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FLOOR FINISHES

Floors are both functional and decorative and play an important part in the cleaning and

maintenance program of any hotel. They cover a large area and are subjected to a great

deal of wear and tear. Clean and well-kept floors indicate the standard of cleanliness

throughout the establishment.

SELECTION CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING FLOOR FINISHES: -

Appearance – color, design, cold, warmth, comfort

Resistance to spills – water, grease, food, acid, etc.

Safety

Life expectancy

Durability

Ease of cleaning in relation to the type and amount of soiling

Sound and heat insulation

Cost

Nature and condition of sub floor(layer below the floor finishes made of concrete or

wood)

Hard floors are usually sealed to give a non-absorbent, semi permanent gloss or finish

which will wear off in time. Seal is applied on clean and dry floor. Before re-sealing any

remaining seal has to be striped off. This is done with a chemical stripper, except in the

case of wood and cork where sanding is done.

In order to preserve the seal, polish should be applied to sealed flooring. Polishes are

usually spirit or water based. Spirit based floor polishes may be paste or liquid and

require buffing when dry to produce a shine. Water based polishes are liquid and dries

after application to give a shiny surface.

SUBFLOORS

In large modern buildings the sub floor is often made of concrete, but in older and

smaller buildings it consists of soft wooden boards, nailed to wooden joints.

Suspended Timber Floors: Tongued and groove or butted boards are supported by timber

joists in this type of base floor. As floor boards move a little when they are walked upon,

the choice of floor covering is limited to those types of that are not affected by movement

or ‘give’. A modern development in suspended floor construction is the use of large

sheets of materials such as plywood or flooring-grade chipboard in place of wood

baseboards.

Solid Concrete Floors: Concrete is laid directly onto the hard core and earth at the

ground level of all modern buildings. Pre-cast concrete slabs are used for the intermediate

floors. Concrete floors are given a cement screed layer on top to smooth out the

roughness and provide a flat surface on which flooring material can be laid. Concrete

floors provide a very stable floor.

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TYPES OF FLOOR FINISHES:-

1) HARD

Non Resilient (does not get bend or dented) eg.(Marble, granite, terrazzo, concrete)

Resilient (Wood, Asphalt, Bitumastic)

2) SEMI-HARD (Cork, rubber, linoleum)

3) SOFT (Carpets, rugs etc.)

HARD FINISHES

Hard floorings are durable but noisy, with the exception of some wood flooring. Hard

floorings are mostly cold in feel, vermin-proof, impervious to dry rot, fire-retardant, and

easily cleaned. Hard floorings can be further classified as non-resilient and resilient

floorings. The term resilient means bounce back capacity.

Non-Resilient Hard Floor Finishes:

1) STONE: This is a good choice of flooring for a natural appearance and an almost

indefinite life. All types of stone are very heavy and must be laid on a solid concrete sub-

floor. Stone floors are resistant to wear, water, indentation, and to most cleaning

chemicals. The various types of stone commonly used are:

a) Marble: - This is the best known of all stone floorings and is available in a wide range

of patterns and colours including white, grey, pink, green, brown and black. Marble is

crystallized limestone. It may have a banded (serpentine) pattern or may be mottled.

Marble is durable, but lighter colours yellow with age. Honed marble is recommended for

commercial floors. It gives a satin finish with little or no gloss. Sandblasted or abrasive-

finished marbles marble has a matte effect and is suitable for exterior use. Travertine

marble is cheaper and is characterized by small cavities on the surface, which offer

greater slip resistance and allows dust to settle. Marble stains easily on coming in contact

with ferrous metals and oils. Marble is available in tiles ranging in size from 12 inches up

to 18 inches square, but slabs up to 5x3 ft can be obtained on special order. Marble is

very expensive. Mainly used for lobbies, rooms, stairways etc.

