Design criteria for timber floors

The range of design criteria that need to be considered for a timber platform floor can be quite extensive and variable. These may include

1. What demands will the venue and its particular function place upon the floor and the design criteria?

2. What is the service life of the floor? How does this relate to maintenance and resurfacing requirements?

3. What safety issues bear on the floor in relation to reflectance and slipperiness?

4. How much bounce and resilience is required in the finished floor? Which species best suits the use? A number of in service criteria such as refinishing, wear and colour need to be considered for the proposed use.

5. What allowance for movement needs to be made? Should the floor have internal control joints?

6. What environmental factors need to be managed?

7. What moisture content should be specified for this project? Will the space be heated, air conditioned, subject to solar loads etc?

8. Which applied finish is best suited to this floor? Again this goes to maintenance, quality of finish and surface traction to name a few criteria.

9. How is the floor aesthetically coordinated?

10. What is the preferred colour range?

11. How durable does the flooring timber need to be?

12. Is preservative treatment an issue?

13. What degree of wear is acceptable?

14. What hardness rating is required for the uses of the floor?

15. How is the floor to be fixed?

16. Is the species chosen and the quantity needed available in the region of use and in the size required?

17. What detailing is appropriate for construction purposes for this floor?

18. Will the floor be end matched? This will effect the percentage of wastage and has cost implications.