Cosmas Kamasho, head of data management and BIM at RICS, on flooring costs
Floor finishes include all applied, in-situ and preformed finishes which provide a functional and/or decorative surface.
In-situ finishes are laid in a fluid state and allowed to dry and set to provide a seamless firm surface. Applied finishes are supplied preformed in tile or sheet form and laid to a suitable base bonded with an appropriate agent. Applied finishes such as ceramic tiles tend to be highly resistant to chemicals and heat.
Several factors determine the choice of finish, including function or usage of the space, aesthetic requirements, degree of comfort required, the type of base and cost.
Floors that require greater impact resistance – such as factories – may need a special coat or topping. This usually comes as a screed or resilient resin. Floors carrying chemical and food processing plants may also need an extra coat for sanitary reasons and/or to protect the structure from corrosive materials. Wet spaces require damp proofing and in most cases, non-slip finishes like vinyl and glazed tiles.
At the same time, special paints – such as intumescent – can be applied to floors to improve fire resistance. Other special finishes include antistatic surfaces, spark free floors and even conductive properties.
Impact sounds can be considerably reduced by applying a soft, flexible finish like carpet. A floating layer effectively provides a sound buffer while sprung floors absorb shocks in sport and performance halls to provide comfort.
Some finishes are chosen for their texture, colour and/or aesthetics. A transparent finish can protect or reveal underlying features.
However, it usually comes down to cost and to some extent the life cycle costs of the component. Although the capital cost of floor finishes may be a fairly small proportion of the total cost of the facility, maintenance costs can be significant. For example, although floor finishes account for just under 4% of the construction cost on a typical sports facility, the cleaning bill can reach 25% of the occupancy cost over 20 years.
These guide prices, as of 1Q2017, are from the BCIS of RICS. They are based on a medium-sized residential project for products in the low to upper- middle specification range. They do not include contractor’s preliminaries, overheads and profit margin. They are based on the BCIS ORDB Schedule of Rates Service (service.bcis.co.uk/bcisonline).
In situ screed and floor finishes; laid leveI - Range £
Latex compound on existing subbase; over 300mm wide: 3 mm thick £9.80-11.50m2
Cement and sand (1:3) trowelled beds; 100mm thick £29.40-35.30m2
Granolithic paving (1:2.5) trowelled finish; 38mm thick £19.10-23.00m2
Epoxy finish to primed surface: 1.5mm-2mm thick, one coat £35.20-42.30m2
5mm-6mm thick, two coats £63.20-76.80m2
Resin floor paint: 2 coats for industrial floors £6.50-76.80m2
3 part system; polyurethane screed, prime and base coat resin £35.70-43.90m2
Anti static epoxy flooring, including priming £67.80-80.20m2
Sheet/board flooring
Chipboard flooring; tongued & grooved joints: 18mm-22mm thick £14.90-20.30m2
Wrought softwood tongued and grooved boarding 19mm thick £40.40-48.50m2
Wrought softwood tongued and grooved boarding 25mm thick £43.00-51.70m2
Softwood skirting, gloss paint finish £17.90-21.40m2
MDF skirting, gloss paint finish £14.00-16.80m2
Wrought hardwood tongued and grooved boarding 22mm thick £118.50-142.20m2
Hardwood skirting, stained finish £27.30-32.80m2
Sports quality flooring; T&G plywood 22mm thick on softwood battens and crumb rubber cradles £141.80-170.10m2
Sports quality flooring; sprung block floor, court markings, sand and seal £97.70-117.20m2
Rigid tile/slab block flooring
Quarry tiles: 10mm bed: jointing & pointing in cement mortar (1:3) £50.20-60.20m2
Porcelain tiles: 10mm bed: jointing & pointing in cement mortar (1:3) £47.50-57.00m2
Porcelain tiles (anti slip): 10mm bed: jointing and pointing in cement mortar (1:3) £53.40-64.10m2
Porcelain tiles (designer): 10mm bed: jointing and pointing in cement mortar (1:3) £71.20-85.50m2
Terrazzo tiles; hydraulically pressed, mechanically vibrated, steam cured; to floors on concrete base (by others); 28mm thick £68.20-81.80m2
Marble tiles; 20 mm thick, marble aggregates in resin agent; fixed with adhesive; close butt joints; straight both ways £214.70-256.50m2
Wood block; 10mm thick, finished with 2 coats heavy duty oil £111.00-133.20m2
Reconstructed stone paving slabs, 40mm thick; spot bedding in cement lime mortar (1:1:6) £84.50-101.40m2
Flexible tiling; welded sheet or butt joint tiles; adhesive fixing
Vinyl tiles flooring; standard tiles 2mm thick £24.20-29.00m2
Vinyl safety flooring; 2mm thick £48.20-57.80m2
Granite tiles flooring; 2mm thick £33.00-39.70m2
Granite sheet flooring; 2mm thick £30.80-37.00m2
Linoleum tile flooring; 2.5mm thick £41.00-49.30m2
Linoleum sheet flooring; 2.5mm thick £36.20-43.50m2
Rubber floor tiles; 4mm thick £66.60-79.90m2
Carpet; including underlay, edge grippers
Heavy domestic duty £47.10-55.50m2
Heavy domestic duty; treads and risers £52.90-63.50m2
Heavy contract duty £37.30-44.70m2
Access floors
Raised access floors: including 600 x 600mm steel encased particle boards on height adjustable pedestals 135mm - 210mm Light/medium grade duty £42.90-51.50m2
Heavy grade duty 85.10-102.20m2
Common floor coverings bonded-access floor panels
Heavy duty fully flexible vinyl/anti static £30.80-42.60m2
Needle punch carpet 27.00-32.40m2
Under floor heating
Electric underfloor heating system; 50mm insulation, 150 watts per m2, 20m2 single rooms per room £837.00-1,004.30
LTHW system with pipework at 300mm centres for 20m2 single rooms per room £1,031.50-1,238.80