SERPENTINE PATTERN MOTTLED PATTERN HONED MARBLE

SANDBLASTED MARBLE TRAVERTINE MARBLE

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b) Slate: This is a hard, impervious stone that may be given a polished, sawn or riven

surface. Riven slate is split along its natural layers, so that the natural undulations give it

a rippled surface that is less slippery when wet than a smooth surface would be. The

natural colours of slate are blue grey and grey. Slate forms when layers of mud and silt

build up and solidify over millions of years. For interior use, slate slabs come in standard

sizes of 18x19 inches, but larger slabs up to 6.5 ft or 6 x 3 ft are also available.

SAWN SLATE RIVEN SLATE

c) Quartzite: This is a crystallized rock with a matte finish. Embedded quartz grains give

it a slight sparkle. Its colour range from silver grey to olive, yellow and gold. They are

very hard wearing, non-slip, and suitable for both interiors and exteriors. The thickness of

the quartzite slab depends on the rock formation.

QUARTZITE FLOORING

d) Sandstone, limestone and granite: Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed of

compressed sand. Limestone is composed of calcium carbonate. Granite is a granular

crystalline rock of quartz, feldspar and mica. All three stones make good flooring

material. Colours include various shades of grey, beige, green and brown. Mainly used

for vanitory counter, table tops etc.

SANDSTONE FLOORING LIMESTONE FLOORING GRANITE FLOORING

2) CONCRETE: This material is good for areas that take hard wear, as it is highly

resistant to chipping and cracking, scratching, indentation, heat. Most types of concrete

are used for exteriors such as patios, but concrete tiles and terrazzo are suitable for indoor

use. Concrete floors are found in heavy traffic areas like equipment areas. Properties

often have concrete floors in parking areas, garages and exhibition areas. Concrete is a

mixture of cement and various fillers such as sand, gravel, crushed stones and sea shells.

The elements are mixed in dry form and then combined with water, reacting chemically

to form the hard, stone-like material. The curing or hardening of concrete is a hydration

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process. Concrete floorings are easy to clean but should not be polished as they can be

slippery.

a) Granolithic Concrete: This is plain concrete structural flooring on which a surface of

granite chippings and cement is cast on site. The final surface is hard wearing and its

appearance is improved if the surface is polished to expose the aggregate in the concrete.

It is used for basement corridors, storerooms, stairways and laundry. It is usually laid in

tile form.

GRANOLITHIC CONCRETE

b) Concrete Flags: This low cost flooring is used for terraces and garden paths. A variety

of colours, sizes, and shapes is available. Concrete paving stones are available with a

finish that imitates the texture of natural stone. They should be laid on sand or a bed of

weak-mix concrete, the surface of which is well leveled.

CONCRETE FLAGS

c) Concrete Tiles: These are made of coloured cement and hard wearing aggregate

surfaces applied to a concrete backing. They have a good wearing property and are

available in sizes from 4 sq inches to 18 sq. inches.

CONCRETE TILES

d) Terrazzo:-Is flooring that can be cast on site to form panels of up to 1 sq. metre or can

be pressed into tiles off-site. The appearance of terrazzo depends upon the aggregate

chippings used. The chippings may be made of marble, pebbles, stones set in a matrix or

mortar of cement. It is then machine grounded to make a smooth surface. The matrix is

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often referred to as grout. Like most porous surfaces, terrazzo floors must be sealed for

durability. Terrazzo is used in foyers, cloakrooms and kitchens.

TERRAZZO FLOORING

3) VITREOUS / CERAMIC FLOORINGS: This refers to flooring material that have

been made of some clay product and fired in a kiln to produce a hard, stone-like quality.

