Chapter 24 - Finish ceilings and floors

Linoleum

-, Traditional type of sheet flooring, composed of oxidized linseed oil or other binders, pigments, and fillers applied over a backing of burlap or asphalt-saturated felt. Good abrasion and grease resistance. Light gauge for residential, heavy gauge for commercial.

Linear metal ceiling

A finish ceiling whose exposed face is made up of long, parallel elements of sheet metal

Paver

A half-thickness brick used as finish flooring.

Static coefficient of friction (SCOF)

A measure of the slip resistance of a flooring material.

Raised access flooring

A raised finished floor surface consisting of small removable panels to allow access to building services beneath. Good where change is frequent, ex computer environments.

Cellular raceway

A rectangular tube cast into a concrete floor slab for the purpose of housing electrical and communications wiring.

Noise reduction coefficient (NRC)

A single number rating of the average sound absorption of a material over a limited frequency range including 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, and 2000 Hz rounded to the nearest multiple of 0.05. Most ACT - .5 to a .9 Plaster & GWB ceilings - below .1

Sound transmission class (STC)

A single-number rating for the evaluation of a particular construction cross-section in terms of its transmission of airborne sound. The higher the STC rating the more effective the construction is at stopping airborne sound.

Divider strip

A strip of metal or plastic embedded in terrazzo to form control joints and decorative patterns.

Interstitial ceiling

A structural suspended ceiling that supports elaborate mechanical and electrical systems as well as the workers who maintain them. typically used where there is a considerable volume of space required for these systems such as in laboratories and hospitals. Or when activities in the occupied space above and below must continue uninterrupted during servicing or altering of the systems. Essentially this space is a floor between floors.

Monolithic terrazzo

A thin terrazzo topping applied to a concrete slab without an under-bed.

Terrazzo

A type of flooring material made from marble or other stone chips set in Portland cement and polished when dry. May be formed in place or installed as factory made tiles.

Poke-through fitting

Allow wiring flexibility over time without the need for raceways or cellular decking. Poke-through systems however require the electrician to work from the floor below the one which changes are being made, which can be an inconvenience for the tenants of the lower floor.

Plastic laminate flooring

Almost always laid as a floating floor. Composed of planks of large tiles that have a wood composite core and a wearing layer of high density plastic laminate, much like that used on counter-tops.

Floating floor

An engineered floor that is not mechanically or adhesively fastened to the sub-floor. Most of the time is made of cross-laminated material which is more dimensionally stable than solid wood material.

Impact insulation class (IIC)

An index that measures the extent of transmitted impact noise (footsteps, dropping objects, and moving furniture) through a floor assembly

Flash cove

An integral, monolithic wall base for finish flooring. Typically used in health care facilities, kitchens and bathrooms for easy cleaning. The seams are welded to eliminate dirt-catching cracks.

Blind nailing

Attaching boards to a frame, sheathing or subflooring with toe nails driven through the edge of each piece so as to be completely concealed by the adjoining piece

Vinyl Composition

Blended composition of vinyl, resin, plasticizers, and coloring agents formed into sheets under pressure and heat; sheets or tiles; also called resilient sheet flooring. Wide range of colors/ patterns, moderately high degree of durability and low initial cost.

Acoustical ceiling

Ceiling of fibrous tiles that are highly absorbent of sound energy

Exposed grid

Ceiling panels rest completely above exposed grid

Membrane fire protection

Ceiling used to provide fire protection to the structural members above

Carpet

Competitive cost with other flooring materials of similar qualities. Either glued directly to the floor deck or stretched over a carpet pad and attached by tackless strip

Tackless strip

Continuous length of wood fastened to the floor that has protruding spikes along the top to catch the backing of carpet and hold it as it is stretched into place (stretch in installation)

Ceramic tile

Fired clay tiles that are smaller than quarry tiles. Usually square but sometimes rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal or other shapes. Sizes range from 1/2" to 4" and more. Durable, no harmful emissions, low maintenance. High embodied energy to produce, avoid epoxy-modified group, plastic adhesives with solvents and sealers with VOCs

Bonded terrazzo

For greater economy and reduced thickness, sand bed can be eliminated to produce:

Ceiling attenuation class (CAC)

How much sound will be reduced when transmitted through the plenum. Single number measure of the transmission loss through ceiling tiles between two closed rooms where there is no wall or other barrier above the suspended ceiling.

Integrated ceiling system

Incorporate the lighting fixtures and air-conditioning outlets into the module of the grid.

Resilient flooring

Is a generic term describing several types of composition materials made from various resins, fibers, plasticizers and fillers. It is formed under heat and pressure to produce thin material, either sheets or tiles. Common types are vinyl, rubber and cork.

Lay-in panel

Most economical ceiling system. Can be lifted for access to the service plenum.

Strip flooring

One of the most common wood floors; consists of thin strips from 3/8" to 25/32" thick of varying lengths with tongue-and-groove edges. Most strip flooring is 2-1/2" wide, but 1-1/2" wide strips are also available. Typically made of white oak, red oak, peacan or maple.

Concealed grid

Panel edges are specially cut to wrap the panel around the grid.

Recessed grid

Panels with notched edges to sit slightly below the exposed grid.

Quarry tile

Simple large fired clay tiles, usually square but sometimes rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal or other shapes. Sizes range from 4" to 12" square, which thicknesses ranging from 3/8" to a full 1" for some handmade tiles. Usually set in a reinforced mortar bed. Most recommended flooring in food service because of its durability, clean-ability, and affordability.

Impact noise

Sound resulting from direct contact of an object with a sound barrier. Can occur on any surface but usually occurs on a floor and ceiling assembly

Plenum

The space between a dropped ceiling and the actual ceiling, or the space between a raised floor and the actual floor.

Sand cushion terrazzo

Traditionally terrazzo was installed over a thin bed of sand that isolates it from structural floor slabs and protecting it from movements in the building frame. Usually 2 ¼ inches thick.

Under-carpet wiring system

Use flat conductors instead of conventional round wires. Applicable in both new and retrofit projects. Flat conductors for under-carpet wiring lie unseen beneath the carpet, and are accessed through projecting boxes.

Hanger wire

Used to hang suspended ceilings.

Underlayment panel

Usually a hardboard, particleboard or sanded plywood. used to provide a smoother substrate for the resilient flooring materials

Suspended ceiling

Very common ceiling system composed of a metal framework suspended by wires from the underside of the roof or the floor above. The framework supports fiberboard panels that constitute the finish of the ceiling. Common applications are in office buildings and in common areas of apartment buildings and hotels.