Flooring is a main part of any interior project and there are many ways in which you can cover the floor to create designs or to just protect it. Materials are always classed as floor coverings which consist of, carpet, area rugs, vinyl flooring, wood flooring, tiles, stone, terrazzo, sports flooring, laminate, resin, linoleum, rubber, marble and also concrete.
The floor is one of the most visual aspects when you enter a room or building because many of us look down whilst walking, yes this allows for us to see the floor but we most certainly always miss some special detail within the room. Keeping your head up is a curtail part in finding inspiration within out daily routine.
Below shows a small montage of the different types of flooring which can be used and how they would look within an interior space…
As any other aspect when designing you need to remember the properties which need consideration when designing floors, such as…
- Fire
- Acoustics
- Heating/ Ventilation/ Lighting
- Under floor heating
- Thermal Insulation
- Structural stability & Durability
- Maintenance
- Impact Resistance
FLOOR STRUCTURE
Most floors are built on concrete slabs, which lay flat on the ground, most cases floors are raised above the ground. Raised floors are more resilient under the foot and allow for heating, insulation, pluming, wiring and any other mechanical/ electrical equipment. Because a floor needs to be able to support a lot of weight it is usually constructed to a T, allowing for no cracks in the pavement.
Peta-Louise Krog 