Ceramic flooring is the most common name for this type of material. Vitreous materials

are mostly composed of silicon materials that flow together and bond during the firing

process to form a glass like ceramic. Combination of clay, marble, slate, glass and flint

are used to make ceramic tiles. Ceramics are resistant to chipping, scratching, and

indentation but offer a long lasting, hard wearing floor that is easy to clean. It can be

classified into glazed and unglazed ceramic ex, quarry tiles, bricks, glazed tiles, paver

stones.

a) Glazed Ceramic Tiles/ Clay Floor Tiles: These are made from refined natural clays

fired at high temperatures and glazed. They are available in a variety of sizes, shapes,

textures, colours, and patterns. Ceramic tiles require a solid sub-floor and can be laid

either directly on concrete by bedding them in the cement or may be fixed to the screed

with adhesive. They are used in luxurious bathrooms and patios. Tessellated tiles are

small ceramic tiles, often used in mosaics that give a highly decorative floor. These tiles

may also crack or break under heavy weights or impact.

GLAZED CERAMIC TILES TESSELLATED TILES

b) Quarry Tiles: These are hard wearing tiles made from blend of unrefined clays hard

burnt under pressure to make them durable. Harder tiles are less absorbent, but more

slippery. They are available in heather brown, red and blue colours. They can be laid

directly on concrete by bedding in cement. It is used in cloakrooms, kitchens, canteens.

The standard size is 6 square inches of 15 mm thickness. Larger sizes, such as 8 sq.

inches, are also made.

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QUARRY TILES

c) Mosaic: There are three types of mosaic tiles: clay, glass and marble. They are made in

small squares and other shapes that can be assembled into larger patterns. Fully vitrified

mosaic tiles are made especially for outdoor use. Ideally, mosaic tiles need a solid sub-

floor, but they can be laid on a suspended floor over a small area, such as in a shower

enclosure.

MOSAIC TILES

d) Brick: These are different from terracotta tiles only in thickness and shape, the material

is the same. Bricks are usually not glazed and are very porous. They are generally 3

inches x 6 inches in size.

BRICK FLOORING

e) Terracotta Tiles: These are unglazed, hard baked tiles made from hand formed clay

available in smoky red to sun-baked orange colours. They are porous and need to be

sealed with a linseed oil sealant and waxed for added protection. Overtime, terracotta

tiles may crack or chip.

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TERRACOTTA TILES

f) Pavers: These are tiles that resemble natural quarry tiles. They are produced by

compression and are available in different colours. They are often 12 sq inches in size

and are used in driveways.

PAVERS

4) MAGNESITE / OXYCHLORIDE: A flooring material composed of magnesium

chloride, using magnesium oxide as a binder, sawdust, ground silica, and fine powdered

wood waste; used as a finishing surface on concrete floor slabs This finish is extremely

porous and washing should be avoided as much as possible. It maybe sealed and /or

polished to prevent the penetration of water and dirt, but then it becomes very slippery.

These floors are used in areas where no water is used like linen rooms.

MAGNESITE FLOORING

5) RESIN FLOORINGS: These are composed of synthetic resins usually epoxy,

polyester, polyurethane with different hardeners. Vinyl or marble chips may be included

to give a more decorative flooring resembling terrazzo. They are non-skid and suitable

for use in kitchens, canteens, bathrooms, corridors and laundries. They provide excellent

wear.

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RESIN FLOORING

Resilient Hard Floor Finishes

1) WOOD: This is the oldest material used. Soft woods such as pine and fir have a high

degree of resilience, whereas hardwoods such as oak and maple have low resilience.

Hardwood is obtained from broad-leafed trees such as oak, teak, maple, walnut, birch,

beech and so on. Commonly used soft woods are pine, fir, cedar, rubber wood. The

durability of wood flooring depends on good maintenance and on the quality of wood.

Hard woods are resistant to abrasion and indentation, but they should not be used in wet

areas. Wood floors are warm to the touch and tend to be noisy. They are not slippery

unless too much polish is used. The biggest disadvantage of wood floors is their porosity,

absorbency and susceptibility to damage by water. To prevent absorption of spills and

dirt, wood flooring should be sealed and or polished. Wood floorings are poor conductor

of heat, and so are good insulators. Wood floors being resilient are less tiring to walk on

than non-resilient surfaces. Wood is however, inflammable, susceptible to dry-rot, and

scratches and splinters with the dragging of heavy articles across it. Some types of wood

finishes are outlined below:

a) Wood Parquet: A high quality hardwood flooring in which decorative hardwoods are

cut into blocks and formed into panels, permitting elaborate geometric patterns such as

herringbones, basket weaves, and strips. The panels vary from 1 inch to 1¼ inches in

thickness; sizes vary from 12 sq inches to 2 sq. ft. Parquet may be laid over any rigid

wooden sub-floor. It is used rarely nowadays because of its high cost. It is used in foyers

and lounges in conjunction with rugs.

