Galvanised metal ceiling clips help support the underside of floors.
Our flooring guide is packed full of great information on our available flooring products, but some of the terminology may not mean a lot to those starting out in the industry.
Here we outline the main terms we use not just in our literature, but when quoting, instructing and installing the systems.
Beam and Block
‘Beam and Block’ is our flooring system incorporating prestressed concrete floor beams and infill blocks to form the basis of a flooring structure. See infill blocks for more information.
Ceiling Clips
These are galvanised metal clips designed to support battens flush to the underside of the floor.
Cold-Bridge
This is a point of the building envelope that is susceptible to cold air and resulting in reduced thermal efficiency. You can learn more about cold-bridging here.
DPC
A damp proof course (DPC) is a membrane that is applied beneath the flooring beams to deter aggressive groundwater chemical attack.
End Slips
End slips are a cost-effective solution to ensuring infill blocks are used across the entirety of the floor.
End slips are used in flooring construction to allow the infill blocks to be used over the entire floor area. It is a cost-effective solution to completing a flooring system floor.
EPS Panels
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) panels are used in our thermal flooring solution. They are a lightweight bespoke design used to reduce the cold-bridging in floors.
Gas Membrane
A proprietary gas membrane may be applied across the floor and adjacent walls and cavities to isolate the dwelling from the void beneath if methane or radon gas penetration is a potential risk factor.
Hollowcore
Our hollowcore flooring system is traditionally used at first floor levels for a variety of applications, and often used in conjunction with precast concrete stair flights.
I-Beam
The prestressed floor beam is designed as an I shape to help secure the infill blocks in place.
‘I-Beam’ design refers to the shape of the prestressed concrete beams used in flooring construction. The ‘I’ shape is used to help fit the infill blocks.
Imposed Load
These are British Standard design loadings such as domestic 1.5 kN/m2.
Infill Blocks
These are the concrete blocks that fit between the prestressed concrete beams to form the flooring construction.
Insulating Strip
An insulating strip is used at the edge of thermal floors to help reduce the cold-bridging at the join between the floor and the wall.
Load Span
As with our lintel products, we publish load span tables to help architects, engineers, specifiers and builders understand the capabilities of our products, and select the correct flooring product for their needs.
Mesh Screed
See also screed finish. A mesh screed is a screed with a reinforced mesh to stop deflection and cracking.
Panels
EPS or expanded polystyrene are the panels we use for our thermal flooring system.
EPS Panels are the types of panels we use with our thermal flooring solutions. They are available in a number of different orientations.
P/A Ratio
This means perimeter to area ratio. It is a measure of the degree to which the perimeter of the floor is exposed. The lower the p/a value the better the thermal performance.
Precast Concrete
In terms of flooring, our precast concrete products include stair flights, landings and balconies, and are often used with our hollowcore flooring system.
Screed Finish
This is a thin cementitious layer that acts as a smooth finish to the flooring instead of solid concrete.
Split Course
See end slips
Staggered Beams
Prestressed concrete beams have to be staggered when placed on a shared bearing.
Stair Flight
These are made of precast concrete and often accompany our hollowcore flooring products.
Structural Topping
This is a concrete topping laid over the floor which is used for structural reasons.
Superimposed Load
Superimposed loads are then additional construction loadings (such as upper floors or roofs) to also take into account when designing supporting structures such as precast floors.
T-Beam
This is a slight variation of the ‘I-Beam’ (see above) but specifically, relates to the Stylite T-Beam Technology we use in our thermal flooring system.
Thermal Bridge
A thermal bridge or cold bridge is where the envelope of the building is exposed to cold air and suffers thermal loss. The U-value measures said heat loss.
See Cold-Bridging
U-Values
U-values measure the amount of heat that passes through a structural element (heat loss)
Void
A vented void is of at least 150mm is needed beneath the flooring construction.
If there are any other terms or phrases you think need to be included then please let us know by way of a comment. If you have any questions about our flooring products email or phone us.
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