Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The durability of carpets is relatively low, so they need to be changed regular-
ly. If they are glued, this can cause problems.
Wall-to-wall carpeting has little chance of being re-used and has probably
hardly any chance of being recycled because of the many different materials it
contains. A few types can probably be energy recycled in incinerators with spe-
cial filters for the fumes. Waste from plastic products and natural products with
plastic-based glue, poisons against mould etc., have to be deposited at special
tips. Carpets of pure natural fibres can be composted.
Wallpapers
Wallpapers have primarily a decorative purpose within a building, in the same
way as painting, but can also have a role as a moisture-regulator or vapour-hin-
dering membrane. This depends upon the type of material used. Wallpapering a
room with a heavy pattern or an illustrated theme will make its mark on its
inhabitants. Most of us can remember the rabbit wallpaper in our childhood bed-
room! Oscar Wilde declared on his death bed: 'The wallpaper or me. One of us
has to go!'
William Morris, the great wallpaper designer of the Arts and Crafts move-
ment, stated: 'No matter what you are going to use the room for, think about the
walls, it is these that make a house into a home.' (Greysmith, 1976.) There are
four main types of wallpaper:
• wallpapers based on natural textiles
• synthetic textile wallpapers
• paper wallpapers
• plastic wallpapers.
Paper and textile wallpapers are best-suited to dry rooms, while plastic wallpa-
pers are best used in bathrooms, washrooms, etc.
Wallpaper can be tacked or pasted onto different surfaces such as newspaper,
plasterboard or smooth rendered concrete. It is important that the concrete has
dried out properly so as to not cause damp patches or mould.
History
Textiles inside buildings have a long history. They were initially used for dividing
rooms. The Assyrians and Babylonians were probably the first to paste them onto
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