Floor & Roof Systems
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Building Systems > Floor & Roof Systems
Beauty, strength, and comfort make concrete floor and roof systems a solid choice for your home.
With the increased use of concrete wall systems for homebuilding, more homeowners are demanding the strength, comfort, and beauty of concrete for the floors and roof of their new homes. Concrete floor and roof systems are the perfect match for insulating concrete forms, concrete masonry, autoclaved aerated concrete, and other concrete wall systems.
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- Conventionally formed concrete
- Stay-in-place foam forms
- Concrete on steel deck
- Concrete on steel joists
- Concrete on fiber glass joists
- Precast hollow-core plank
- Autoclaved aerated concrete
- Radiant Heating
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All of these systems share the same solid benefits of concrete - beauty, strength, durability, low maintenance, energy efficiency, environmental friendliness, and peace and quiet. Which concrete building technique is right for you depends on the labor force and predominant building practices in your area. Whatever your choice, you can rest assured that your beautiful concrete home is built to last.
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When I'm at home, I want peace and quiet. My concrete home keeps things quiet. I can't hear the neighbor's lawn mowers and my floors don't squeak. That's why I chose concrete walls, floors and roof of my new home.
 Not only that but my architect was able to create longer floor spans using concrete for a more open feel. She was able to use many different finish materials - hardwood, tile, and carpet. I told her I wanted something spectacular in the entrance - so she used color and texture cast into the concrete to give the look of stone.
And I can rest easier knowing that my concrete home provides additional protection against the ravages of mother nature - tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, fire, rot, and pests. The mass of the concrete and air tightness translates into energy savings too. My home stays warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. I put a radiant heating system into the concrete floor which provides me with even more comfort and savings. With low maintenance year after year, concrete was the most economical and worry free choice.
There's just no limit to the beauty of concrete.
For
more information on the versatility of concrete floors, click here.
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Partial List of Concrete Floor & Roof System Manufacturers
Conventionally formed concrete
Slabs made by placing ready mixed concrete on conventional reusable formwork made of plywood, steel, aluminum, or fiberglass are common in commercial construction and can be used for residential applications. Forms can be flat or ribbed to form shallow beams 2 to 3 feet on center. Forms are arranged and shored (or braced), reinforcing bars secured in the proper location, and concrete pumped onto the forms. After the concrete reaches adequate strength (usually 7 days or longer) the forms are removed.
Symons Corp.
200 E. Touhy Ave.
Des Plaines, IL 60018
(800) 800-7966 or (847) 298-3200 / Fax: (847) 635-9287
www.symons.com
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Stay-in-place foam forms
Forms designed to stay in place are usually made of rigid foam insulation. Polystyrene or polyisocyanurate foam insulation is combined with steel ribs or joists to form flat or ribbed forms for the concrete. The forms are arranged and braced, reinforcing bars are secured in place, and concrete pumped onto the forms. The concrete hardens to form the structure and the forms are left in place to provide insulation. Stay-in-place forming systems like Lite-Deck combine the strength of concrete with the superior insulating qualities of rigid foam.
Cell-Crete Corporation
135 E. Railroad
Monrovia, CA 91016-4652
(800) 660-8062 or (626) 357-3500 / Fax: (626) 357-2537
www.cell-crete.com
FloR Systems LLC
P.O. Box 258
Hygiene, CO 8053
(303) 684-8844 / Fax: (303) 684-8843 Insul-Deck LLC
250 Aristrocrat Dr.
Florence, KY 41042
(800) 475-6720 / Fax: (859) 525-1167
www.insul-deck.org
Lite-Deck by Lite-Form International
1210 Steuben St.
Sioux City, IA 51102
800-551-3313 or 712-252-3704 / Fax: (712) 252-3259
www.liteform.com
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Concrete on steel deck
Steel deck made from plain or galvanized steel sheet rolled into various ribbed profiles can be used to form concrete floor and roof slabs. Ribs are typically 3 inches deep, approximately 6 inches wide, and spaced at 12 inches on center. Steel deck can serve strictly as a form for the concrete, or it can be fabricated to bond to the concrete so that the concrete and steel act together as a composite section. For composite deck, no additional reinforcement is typically used. When non-composite deck is used, reinforcing bars are placed in the slab.
Generally, 2 to 3 inches of concrete is placed over the ribbed deck to form a total slab thickness of 5 to 6 inches. Spans of 15 feet or more can be achieved with with this system depending on the thickness of the steel used for the deck and the amount of reinforcement placed in the slab. For a list of steel deck manufacturers contact the Steel Joist Institute:
Steel Deck Institute
P.O. Box 25
Fox River Grove, IL 60021-0025
(847) 462-1930 / Fax: (847) 462-1940
www.sdi.org
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Concrete on steel joists
Several manufacturers offer concrete floor systems designed to work in conjunction with steel bar joists. They use cast in place concrete, precast concrete, or concrete masonry to form the slab. Depending on the system, steel bar joists are placed 16 inches to 8 feet on center. Spans exceeding 40 feet can be achieved depending on the depth and size of the joists used.
