ARCH152 Project 2 (Christopher Harold) (Rubber Flooring)

Rubber Flooring

*Master Spec #: 09624

*Manufacturers: Mats Inc. and subordinate branches

*Generic Term: grouped under Resilient Athletic Flooring

Material Application:

*Primary use: high durability floor finish

*Innovations:

*removable safety covering on hard floors and surfaces

+Kitchens: grease and food spills

+Playgrounds: impact areas (slides/swings)

+Exterior: sanitary mat

*Physical Properties:

+Finish: miscellaneous

+Surface Forms:

-flat

-brick

-metal

-porous

+Dimensions:

-Roll: 36”x48”x5mm – 15’x4’x.5”

-Tile: 24”x24”x6mm – 38”x38”x1”

-Mat: 3’x5’x.25” – custom x .75”

+Weight: 1.4 lbs/sqft – 4.1 lbs/sqft

*Acoustic Properties: FIIC 61

*Structural Properties: Non-structural:

+CoF: >.9

+Hardness: 65

+Tear Strength: 70

+Elongation: > 150%

+Tensile Strength: >200 psi

+Chemical Reaction: no change

+Density: 65-80 (depends on color/finish)

*Installation: +Permanent: -Prepare the area (level the surface within 5/16” surface variation, remove agents that would prevent bonding [oil, paint, etc.], broom/vacuum clean, apply concrete slab primer), Field Verification (inspect exact dimensions of seams, grains, floor patterns before installation), Match tiles for color/pattern, start placement at the edge of a wall or room border (avoid cuts of more than .5”), cut around all fixtures

+Temporary: drop it

*cost analysis:

+Roll: $0.99/sqft- $2.29/sqft for material

+Tile: $1.89/sqft- $15.19/sqft for material

+Mat: $3.27/sqft- $8.98/sqft

Material Background:

*How it’s Made: tires are power washed then fed into an industrial sized shredder to create clean chunks of rubber. An elctro-magnet is used on these pieces to separate pieces of metal from the chunks, which are sent to a recycling plant. The rubber is then sifted mechanically until all non-rubber materials are removed. The pure rubber is then ground a second time into a fine powder, which is then spread-out on large molds. A large press-oven cooks the powder until it becomes a singular sheet of rubber. After baking, the rubber then gets cooled by jets of water for several minutes until it is cool enough to handle. These sheets are vibrated to remove water before they are cut into whatever units are intended for sale and stacked into piles before being shipped out to either stores or directly to clients.

Environmental Impact:

*Life Expectancy: 15-30 years

*Maintenance: brooming/mopping with a cleaner with an occasional waxing depending on the exact type of rubber

*Recycling/Biodegradability: Completely recyclable as long as the adhesive can be removed from the units