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with intricate Mural s or other designs, like this glass art piece in SKYCITY Auckland .]] In Architecture , a floor is generally the lower horizontal surface of a Room , and/or the Support ing Structure underneath it. It also commonly refers to Flooring , or a Wall -to-wall Floor Covering , which forms the decorative surface of the floor. The various levels in a . "ground floor" or "main floor", "first story", " Mezzanine Floor ," etc. STRUCTURE A ground-level floor can be Soil , or be built on a 'slab', such as a Concrete Slab . Floors above may be built on Beam s or Joist s or use structures like Hollow Core Slab s. Ground-level slab floors are prepared for pouring by Grading the base material so that it is flat, and then spreading a layer of Sand and Gravel . A grid of Rebar is usually added to Reinforce The Concrete , especially if it will be used structurally, i.e. to support part of the building. Floors in Woodframe Homes are usually constructed with joists that are centered no more than 16 inches or 40 centimeters apart, according to most Building Code s. Heavy floors, such as those made of Stone , are more closely-spaced. If the Span between load-bearing walls is too long for joists to safely support, then a heavy crossbeam (thick or Laminate d wood, or a metal I-beam or H-beam ) may have to be run used. A 'subfloor' of Plywood or Waferboard is then laid over the joists. UTILITIES Utilities are also run through the floor, by Drill ing small holes to go crosswise. Where the floor is over the Basement or Crawlspace , they may instead be run under the joists, making the Installation less expensive. Duct s for Air Conditioning (central Heating and Cooling ) are large and cannot cross joists or beams, thus they are typically at or near the Plenum , or come directly from underneath (or from an Attic ). The floor of one level typically also holds the Ceiling of the level below (if any). Pipe s for Plumbing and Sewerage , as well as for Underfloor Heating , may also be laid directly in slab floors, which is also sometimes the case for some other utilities. Maintenance of these systems can be very expensive however, requiring the opening of concrete or other fixed structures. Electrically heated floors are also available, and both kinds of systems can also be used in wood floors as well. ISSUES Wood floors, particularly older ones, will tend to 'squeak' in certain places. This is caused by the wood rubbing against other wood, usually at a Joint of the subfloor. Firmly securing the pieces to each other with Screw s or Nails will remove this problem. Wood floors also tend to pass Sound , particularly heavy footsteps and low Bass Frequencies . Concrete floors are usually so solid they do not have this problem, but are also much more expensive to construct, and much heavier, resulting in further requirements regarding the structure of the building. SEE ALSO
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