1. The Basics: Glossary, Guide & Comparison Chart
2. Flooring Structure: Design, I-joists & Sound Calculator
3. Wood: Hardwood, Laminate & Bamboo
4. Resilient: Overview, Removing It, Green Linoleum
5. Hard Surface: Tile, Marble & Stone, Decorative Concrete
6. Carpet: Selection, Cleaning & Care, Black Stains
7. More Resources: Squeaks, Experts, Articles & Links

1. The Basics: Glossary, Guide & Comparison Chart

Flooring Glossary
So you think “above-grade level” is making it out of high school. This Armstrong site has a good glossary of terms that will help you understand the flooring industry jargon.

Consumers Flooring Guide
If you want one place to get a good brief overview of all of the different kinds of flooring this is it. The World Floor Covering Association represents the entire floor covering industry.

Flooring Comparison Chart
This chart from Armstrong gives you or your customers a quick way to compare floor options. It covers pros, cons, care, durability, installation and costs of common types of flooring.

2. Flooring Structure: Design, I-joists & Sound Calculator

Wood Floor Design
The Canadian Wood Council offers this brief overview of wood floor design. It also includes a chart on typical joist spacing and sheathing thickness.

Tips For Floor Framing With I-joists
Tools Of The Trade offers an article called Framer’s Guide To Engineered Lumber. It discuses storing, cutting, handling installation, blocking, specs and safety tips.

Sound Attenuation Estimator
Having problems with sound transmission through floors? Here is a handy online calculator from CMHC to estimate the sound insulation performance of different floor systems.

3. Wood: Hardwood, Laminate & Bamboo

Hardwood Info Site
This is a great site from the Hardwood Council if you’re looking for anything to do with hardwoods. It has info on species, specifications, finishing, and troubleshooting tips.

Laminate Flooring FAQ
The North American Laminate Flooring Association site has an FAQ section on various laminate flooring items and issues.

Bamboo Report
NAHB has developed a report on bamboo product details, installation, benefits, costs, limitations and some suppliers.

4. Resilient: Overview, Removing It, Green Linoleum

Overview Of Resilient Flooring Products
The Pharos Project site gives you an introduction to vinyl, linoleum, cork and rubber flooring systems and how to care for them.

Removing Resilient Flooring (PDF FILE)
These recommended work practices are from the Resilient Floor Covering Institute in the US. They are quite detailed and may help if you ever need to remove some resilient flooring.

Linoleum As A Green Building Product
More people are looking at linoleum as a green building product. This Build It Green site gives you a good overview of its environmental features.

5. Hard Surface: Tile, Marble & Stone, Decorative Concrete

Tile Handbook Online
The Tile Doctor website has a great online handbook that covers all aspects of tile. It includes benefits, design, selection, installation, maintenance and other tile resources.

Terrazzo Tile & Marble Association Of Canada
There are some good articles on the TTMAC website. They have a members listing, as well as sections on Training, Technical Information and Inspection Services.

Marble & Stone Articles
Findstone has an awesome collection of over 250 articles on their site. You will find info on marble and stone products, procedures, problems, tips and other resources.

Decorative Concrete Report
NAHB prepared a report that gives you an overview of the different types of decorative concrete floor finishes, installation, benefits, costs, limitations and field evaluations.

6. Carpet: Selection, Cleaning & Care, Black Stains

Selecting Carpet & Rugs
At this Carpet And Rug Institute site you’ll find info on carpet selection considerations such as location/use, colour, cost, types, measurement, and quality factors.

Carpet Cleaning & Care
Also from the CRI site, here are a number of solutions for cleaning all kinds of spots, stains, and water damage. As well there is info on general carpet care and maintenance.

Black Stains On Carpets: Ghosting
Have you had problems with black stains on carpet edges? I mentioned one article on this in Issue #10. Here is a more detailed technical explanation from Dr. Joe Lstiburek.

7. More Resources: Squeaks, Experts, Articles & Links

Squeaky Floors (PDF FILE)
Floor squeaks are a very common complaint. At The Engineered Wood Association site they give you seven different solution recommendations along with some drawings.

Ask The Experts
The ExpertWitness.com site has a list of experts you may choose from to ask your question, as well as a section where you may search for the experts by selecting a category.

Flooring Articles & Links
And just in case you have some extra time to spend learning more about flooring, the NAHB Toolbase website has lots of technical articles as well as links to other flooring sites.

Dittie For Today: On Arguing With Your Boss
Before you have an argument with your boss, take a good look at both sides -- your boss's side 
and the outside.