No two philosophies of life and living are alike; but as writes Al Noor Juma, there is one thing that we all have in common within our own four walls and that is to step on a comfortable and exciting surface, which however continue to pose a myriad of challenges in the interiors world.
Flooring is one of the greatest challenges faced by architects, interior designers and developers all over the world and more especially in Africa, where the choices are severely restricted by importation logistics and costs.
Whereas there are numerous flooring solutions to match the various tastes floor surfacing remains one task that can never be underestimated.
Among the types of flooring that appeal in buildings range from the natural hard-stone to ceramic and granite tiles, the finger block wood flooring, laminate wood flooring, solid and engineered wood flooring and Wood-grain PVC plank flooring.
Natural hard-stone
Readily available in the country is the natural hard-stone flooring solution, which comprises marble, slate, mazeras and other varieties of mostly volcanic rock strata. These have the important advantages of being completely weather-resistant, and extremely beautiful in final appearance, especially after topical polishes are applied, and the surface is machined to a dazzling luster.
The main disadvantages of this sort of flooring are cost, relative difficulty of machining to size, and installation. Hence, stone flooring is only used in elegant, high-cost projects. Mazeras, which is a locally available material, is very popular in Kenya due to its abundance and fairly low costing – which also means that many flooring artisans have learnt how to work with it and cut and install it well.
Ceramic and granite
Ceramic and granite tiles are by far the largest segment of the flooring market. It is readily available, both locally manufactured and imported, in huge quantities and at relatively low prices.
Specifiers and other decision makers are spoilt for choice here, owing to the massive variety of qualities, styles and colours available. Obvious advantages are manageable costs, ease of installation and extreme durability when proper installation has been completed.
On the other hand, they had disadvantages too. They sometimes feel and look cold, so most builders try to avoid using them in internal residential spaces, except maybe in an entrance lobby or a foyer. They are just about the only choice for large high-traffic public spaces, such as shopping centers, malls, lobbies of government buildings and airports, just to mention but a few.
Finger block wood flooring
It is by far the most popular flooring for apartment buildings and houses. For the last 30 years, it has been used in the East African housing market. It is made from a variety of local natural woods; it is a cost-effective, warm, elegant and easily installed alternative, especially for newly constructed dwelling places.
One main disadvantage it has is that of possible water damage as a result of flooding. However, this can be avoided by the use of proper sub-surface membranes. Also, damaged areas can easily be repaired and camouflaged, assuming the original colours are available for replacement.
Another problem is the occurrence of poke-marks from stiletto heels. This type of floor needs periodic maintenance. It’s got to be cleaned using solvents and polished either with wax or single/double polyurethane varnish.
Eventually, after a few years of use, a complete sanding is required – a tedious and dusty process which could take several days for the various coats of polish to dry.
Laminate wood flooring
This was originally developed in Europe in the early 90s. It enjoyed an extremely rapid rise in popularity, especially in the rental housing market, spreading to commercial spaces, and almost killing the residential carpet industry in the developed world.
Being a synthetic product, with a solid foundation of high-density fibre-board, which is a sheet processed from wood waste and resins, it forms a heavy kraft paper (usually with a wood-grain picture) which is joined to the HDF sheet under high pressure (hence the word laminate), creating a very hard flooring surface which can withstand heavy and rolling traffic.
Installation in this case is very easy. A conventional bedroom can be done in two to three hours. This flooring has cut a significant niche in the finger-block wood market, being approximately the same in terms of costing, and the dynamics of installation.
There are, however, two main disadvantages. Firstly, a little flooding could damage the flooring in an entire room if the water is not mopped up quickly. Secondly, the sound of footsteps is quite high-pitched and irritating, making it unsuitable for commercial spaces.
Another problem is peaking of the planks when the flooring expands in warm weather. Many installers tend to install it too tightly against the walls, leaving no room for expansion. Once a laminate floor has these problems it usually foretells a complete replacement.
