Materials, Finishes and Furnishings
What this domain tests
This domain tests selection by performance, not appearance. You should be able to choose a floor, wall finish, textile or piece of furniture against a stated use pattern, and write it into a specification with codes and ratings.
Floors
- Timber: solid versus engineered (more stable, suitable over underfloor heating).
- Laminate: AC class (AC3 heavy domestic, AC5 commercial).
- Ceramic and porcelain: PEI abrasion class I–V (V for heavy commercial); slip resistance R9–R13, or A/B/C classes for barefoot wet areas; rectified tiles allow 2 mm joints.
- Resilient: LVT, safety vinyl (R10/R11 in wet zones), rubber; seams welded in contract work.
- Stone and terrazzo: sealing, weight, thermal mass.
Walls and ceilings
- Wet plaster versus gypsum board; paint sheen from matt (hides defects, hard to clean) to gloss (durable, reveals every imperfection); eggshell or satin for kitchens and corridors.
- Protection: timber battens, wall lining, chair rail at about 900 mm.
- Ceilings: 600 × 600 mm suspended grid with access panels; plasterboard for seamless surfaces; acoustic tiles with NRC 0.55–0.70 in noisy spaces.
Textiles and upholstery
- Natural: cotton (cool, creases), linen (slubs, strong when wet), wool (resilient, naturally flame-resistant, costly), silk (light-sensitive). Synthetic: polyester (durable, cheap), polypropylene (solution-dyed, bleach-cleanable, outdoor use).
- Abrasion: Martindale rubs - domestic 20,000; contract 25,000–40,000; heavy contract 40,000+. Wyzenbeek double rubs is a different test; the numbers are not interchangeable.
- Foam: seat 35 kg/m³, back 25–28 kg/m³; check flame-retardancy requirements (e.g. BS 5852) for public interiors.
Worked example
A hotel lounge with 40 seats and six hours of daily use. Specify a wool-rich blend at 40,000+ Martindale for loose covers; pigmented leather (not aniline) on arms and high-touch edges because it resists staining and cleaning; seat foam at 35 kg/m³; floor in porcelain stoneware PEI V with R10 slip rating and 3 mm joints. Reasoning: the drivers are abrasion, cleanability and slip resistance under trolley traffic and spillage - colour is chosen last, from within the compliant set.
Traps that cost marks
- Putting domestic-grade fabric into a contract scheme.
- Quoting Martindale figures for a Wyzenbeek test.
- Forgetting slip resistance around baths, kitchens and pools.
- Assuming "waterproof" where a product is only water-resistant (LVT, laminate).
- Choosing large-format tiles with wide joints and a dark grout that shows every mark.