Pathology and proactive maintenance of floor finishes

Abstract

Purpose

This research proposes the study of the pathology in floor finishes, focussing on proactive maintenance strategies to promote the durability of these elements. A model to assess the floorings' performance levels was designed to support decision-making regarding maintenance activities to be carried out, in order to prevent the defects and extend the floors' service life.

Design/methodology/approach

The model to measure the floorings' level of performance was developed based on the literature and applied in fieldwork, focussed on visual inspections of floor finishes. Photographs were taken and standardized inspection forms were used to collect the data about the defects in the floors.

Findings

This study provides a simple classification model to assess floorings' performance levels, capable to define priorities and help decision-makers in adopting maintenance activities. The model was validated through a case study, which showed that occasionally the choice of the floor finishes is incorrectly made only based on aesthetic criteria and not taking into account the main criteria, i.e. the use of space.

Originality/value

This work contributes to a development of methodologies to assess floorings' performance levels, to study the behavior of different floor finishes, to propose maintenance strategies to improve their performance in service and adopt better solutions in the buildings' design phase.

Citation

Ventura, M., S. Dias, I., Flores-Colen, I. and Silva, A. (2023), "Pathology and proactive maintenance of floor finishes", International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, Vol. 41 No. 3, pp. 588-605. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-11-2021-0158