Flooring

Helena Jaeschke <helena.jaeschke [at] exeter__gov__uk> writes

>An architect has recently recommended using natural rubber flooring
>for a museum and archive store, partly because of its
>environmentally friendly status. Rather than asking about the
>problems associated with natural rubber (e.g. sulphur emissions,
>possible adhesive problems) I'd like to start from the opposite
>direction:  What would you choose as a flooring material in a store
>for a wide range of artefacts and archive materials?

We recently looked at different flooring options for a refurbishment
project. 7 main criteria were taken into account: durability,
comfort, maintenance, effect on the indoor environment, insulation,
cost and sustainability. The clear 'winners' were linoleum (the real
thing, not vinyl masquerading as such), cork and rubber. Adhesives
and finishes were repeatedly flagged up as source of VOCs, so they
need to be taken into account too.

Sandrine Decoux
Preventive Conservator
Bodleian Libraries
Oxford UK


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:48
                  Distributed: Tuesday, April 19, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-24-48-010
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