INTD 503- Materials Topic: Glass and Resilient Flooring Prepared by: Dr. Mamdouh I. Zaky University of Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman.

Glass Flooring Glass floors and stair treads are aesthetically appealing and brings additional light into a space. Used in both commercial and residential interiors. Needs careful attention to engineering, installation and pedestrian safety.

Glass Flooring Types of glass used in flooring and stair treads: Laminated glass : 2 or more pieces of glass bonded together with interlayer. PVB laminated or Cast in place resin-bonded glass. Glass blocks: decorative hollow glass building block set in an aluminum or concrete framework sealed against moisture.

Glass Flooring PVB laminated glass: Most commonly used type of glass. Used for both commercial and residential applications. Recommended for both cost and safety features. Available in a variety of colors and finishes. PVB thickness -0.38mm, 0.76mm, 1.14mm, 1.52mm PVB colors -Clear, white, gray, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red PVB laminated glass thickness ranges from 8mm to 24mm.

Glass Flooring Slip resistance of a walking surface is an important safety consideration. Glass floors used near entrances that may get wet require special consideration. Sandblasting, acid etching, ceramic frit and embossing are different processes designed to roughen the glass surface. Sandblasting reduces the strength of the glass by almost 50%.

Sand blasted glass Ceramic frit glass Embossed glass Acid etched glass

Glass Flooring Ceramic enamel finish or a decorated translucent interlayer is used in the glass to create opacity. Glass floors require regular inspection for damage. Damaged glass should be replaced as soon as possible. Cleaners and polishes should be avoided as it reduces the slip resistance.

Glass Flooring Glass is a brittle material and surface damage can occur by impact from hard objects. Uniform loads and impact loads are to be carefully considered. Edge support conditions must be identified as 4, 3 or 2 sided in order to understand the load carrying capability.

Glass Block Flooring

Cork Flooring Cork is an environmental friendly material. Cork is harvested from the barks of cork trees. Cork bark is made of small honey comb structure with 90% air in it. These cells provide the resiliency and insulation properties.

Cork Flooring Cork flooring is known for its comfort and softness, for applications where you are standing for a long time. Naturally beautiful flooring available in various colors, tile shapes and patterns. Reduces noise and vibrations because of the cellular structure. Anti-allergic and resistance to insects. Cork does not release any toxic gases when burnt. Durability is another feature.

Cork Flooring Maintenance of cork floor is similar to a wooden floor. Moisture creates dampness on the floor. Cleaning using brushes, water moping etc will reduce the strength of the floor. Cost of cork flooring is higher when compared to other resilient flooring.

Cork Flooring Cork flooring is available as panels and as tiles. Glue-down installation: Fixes the panels or tiles with glues on to a clean substrate. Lower material cost. Difficult to repair a tile when damaged. Can be applied only to a clean and smooth sub floor.

Cork Flooring Floating floor installation: More common method of installation. Cork panels come with specially designed edges that interlock with the near by panels. Sub floor should be even, flat and dry. Cork underlayment, stabilizing core, cork core, cork bark and wear surface are the layers of floating cork floor.

Vinyl Flooring Vinyl flooring is a type of resilient flooring with major component being Poly vinyl chloride(PVC). Vinyl floors are cheap when compared to other flooring options. Mainly used in high traffic areas. Available in variety of colors, designs and visual textures.

Vinyl Flooring Mainly used in areas like bathrooms and laundries for residential applications. Floor is not affected by moisture. Simple to install, durable and absorbs noise. Comes in sizes like 12ft x 6ft. Which makes it possible to cover an entire floor without seams. Comes in thickness ranging from 1mm to 3.5mm.

Vinyl Flooring Sharp objects can cause rips and cracks on vinyl flooring and these are not easy to repair. It is difficult to remove the floor after installation. Air quality of rooms get degraded due to emissions of VOC (volatile organic Chemicals).

Vinyl Flooring Vinyl flooring consists of following layers: Base layer Protective layer of fiberglass Design Finish Durability of vinyl flooring depends on the thickness of the layer and strength of the subfloor. Additional coating increases the scratch and wear resistance. While installing, provisions should be given for expansion and contraction.

Linoleum Flooring Linoleum is also a natural product. Made from linseed oil, lime stone, wood dust and rosin. Available in sheet or tile form and are installed with adhesives. Linoleum flooring is an affordable flooring choice. Is a good choice for biodegradable and environmental safe flooring.

Linoleum Flooring Comfortable material that can be used in high traffic areas in residences. Moisture should be kept out of the linoleum floors. Not recommended for basement floors or on concrete subfloors.

Rubber Flooring Mostly used in industrial buildings, gyms, theatres etc. Reduction of deformities makes it the best choices in the above mentioned areas. Variety, resilience, durability and environment friendliness are the important features of rubber flooring. Can be used both in interiors and exteriors.

Rubber Flooring Slippery and maintenance are the two most disadvantageous features of rubber flooring. Rubber flooring surfaces are the easiest surfaces to scratch. Burning of rubber floor is also another safety consideration.

Rubber Flooring Surfaces are textured like stud, smooth and diamond grip. Stud texture are round and non-directional stud designs usually used in crowded places like movie theatres. Smooth surfaces are ones used in residential areas. Diamond gripped surfaces are used in car shops and factories.