104 :: Certificate in Construction Supervision (CIVIL)

14
FLOORING
14.1 INTRODUCTION
The job of protecting slabs of roofs on the different floors in building and
providing suitable finish of floor surfaces is known as flooring. There are many
types of floors according to their uses, economy and required level of finishing.
14.2 OBJECTIVES
After reading this lesson you will be able to:
explain types of flooring;
differentiate among different process of flooring;
describe reasons for laying panels on ordinary floors of cement;
provide explanations for grinding of special types of floors.
14.3 PRECAUTION BEFORE FLOORING
Before constructing the flooring, levelling should be done and marking should
be done on wall at 30 cm above from required level. For this purpose spirit level
or mercury level should be used. For better accuracy, water level used by mason
(mistry), should not be used. Due to more length of pipe and friction inside the
pipe, results are not accurate. One should use long wooden patty while making
floors so that floor surface can be flat.
Flooring :: 105
14.4 LAYING OF SUBGRADE
In some places concrete is used before flooring. This concrete is known as
subgrade. The places where flooring is done directly on soil, surface should be
rammed with the help of wooden hammer, so that the surface should not be
settled down. If concrete is used after 24 hours, cement slurry (2 kg cement per
square meter) should be laid and then flooring is done. If this concreting is done
on ground it is known as base concrete. If it is done on RCC slab, it is known as
kusson of size 100 mm and 40 mm respectively.
14.5 TYPES OF FLOOR
1. Bricks or interlocking tiles flooring
2. Cement concrete floor
3. Marble chips or crazy marble flooring
4. Ready made marble tiles flooring
5. Glazed tiles flooring
6. Kota stone, Agra stones etc stone flooring
7. Wooden flooring
14.5.1 Bricks or interlocking of tiles flooring
High quality materials should be used. If mortar is not used or even subgrade in
lower surface, thick layer of sand is spread, and joints with space 6 mm wide are
filled with sand.
Normally brick flooring is done as harry bonding in which joints are not
continuous.
14.5.2 Cement concrete flooring
Monolithical cement concrete flooring
Due to technical reason any flooring of cement concrete should not be laid
together. In this type of flooring, the surface is divided into rectangular panels.
Alternate panels are laid first. Before concreting in panels, cement slurry is
used.
106 :: Certificate in Construction Supervision (CIVIL)
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Fig. 14.1: Cement Concrete floors
Fig. 14.2: Planning of flooring
Where this type of flooring is laid, first surface is compacted with wooden
hammer and then 10 cm thick sand layers is spread. Then after watering and
compaction, cement flooring laid.
Flooring is laid in two parts, upper portion of size 10 mm is known as topping
made of cement and sand. After levelling with the help of a straight edge steel
trowel is used for smoothening and finishing its top surface. Dry cement or
mortar should not be used if some water comes at surface. Because this layer
may be stripped out. The surface is then properly cured for a period of 14 days.
Process of C.C. flooring in panels with use of strip
Flooring :: 107
Non monolithic flooring in two layers:- In this method lower concrete layer
of 1: 2:4 and upper layer of 1:2 ratio of cement and sand mortar of 5 mm to 10
mm is made. In this polish can be done later.
Fig. 14.3
Heavy duty concrete flooring: This type of flooring is made for railway
platform or where heavy machines are used. In this, flooring base is 50 mm
and total thickness is 125-150 mm.
14.5.3 Marble chips or crazy marble flooring
There are three parts of flooring: Base concrete, under layer and topping. This
types of flooring is just like the cement concrete, except that toping layer is
made of marble chips and cement of ratio 1: 1 or 1: 2. To avoid cracks,
partitions are made of not more than 25 gm size. Lower layer made of 30 to 40
mm size aggregate of 1: 2: 4 cement sand and aggregate. Glass or aluminium
stripes are used for partition from lower layer to upper top layer.
The thickness of top layer is 10 mm and it is made of marble powder and cement
in 1: 3 ratio and then powder and marble chip in 1: 2 ratio.
108 :: Certificate in Construction Supervision (CIVIL)
Fig 14.4: Crazy marble flooring
Fig. 14.5: Method of crazy marble flooring
Curing: Floor is left in atmosphere for 12 to 18
hrs, and cured for more than 4 days by water filled
in small partitions.
Grinding and Polishing: After seven days of
flooring is laid, grinding is done. Grinding stones
are available in different grade. At the end polishing
is done.
14.5.4 Readymade marble tile flooring
Readymade marble tiles are available in market.
For this flooring, firstly subgrade is prepared and
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Fig. 14.6: grinding machine
Flooring :: 109
then on the mortar, tiles are laid. Mortar surface is prepared with 1:6 ratio of
cement and sand. The thickness of mortar is 20 mm.
Laying of marble tiles: Before laying the tiles thin paste of cement slurry
(4.5 kg/m
2
) is spread and tiles are lid flat over it by gently pressing them into the
bedding mortar with the help of wooden mallet till leveled surface is obtained.
The flooring is then cured for seven days, then grinding and polishing is done in
the same manner. These days glazed tiles are commonly used in houses.
Fig 14.7: Laying of marble tiles
14.5.5 Glazed tiles flooring, skirting and dedo
Glazed tiles, skirting and dedo are made on sub grade with thickness 13 mm by
cement and sand in the ratio of 1: 3. These are following types of glazed tile,
vitrified, semi vitrified, or normal glazed tiles.
Vitrified tiles are of 10-12 mm thick in which upper layer is of 3-4 mm having
long durability and shining whereas semivitrified are of medium quality.
Laying of tiles: After laying mortar, tiles are laid and pressed by wooden mallet
as in marble tile flooring.
Before using, tiles should be clean and dried.
Skirting and dedo are laid in same manner. In the end all joints are filled with
white cement pigment of tile colour.
110 :: Certificate in Construction Supervision (CIVIL)
14.5.6 Kota Stone Flooring
This is available in size of 600 600 mm which after dressing becomes of size
500 500 mm and thickness 25-40 mm.
Flooring is done in same manner as in tiles flooring except bed is made in 1: 4
ratio and bed thickness of 40 mm.
Table 14.1: Requirement of cement for flooring work
Types of flooring Cement requirement/bag
IPS 1:2:4 (40 mm thick) 0.34
IPS 1:2:4 (25 mm thick) 0.25
IPS 1:2:4 (50 mm thick) 0.40
Kota stone (25-30 mm) 0.14
White glazed tile 0.18/m
2
+ 0.05/m
2
(for white cement paste)
Relaying of marble/Mosaic/moargar tile 1: 3 0.176
(thickness 13 mm)
Relaying of marble/mosaic 1:3 0.28
(13 mm)
Kota Stone 1: 4 (20 mm) 0.3
Tarozo 1 : 3 (19 mm) 0.38
Mosaic 1: 6 (20 mm) 0.26
IPS 1: 4 (20 mm) 0.28
14.6 WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT
Types of floors
Methods of laying different types of floors
Reasons of position in normal cement flooring.
Flooring :: 111
Importance of grinding in flooring.
14.7 TERMINAL QUESTIONS
1. How many types of flooring are generally used?
2. Describe various methods of flooring.
3. Why grinding is required in flooring?