In architecture, a floor is generally the lower horizontal surface of a room, and/or the supporting structure underneath it. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation A room, in Architecture, is any distinguishable space within a structure Structure is a fundamental and sometimes Intangible notion covering the Recognition, Observation, nature, and Stability of

A floor typically consists of a support structure called a sub-floor on top of which is laid a floor covering to provide a walking surface.

The work of installing a floor covering is called flooring. This term is also used to refer to any permanent floor covering and in particular to wood flooring.

The various levels in a building are also called floors. In Architecture, Construction, Engineering and real estate development the word building may refer to one of the following Any man-made See storey for this use. A storey (spelled story in the USA only floor, deck or level is the level of a Building above (or below the Ground.

Contents 1 Support structure 1.1 Ground floor construction 1.2 Upper floor construction 1.3 Special floor constructions 1.4 Utilities 2 Floor covering 2.1 Carpet 2.2 Laminate 2.3 Area rugs 2.4 Resilient flooring 2.5 Wood flooring 2.6 Ceramic tile 2.7 Stone 2.8 Terrazzo 2.9 Seamless chemical flooring 2.10 Other floorings 2.11 Flooring tools 3 Issues with floors 4 Floor Cleaning 5 See also 6 References

Support structure

The supporting structure underneath flooring is called a sub-floor. Sometimes, as for earthen floors, there is no separate structure. An earthen floor, also called an adobe floor is a floor made of dirt raw earth or other unworked ground materials The subfloor may also provide services like underfloor heating or ducts for air conditioning. Underfloor heating is a form of Central heating which utilizes Heat conduction and Radiant heat for indoor climate control, rather than forced The term air conditioning refers to the cooling and dehumidification of indoor air for Thermal comfort.

A ground-level floor can be an earthen floor made of soil, or be solid ground floors made of concrete slab. An earthen floor, also called an adobe floor is a floor made of dirt raw earth or other unworked ground materials Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel Solid ground floor The solid ground Floor consists of a layer of Concrete, which is the case of a domestic building will be the surface layer brought up to ground A Concrete slab is a common structural element of modern buildings Floors above may be built on beams or joists or use structures like hollow core slabs. A joist in Architecture and Engineering, is one of the horizontal supporting members that run from wall to wall wall to beam or beam to beam to support a Ceiling A hollow core slab, also known as a voided slab (Hohlkörperplatte Kanaalplaat or Welfsel hålplatta ontelolaatta is a Prefabricated slab of Prestressed

Ground floor construction

Ground-level slab floors are prepared for pouring by grading the base material so that it is flat, and then spreading a layer of sand and gravel. Grading in civil engineering and construction is the work of ensuring a level (or possibly sloped to specific degree base for a construction work such as a foundation or the Sand is a naturally occurring Granular material composed of finely divided rock and Mineral particles Gravel is rock that is of a specific Particle size range In Geology, gravel is any loose rock that is larger than two millimeters (2mm A grid of rebar is usually added to reinforce the concrete, especially if it will be used structurally, i. A rebar, or reinforcing bar, is a common Steel bar and is commonly used in Reinforced concrete and reinforced Masonry structures Reinforced concrete is Concrete in which reinforcement bars (" Rebars quot or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen a material that would otherwise be e. to support part of the building.

Upper floor construction

Floors in woodframe homes are usually constructed with joists that are centered no more than 16 inches or 40 centimeters apart, according to most building codes. Framing, in construction known as light frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members usually called studs, which provide a stable A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as Buildings and Nonbuilding Heavy floors, such as those made of stone, are more closely-spaced. Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar, and the term "masonry" can also refer to the units themselves If the span between load-bearing walls is too long for joists to safely support, then a heavy crossbeam (thick or laminated wood, or a metal I-beam or H-beam) may have to be used. Span is a section between two intermediate supports eg of a beam or a Bridge. A laminate is a material constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together I-beams (also known as W-beams or double-T esp in Polish and German) are beams with an I- or H-shaped I-beams (also known as W-beams or double-T esp in Polish and German) are beams with an I- or H-shaped A 'subfloor' of plywood or waferboard is then laid over the joists. Plywood is a type of Engineered board made from thin sheets of Wood, called plies or veneers Waferboard belongs to the subset of reconstituted wood panel products called flakeboards which is a type of Particleboard.