Hambro Composite Floor System - This system uses proprietary steel bar joists with special top chords that are cast into the concrete slab to form a composite section which is extremely strong and relatively light weight for a concrete floor or roof system. The steel joists are placed at approximately 4 feet on center and reusable plywood forms are secured with special easy-to-use removable braces.
Hambro Structural Systems
450 East Hillsboro Blvd.
Deerfield Beach, FL 33441
(800) 546-9008 / Fax: (800) 592-4943
Block Joist System - The name of this system says it all.
Special concrete masonry units are placed between special steel bar joists.
The bar joists are spaced at 16 to 24 inches on center depending on the size
of block used and the desired span. Individual hollow concrete masonry units
are placed between the joists and grouted in place. The final step requires
a thin layer of grout to be spread over the entire surface to form a smooth
floor surface. Spans of up to 20 feet can be achieved with this system.
Block Joist Co., LLC
109 Ralston Road
Richmond, VA 23229
(804) 285-1250 / Fax: (804) 285-0015
www.blockjoist.com
Midcon Floor and Plank System - This system uses lightweight
precast concrete planks that are 2 inches thick, 18 inches wide, and 10 feet
long with special tongue-and-groove steel edges. Steel bar joists or steel
beams are spaced up to 8 feet on center and the planks are spot welded in
place onto the joists. One benefit of this system is that nails can be driven
into the special lightweight concrete used to make the panels.
Midcon Products, Inc.
262 East Main Street
Hortonville, WI 54944
(920) 779-4032 / Fax: (920) 779-4443
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Concrete on Fiber Glass Joists
This method of forming can significantly reduce high labor and materials costs. With the use of sophisticated flying systems has come the demand for forms that can be secured together and moved - in complete grid format - from floor to floor. In addition to standard forms, custom forms can be made in almost any shape. The cost is relatively low and the shape possibilities are limited only by the designer’s imagination.
MFG Construction Products Company
1018 W. Sycamore St.
P.O. Box 685
Independence, KS 67301
(800) 225-5634 or (620) 331-7366 / Fax: (620) 331-8647
www.mfgcp.com
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Precast hollow-core plank
Precast hollow-core planks are typically 4 feet wide and 6 or 8 inches thick depending on the desired span. As the name implies, they have evenly spaced cores running the length of the slab reducing the weight of the panels and can function as a chase for electrical and mechanical utilities. Most systems are reinforced with prestressing wires between the cores. They are manufactured in large precasting plants and transported to the site by truck and placed on the supporting walls with a crane. In some cases a cast-in-place topping is placed over the planks. There are many companies in North America that manufacture hollow-core plank. Contact the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute to find a manufacturer in your area.
Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute
209 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60606-6938
(312) 786-0300 / Fax: (312) 786-0353
www.pci.org
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Autoclaved aerated concrete
Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) floor and roof systems consist of large planks manufactured in plants using special lightweight concrete. AAC is made with all fine aggregates, nothing more coarse than a grain of sand, cement and a natural expansion agent that causes the concrete to rise like bread dough, with countless small air pockets. The factory can mold it and cut it into precisely dimensioned units. While block-size units for walls are most common, it can also be cast into reinforced panels for walls, floors and roofs. There several companies in the United States that produce AAC.
ACCOA
3351 Orange Blossom Trail
Apopka, FL 32712
(888) 901-2226 or (407) 884-0051 / Fax: (407) 884-5111
www.accoaac.com
Aercon Florida LLC
3701 C.R. 544 E
Haines City, FL 33844
(863) 422-6360 / Fax: (863) 422-6361
www.aerconfl.com
Enviroc, Inc.
4030 Stockton Hill Rd.
Suite 12
Kingman, AZ 86401
(928) 692-1000 / Fax: (928) 692-1423
www.enviroc.com
HumaBlock
2305-C Ashland St.
#511
Ashland, OR 97520
(541) 488-0931 / Fax: (541) 488-0932
www.humabuilt.com
Safecrete
7638 Nashville St.
Ringgold, GA 30736
(706) 965-4587 / Fax: (706) 965-4597
www.safecrete.com
Xella
1117 Perimeter Center West
Suite W-509
Atlanta, GA 30338
(888) 935-5287
www.xella-usa.com
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Radiant heating
One major advantage of using a concrete floor system is that you can easily install a radiant heating system - one of the most efficient ways of heating a home. Most systems use flexible tubes embedded in concrete. A special heater pumps water through the tubes and heats the slab. Heat radiates from the slab resulting in a quiet, comfortable home. For more information, or to find a dealer/contractor in your area, contact:
Radiant Panel Association
P.O. Box 717
Loveland, CO 80539
(800) 660-7187 or (970) 613-0100 / Fax: (970) 613-0098
www.radiantpanelassociation.org
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Disclaimer
Listing constitutes neither an endorsement nor recommendation by the Portland Cement Association (PCA). PCA disclaims any and all responsibility for the selection of firms listed, products they supply, and/or work performed by their products. This list is titled a "Partial List" because although PCA has made reasonable efforts to include all known producer/suppliers, we are not certain this list includes all producer/suppliers. This list is in alphabetical order and is not in order of industry rank or rating. PCA also assumes no responsibility for errors and omissions in this list.
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