Flooring includes a variety of materials that are used to permanently cover a floor.  There are three main categories of flooring products: commercial, residential, and industrial.

Commercial flooring is designed for educational, healthcare, retail, light industrial, office, and other commercial settings. Products include wear-resistant carpets, laminate flooring, ceramic tile, asphalt tile, and other durable materials.

Residential flooring is designed for bathrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, family rooms, foyers, home offices, kitchens, and living rooms. Products include ceramic tile, laminates, linoleum, granite, and wood floors.

Industrial flooring is designed for factories, garages, warehouses, and other facilities that handle or process chemicals, food and beverages, electronics, or pharmaceuticals. Products include concrete, epoxy, polyurethane and rubber floors with anti-slip or dustproof finishes. Hardwood flooring is often used in residential applications because it improves the resale value of a home.

Industrial flooring products also include:

• Indoor and outdoor carpeting and rugs - Carpets and rugs are made from natural or synthetic fibers such as cotton, rayon, nylon, polyester, polypropylene, and wood.
• Vinyl sheet and vinyl tiles - Vinyl flooring and vinyl sheet flooring are durable products that are available in a wide variety of colors and styles.
• Ceramic - Ceramic tiles are often used in kitchens and bathrooms.
• Granite - Granite is more expensive, but valued for its resistance to both acids and alkalis.

Industrial flooring includes the two main types of wooden flooring: hardwood and laminate. Hardwood flooring products include:

• Solid wood - Made from a single piece of lumber.
• Engineered wood - Consists of multiple layers that are glued together in a cross-grain lamination.
• Long-strip - A type of engineered wood flooring that is made of individual slats or fillets.
• Parquet - Has a mosaic design.
• Laminate - This type of industrial wood flooring has a surface wear layer, a core, and a backing. The layers are fused by heat and pressure as a direct-pressure laminate (DPL) or a high-pressure laminate (HPL).

Green builders use several types of eco-Friendly industrial flooring products including:

Linoleum - A type of flooring that many suppliers designate as environmentally-friendly or all-natural. The main ingredient, linseed oil, is extracted from flax seeds and processed into a fine powder called linoleum cement. Unlike vinyl flooring, a floor covering with which it is often confused, linoleum does not emit gasses. Linoleum is also anti-static, hypoallergenic, and antibacterial. Care must be taken, however, to avoid gouging the surface.

Cork - A type of wooden flooring made from the outer bark of the cork oak. Though less common than hardwood floors or laminate floors, cork floors provide sound attenuation.

Bamboo - Made from grass instead of wood. Though designated as a green building product, bamboo floors may use low-formaldehyde glue.

Standards

BS 8201 - Code of practice for installation of flooring of wood and wood-based panels

ASTM F2195 - Standard Specification for Linoleum Floor Tile

Image credit:

Key Resin Company