Category: 2. Floors

Naturally available stones like marble and granite are used as flooring materials. They are available in flat slab form and can be placed on top of a precast concrete base. Marble slabs have to be polished with a carborundum stone, while granite does not need to be polished. Their hardness, durability and aesthetic appearance have…

Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) slabs are increasingly being used in the construction of modern buildings. For short spans and relatively light loads, a simple RCC slab is suitable. If the length to width ratio of a room is greater than 1.5, the slab is designed to span along the shorter direction. Central reinforcement is provided…

For spans less than 4 m only rolled steel joists are placed, but if the span is more than 4 m a framework of rolled steel beams and joists is formed. Flagstones of about 40 mm thickness and adequate width are placed on the lower flanges and upper flanges. Joints of flagstones in the upper…

Bricks or concrete can be used to construct a jack arch floor. Arches are provided between the bottom flanges of rolled steel joists at intervals of not more than 1.5 m. The height of an arch is usually one-twelfth of the period. Mild steel ties are provided in the end spans to carry the tension…

Small sections of rolled steel joists are encased in concrete. Joists are supported on walls or on steel beams. The joists are spaced 60-90 cm apart and serve as reinforcement in the concrete. Rolled steel joists and beams should be fully encased in concrete.

This type of wooden floor is used for spans of more than 7.5 meters. Girders are placed between the walls and binders are placed on the girders and bridging joists rest on the binders. The spacing between girders depends on the type and size of the girders and the size of the binder. The ends…

More work is needed.The floor depth has increased considerably and thus the headroom has decreased.

It is a tougher type of flooring and therefore less prone to cracks in a plastered ceiling.It is more soundproof. Using additional binder near the walls can eliminate the need for wall plates.

This type of flooring is stronger than single joist timber flooring. They are used over long spans of 3.6-7.5 meters and significantly block the travel of sound waves. Intermediate supports called binders are placed to bridge the joists. Binders are spaced approximately 2 m apart. Binder ends are placed on wood or stone blocks and…

They are not soundproof.Larger spans require deeper joists which increase the floor weight and construction cost. Loads are transferred through openings such as window or door lintels due to evenly spaced joists.