Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
• should be easy to clean
• good sound insulation
• mechanical strength to resist wear and tear
• resistance to water and chemicals.
Many floor coverings need to be laid on a stable floor structure, e.g. linoleum and
cork tiles, which cannot take any loading in themselves. The amount of moisture
in the structural floor and its ability to dry out are critical: the quicker it dries out,
the sooner the floor covering can be laid.
Flooring and damage to health
In the town of Steinkjer in central Norway, people complained of having aching feet
after moving into new houses. Their wooden houses had burnt down in a fire and had
Table 15.3:
The use of surface materials in building
Material
Roofing
External cladding
Internal cladding
Flooring
Metal
In general use
In general use
In general use in
industrial buildings
In limited use in
public buildings
In general use
In general use
In general use
In general use
In limited use in
industrial buildings
In general use
Slate/stone
In general use
In general use in
public buildings
In limited use
In general use
Lime, in render
Cement
Gypsum
Fired clay
products
Ceramic tiles
No longer in use
In general use
In general use
In general use
In general use
In general use
In general use in
public buildings
In general use
In general use
Rammed earth
Bitumen
No longer in use
In general use in
building paper
In limited use
Plastics
Climbing plants
Timber
Grass plants
In limited use
In limited use
In general use
No longer in use
In general use
In general use
In limited use
In limited use
In general use
In limited use in
straw wallpaper
In general use
Grass turf
Linseed oil
In limited use
In general use in
linoleum
Cellulose
In general use in
wallpaper
In limited use in
wallpaper
Wool
In general use in
carpet
