Architectural innovations have brought adorable changes at the nook and corner of buildings. Floors are not an exception in such innovations. The way the floors looked and felt years ago are now replaced by feathery, classic, and technically advanced flooring ideas. Apart from cost-effectiveness and aesthetics, several other beneficiary aspects were also attached to these advancements in construction.
One of the various flooring styles used these days is the raised floor systems. Raised floors are floors that are raised over a solid substrate, typically a concrete structure. Also known as access floors, these elevated floors create a void space in between which is ideal for providing underground cables, electrical wiring, and HVAC ducts. Any up-gradation, repair, and rerouting can be done easily without distorting the built areas and the working atmosphere. Similarly, access floors are efficient enough to manage the temperature within the room. Heating and cooling the room can be done effectively by running conditioned or warm air through the void space accordingly. The air will be dispersed evenly through the floor panels and maintains the required warmth or coolness in the room. The efficiency and accessibility of raised floor systems make it an ideal choice in floor construction.
Raised floors are typically used in information technology-related workspaces, telecommunication, and data centers. This space requires more electrical cables and wirings for computers and other electronic equipment. Hence the use of raised floors allows the wirings to be done underneath the flooring space without interrupting the workspace. Similarly, raised floors are also used in training and conference rooms, exhibition spaces, and other supporting rooms. Though, raised floors are ideal flooring solutions, they are not safe in places where there are possibilities for spillage of water or other chemicals which can cause fire or short circuits. Specifically speaking, the raised floor is not advisable to be used in toilets, bathrooms, laboratories, kitchen slabs, fire stairs, etc.
Expanded Polystyrene sheets have been widely gaining acceptance these days for using as raised floors. Because of the exemplary properties possessed by polystyrene, they have become a good choice for raised flooring systems. Polystyrene is a lightweight thermoplastic. Polystyrene possess good thermal insulation property which helps in holding the desired temperature within the rooms. Due to its resistivity towards moisture and microbial the floor will be well protected from degradation.
As said earlier, raised floors are least recommended for kitchen, dining spaces, restaurants, etc. But raised floors with expanded polystyrene sheets can be used in all these spaces. Due to its resistance towards moisture and chemically alert nature, the EPS sheets are said to be the most desirable raised flooring system that could be used. These lightweight sheets are easy to carry and adds no weight to the base structure. Similarly, the weight is spread evenly above the structure avoiding pressure on the underlying electronic equipment. Hence EPS sheets are considered to be the safest raised flooring options these days. The management and alteration of wires and cables in a computer room are comparatively safer with EPS sheets as they act as shock absorbers and avoid damages due to static electricity. The thermal insulation property of expanded polystyrene protects the electrical equipment from temperature fluctuations. Similarly, it also helps in managing the temperature in big buildings. With the uses of EPS sheets as raised floors, the airflow to the rooms and the equipment can be well maintained. The outstanding properties of expanded polystyrene sheets are the reason behind its use in cinema and theatre platforms too. Because of its high durability, the expanded polystyrene sheets require less maintenance and stays for a long period.
Other than being aesthetically appealing and economical, floors are designed based on the need that has to be met. Be it for commercial buildings or housing purpose the expanded polystyrene raised floors seamlessly suits the purpose. The stability it provides as a floor with literally no pressure over the solid base makes it the best-raised flooring option. Though other materials like wood, vinyl, ceramic tiles, rubber, etc. are also used as raised floors, the EPS raised floor has its beneficiary side which no other materials possess. The ability to use in any room where there are possibilities for spillage of water, other food particles, and chemicals makes it an ideal product for raised floors. Apart from all these features, the easiness to carry and reconstruct also make it favorable for raised floor systems. Last but not the least, expanded polystyrene sheets are completely environment friendly and can be recycled and reused for many other purposes.
