Week 6 Blog (Flooring)

 Weekly Summary: 

In this week's readings we took an in-depth look into the realm of flooring and all the intricacies that surround it ranging from different flooring materials, different flooring techniques and practices of installation, and the importance of flooring in a structure and how it pertains to us as interior designers. 

Flooring is usually the top and finished layer to a system of different levels that make up the floor as a whole. Constructing the floor usually begins with laying out a set of floor joists across the axial width of the structure to provide support to the paneling above. Joints are usually hung by metal joist hangers usually spanning anywhere from twelve to twenty-four inches on center. On top of the floor joists are usually laid segments of OSB (oriented Strand Board) or sheets of plywood to cover the initial surface of the floor. 

While wood flooring is one of the most common floor surfaces to be installed in a structure, other options of hard flooring categories are also used. These flooring materials consist of concrete based floors which structural capacity makes it a great option to place high loads and weight bearing objects upon them. Another is steel which undergoes a similar formation in the construction process to wood with steel beams running the length of the floor while sheathing is applied to the surface. 

Carpeting is a factor when selecting flooring due to their various installation methods that drive their functionality on the material used for its basic structure. Carpeting options act as a type of finish material that brings extra life to a space that could have been absent with previous flooring options. 

Installation Process

When you want to make a room appear great and function properly, installing flooring is a particularly crucial step. It resembles piecing together a complicated puzzle. Typically, you remove the old floor first and make sure the surface is flat and clean. Following the manufacturer's recommendations, you carefully put the new flooring material, such as wood, tile, or carpet, down. If you make a mistake, the floor may become uneven or have gaps, therefore you must be extremely careful to avoid them. Depending on the type of flooring, you might secure it with glue, nails, or a particular form of cement. Finally, to extend the lifespan of the floor, a special finish is frequently applied. 

Carlson’s Flooring In Geneva: Blog 

This week when exploring more in the field of flooring we were asked to take a journey into Carlson’s flooring in Geneva Illinois, in order to tour their facilities and browse through their assortment of products they had available.  From first glance of the building it looks as though it is a very simplistic storefront and contains very little of interest for the consumer to see. On further inspection after entering the building, I found that there was a vast assortment of flooring materials and an extreme variety of products to choose from as seen below. 

 

Each assortment of flooring is sorted throughout the store based on different general properties ranging from basic coloring, to manufactured glulam flooring to natural wood,. To the types of wood and stains, even to their specific application in where it should go on or in a structure. Each flooring material is coated with a unique finish to provide protection and longevity to the products ranging from all sorts of polyurethane to coatings of oil based finish. 

When talking to the employees who worked there, they expressed the need of Understanding the materials used in each flooring and their strengths and weaknesses, despite just the aesthetic look, is a way to more effectively construct a finished product that performs to its highest potential. 

In terms of sustainability elements in the Carlson’s Flooring place of occupation, they had a few very interesting aspects to their catalog. One of the more sustainable practices they use in some of the flooring products they use is using water based polyurethane finished on their flooring rather than industrial grade oil finish. This switch is more sustainable due to the fact that it cuts down on industrial waste and uses the more accessible element of water rather than any petroleum or oil  based material or mixture. Another sustainable practice they used was using bamboo instead of wood due to the fact that bamboo is one of the most self sustainable materials that can be rapidly produced and harvested in the world.