Evaluation Of The Performance And Suitability For Use Of Various Flooring Materials In Students' Hostels : Case Study Of The Hostels In The University Of Nairobi (main Campus) And Kenyatta University.

Abstract

In the consideration ofthe economic upheavals facing all sectors of the Kenyan economy, the public universities have equally been subjected to the negative repercussions of the above. This has made the universities financially handicapped to the extent that they cannot meet the maintenance requirements of the hostels. The above has led to great neglect of the facilities and of particular interest being the floor finishes which are currently-in a deplorable state. With the continuance of the statusquo, it therefore requires that the choice of initial materials to be used in the construction of these hostels be critically evaluated to find those, which would survive for 'eternity' without or with minimal possible maintenance requirements. Given the problem of deplorable state of these finishes, the research has thus tried to establish various application options of 'maintenance free' materials finishes. These are basically those materials, which were studied and evaluated against their performance standards, extent of resistance to both natural wear and tear, and that asa result of unforeseeable user requirements at the design stage and age of such finishes. For the various spaces or locations in a hall require different types offinishes due to differing functional requirements, the research thus recommends the best options of finishes to be used in each ofthese different locations. This is due to the fact that no single finish can successfully be used in all these locations, where al.l of them exist.