A floor is the bottom surface of a room or vehicle. Floors vary from simple dirt in a cave to many-layered surfaces made with modern technology. Floors may be stone, wood, bamboo, metal or any other material that can support the expected load.
Flooring is the general term for a permanent covering of a floor, or for the work of installing such a floor covering. Floor covering is a term to generically describe any finish material applied over a floor structure to provide a walking surface. Both terms are used interchangeably but floor covering refers more to loose-laid materials.
Linoleum, commonly shortened to lino, is a floor covering made from materials such as solidified linseed oil (linoxyn), pine resin, ground cork dust, sawdust, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, most commonly on a burlap or canvas backing. Pigments are often added to the materials to create the desired colour finish.
Laminate flooring is a multi-layer synthetic flooring product fused together with a lamination process. Laminate flooring simulates wood with a photographic applique layer under a clear protective layer. The inner core layer is usually composed of melamine resin and fiber board materials. There is a European Standard No. EN 13329:2000 specifying laminate floor covering requirements and testing methods.
Underlay may refer to flooring or roofing materials, bed padding, or a musical notation.
Vinyl composition tile (VCT) is a finished flooring material used primarily in commercial and institutional applications. Modern vinyl floor tiles and sheet flooring and versions of those products sold since the early 1980s are composed of colored polyvinyl chloride (PVC) chips formed into solid sheets of varying thicknesses by heat and pressure. Floor tiles are cut into modular shapes such 12-by-12-inch squares or 12-by-24-inch rectangles. In installation the floor tiles or sheet flooring are applied to a smooth, leveled sub-floor using a specially formulated vinyl adhesive or tile mastic that remains pliable. In commercial applications some tiles are typically waxed and buffed using special materials and equipment.
Interface, Inc., is a global manufacturer of commercial flooring with an integrated collection of carpet tiles and resilient flooring, including luxury vinyl tile (LVT) and nora brand rubber flooring.
A batten is most commonly a strip of solid material, historically wood but can also be of plastic, metal, or fiberglass. Battens are variously used in construction, sailing, and other fields.
Headlam Group plc is a British based company which distributes floor coverings throughout Europe. It specializes in carpet, residential vinyl, wood, laminate, luxury vinyl tile, and commercial flooring. Headlam Group is currently listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange
Underfloor heating and cooling is a form of central heating and cooling that achieves indoor climate control for thermal comfort using hydronic or electrical heating elements embedded in a floor. Heating is achieved by conduction, radiation and convection. Use of underfloor heating dates back to the Neoglacial and Neolithic periods.
A floating floor is a floor that does not need to be nailed or glued to the subfloor. The term floating floor refers to the installation method, but is often used synonymously with laminate flooring. It is applied now to other coverings such as floating tile systems and vinyl flooring in a domestic context.
A solid ground floor consists of a layer of concrete, which in the case of a domestic building will be the surface layer brought up to ground floor level with hardcore filling under it. The advantage of a solid ground floor is the elimination of dry rot and other problems normally associated with hollow joisted floors. The disadvantage is that the floor is less resilient to walk upon and may be more tiring for the user. Solid ground floors are usually found or situated in a kitchen but will be necessary for other rooms where wood blocks and other similar finishes are required.
Floor cleaning is a major occupation throughout the world. The main job of most cleaners is to clean floors.
Mohawk Industries is an American flooring manufacturer based in Calhoun, Georgia, United States. Mohawk produces floor covering products for residential and commercial applications in North America and residential applications in Europe. The company manufacturing portfolio consists of soft flooring products, hard flooring products, laminate flooring, sheet vinyl and luxury vinyl tile. The company employs 37,800 in operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, India, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.
Mannington Mills is an international flooring manufacturer with corporate headquarters in Salem, New Jersey. The company was founded in Salem by John Boston Campbell and his sons Neil and Kenneth in 1915.
Forbo Holding AG based in Baar ZG is a globally operating Swiss manufacturer of floor coverings and building and construction adhesives as well as power transmission and light conveyor belts.
Botanol is a synthetic material, typically used as a floor covering, made from approximately 90% renewable raw materials including canola oil, castor oil and chalk. Botanol was formulated as an eco-friendly alternative to polyurethane.
Rite Rug Flooring, formerly Rite Rug, is a specialty flooring retailer headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Rite Rug's current headquarters, distribution center, wholesale and outlet showroom are located in a 150,000 space in the Whitehall area of the city. They are the largest seller of floor coverings in the Columbus area. The company employs 642 employees and had a revenue of $207 million in 2014.
A self-cleaning floor is a floor surface that reduces the amount of chemicals, energy, and human resources associated with cleaning floor surfaces. Such floors are meant for use in hospitals, toilets and other places in which cleanliness is of vital importance. In Europe, most of the leading ceramic tiles and sanitary ware manufacturers have products on the market with self cleaning features.
Sheet vinyl flooring is vinyl flooring that comes in large, continuous, flexible sheets. A vinyl sheet floor is completely impermeable to water, unlike vinyl floor tile, which comes in stiff tiles, and vinyl planks, which come in interlocking strips. It is sometimes called linoleum after a visually similar product of different chemical composition.