Solid and engineered wood flooring
Solid mahogany and mvuli flooring has been around for decades in the East African housing market and is here to stay. Originally used by a tiny niche-market for the upper echelons of society, it has now grown together with the upper middle class in Kenya.
Most bungalows built in the upper income areas, such as Muthaiga, Lavington, Karen, Lang’ata, Westlands, Lower Kabete, Riverside, Dennis Pritt, Hurlingham and others, have either solid wood or engineered wooden floors.
The disadvantages are significant, high-cost (well in excess of Ksh 5,000 per sqm), difficulty in achievement of proper installation, expensive maintenance, not to mention its contribution to the decimation of forests. (An exception is made for bamboo flooring, made from fibrous bamboo stems which grow in huge abundance very quickly in the swamps of South-East Asia).
The construction of engineered flooring merits an explanation. It is basically a solution to the expansion problems that occur with solid wood floors. It is made joining several thin layers of different types of plywood, and topping it with a 2-3mm layer of any beautiful exotic wood.
The joining together of several layers, ensures minimum expansion (the physics gets complicated here). Hence, engineered flooring is generally made with longer planks which fit together snug and tight without movement.
The obvious disadvantage of the engineered floor is the thin top surface, which can wear out in 3-5years under heavy traffic. However, it remains one great flooring for a top quality bedroom or hotel room, though. Finishes ranging from Burmese Teak to Russian White Oak look incredibly elegant and exclusive.
Developers preferring to use the solid and engineered wood flooring have to prepare to dig deep and spend the money on this type of flooring, if he or she wants to sell that house for Ksh 50 million.
Wood-grain PVC plank flooring
This is currently the range in town in as far as flooring markets in the US, Europe and Asia is concerned. In just five years, it has rocketed from near zero, to almost 30 per cent of the residential flooring market in Japan, for example.
Traditionally, PVC has been the low-cost option for mass housing and commercial flooring markets around the world. A thin flat, grey or white square tile with very little aesthetic appeal – it’s only redeeming quality being the low cost and eases of installation.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, American and European manufacturers, such as Amtico, Tarkett, Forbo, Armstrong, Marley and Polyfloor, have been manufacturing beautiful sheet PVC to high specification for over forty years for specialized flooring applications in hospitals, laboratories, pharmaceutical plants, food processing factories, and elegant shops, where a high degree of creative artwork was required on the floor.
The new wood-grain PVC plank was developed by a quantum leap in the technology of PVC sheet production. Using a unique photographic film, certain manufacturers developed the capability to embed an authentic-looking wood-grain acrylic surface onto the PVC, with a hot stamping process.
The resulting visual appearance and special surface texture of the planks, give a unique impression of a genuine wooden floor, at half the cost of solid or engineered wood, without the problems of expansion, and surface deterioration.
The tough acrylic surface ensures several years of an ever-fresh appearance, with only light and easy maintenance. Other significant advantages of the new full-grain PVC planks are the high degree of anti-slip resistance, even when wet, and the in-built anti-bacterial finish, which stops the growth of germs and mold within the grainy texture. The 100 per cent synthetic composition of the planks, makes them water-proof, hence suitable for kitchens and bathrooms.
Disadvantages are, the planks are only 2-3 mm thick, so the sub-floor has to be smooth and flat, and a special acrylic/resin adhesive has to be used to ensure a long-lasting bond to the floor.
One major significant advantage is that the planks can be readily installed on a variety of surfaces, from cement screed to old ceramic, finger-block wood or granite surfaces, very quickly. A living room can be completed in 2-3 hours, and is ready for use after four hours.
The PVC planks are also an attractive alternative for busy commercial spaces, such as shopping malls.
There is no footstep sound as is the case with laminate flooring; and it is very easy to create a unique floor pattern using planks of different colours. One’s imagination can run wild with this type of flooring.
The writer has been running a specialist carpeting and flooring company in Nairobi since 1999.
