Floor
In
architecture, a
floor is generally the lower horizontal surface of a
room (see also
flooring). The various levels of rooms in a
building are also called floors or
stories (
storeys in
British English (singular: storey); in American English, the singular is story): "ground floor", "first story", "
mezzanine floor", etc.
A confusion arises between the two forms of
floor numbering in use worldwide.
In most of Europe, and thus in British and
Commonwealth usage, the floor at the ground level is the
ground floor, and the floor above is the
first floor, which maintains the continental European use dating from the days of the construction of palaces. For example, in
French, the term for the ground floor is
rez de chaussée. But in North American usage (except in
Quebec), the floor at the ground level is usually, but not always, the
first floor and the floor above is the
second floor; this system is also used in
Russia and other countries of the former
Soviet Union. China follows the American system, except that the numbers used are cardinals (one, two, three, etc.) rather than ordinals (first, second, third).
The
principal floor is the story which contains the chief apartments, whether on the ground floor or the floor above; in
Italy they are always on the latter and known as the
piano nobile. The story below the ground floor is called the
basement even if only a little below ground level, or the
cellar; the story in a
roof is known as the
attic or the
loft.
In the U.S., the expressions
one pair,
two pair, etc., apply to the stories above the first flight of stairs from the ground (see also
carpentry).
*
Carpet*
Linoleum*
Tile*
Mosaic*
Glass floor*
Thirteenth floor
