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Competencies covered

MSFFL2022: Install resilient tiles using standard installation procedures

Glossary

Term

Definition

Above grade slab

suspended concrete slab above ground level

Acclimatisation

see 'conditioning'

Alkali

having a pH or more than 7

Antistatic

ability to dissipate electrostatic charges

Below grade slab

concrete slab below ground level

Binder bar

strip used to finish off a floor covering edge, particularly in a doorway or between two different types of covering

Conditioning

process of placing floor covering products in the room they are going to be installed in so that their moisture content and temperature can find a balance with the surrounding environment

Coving

flooring material installed up the wall to create a continuous surface at the floor/wall junction

Cross join

end join between two pieces of floor covering

Cushioned vinyl flooring

vinyl sheet floor covering incorporating a foam layer

Double cut

process of overlapping the edges of two sheets and cutting through both at the same time

Feather edge

edge that tapers back to a minimal thickness, avoiding a 'step' in the thickness.

Feature Strip

contrasting strip used to create borders or special effects in the finished floor

Fill

underlayment with extra aggregate used to fill low spots and depressions in a subfloor

Flexibility

amount of bending that a material can withstand without cracking or breaking

Gauge

overall thickness of a sheet or tile product

Heat welded seam

seam in resilient floor covering produced by grooving the edges and filling the groove with fused or melted material

Heterogeneous vinyl flooring

vinyl floor covering consisting of layers made up from different compositions or colours

Homogenous vinyl flooring

vinyl floor covering that is uniform in structure and composition

HVAC

abbreviation for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning

Impact Resistance

degree to which a floor covering recovers from an indentation created by dropping an object onto the material or placing a static load on top

Indentation

recess in the surface of the floor produced by a heavy static load or dropped object

Inlaid sheet flooring

sheet floor covering with a decorative pattern or design set into the surface

Laitance

a milky deposit on the surface of concrete, often caused by over-watering the fresh concrete

Loose lay

method of installing sheet flooring without the using adhesives

Match marks

marks on two successive widths of material to indicate where the patterns align

Non porous surface

substrate surface that is not porous and therefore will not absorb water

On grade

concrete slab at ground level

Open time

time required for adhesive to 'tack-up' before the floor covering is laid onto it

Patch

fast setting compound used to fill joints, holes and cracks in sub-floors

Pattern repeat

distance between two identical elements in the pattern on sheet material

Perimeter installation

method of installing material with a band of adhesive around the perimeter of the room and at seams

Porous surface

surface that will allow water and other liquids to seep through and absorb into the material underneath (or above)

Plank

resilient floor covering with an aspect ratio greater than 2: 1.

Resilience

measure of a floor covering's ability to return to its original shape and gauge after heavy foot traffic, dropped objects or static loads.

Ripples

uneven surface appearance in a floor covering

Rosin

translucent resin obtained from the oleoresin or dead wood of pine trees

Seam sealing

chemical fusion of two edges of sheet vinyl at the seam

Selvage

strip of excess material down the edge of a sheet to provide for an overlap when seam cutting

Set mark

notch cut into the selvage that allows for pattern matching

Skiving

method of cutting the heat welding cable flush with the surface of the material

Symmetrical

patterns with matching halves that are the same or 'mirror images' of each other

Tack time

time required for an adhesive to achieve its initial tack before the floor covering is laid on top

Underlay

a board laid on top of the subfloor to provide a smooth, even surface for the floor covering to be installed on top

Underlayment

a smoothing compound or levelling compound applied to the surface of the subfloor to provide a smooth, even surface for the floor covering to be laid on top

Undulations

wave-like ridges and troughs in the floor surface

Wear layer

surface of a resilient floor covering that protects the pattern and design