Special floor constructions

Where a special floor structure like a floating floor is laid upon another floor then both may be referred to as sub-floors. A Floating Floor is a Floor that does not need to be nailed or glued to the subfloor

Special floor structures are used for a number of purposes:

• Floating floor, normally for noise or vibration reduction
• Glass floor, as in glass bottomed elevators
• Nightingale floor makes a noise when an intruder walks on it
• Raised floor, utilities underneath can be accessed easily
• Sprung floor, improves the performance and safety of athletes and dancers

Utilities

Utilities are also run through the floor, by drilling small holes to go crosswise. A Floating Floor is a Floor that does not need to be nailed or glued to the subfloor Glass Floor was the debut full length album by the Indie pop group Maritime. Nightingale floors, or uguisubari (鴬張り, were floors designed to make a chirping sound when walked upon A raised floor (also raised flooring) is a type of Floor used in Office buildings (such as IT Data centers with a high requirement A sprung floor is a Floor that absorbs shocks giving it a softer feel A public utility (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the Infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using A drill (from Dutch Drillen) is Where the floor is over the basement or crawlspace, they may instead be run under the joists, making the installation less expensive. A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the Ground floor. A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the Ground floor. Ducts for air conditioning (central heating and cooling) are large and cannot cross joists or beams, thus they are typically at or near the plenum, or come directly from underneath (or from an attic). The term air conditioning refers to the cooling and dehumidification of indoor air for Thermal comfort. An attic is a space found directly below the pitched Roof of a house or other building (also called garret, Loft or The floor of one level typically also holds the ceiling of the level below (if any). A ceiling is an overhead interior surface that bounds the upper limit of a room.

Pipes for plumbing and sewerage, as well as for underfloor heating, may also be laid directly in slab floors, which is also sometimes the case for some other utilities. Plumbing, from the Latin plumbum for Lead, is the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and Plumbing fixtures for Underfloor heating is a form of Central heating which utilizes Heat conduction and Radiant heat for indoor climate control, rather than forced Maintenance of these systems can be very expensive however, requiring the opening of concrete or other fixed structures. Electrically heated floors are also available, and both kinds of systems can also be used in wood floors as well.

Other services provided by subfloors include:

• Cellular floor raceways
• Underfloor heating

Floor covering

Floor covering is a term to generically describe any finish material applied over a floor structure to provide a walking surface. Flooring is the general term for a permanent covering of a floor, or for the work of installing such a floor covering. Both terms are used interchangeably but floor covering refers more to loose-laid materials.

Materials almost always classified as floor covering include carpet, area rugs, and resilient flooring such as linoleum or vinyl flooring. A carpet is any loom-woven felted textile or grass floor covering Linoleum is a Floor covering made from solidified Linseed oil (linoxyn in combination with Wood flour or cork dust over a Burlap or Canvas A vinyl compound is any Organic compound that contains a vinyl group (also called ethenyl) &minus C[[Hydrogen H]] =CH sub>2 Materials commonly called flooring include wood flooring, ceramic tile, stone, terrazzo, and various seamless chemical floor coatings. A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as Ceramic, stone, metal or even Glass. Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar, and the term "masonry" can also refer to the units themselves Terrazzo is a Faux - Marble flooring or Countertopping material ^[1]

The choice of material for floor covering is affected by factors such as cost, endurance, noise insulation, comfort and cleaning effort. is a one volume manga created by Tsutomu Nihei as a prequel to his ten-volume work Blame!. Some types of flooring must not be installed below grade (lower than ground level), and laminate or hardwood should be avoided where there may be moisture or condensation.

The sub-floor may be finished in a way that makes it usable without any extra work, see:

• Earthen floor adobe or clay floors
• Solid ground floor cement screed or granolithic

Carpet

Carpet is a floor covering woven or felted from natural or man-made fibers. An earthen floor, also called an adobe floor is a floor made of dirt raw earth or other unworked ground materials Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and Solid ground floor The solid ground Floor consists of a layer of Concrete, which is the case of a domestic building will be the surface layer brought up to ground A carpet is any loom-woven felted textile or grass floor covering Fitted carpet is attached to the floor structure, extends wall-to-wall, and cannot be moved from place to place. Fitted carpet, also wall-to-wall carpet or carpeting, is a Carpet intended to cover a Floor entirely and permanently An underlay can extend carpet life and improve comfort. Underlay is a thin layer of cushioning made of materials such as Sponge Rubber, Foam, felt or Crumb rubber, which is laid beneath Carpeting

Laminate

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. A laminate is a material constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together 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.

Area rugs

Rugs are also woven or felted from fibers, but are smaller than the room in which they are located, have a finished edge, and usually lie over another finished floor such as wood flooring. Rugs may either be temporarily attached to the flooring below by adhesive tape or other methods to prevent creep, or may be loose-laid.