HERRINGBONE WOOD PARQUET BASKET WOOD PARQUET

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STRIP WOOD PARQUET

b) Plywood: These are made into tiles that can be used to simulate wood parquet, but are

generally called ‘parquet’ these days even when laid simply to resemble a board floor. Plywood parquet tiles are not durable in areas of heavy wear. It is supplied in various

squares from 9 inches to 3 ft.

PLYWOOD FLOORING

c) Hardwood Strip and Block: These are high quality wood floorings made of hardwoods.

It improves with age. Hardwood blocks vary in thickness from ¾ inch to 1¼ inch and the

size may be upto 12 x 3 inches. The strips used are upto 4 inches wide, and are carved to

have a tongue and groove. It must be laid on a dry, solid sub-floor and held in place with

cold bituminous adhesives.

HARDWOOD BLOCK

d) Wood Mosaic: Hardwood ‘fingers’ arranged in a basket weave pattern are stuck to a sheet of backing material to form panels 18 inches square and ⅜ inch thick. Wood mosaic

has very good wearing characteristics.

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WOOD MOSAIC

2) ASPHALT TILES: These are a close relative of linoleum because of the asphalt used

in their construction. They are composed of asbestos fibers, pigments, and inert fillers

bound with asphalt in the case of the darker varieties and with some other resinous binder

in the case of lighter colours.

ASPHALT TILES

3) BITUMASTIC FLOORING: This is a joint less, low-cost flooring and consists of a

type of asphalt rolled onto a solid sub floor in a hot plastic state. It is soft in texture and

impermeable to water. It is normally black, red or brown in colour used in public

restrooms, hospital corridors, and other heavy traffic areas. It is damaged by heat and

heavy weights and is also harmed by spirits, oils and acids.

BITUMASTIC FLOORING

SEMI-HARD FINISHES

Semi-hard or smooth floor finishes are durable, but normally less permanent than hard

floor finishes. They are all resilient, except thermoplastic tiles. These floorings are

resistant to pests as well as are easy to clean.

1) LINOLEUM: This is made from oxidized linseed oil or a combination of drying oils,

wood flour, ground cork, resins and pigments. This compound is mixed and pressed onto

an asphalt soaked piece of felt which is heated to bond the elements. It is affected by high

temperatures and strong alkalis. Gets dented, scratched easily. It is absorbent thus

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minimum amount of water should be used. It is used in linen rooms, corridors, bathrooms

and canteens.

LINOLEUM FLOORING

2) CORK: Obtained from the outer, light brown bark of cork oak trees, cork is ground

into large granules, mixed with synthetic resin, pressed into sheets at high temperature

and pressure, and then cut into strips of varying widths. It has a warm and restful

appearance. They have excellent acoustic properties. It is extremely porous, dents, burns,

and stains easily. The different varieties are untreated cork tiles, cork tiles with PVC

surface.

CORK FLOORING

3) RUBBER: This type of flooring is made from synthetic rubber. A filler or clay is

often used. Rubber maintains a good luster without any finishing treatments, and has a

good resistance to chemical and surface moisture. It is harmed by spirit, grease, sunlight,

alkalis. It is used in entrance halls, canteens and places where noise should be kept to

minimum.

