CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Chapter 5.7: Floors

Definition:

It is a horizontal panel that must support both live loads (people, furniture and movable things
on the floor) and dead loads (the weight of the floor itself) and transfers the loads horizontally
to structural beams or ground.

The purpose of a floor is to provide a level surface capable of supporting:

o The occupants of a building,
o Furniture,
o Equipment and
o Internal partition

Other purposes:
o Sound and thermal insulation (in the case of upper floors)
o Fire resistance
o Adequate strength and stability

In the traditional floors construction, a floor is needed to have a clean, smooth, impervious, level
and durable surface.

Floors are provided to divide a building into different levels for creating more
accommodation one above the other within certain limited space.

The floor resting directly on the ground surface is known as ground floor (i.e. the bottom most
floor of the building unless it is below the surrounding ground level which is termed as a
basement floor). The other floors of each storey situated above the ground level are known as
upper floors.

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

The floor must satisfy the following requirements.

o Adequate strength and stability
o Prevent dampness inside the building by providing a damp-proof member
o Provide thermal insulation
o Prevent growth of vegetation and other living organisms inside the building.

Functional Requirements of a Floor

a. Ground Floor
o Support without failure the load imposed on it by people and furniture in the case of
residential buildings, factories, warehouses, etc. Floors should be strong enough to carry
all incidental loads including wares and machinery.
o Prevent dampness inside the building by providing a damp proof membrane in or below
the floor. Suspended floors should be properly ventilated to avoid the accumulation of
moist air underneath.
o Prevent growth of vegetation and living organisms inside the building.
o Be reasonably durable so as to require minimum maintenance or replacement work.
o Provide a surface finish with a standard of appearance, comfort, cleanliness and heat
retention suitable to the needs of the inhabitants of the building.

b. Upper Floor
o Sustain its own weight and any other weights imposed on it.
o Offer fire resistance especially in tall buildings, in buildings where there are many
occupants and in buildings where large combustible goods are stored.
o Minimize noise transfer from the upper floor to the lower floor.
o Be reasonably durable.
o Provide an acceptable surface finish which is safe, comfortable, clean and of good
appearance.

Classification of Floors
o Upper Floors
o Ground Floor - Suspended Floors, Solid Floors and Basement Floors

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Flooring is the single most exposed element of a building interior because of constant
and often heavy use.

Components of a Floor
A floor is composed of two essential components:
a. Sub floor/ base course or floor base.
b. Floor covering/ floor finish

 The floor base in case of upper floor: is a structural component which supports the
floor covering and loads are taken by this part of floor. In case of ground floor: it is
used to give proper support for floor finishing materials without settling, provide
thermal and damp resistant.

Components of Upper Floor

o Structural element which gives the floor its strength
o Floor Finish (Upper Part)
o Ceiling Finish (Lower Part)

Components of Ground Floor

a. Compacted earth fill: the lowest part just above natural ground surface
b. Hard core: a composition of different stone chips

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

The purpose of providing hard core are the following:

o To ensure consistent material over the whole floor area.
o To reduce capillary action of moisture from the ground because of voids within
the hard-core layer.
o To make a level surface after removing topsoil and reduced level excavation.
o To provide a clean, dry and firm working surface. The top of the hard core should
be blinded with a fine dust or sand to fill the voids, prevent grout loss from concrete
and protect downward partial movement if placed in this position.
c. Concrete
d. Floor finishing materials: consisting binding materials with concrete base and floor
coverings or finishing materials

Performance Criteria for flooring selection can be listed as the following:

o durable to resist abrasion, indentation, compression, impacts, and dust or dirt
o Chemically inert to resist cleaning compounds, disinfectants, solvents, lubricants
and other substances that may be spilled.
o comfortable to reduce fatigue of walking, standing and/or running
o safe, non-slippery, non-tripping, non-flammable and also non-conductive or non-static

Materials for Floor Construction

The basic materials used for floors are stone, brick, timber, concrete and metal, among
which timber and concrete are the most widely used floor making materials.

Timber Floors
Wood used for engineering purposes
o Source and Standard – Seasoning and appearance
o Versatile – Glued, Laminated or bonded to metal or plates
o Fire Resistance – Coating
o Moisture Flow – Has to be avoided and kept dry
o Ground Floor – Suspended system is economical
o Wooden Floors – Applied in dancing halls, auditoriums, living and dining rooms etc.
o Structural system – Joist and Floor Planking

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Concrete flooring

This is commonly used for residential, commercial and even in industrial buildings,
because:
1. It is moderately cheap
2. It is quite durable
3. It is easy to construct.

The concrete floor consists of two components:

1. Base concrete
2. Topping /wearing surface

The two components of the floor can be constructed either monolithically (i.e. topping
laid immediately after the base course is laid) or Non-monolithically (separately)

Monolithic floor construction

o Advantage: good bond between the two components is obtained resulting smaller over
all thickness.
o Disadvantages:
1. The topping is damaged during subsequent operations
2. Hairline cracks are developed because of the shrinkage of freshly placed concrete
3. Work progress is slow because the workman has to wait at least till the initial
setting of the base course.
4. Difficult to repair the damaged flooring parts.

Therefore, in most of the cases non-monolithic floor construction is preferred.

Non-monolithic floor construction

 The base course may be:

o Lean cement concrete With optimum thickness i.e. most
o Normal concrete of the time 10 cm up to 25 cm
o Reinforced concrete

 It may be constructed on:

o Well compacted soil
o Hard core for ground floor. or
o A leveled and safe formwork for upper floors.

After the base concrete is hardened, its surface should be brushed with stiff broom and
cleaned thoroughly. The topping is then laid in square/rectangular panels by using
different floor finishing materials and bonding agents/binders.

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

1. Cast-In-Situ Concrete
o Design Freedom – Shape
o Form work required – during its Wet Condition

Types
o Solid or Flat
 Better Strength
 Flat Slabs – No beams

o Ribbed or Waffle Based

 Flat Ceiling (without beams), Better Sound Insulation, Duct provision, Light
Loads

Floors formed with hollow clay blocks

2. Pre – Cast Concrete

Advantages:
o Designed to avoid form works, wet free and fast construction
o Lighter in weight

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Disadvantage: Difficult to provide rigid connections and transportation, loading

and unloading, placement of pre-cast structural members.

Pre Stressed:
o Lighter, Camber, Difficult for modification
o Cover part or the whole slab portion
o Made of Hollow Blocks, Brick – Hollow part used for passing utility ducts

Typical details of pre - cast hollow concrete floor

Hollow Pre - Cast Section

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Floor Finishes

Choice of Floor Finish materials depends on the following:

a. Initial Cost
b. Appearance
c. Durability
d. Availability
e. Fire resistance
f. Resistance to water and chemicals
g. Sound insulation and
h. Resistance to wear or impact.

Common Types of Floor Finishing

o Brick o Plastic or PVC

o Stone o Marble
o Concrete o Asphalt
o Granolithic o Rubber
o Tiled o Cork
o Wooden o Glass
o Terrazzo o Linoleum
o Mosaic o Carpet

A. Brick Flooring
o Used in cheap constructions, especially where good bricks are available
o Suitable – Warehouses, stores, pedestrian walk ways
Base Course
o Compacted layers with mortar joints with bricks
o Slope shall be properly provided
o Frost Attack – About 5 cm thick fine sand is spread

Construction
o Bricks shall be soaked for 3 – 7 days (avoid reduction of voids in hydration)
o Frost – Bricks without mortar

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B. Stone Flooring – Granite, Marble, Limestone, Slate

o Used for making rectangular or square size floors

o Suitable – Garages, Entrance Corridors, Pedestrian Walk ways
o Common colors are pink, beige, white, brown, black, green, and red.
o Properties:
 Hard, Durable and resistant to wear
 Easy in construction and maintenance
 Not better in looks
o Sub – Base
 Compacted Ground or Concrete Base
o Construction –
 Joints Pointed
 Proper Slope

C. Concrete Flooring
Suitable – Residential, Commercial, and Industrial (Garages, Laboratories, and Ware
houses)

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Properties
o Moderately Cheap, Durable and Easy to construct
o Moderately resistant to oils and weak acids
Two Components
o Base Concrete
o Wearing Surface
Sub – Base: Concrete Base
Construction
o Monolithically casting – Good Bond with base and Cracks prevented
o Independent – Base surface covered with slurry, Mix 1:2:4
o Even spreading and surfacing by straight edge steel or wood
o Curing – 7 days

D. Granolithic Flooring: Suitable for hard and wear resistant surface (Car passages)
Properties:
o Made of Rich Concrete, with very hard and
tough quality course aggregates, such as
granite and basalt
o Mix 1:1:2 to 1:1:3
Sub – Base: Concrete Base
Construction:
o Shall be laid before the base coarse has set
o Surface is tamped and floated
o Smoothened by steel trowel
o Grinding and polishing is done after curing

E. Tiled (Cement or Clay) Flooring

Suitable: Residential Houses, Offices, Schools and Public Buildings
Properties:
o Made of cement, clay, concrete or terrazzo
o Constructed in square, hexagonal or other shapes and many colors
Sub – Base:

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o Concrete Base
o Compacted ground base
Construction:
o Similar to laying stone or brick flooring
o Cement slurry has to be spread to fill the joints
o Grinding and Polishing

F. Wooden/Timber (Parquet) Flooring

Suitable: Living and Dining Rooms, Bed rooms, dance halls, auditoriums
Properties:
o Must have hard, Resistant to wear and durable surface
o Selection shall be based on texture, color, defects and grain
o Shall be avoided in moist areas
Sub – Base: Concrete Base
Construction:
o Can be glued to concrete floors
o Can be joined by nails
o Can be simply overlaid on a filler mast
o Protective coating like varnish, lacquer, wax shall be applied for long service periods

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

G. Terrazzo Flooring

Suitable: Residential, Offices and other public buildings

Properties:
o Its concrete containing white and/or colored cement and marble chips as an aggregate
(1:2 or 1:3)
o Marble Chips exposed by grinding, may vary from 3 – 6 mm
o Decorative and high wearing resistance
o Can be found in market as pre – cast terrazzo in the form of tiles (20 – 30 cm, t = 2 –
3m) even for Stair Treads and Risers
Sub – Base: Concrete Base
Construction:
o Shall be casted with the required mix proportion
o Grinding in three levels and then cement grout to seal holes
o Mirror – Polishing

H. Mosaic/Ceramic Flooring

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Suitable: Walls, Floors, both internal and external, Stairs

Properties:
o Made of small pieces of broken tiles of china glazed or of cement or of marble
arranged in different patters
o Glazed or Unglazed
o Impervious to water and a dense body
Types:
o Porcelain - made by dust press method from ceramic materials with vitreous body,
resistant to freezing and thawing and abrasive wear
o Natural Clay (Ceramic) – made of natural clays or shales, which produce a long
wearing body
Sub – Base: Concrete Base
Construction:
o Concrete base made of mortar or comp – mortar is spread & leveled to a depth of 5 to
8 cm
o Pieces or Tiles of Ceramic are hammered
o Stone roller about 30 cm in dia. and 45 – 60 cm long is passed
o Joint filler – Cement grout

I. Plastic or PVC Flooring

Suitable: Residential Area – Bed rooms
Properties:
o Made of plastic material – Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC)
o Fabricated in rolls or tiles with different colors
o Resilient, smooth, good looking and cleanable
o Easily damaged by heat or chemicals
Sub – Base: Concrete Base
Construction:
o Adhesive shall be applied to the cement screed surface
o Tiles are then pressed gently using lightweight rollers
o Floor is washed with warm soap water

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

J. Marble Flooring

Suitable: Residential buildings (Stairs, Corridor, Kitchens), Public and Worship places
Properties:
o Made of sedimentary rocks
o Different sources – Granite, Marble …
o Durable, Water proof but expensive
Sub – Base: Concrete Base
Construction:
o Similar to stone flooring
o Has to be cured and cleaned before use

K. Asphalt Flooring

Suitable: Garages, stores

Properties:
o Wear resistance and durable
o Resilient, sound proof, non – absorbent and moisture proof
Types:
o Asphalt Mastic – commonly used in Ethiopia. Made of sand and asphalt mixed hot and
laid in continuous sheets
o Asphalt Titles – made of asphalt and other ingredients such as asbestos fibers, by
pressing the mix in different sizes, with thickness varying usually from 3 to 6 mm
o Asphalt Mosaic – similar to mastic but made with chips
Sub – Base: Concrete Base
Construction: Proper primer coat

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

L. Rubber Flooring

Suitable: Offices or public building like hospitals and schools

Properties:
o Consist of sheet or piles of rubber, with different patterns and colors
o Manufactured by mixing
Sub – Base: Concrete Base
Construction:
o Shall be laid before the base coarse has set
o Surface is tamped and floated
o Smoothened by steel trowel
o Grinding and polishing is done after curing

M. Cork Flooring
Suitable:
o Areas where quiet and comfort are of paramount importance.
o Rigid subfloors, such as smooth-finished or screeded concrete supported above grade
and free of moisture, or on structurally sound plywood or hardboard. Cork tile is not
recommended for application below grade or moisture-free conditions must be
ensured.
Properties:
o Manufactured by baking cork granules with phenolic or other resin binders under
pressure.
o Four types of finishes are produced: natural, factory prefinished wax, resin-reinforced
wax, and vinyl cork tile
Sub – Base: Concrete Base
Construction:
o Natural cork tile must be sanded (to level), sealed, and waxed immediately after
installation.
o Sealed by protective coatings

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

N. Glass Flooring
Suitable: Basement and upper floor where light has to be transmitted
Properties:
o Structural glass, in the form of tiles or slabs (t = 12 to 30 mm)
o Suspended on closely placed frames
Sub – Base: Steel Frames
Construction: Care should be taken to avoid joint failures

O. Linoleum Flooring

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Suitable: for residential houses except for bath rooms, kitchens, etc.
Properties:
o Developed 100 years ago in England
o Mixing oxidized linseed oil in gum, resins, pigments, wood flour, cork dust and other
filler materials
o 49Seasoned in ovens for 2 – 4 weeks (given several coats of lacquer for greater stain
and spot resistance)
o Attractive, resilient, durable, cheap and easily cleanable
o Easily rot in wet conditions
Sub – Base: Concrete or Wood Base
Construction: Fixed or glued to base in various patterns

P. Carpet Flooring

Suitable: Passage ways, Bed Rooms, Hall ways

Properties:
o A textile floor covering consisting of an upper layer of "pile" attached to a backing.
o The pile is generally either made from wool or a manmade fiber such as polypropylene,
and usually consists of twisted tufts which are often heat-treated to maintain their
structure.
Sub – Base: Concrete Base
Construction: Carpets and carpet tiles can be laid loose, stuck with a suitable adhesive or
in the case of carpets edge fixed using special grip strips.

For ground floor, the selection of the types of wearing surface is important and the various
considerations governing the suitability of one over the other are given below:

1. Initial cost:
o The cost of the floor covering is a very important item.
o The expensive types of floor coverings are marble, rubber tiles and special clay
tiles.
o Terrazzo and other types form a less expensive/cheap group of floor coverings. But
concrete and brick are the cheapest.

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

However the type of base course used with a particular covering has an important bearing
on the cost of the floor. Example: if a wearing surface is to be provided on a wooden
base, the cost would be different for different covering as a special treatment would
be needed to fix the covering with the base in each case.
2. Appearance:
o Color, texture and decorative value with regard to the architectural beauty of a room
are the factors, which have to be taken in to consideration while selecting a type of
floor for a room.
o Terrazzo and other tiles and marbles give a good appearance.
o An asphalt covering has unattractive look.
3. Durability:
o Resistance to wear is an important factor for a floor covering, resistance to
temperature change, humidity; disintegration and decay have to be taken in account.
4. Cleanliness:
o A floor should be non-absorbent and capable of being easily cleaned.
o All joints should be simple so that they can be made as watertight as possible.
o Terrazzo and other tiles, marbles and slates provide surface which can be easily
cleaned.
o Effective resistance against the absorption of oil and grease which would otherwise
give a very unsightly appearance.
5. Damp resistant:
o Resistance to damp is an important factor to be considered for ground floor
construction.
6. Maintenance: to keep the surface in good condition.

Concrete Floor Cement Screed

o These are used to give a concrete floor a finish suitable to receive the floor finish or
covering specified
o Laying Floor Screeds - floor screeds should not be laid in bays since this can cause curling
at the edges, screeds can however be laid in 3.00 wide strips to receive thin coverings.
o Leveling of screeds is achieved by working to leveled timber screeding batten or
alternatively a 75mm wide band of leveled screed with square edges can be laid to the
perimeter of the floor prior to the general screed laying operation.

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Types:

Monolithic Screeds: screed laid directly on concrete

floor slab within three hours of placing concrete
before any screed is placed all surface water should
be removed, all screeding work should be carried out
from scaffold board runways to avoid walking on the
`green' concrete slab.

Separate Screeds: screed is laid onto the concrete

floor slab after it has cured. The floor surface must be
clean and rough enough to ensure an adequate bond
unless the floor surface is prepared by applying a
suitable bonding agent or by brushing with a
cement/water grout of a thick cream like consistency
just before laying the screed.

Unbonded Screeds: screed is laid directly over a

damp-proof membrane or over a damp-proof
membrane and insulation. A rigid form of floor
insulation is required where the concrete floor slab is
in contact with the ground. Care must be taken during
this operation to ensure that the damp-proof
membrane is not damaged.

Floating Screeds: a resilient quilt of 25mm thickness

is laid with butt joints and turned up at the edges
against the abutment walls, the screed being laid
directly over the resilient quilt. The main objective of
this form of floor screed is to improve the sound
insulation properties of the floor.

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Prepared by: Engr. Lucia V. Ortega