Inglise keel ehitusviimistlejatele - Finishing materials (2024)

Finishing materials

Exercise 1

Read and translate the text about finishing materials

Finishingmaterials and items areused to improve the service and decorative qualities of buildings and structures, as well as to protect structural members from atmospheric and other effects. The main finishing materials in modern construction include finishing mortars and concretes; natural and artificial masonry materials; decorative ceramics; materials and items made from wood, paper, glass, plastic, and metals; and paints and varnishes.

Finishing materials are usually designed for interior or exterior finishing; some materials are used for both (for example, natural decorative stone, ceramic materials, and architectural glass). A special group consists of materials and items for covering floors, which must meet a number of specific requirements (negligible wear, high impact strength, and so on).

Finishing materials also include acoustic materials, which are used simultaneously as sound-absorbing coatings and as a decorative finish for the interiors of theaters, concert halls, and motion-picture theaters.

An arbitrary distinction is made between finishing materials proper, which are used mainly to form decorative and protective coatings (varnishes and paints, wallpaper, polymeric films, linoleum, and so on), and structural finishing materials, which also perform the functions of enclosing members and are components of such members (decorative concrete, facing brick, glass blocks, and molded glass).

A large group of finishing materials consists of facing materials, which are produced in the form of sheets, slabs, and tiles (for example, asbestos-cement sheets, Stemalit, ceramic mosaic slabs and tiles, and decorative laminated-paper plastic) and which are generally distinguished by their good service and architectural qualities. Under modern industrial construction conditions it is expedient to produce the facing during the manufacture of prefabricated units and to deliver the units to the assembly point with finished surfaces (for example, ceramic mosaic tiles are laid in a form and concreted together with the wall panels or staircase landings). The most important finishing materials are discussed below.

A traditional finishing material is natural stone, which is durable and has an attractive appearance. Facing products are produced from granite, syenite, gabbro, limestone, marble, and quartzite. Natural stone finishing materials are used for exterior and interior facings on walls and for floor coverings, mainly in public buildings and structures, such as theaters, hotels, and subway stations. Natural stone materials are also used in the form of decorative chips to finish the surfaces of concrete and reinforced-concrete parts and units.

The most widely used artificial stone finishing materials are ceramics (called decorative ceramics), which are common in residential and public buildings for exterior finishings (facing brick, facade slabs and tiles, decorative inserts, and so on) and interior finishings (glazed facing tiles and floor tiles).

Glass finishing materials, which have a wide range of colors, excellent service qualities, and durability, are used mainly for the exterior finishing of public buildings and structures (window glass, stained glass, Stemalit, glass blocks, marbled glass, molded glass, and mosaic glass). Since the 1960’s the crystalline ceramics, such as Sitalls and slag Sitalls (devitrified glasses), which are notable for their excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, have been used in construction. These materials are promising for surfacing floors in heavily used buildings and structures (railroad and subway stations; shops in chemical and machine-building plants).

Decorative concretes and mortars are very effective finishing materials. The decorative effect of these materials results from the use of colored cements and fillers produced by crushing various kinds of natural stones and by texturing the front surfaces of products (for example, large blocks and panels) during molding or after the concrete has hardened. Decorative concretes and mortars are used extensively in the factory finishing of structural members for fully prefabricated buildings; the use of decorative mortar mixtures for the exterior and interior finishing (plastering) during construction is limited, since the operation is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Walls are usually finished with large sheets of thistle board over plaster board or asbestos cement. Asbestos cement is also used for finishing the guardrails of balconies and staircases.

Although metals have excellent finishing and decorative characteristics, they are used in modern construction mainly for finishing unique buildings and structures because of their considerable cost. Sheets and shaped products made of copper and its alloys, stainless steel, and titanium are used as finishing materials; aluminum alloys, including those with a colored (anodized) surface, are particularly promising. In mass construction, metals are used mainly in the form of small items (accessories) for finishing the entrances and interiors of buildings.

Among the wood finishing materials are decorative plywood, veneer, parquet, chipboard, fiberboard, and such articles as railings, plinths, and finish casings. Wood finishing materials are notable for their excellent appearance and service qualities. Facing products are produced not only from decorative natural woods, such as oak, beech, and walnut, but also from carefully processed common species, such as birch and pine. The service life of wood finishing materials is increased by treating them with wood preservatives and by applying paint and varnish coatings.

Wallpapers of various types are widely used for interior finishing (mainly in residences); they have the advantages of low cost and labor requirements.

Plastics are a promising type of finishing material. They are characterized by a broad range of colors, a variety of product shapes, excellent sanitary and hygenic qualities, and good corrosion resistance. However, their service life is substantially shorter than, for example, ceramic or glass finishing materials; therefore, they are used infrequently for exterior facings (mainly for small structures). Materials used for interior finishing include decorative polymeric films on a paper or fabric base, plastic sheets, washable wallpaper, Lincrust, decorative laminated-paper plastic, colored polyvinyl chloride laths combined into screens, and railings, plinths, and finish casings. The use of finishing materials made of plastics (linoleum, tiles, and synthetic napped materials) for floor coverings is particularly promising.

Paint and varnish finishing materials are intended mainly for painting operations. Synthetic paints and varnishes have become widespread in modern construction; they make possible a substantial reduction in the labor-intensiveness of finishing operations and an improvement in the protective and decorative properties of structures.