RUBBER FLOORING

4) PLASTIC FLOORING: A wide range of colours, designs, textures and prices makes

plastic flooring very versatile. Those plastic floors which have a high PVC content in the

surface, such as flexible PVC tiles and sheets or PVC with various backings, are very

hard wearing. All types are resistant to wear, water, indentation, and to most cleaning

chemicals. The different types of plastic floorings are:

a) Thermoplastic and vinylized thermoplastic tiles: These are made from a variety of

asphalt binders with inert fillers and pigments. They are rigid tiles, set closely as possible

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with adhesive. They are laid down in a thermoplastic state, but harden on cooling and

may be carried up the wall to form a small coved skirting. These floorings are non-porous

but hard and noisy. These are used in bathrooms, corridors and offices.

VINYLIZED THERMOPLASTIC VINYL ASBESTOS TILES

They are available in two main types.

Vinyl asbestos, which is obtained only in tile form, is manufactured from PVC or similar

synthetic resins, fillers including short fiber asbestos, and pigments. It is available in wide

range of colours and the tiles can be stuck to a solid sub floor with a suitable adhesive.

Flexible form of Vinyl is based on PVC or similar synthetic resins, fillers, pigments and

plasticizers. These do not get cracked and are hard. Both types maybe used in bathrooms,

cloakrooms, canteens, offices, etc.

SOFT FLOOR COVERINGS

These are resilient floorings and include all types of carpets, rugs, and mats. Soft

floorings are quiet, warm and slip-resistant. They are available in variety of colours,

textures and patterns.

1) CARPETS: These typically consist of a backing or foundation and a surface pile,

which may be cut or uncut. The backing may be jute or cotton; linen and hemp are also

used. The pile yarn may be of wool, cotton, nylon, polyester etc. They are used because

of their attractive appearance, safety factor, warmth and sound insulation.

2) MATS & RUGS: These may be constructed from textile fibres or harder materials.

PROTECTIVE METHODS ON HARD FLOORINGS:-

A) SEAL –Seals are semi permanent finish applied on floors which gives a non-

absorbent, gloss. Seal is applied on clean and dry floor. Before re-sealing any remaining

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seal has to be striped off. This is done with a chemical stripper, except in the case of

wood and cork where sanding is done.

B) POLISH-In order to preserve the seal, polish should be applied to sealed flooring.

Polishes are usually spirit or water based. Spirit based floor polishes may be paste or

liquid and require buffing when dry to produce a shine. Water based polishes are liquid

and dries after application to give a shiny surface.

FLOOR CARE AND CLEANING AGENTS

Type Cleaning

agent

Polishes Caution Daily

maintenance

Periodic care

Cement or

concrete

Detergents or

neutral soap

Not

required

Damp mop Scrub on regular

basis

Wood Liquid

solvent

Solvent

based wax

or polish

Avoid

water

Dust mop,

heavy

powered

machine buff,

damp mop

only if

necessary

Buff with no.0 steel

wool or rebuff with

nylon pads. Clean

with dilute

detergent

Terrazzo Non-alkaline

synthetic

detergent

Can be

waxed,

avoid

build-up

Avoid

alkaline

or acid

cleaner.

Soap will

not stain

Sweep or dust

mop. Use

non-oily

compound

Buff with synthetic

or fiber(not

steelwool). If worn

grind down and

reseal

Rubber Synthetic

detergent

Coat with

wax

regularly

Consult

manufact

urer,

avoid

grease

and oil

Sweep or dry

mop with

treated mop

that leaves no

oil. Damp

mop with

dilute syndet

Spot clean at heavy

traffic, use safe-for-

rubber de-waxed

and repeat initial

care

Ceramic

tiles

Detergents or

neutral soap

Can be

waxed,

avoid

build-up

Avoid

abrasives

Sweep or dust

mop, damp

mop

Marble or

brick slate

neutral Wax or

polymer

Stains, avoid

excess water

Damp mop Polish by

buffing if

sealed.

Detergents or

neutral soap

solution, mild

floor cleaners

FloorWax

or floor

polishes

Stains,

easily,

Avoid

acids

Damp mop Buff and polish

with floor

maintenance

machine weekly.

Reseal every six

months

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