Table 4. Flooring Recommended for Various Types of Servicea

Light traffic in wet or dry areas, with or without spillage

Epoxy trowel-on and thin-set terrazzo

Polyester trowel-on and thin-set terrazzo

Heavy traffic in wet areas without exposure to heat or spillage of grease and chemicals

Epoxy trowel-on and thin-set terrazzo

Heavy traffic with exposure to spillage of grease and chemicals

Vinyl asbestos tile

Heavy traffic with exposure to heat and spillage of grease and chemicals Polyester trowel-on and thin-set terrazzo

Quarry tile

Pedestal floors, as in computer areas

Polyester terrazzo tile

Rehabilitation over old asphalt tile

b

Brush-on epoxy-polyamide-polyurethane system

a. The author'e experience was used, together with the data in this

report, as a basis for these recommendations.

b. Federal Specification TT-C-001685, May 10, 1971

Caution must be taken in the interpretation of the comments and recommendations in this report. The following qualifications should clarify and prevent misinterpretation of these recommendations:

1.

Recommendations and comments are based on the studies

included in this report in the light of the author's
judgment and experience.

2. The products included in the observations and experiment are
not well defined and therefore the recommendations are only
tentative and are intended only as rough guidelines.

3.

4.

5.

Other types of flooring may be suitable for applications
described in Tables 1-4.

Some types of carpet may be suitable for "wet" areas, areas of high spillage, and for heavy traffic but the author has not received sufficient evidence to recommend carpeting for such

areas.

Some epoxy trowel-on surfacings may be suitable for heavy
traffic in "wet" areas subjected to spillage but epoxy based
formulations could not be recommended for such usage on the
basis of present evidence.

As a general conclusion, the author has made qualified recommendations based on the data in this report and present knowledge. Further studies of this kind should be undertaken to improve the state of the art of performance evaluation as the author has outlined [3], [9], [10].

References

1. Felix Y. Yokel and Norman F. Somes, "Performance Criteria for

Innovative Housing Systems", Engineering Education, vol. 61, No. 2, 105 (Nov., 1970).

2. George A. Taylor, Managerial and Engineering Economy, van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York, 1964, Chapters 6 and 7.

3. W. C. Wolfe, "Performance Tests for Floor Coverings", ASTM Matls. Res. and Stds., vol. 10, No. 7, 15 (July, 1970).

4. George M. Parks, The Economics of Carpeting and Resilient Flooring, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104, 1966.

5. David G. Martens, "Hardwood? Carpet" or Tile?", U. S. Department of
Agriculture Forest Service, Research Paper NE-200, 1971.

6. Notice of Proposed Flammability Standard, Federal Register, vol. 34,
No. 242, 19812, Thursday, December 18, 1969. Notice of Standard,
op. cit., vol. 35, No. 74, APPENDIX I, 38, Thursday, April 16, 1970.
See also Federal Specification DDD-C-95, CARPETS AND RUGS, WOOL,
NYLON, ACRYLIC, MODACRYLIC, POLYESTER, POLYPROPYLENE, INTERIM
AMENDMENT-2, 4.5.13.

7. ASTM E 84-70, Test for SURFACE BURNING CHARACTERISTICS OF BUILDING
MATERIALS.

8. Winthrop C. Wolfe, "Field Studies of Floor Coverings", Flooring, vol. 74, No. 11, 52 (Nov., 1968).

9. Winthrop C. Wolfe and William C. Cullen, "Performance Testing of Floor Coverings", page 85, "Performance of Buildings - Concept and Measurement", Building Science Series 1, National Bureau of Standards, January, 1970. 10. Winthrop C. Wolfe, "Performance Tests for Finish Floors. State-of-theArt", page 799, vol. I, National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 361: Performance Concept in Buildings; Proceedings of the Joint RILEM-ASTM-CIB Symposium, May 2-5, 1971, Philadelphia (Issued March 1972).

A.a.

APPENDIX A

Detailed Report on Field Observations

Observations on Flooring by Case Histories

BARRACKS LATRINE, 1968, No. 1. Concrete slab on grade.

A previous epoxy coating was removed, revealing old paint and a rough surface in the center for the room. A trowel-on polyester coating was applied to the floor, apparently while the room was cold (poorly heated during January). After about a week, there were blisters and cracks all

over the floor.

BARRACKS LATRINE, 1959-1968, No. 2

A 1/8-inch trowel-on coating was installed over a latex coating which had been installed over a plywood subfloor. Pretreatment consisted of a

primer coat and a glass mat. A surface coating was applied over the trowel-on topping. After more than 8 years service the floor was still in good condition.

LAUNDRY, SECTION NEXT TO WINDOWS, 1963-1964, No. 3.a.

The surfacing was removed after one month service.

LAUNDRY - TWO SECTIONS, EACH BETWEEN WASHERS AND DRIERS, 1963-1968.
Nos. 3b, 3c. Concrete slab on grade.

The old concrete floor was acid washed, cleaned with detergent, rinsed
with water, and dried with a torch. Primer was applied with a rubber
squeegee. While the primer was still tacky, a 1/4-inch layer of green
polyester mix was applied. After five years, the floor was still in
good condition, although dirty and faded.

MESS HALL KITCHEN, 1959-1962, No. 4

A 3/16-inch trowel-on coating was applied over concrete with a pretreatment consisting of a primer coat and a glass mat. A surface coat was applied over the trowel-on topping. After a few weeks, the coating began to separate from the concrete and became soft. After a year, the top coat was worn off around the dishwashing area. Finally, the bond between coating and concrete failed completely around the stoves and drains. The floor was removed after about three years.