The main trend in the development of the finishing-materials industry is toward expansion of the assortment of materials, as well as toward improvement of their quality and an increase in the degree of factory preparation of materials and products.

Exercise 2

Read the text about probably the most known finishing material. Learn the words in bold.

(The Roman Pantheon, still the largest unreinforced solid concrete dome)

Concrete is a construction material composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate (generally a coarse aggregate made of gravels or crushed rocks such as limestone, or granite, plus a fine aggregate such as sand), water, and chemical admixtures.
Concrete solidifies and hardens after mixing with water and placement due to a chemical process known as hydration. The water reacts with the cement, which bonds the other components together, eventually creating a stone-like material. Concrete is used to make pavements, pipe, architectural structures, foundations, motorways/roads, bridges/overpasses, parking structures, brick/block walls and footings for gates, fences and poles.

Concrete is used more than any other man-made material in the world.
Concrete has relatively high compressive strength, but significantly lower tensile strength, and as such is usually reinforced with materials that are strong in tension (often steel). Concrete elements subjected to tensile stresses must be reinforced with materials that are strong in tension.
The elasticity of concrete is relatively constant at low stress levels but starts decreasing at higher stress levels as matrix cracking develops.
Concrete has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion, and as it matures concrete shrinks. All concrete structures will crack to some extent, due to shrinkage and tension.

Reinforced concrete is the most common form of concrete. The reinforcement is often steel, rebar (mesh, spiral, bars and other forms). Structural fibers of various materials are available.
Concrete can also be prestressed (reducing tensile stress) using internal steel cables (tendons), allowing for beams or slabs with a longer span than is practical with reinforced concrete alone.

Inspection of concrete structures can be non-destructive if carried out with equipment such as a Schmidt hammer, which is used to estimate concrete strength.

Ready-mix concrete or RMC as it is popularly called, is a type of concrete that is manufactured in a factory or batching plant, according to a set recipe, and then delivered to a work site, by truck mounted transit mixers.

The inside of a transit mixer uses a simple Archimedes' screw to mix and to lift the concrete to the delivery chute.

Ready-mix concrete is sometimes preferred over on-site concrete mixing because of the precision of the mixture and reduced work site confusion. However, using a pre-determined concrete mixture reduces flexibility, both in the supply chain and in the actual components of the concrete.
Ready Mixed Concrete is manufactured under computer-controlled operations and transported and placed at site using sophisticated equipment and methods. RMC assures its customers numerous benefits.

Exercise 3

Exercise 4

Exercise5

Read the following text and learn about the grout

Grout is a construction material used to embed rebars in masonry walls, connect sections of pre-cast concrete, fill voids, and seal joints (like those between tiles). Grout is generally composed of a mixture of water, cement, sand, often color tint, and sometimes fine gravel (if it is being used to fill the cores of cement blocks). It is applied as a thick liquid and hardens over time, much like mortar.
It is also a component of mosaics. Although ungrouted mosaics do exist, most have grout between the tesserae.

Grout is a cement-based bonding material used for filling joints between tiles and comes in almost as many colors as the tile itself. Picking shades of grout in contrasting colors from the tile can create an interesting look for a room; just remember not to get carried away, because the tile and grout will become a very permanent part of your home.
Generally, sanded grout should be used in grout joints 1/8” or larger and un-sanded grout may be used in joints less than 1/8”. When purchasing grout, make sure to purchase enough extra grout for mixing mistakes and enough to make future repairs, especially if the grout is an unusual color.

Exercise 6

Exercise7

And nowread the text about paint

Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film.
Paint can be applied as a solid, a gaseous suspension (aerosol) or a liquid. Techniques vary depending on the practical or artistic results desired.
As a solid (usually used in industrial and automotive applications), the paint is applied as a very fine powder, then baked at high temperature. This melts the powder and causes it to adhere (stick) to the surface. The reasons for doing this involve the chemistries of the paint, the surface itself, and perhaps even the chemistry of the substrate (the overall object being painted). This is commonly referred to as "powder coating" an object.
As a gas or as a gaseous suspension, the paint is suspended in solid or liquid form in a gas that is sprayed on an object. The paint sticks to the object. This is commonly referred to as "spray painting" an object.
Oil-based paints when dry tend to be very durable, washable, and long-lasting. The paint would take about almost 1 day to dry.
Water-based paints tend to be the safest, and easiest to clean up after using—the brushes and rollers can be cleaned with soap and water
It is difficult to reseal the paint container and store the paint well for a long period of time. It should be stored upside down, for a good seal. Storage should be in a cool dry place, protected from freezing.

Exercise 8

Exercise9

And finally comes text about wallpaper

The most common wall covering for residential use and generally the most economical is prepasted vinyl coated paper, commonly called "strippable" which can be misleading. Cloth backed vinyl is fairly common and durable. Lighter vinyls are easier to handle and hang. Paper backed vinyls are generally more expensive, significantly more difficult to hang, and can be found in wider untrimmed widths. Foil wallpaper generally has paper backing and can (exceptionally) be up to 36 inches wide, and be very difficult to handle and hang. Textile wallpapers include silks, linens, grass cloths, strings, rattan, and actual impressed leaves. Customized wallcoverings are available at high prices and most often have minimum roll orders.
Solid vinyl with a cloth backing is the most common commercial wallcovering and comes from the factory as untrimmed at 54 inches approximately, to be overlapped and double cut by the installer. This same type can be pre-trimmed at the factory to 27 inches approximately.

Exercise 10

Exercise 11