Floors

General Selection Requirements

• A Whole of Life assessment is to be considered in the selection of fixtures to ensure that the selected fixtures provide:
  • Value for Money
  • Fit for purpose
  • Long term durability and robustness
  • Minimal maintenance requirements
  • Low maintenance costs
  • Low VOC content
  • Compliance with BCA Fire Hazard Properties
  • Support sustainability by having recycling potential at the end of usable life, and/or include recycled content.
• The selection of materials and finishes must be based on a knowledge of the activities to be conducted in the area.

Variations

• Variations to the nominated fixtures may be necessary in particular designs due to planning considerations.
• In these cases, the fixtures are to be approximately equivalent and must be approved by the project control group and MQU Building & Grounds Office.

Note that it is important to avoid use of floor surface finishes, which may be hazardous, uneven, or slippery whether wet or dry. In the choice of flooring materials give consideration to the need to protect building users from accidents and the University from claims. The principles within the NCC, AS.4586 & HB 197 are to be observed.

Preferred Material Selection

To ensure consistency, maintainability and durability across various areas of the campus the following are selection of materials is preferred.

• Generally flooring is to be the University's standard carpet laid on underlay wall to wall.
• Lunch rooms, tea rooms and similar wet areas are to have hard surfaces (sheet vinyl or approved equivalent). Vinyl in lunch rooms may be restricted to a panel in the vicinity of sink dishwasher etc.
• Corridors adjacent to teaching rooms may be required to be a vinyl or other washable surface for ease of cleaning, with a sound absorbing backing where directed.
• Wet laboratories to have hard floor surface (sheet vinyl or approved equivalent).
• Toilets are to have semi-glazed ceramic tiled floors. (slip resistance to meet AS /HB 197recommendations).
• Floors in cleaners' stores are to be hard floor finish graded to floor wastes.
• Where required by regulations, or where directed, hard surfaces are to be laid to falls to a floor waste.
• Ground level entry foyers of buildings and adjacent to stairs are to have hard flooring of vinyl, fully vitrified, ceramic tiles.
• Include mats in floor recesses inside entrance doors, the full width of door opening.
• All hard flooring is to be chosen to be non-slip, particularly at ground level entrances, stairs and where water is present. Refer to NCC/BCA for minimum slip resistance to general walkways and stairs. Glossy surfaces are to be avoided.
• Hard floor surfaces are to have 150mm skirtings on walls.
• Pavement outside all external doors is to slope away from the door.
• All external entrance doors (but not necessarily doors not generally accessible eg. fire escape, external plant room doors), are to be protected from the effects of weather including driving rain.

The following table sets out the preferred floor materials based on the space functional requirements.

Concrete

• Concrete finish to be used in utilitarian spaces, as an easily maintained durable surface.
• Concrete surface finish to suit the application,
• Where used in internal store rooms apply a Steel trowel finish.
• Where used on general walkways, stairs, ramps and landings the surface is Slip resistant,
• Include contrasting colour nosing to stairs to meet NCC/BCA/AS1428.1 requirements. eg. silicon carbide and carborundum contrasting colour strips at nosings, preferably integral or applied if approved.

Carpet

• Carpet can be either Broadloom carpet or Carpet tiles
• Generally flooring is to be the University's standard carpet laid on underlay wall to wall. This includes offices, teaching rooms and corridors, except where otherwise stated on room data sheets or as defined below.
• To internal habitable spaces, except where other finishes are required, provide and fix CommercialHeavy Duty carpet
• All Carpet to be Commercial Heavy Duty carpet to have the following:
  • Level Loop Pile carpet.
  • Minimum of 90% wool content
  • Commercial Heavy Duty Grading Contract grading 3 stars or more ( CHD +Stairs.)
  • Environmental Certification Scheme(Australian Carpet Classification Scheme) Level 4 Certification.
  • Pile Height 5mm (+-1mm)
  • Laid on underlay, except where on stairs or ramps, which may be double direct stick method may be used. "Stretched-in" installation.
  • Min 10 year written warranty against manufacturing defects, electrostatic propensity, excessive wear and dimensional stability
• Generally Colour to be University standard. Alternative Colours may only be used as approved by MQP.
• Non standard carpet may only be included on a project specific bases as defined within the Project Brief.

Preferred Carpet Supplier

Existing Carpet Schedule

The following table includes the schedule of existing carpet types and colours used in different buildings. Any minor works in these areas is to include carpet of the type and colour as listed below.

Carpet Tile Description

Carpet tiles are to have the following characteristics:

• Tufted textured loop carpet tile.
• Pile material: 100% Recycled type 6 nylon
• Pile yarn weight: 882g/m2
• Pile height: 3.5mm +/- 0.5mm.
• Total thickness: 8.5mm +/- 0.3mm.
• Tile size: 500 x 500mm.
• Wear classification: Commercial extra heavy duty
• Total recycled content: More than 35%
• Dimensional stability: < 0.2% variation.
• Warranty: Provide a 15 year written warranty against manufacturing defects, electrostatic propensity, excessive wear and dimensional stability.

Preferred Supplier

Underlay

All Broadloom carpet is to be laid over Premium Commercial grade underlay with a minimum thickness of 9mm.

Underlay is to be made of Recyclable material and have a typical composition of 30% wool, 25% cotton, 30% synthetic fibre and 15% virgin polyester fibre.

Preferred Underlay Supplier

Entry Floor Mats

Entry floor mats are to be included to building entries.

Entry Floor Mats are to have the following characteristics:

• Be Robust and designed for high traffic areas,
• To suite the individual location and conditions.
• Incorporate a proprietary perimeter aluminium frame.
• Be recessed into the floor to finish flush with the floor finish.
• Have ribs to remove dirt and water, that meet the surface variation requirements of AS1428 series.

Preferred Underlay Supplier

Floor Tiles

Floor tiles are to have the following Characteristics:

• Be fully vitrified non-slip tiles are preferred.
• Include Epoxy Grouted Joints in wet areas.
• Provide at least the appropriate level of slip resistance as recommended by As HB197.

Floor tiles may be acceptable in main circulation spaces and stairs, subject to MQP approval, However quarry tiles have proved an unsatisfactory floor surface for corridors or galleries across which trolley traffic is expected.

Preferred Supplier

Ceramic Tiles

• Include Semi-Glazed Ceramic Tiles to all amenities areas, including air locks, as indicated
• Allow for expansion joints where they are located in structural elements.
• Unglazed tiles are unacceptable

Preferred Supplier

Resilient Floor Finishes/ Industrial Sheet Flooring

Include Resilient flooring and Industrial sheet flooring to rooms and spaces as listed,

• All Resilient flooring is to be laid with welded joints.

Industrial sheet flooring is to be:

• 2.0 – 2.5mm thick slip resistant industrial sheet flooring guaranteed to maintain characteristics for the full thickness and to nor require scrubbing
• Oil and Grease resistant
• Chemical Resistant to acids and alkalis. (Particular chemical to be used in Laboratory to be confirmed.)
• Resistant and resilient to trolley traffic
• Resistant to potential dropping of tools

Preferred Supplier

Timber/ Parquetry

[no available content]

Steel Trowelled Non-Slip Cement

Steel-trowelled non-slip cement finish generally to chemical stores and is to be sealed to provide a chemical resistant floor finish.