Floors

Delia Tacheny

INT 322 - Building Systems

Weekly Summary 

This week's chapter was on floors, and I felt like this was a highly applicable chapter of fundamental construction for Interior Designers. The first important thing to understand are the primary floor framing systems: wood, steel, and concrete. These systems are actually quite similar to the wall framing systems; for example, the floor joist system is basically the same as the wall stud system... just on the floor. With wood, you can either use light framing (with wood joists) or heavy timber methods (which relies on columns and beams). 

Steel systems rely on regularly placed columns that support steel beams; girders span the beams and provide a platform for metal decking which gets filled with concrete to form the floor. (The use of open-web steel joists is another option.) Concrete flooring systems are either poured in place on site or cast at a plant and assembled on site.

Insulation is once again an important feature, especially when a floor is installed directly above a crawl space of earth, where cold air could seep through the floors.

When it comes to interior floor materials, there are two primary categories: hard surfaces and soft surfaces. Hard surfaces are materials such as concrete, stone, terrazzo, brick, and ceramic tile. Soft surfaces are carpets, woods, and other resilient flooring options.

As for hard surfaces... Concrete, though often used as a subfloor, can also be finished in a variety of textures and colors. Brick is often seen in historic buildings, and while usually an exterior option, can also be used as an interior flooring, in a variety of patterns. Stone as a natural material is finite in supply, but beautiful as a choice of material for flooring or countertops; options include marble, granite, limestone, slate, or travertine. Terrazzo is a very popular item right now and also a sustainable option; it's basically cement and/or resin combined with marble and glass chips, forming a very hard and durable but also beautiful and colorful flooring. Ceramic tiles are used all the time in residential and commercial projects offering a vast variety of design options; they can be installed using either a thick or thin set of mortar. 

As for soft surfaces... carpet is obviously a very generic typical choice in all sorts of projects. Carpet consists of a pile and backing and is formed from natural or synthetic fibers. The dilemma with fabric is its sustainability, especially its VOC content; however, the acoustic features of fabric make it a great choice for many spaces. Wood is always a great material to work with in any setting; flooring-wise it comes as strips, planks, or blocks with a variety of wood species to choose from. 

Resilient flooring options are those such as vinyl, linoleum, rubber, cork, and bamboo. Vinyl is a common choice but for sure, the least sustainable option. Linoleum is a highly durable and anti-microbial material with environmentally safe ingredients; it is typical in a healthcare or education setting. Rubber has natural non-slip features, comes in tile or sheets, is natural or synthetic, and is typically quite sustainable. Interestingly, natural rubber actually comes from a tree! Cork is another highly sustainable choice, and offers a soft, cushioned waling surface; it inhibits fire, has good acoustical and insulation properties, and is anti-microbial. Last, bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource making it a highly sustainable option. It is stable and doesn't absorb water as easily as wood. 

Floors can be detailed with baseboards and base moldings and can be constructed as a reveal (in which the wall surface doesn't fully reach the floor) or as a clean joint.

When it comes to flooring, it's important to ask the typical questions of sustainability for each material, as well as understand the types of loads each floor can handle. 

Application - Design Chicago @ The Mart

This week, we attended Design Chicago, and walked through a multitude of showrooms. Of those showrooms, we were able to talk to a couple different flooring brands and learn some new things.

First, we explored the Exquisite Surfaces showroom which showcased a variety of gorgeous tile pieces and wood flooring. We talked to a representative about the Sustainability of their products, and they told us that their most sustainable products were their Antique floors (pictured to the right) which are made of reclaimed antique wood – they are beautiful as well. They also told us that their floors are sealed with beeswax or oils which is a better choice when it comes to VOCs and protecting indoor air quality. Additionally, their products are able to be FSC certified if requested by a customer. They also told us, that overall, pre-finished products/ flooring are more sustainable than being constructed on site.

The best, unexpected stop we made however was at Edelman Leather, where we were kindly greeted by the two representatives who engaged us in a great conversation about our Schooling, their products, and Interior Design all together. The most unique learning experience was learning about their leather floors (pictured on right). I had never heard about leather being used as a flooring material, but there we were conversing on leather floors. I asked them about the advantages or purpose of using leather as a flooring material, and they talked about its sustainability, its durability, and its thermal and acoustic features. It absorbs sound well which is an acoustic benefit. Leather also stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer, making it a great thermal option, and ultimately one of comfort to walk on. The only negative is that it isn't very waterproof, so probably not a great option for kitchens or bathrooms. One of the representatives told us a quote that another woman in their department often says; it went something like, “Tile is a [flooring] material, but leather is an experience.” Let’s just say I am a big fan of leather flooring now.