Resilient flooring

Resilient flooring includes many different manufactured products including linoleum, sheet vinyl, vinyl composition tile, cork (sheet or tile), and others. Linoleum is a Floor covering made from solidified Linseed oil (linoxyn in combination with Wood flour or cork dust over a Burlap or Canvas A vinyl compound is any Organic compound that contains a vinyl group (also called ethenyl) &minus C[[Hydrogen H]] =CH sub>2 Vinyl composition tile (VCT is a finished Flooring material used primarily in commercial and institutional applications Cork material is a Prime-subset of generic cork tissue, harvested for commercial use primarily from the Cork Oak tree Quercus

Wood flooring

Many different species of wood are fabricated into wood flooring in two primary forms: plank and parquet. Bamboo flooring is also available. Bamboo floors are manufactured from the Bamboo plant The majority of today's bamboo flooring products originate in China and other portions of Asia. While bamboo is technically not a wood, bamboo flooring is installed and functions much like wood flooring. Reclaimed lumber has a unique appearance and is green. Reclaimed lumber is used wood that has been taken for re-use Often this is wood from from long-standing idle buildings and its sometimes refinished for new purposes Green politics is a Political ideology which places a high importance on ecological and environmental goals and on achieving these goals through broad-based

Ceramic tile

Ceramic tile includes a wide variety of clay products fired into thin units which are set in beds of mortar or mastic with the joints between tiles grouted. Mortar is a workable paste formed by mixture of Cement, Water and fine aggregate Masonry to bind construction blocks together and fill the gaps between Mastic ( Greek:μαστίχα( Pistacia lentiscus) is an Evergreen Shrub or small Tree of the Pistacio family growing Grout is a Construction material used to embed Rebars in Masonry walls connect sections of pre-cast Concrete, fill voids and seal joints (like Varieties include quarry tile, porcelain tile, terra cotta tile, and others. Quarry tile is a building construction material usually 1/2 to 3/4 inches (13 to 19 mm in thickness made by the extrusion process from natural Clay or Shales Porcelain is a Ceramic material made by heating raw materials generally including Clay in the form of Kaolin, in a Kiln to temperatures Terra cotta ( Italian: "baked earth" is a Ceramic. Its uses include vessels water & waste water pipes and surface embellishment in Building construction

Stone

Many different natural stones are cut into a variety of sizes, shapes, and thicknesses for use as flooring. Stone flooring is usually set in mortar and grouted similar to ceramic tile.

Terrazzo

Terrazzo consists of marble or other stone aggregate set in mortar and ground and polished to a smooth surface. Terrazzo is a Faux - Marble flooring or Countertopping material Marble is a nonfoliated Metamorphic rock resulting from the Metamorphism of Limestone, composed mostly of Calcite (a crystalline form of

Seamless chemical flooring

Many different seamless flooring materials are available. These are usually latex, polyester, or epoxy compounds which are applied in liquid form to provide a completely seamless floor covering. LaTeX (ˈleɪtɛ Polyester is a category of Polymers which contain the Ester Functional group in their main chain In Chemistry, epoxy or polyepoxide is a Thermosetting Epoxide Polymer that cures (polymerizes and crosslinks when mixed with a These are usually found in wet areas such as laboratories or food processing plants.

Other floorings

• Linoleum
• Marble
• Mosaic
• Parquetry
• Performance surface flooring for dance or athletics
• Rubber
• Tile Includes slate, ceramic and stone tiles

Flooring tools

Special tools used for flooring include:

• Flooring clamp, a clamp for tongue and groove floors while nailing
• Knee kicker, used to stretch carpets flat

Issues with floors

Wood floors, particularly older ones, will tend to 'squeak' in certain places. Linoleum is a Floor covering made from solidified Linseed oil (linoxyn in combination with Wood flour or cork dust over a Burlap or Canvas Marble is a nonfoliated Metamorphic rock resulting from the Metamorphism of Limestone, composed mostly of Calcite (a crystalline form of Art History Mosaics of the 4th century BC are found in the Macedonian palace-city of Aegae, and they enriched the floors of Hellenistic A performance surface is a Flooring suitable for dance or sport A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as Ceramic, stone, metal or even Glass. Clamps, or cramps for laying Tongue and groove floorboards or Flooring. This is caused by the wood rubbing against other wood, usually at a joint of the subfloor. A joint is the location at which two or more Bones make contact Firmly securing the pieces to each other with screws or nails will remove this problem. A screw is a shaft with a helical groove or thread formed on its surface and provision at one end to turn the screw In Engineering, Woodworking and Construction, a nail is a pin -shaped sharp object of hard Metal, typically Steel,

