Building floor coverings

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) Outgassing of building materials, coatings, wall and floor coverings, and furnishings... 

Surface Flammability of Building Materials Using a 8 Ft. Tunnel Furnace, 1984. Critical Radiant Flux of Floor Covering Systems Using a Radiant Heat Energy Source [NIST(NBS) Flooring Radiant Panel], 1993. 

If we disregard metals and some inorganic compounds, practically everything else in this world is polymeric. Polymers form the basis for life itself and for our communications, transportation, buildings, food, etc. Polymers include protein and nucleic acids in our bodies, the fibers (natural and synthetic) we use for clothing, protein and starch we eat, elastomers in our automotive tires, paint, plastic wall and floor coverings, foam insulation, dishes, furniture, pipes, etc. 

Uses. The most important areas of use of pigments are paints, varnishes, plastics, artists colors, printing inks for paper and textiles, leather decoration, building materials (cement, renderings, concrete bricks and tiles—mostly based on iron oxide and chromium oxide pigments), leather imitates, floor coverings, rubber, paper, cosmetics, ceramic glazes, and enamels. 

Flame-retardant finishes provide textiles with an important performance characteristic. Protection of consumers from unsafe apparel is only one area where flame retardancy is needed. Firefighters and emergency personnel require protection from flames as they go about their duties. Floor coverings, upholstery and drapery also need protection, especially when used in public buildings. The military and the airline industry have multiple needs for flame-retardant textiles. 

If the mass transfer coefficient is sufficiently low, the emission will be so slow that the ventilation can manage to remove the formaldehyde at almost the same rate as it is liberated, resulting in a very low formaldehyde concentration in the air. This presentation deals with what can be achieved in terms of reduced mass transfer coefficient and emission rate by applying some sort of diffusion barrier to the surface of the particleboard. The diffusion barriers studied comprise overlays or surface finishes commonly applied when particleboard is used as a building material, such as wall paper, painting and floor covering, but even overlays that are used by the furniture and joinery industries, such as veneers, melamine facing and resin saturated paper foils (finish foils). 

Armstrong World Industries ACK Manufacturer of floor covering/building... 

The flammability testing and rating of floor coverings are based on the general standards for building materials in most countries. Some authorities, however, prescribe particular test methods for flooring. 

Hospitals are extraordinarily noisy places, sometimes necessarily but often because of poor design and buildings that are ill equipped for sick people. If it was a hotel, you d complain and tell your friends to avoid the place as it s a hospital you have to put up with it. Noise, as we all know, disrupts sleep, which is particularly critical to recovery it also increases stress and raises blood pressure. On the staff side, communication is harder, distractions are greater and concentration is poorer. The combination of quiet floor coverings, private rooms, good insulation, quiet ventilation and heating systems and quiet equipment can transform the environment. An ambience of monastic calm, rather than a downtown bus station. 

Floor coverings are tested by the radiant panel method, which is already in use in most European countries. The test methods for determining the calorific value and to confirm the nature of noncombustible materials (currently Class A building materials in Germany) are also well established and have been modified only slightly for the European classification system. 

Interior finishes are the materials that make up exposed interior walls, column and ceiling surfaces in buildings. Interior floor finishes refer to the floor covering. Testing laboratories evaluate finish materials for two fire characteristics. The first is how quickly flame spreads across the material. The second is the amount of smoke produced. There are three classes for interior finishes Class A, B, or C. Controlled laboratory tests determine ratings of the materials. For example, ratings by class are ... 

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