Glossary
Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Above grade slab |
suspended concrete slab above ground level |
Acclimatisation |
see 'conditioning' |
Alkali |
having a pH or more than 7 |
Antistatic |
ability to dissipate electrostatic charges |
Below grade slab |
concrete slab below ground level |
Binder bar |
strip used to finish off a floor covering edge, particularly in a doorway or between two different types of covering |
Conditioning |
process of placing floor covering products in the room they are going to be installed in so that their moisture content and temperature can find a balance with the surrounding environment |
Coving |
flooring material installed up the wall to create a continuous surface at the floor/wall junction |
Cross join |
end join between two pieces of floor covering |
Cushioned vinyl flooring |
vinyl sheet floor covering incorporating a foam layer |
Double cut |
process of overlapping the edges of two sheets and cutting through both at the same time |
Feather edge |
edge that tapers back to a minimal thickness, avoiding a 'step' in the thickness. |
Feature Strip |
contrasting strip used to create borders or special effects in the finished floor |
Fill |
underlayment with extra aggregate used to fill low spots and depressions in a subfloor |
Flexibility |
amount of bending that a material can withstand without cracking or breaking |
Gauge |
overall thickness of a sheet or tile product |
Gravure |
a rotating cylinder used to print the pattern onto rotogravure vinyl flooring |
Heat welded seam |
seam in resilient floor covering produced by grooving the edges and filling the groove with fused or melted material |
Heterogeneous vinyl flooring |
vinyl floor covering consisting of layers made up from different compositions or colours |
Homogenous vinyl flooring |
vinyl floor covering that is uniform in structure and composition |
HVAC |
abbreviation for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning |
Impact Resistance |
degree to which a floor covering recovers from an indentation created by dropping an object onto the material or placing a static load on top |
Indentation |
recess in the surface of the floor produced by a heavy static load or dropped object |
Inlaid sheet flooring |
sheet floor covering with a decorative pattern or design set into the surface |
Laitance |
a milky deposit on the surface of concrete, often caused by over-watering the fresh concrete |
Loose lay |
method of installing sheet flooring without the using adhesives |
Match marks |
marks on two successive widths of material to indicate where the patterns align |
Non porous surface |
substrate surface that is not porous and therefore will not absorb water |
On grade |
concrete slab at ground level |
Open time |
time required for adhesive to 'tack-up' before the floor covering is laid onto it |
Patch |
fast setting compound used to fill joints, holes and cracks in sub-floors |
Pattern repeat |
distance between two identical elements in the pattern on sheet material |
Perimeter installation |
method of installing material with a band of adhesive around the perimeter of the room and at seams |
Porous surface |
surface that will allow water and other liquids to seep through and absorb into the material underneath (or above) |
Plank |
resilient floor covering with an aspect ratio greater than 2: 1. |
Resilience |
measure of a floor covering's ability to return to its original shape and gauge after heavy foot traffic, dropped objects or static loads. |
Ripples |
uneven surface appearance in a floor covering |
Rosin |
translucent resin obtained from the oleoresin or dead wood of pine trees |
Seam sealing |
chemical fusion of two edges of sheet vinyl at the seam |
Selvage |
strip of excess material down the edge of a sheet to provide for an overlap when seam cutting |
Set mark |
notch cut into the selvage that allows for pattern matching |
Skiving |
method of cutting the heat welding cable flush with the surface of the material |
Symmetrical |
patterns with matching halves that are the same or 'mirror images' of each other |
Tack time |
time required for an adhesive to achieve its initial tack before the floor covering is laid on top |
Underlay |
a board laid on top of the subfloor to provide a smooth, even surface for the floor covering to be installed on top |
Underlayment |
a smoothing compound or levelling compound applied to the surface of the subfloor to provide a smooth, even surface for the floor covering to be laid on top |
Undulations |
wave-like ridges and troughs in the floor surface |
Wear layer |
surface of a resilient floor covering that protects the pattern and design |