Floor vibration is a particularly annoying problem with floors. In the design of floor systems in buildings vibrations caused by walking dancing mechanical equipment or other rhythmic excitation may cause an annoyance to the occupants or impede the Wood floors tend to pass sound, particularly heavy footsteps and low bass frequencies. Sound' is Vibration transmitted through a Solid, Liquid, or Gas; particularly sound means those vibrations composed of Frequencies Floating floors can reduce or eliminate this problem. A Floating Floor is a Floor that does not need to be nailed or glued to the subfloor Concrete floors are usually so solid they do not have this problem, but are also much more expensive to construct, and much heavier, resulting in further requirements regarding the structure of the building.

The flooring may need protection sometimes e. g. a gym floor used for a graduation ceremony. A Gym floor cover can be used to reduce the need to satisfy incompatible requirements. Gym floor cover is a large plastic tarp, usually divided into equal sections.

Floor Cleaning

Floor cleaning is a major occupation throughout the world. A cleaner is a type of industrial or Domestic worker who cleans homes or offices for Payment. Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. The principal reasons for floor cleaning are:

• To prevent injuries due to tripping or slipping. Injury or bodily injury is Damage or Harm caused to the Structure or function of the Body caused by an outside agent or Injuries due to slips and trips on level floors are a major cause of accidental injury or death. An accident is a specific identifiable unexpected unusual and unintended external event which occurs in a particular time and place without apparent or deliberate Bad practice in floor cleaning is itself a major cause of accidents. ^[2]
• To beautify the floor
• To remove stains, dirt, litter and obstructions
• To remove allergens, in particular dust
• To prevent wear to the surface e. A stain is a discoloration that can be clearly distinguished from the sufrace Litter is Waste disposed in the wrong place by Unlawful human action and can vary in size of incident occurrence or items An allergen is a nonparasitic Antigen capable of stimulating a Type-I hypersensitivity reaction in atopic individuals Dust is a general name for minute Solid particles with Diameters less than 500 micrometers. g. by using a floor wax or protective sealant. Wax has traditionally referred to a substance that is secreted by Bees ( Beeswax) and used by them in constructing their A sealant is a viscous material that changes state to become solid once applied and is used to prevent the penetration of Air, Gas, Noise, Dust
• To make the environment sanitary e. Hygiene refers to practices associated with ensuring good health and cleanliness g. in kitchens
• To maintain an optimum traction e. For the Banana Yashimoto novel see Kitchen (novel A kitchen, is a room or part of a room (sometimes called "kitchen Friction is the Force resisting the relative motion of two Surfaces in contact or a surface in contact with a fluid (e g. for dance floors

The treatment needed for different types of floors is very different. ^[3] For safety it is most important to ensure the floor is not left even slightly wet after cleaning or mopping up. ^[4]

Sawdust is used on some floors to absorb any liquids that fall rather than trying to prevent them being spilt. The sawdust is swept up and replaced each day. This was common in the past in pubs and is still used in some butchers and fishmongers. A butcher is someone who prepares various Meats and other related goods for sale A fishmonger ( fishwife for women practitioners - "wife" in this case used in its archaic meaning of "woman" is someone who sells Fish and ^[5]

It used to be common to use tea leaves to collect dirt from carpets and remove odours. ^[6] Nowadays it is sill quite common to use diatomaceous earth, or in fact any cat litter type material, to remove infestations from floors. Diatomaceous earth (ˌdaɪətəˈmeɪʃəs ˈɝθ also known as DE, TSS, diatomite, diahydro, kieselguhr, kieselgur and Cat litter (often called kitty litter) is one of any of a number of materials used in Litter boxes to absorb moisture from Cat Feces and

Good well-maintained entrance matting can dramatically reduce the need for cleaning. A mat is a generic term for a piece of fabric or flat material generally placed on a Floor or other flat surface and serving a range of purposes including For public and office buildings about 80 to 90% of the dirt is tracked in from outside. Installing a total of 15 feet of matting consisting of both indoor and outdoor sections will remove about 80% of this. ^[7][8] Thus about two-thirds of the dirt can be removed at the entrance. BS 7953 'Entrance flooring systems. Selection, installation and maintenance' has standards relating to barrier matting.

See also

• Floor plan
• Floor numbering

References

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic