Flooring
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RSS FeedMany factors must be considered in selecting the appropriate flooring system for a given building area:
- Aesthetics
- Durability (including abrasion and chemical resistance)
- Maintenance requirements
- Sound absorption characteristics
- ADAAG requirements
There are three general types of flooring: hard surfaces, resilient surfaces, and access flooring. Hard surface flooring materials include wood, ceramic tile, quarry tile, stone, terrazzo, masonry, treated concrete, and fluid-applied flooring. Resilient flooring includes sheet carpet, carpet tile, sheet vinyl, sheet VCT, sheet rubber, sheet linoleum, and tiles made from vinyl, VCT or rubber.
Hard surfaces are generally required in heavy traffic areas or areas subject to moisture or chemical exposure. The ADAAG general requirements in Chapter 4.5.1 are a good starting point for consideration of flooring materials in any public space:
“Many variables affect the performance of a given walking surface, including slope and cross slope, its material, jointing, texture, and finish, the presence of moisture or contaminants, the material that contacts it and the method of ambulation. Design guidelines cannot encompass all criteria for contributing to the safety of a walking surface. ADAAG addresses surface material, texture, and finish and requires them to be ‘stable,’ ‘firm,’ and ‘slip resistant.’ No standard or method of measurement exists for these characteristics except for slip resistance.
A ‘stable’ surface is one that is not permanently changed by ordinary contaminants or applied force so that when a contaminant or force is removed, the surface returns to its original condition under normal use. A ‘firm’ surface is resistant to deformation by indentations or particles moving on or across it.
Slip resistance is based on the frictional force necessary to keep a shoe heel or crutch from slipping on a walking surface under conditions likely to be found on the surface.”
After meeting the requirements of ADAAG, consideration of aesthetics, maintenance and life cycle costs will lead to selection of the proper flooring material.
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