfloors,are all problemsthatunfinished woodsface.A wood
floorthat receivestoomuchmoisture will warp,whereasawoodfloorthatreceivestoolittle humidity
will shrinkandcrack. Most modernwoodfloorscome withafactory-appliedcoatingtoassistprevent
damage.
Linoleum (IS 653-1962)
Althoughvinyl haslargelysupplantedlinoleuminmodernstructures,olderfacilitiesmaystill have
linoleumflooring.Linoleumwasmade upof oxidisedlinseedoil,resins,embeddedcork,andwoodflour,
all of whichwere pressedontoabackingwithcolours.
It comesinrollswitha widthof around 1.80 metresor3.60 metres.The thicknessrangesfrom2to 6
millimetres.Linoleumtilesare anotheroptionforlinoleumflooring.Linoleumflooringshouldbe
installedonaproperlydamp-proofedsurface.Linoleum'sdisadvantage isthatitisparticularly
vulnerable towater.The informationonthissite issolelyforthe purpose of education(students/
users).Text,pictures,graphics,drawingsandartwork,video,musicandsound,andnames,logos,andIS
Codesare all copyrightedproductsof theirrespectiveownersandare usedandpresentedonthe Sites.
Theyare suppliedsolelyforthe purpose of reference andinformation.
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Author: RajibDey
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