Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Floors and roofs take daily wear and every monsoon. These guides compare flooring materials, explain roof slabs and sloped roofs, and cover exteriors such as cladding and compound walls.
Guides on this topic
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Anti-skid tiles: what IS 13712 says about slip resistance
What 'anti-skid' means in the tile trade, what IS 13712:2019 and IS 15622 say about slip resistance, the 2026 test route, and what to ask the seller.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Asbestos cement vs fibre cement roof sheets: how to tell them apart
What IS 459 and IS 14871 say each cement roof sheet is, what must be marked on each, why looks cannot tell them apart, and who to ask about an old roof you do not know.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Cement and sand for tile laying: the bedding mortar in IS 1443
IS 1443:2018 on the bedding mortar for cement concrete tiles (mix, thickness, slurry, curing), and how to work out cement and sand for a floor. Not for ceramic tiles.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Ceramic vs vitrified vs porcelain tiles: the absorption groups
How IS 13712:2019 maps ceramic, porcelain and fully vitrified tiles to water absorption groups, what GVT and double charge are not, and what the codes leave unsaid.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Corrugated roof sheet sizes: overall width, cover width, laps
What IS 277 prints for GI corrugated sheet width, why cover width is smaller than overall width, how IS 12093 defines laps, and how to count sheets for a roof.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Cracks in a cement (IPS) floor: causes and what IS 2571 says
Why a cement concrete (IPS) floor cracks, what IS 2571:1970 says about water, panels, curing, the tap test and renewal, and how to sort a crack before repair.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Exterior wall tiles: how to fix them so they do not fall off
Why outside wall tiles come off, what IS 4101 (Part 3) says about fixing them, and what to check before and after tiling. No adhesive brands, prices or bond values.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Floor tiles popping up or cracking: causes, standards, fixes
Why floor tiles lift, sound hollow or crack: the causes the standards and CPWD support, what they do not say, how to diagnose it and what an owner should do first.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Granite flooring: what IS 14223 says and what to check on delivery
IS 14223 (Part 1):2023 on polished granite: the stones it covers, finish and imperfection rules, tests, and what it leaves out about floors, thickness and slip.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
How to make an RCC roof heat proof: insulation, paint and shade
The ways to cut heat through a concrete roof in an Indian house: insulation, reflective coats, whitewash and shade, with the checks to make first. No prices.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
How to regrout floor and bathroom tiles: raking out and refilling
When regrouting tiles makes sense, how old grout is raked out and new grout pressed in, what makers' sheets ask, and why it does not fix a leak or a hollow tile.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
IS 13630 explained: the tile test methods and what a report shows
What the Indian test-method series IS 13630 covers for ceramic tiles, part by part, what a test report contains, and what the methods do not give. No pass or fail limits.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Kerb stones around a house: what they are and the IS 5758 types
What a kerb stone is, the kerb, channel, edging and quadrant types named in IS 5758:2020, what the standard leaves out about laying, and what a kerb does at a paved edge.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Kota stone flooring: what IS 1128 says and what to check on delivery
What IS 1128 sets for limestone slabs and tiles, the checks on delivery, and why the standard does not name Kota. No sizes or limits are given here.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Mangalore tile roof: how it is laid and how to maintain it
How Mangalore clay tiles are laid on the roof frame, what IS 2858 says about laying order, joints, ridges and valleys, and how to keep the roof sound. No numbers.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Marble flooring: what IS 1130 says and what to check on delivery
What IS 1130:1969 says about marble for flooring: white and coloured classes, finishes, tile sizes, the three property limits, and practice checks at delivery and laying.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Marble vs granite vs vitrified for a floor: what each standard tests
Marble, granite and vitrified floors each have an Indian standard. What IS 1130, IS 14223 and IS 13712 cover, the tests they name, and what the seller must show.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Metal roof sheets: GI vs galvalume vs colour-coated, and TCT and BMT
What GI, galvalume and colour-coated roof sheets are, what TCT and BMT mean, which Indian standards cover them, and what to ask for in writing. No prices.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Metal sheet roof leaking: laps, hook bolts, washers and how to fix it
Why a corrugated metal roof leaks at laps, fixings and wall junctions, what IS 12093 and CPWD say about laying it, and a safe way to trace and repair a leak. No brands.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Parking tiles: what chequered cement tiles are and how they are laid
Parking tiles are a trade name: IS 13801 calls them chequered cement concrete tiles. What it says, how IS 1443 says to lay them, and what the engineer decides.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Parts of a staircase: flight, landing, tread, riser, going, nosing
What each part of a staircase is called: flight, landing, tread, riser, going, nosing, baluster, balustrade and newel, with the Indian Standard wording. No dimensions.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Paver block grade and thickness: what IS 15658 lists
The grades (M30 to M55), minimum thicknesses, size tolerances and tests that IS 15658:2021 sets for concrete paving blocks, and how to count blocks per square metre.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Paver blocks for a driveway: how they are laid and why they fail
How interlocking paver blocks are laid, what IRC SP 63 says about bedding sand, joints and edges, and why driveways fail. No base depths or prices.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Polycarbonate roof sheets: solid vs multiwall and IS 14443
What IS 14443 covers for polycarbonate sheets, its designation code and marking, what it says about fixing and cleaning, and what it leaves to the supplier.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Railings for balconies and stairs: when needed, the 100 mm gap rule
When a balcony or stair needs a railing, what NBCS 2026 says on the 100 mm sphere gap, barrier heights and handrails, and how the model bye-laws and old IS 4912 differ.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
RB slab vs RCC slab: what a reinforced brick roof is
What IS 10440 says an RB and RBC roof is and how it is built, how it differs from RCC, what an old-house owner can look for, and why an engineer must judge it.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Roof tiles vs metal sheets vs RCC slab: choosing a roof for a house
Clay roof tiles, metal sheets or an RCC slab for a house: what Indian Standards cover for each, heat, leaks and what an engineer checks. No prices or design values.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Roof types and roof parts: what the terms mean for a house
What flat, pitched, gable, hip and valley mean in the Indian roofing glossary IS 4920 and the Mangalore tile code IS 2858, and which roof-type names are practice only.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Roof vs ceiling vs slab vs terrace: what each word means
In many flat-roofed Indian houses one concrete plate is the slab, the ceiling and the terrace. What each word means, which codes define it, and why it matters.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Skirting vs dado: what each is and how IS 1443 says it is fixed
Skirting is the strip at the foot of a wall and dado is the wall finish above it. What IS 1443 says about fixing them, and where it gives no height.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Staircase types for a house: straight, L, U, dog-legged and spiral
The common shapes of staircase in an Indian house, what each looks like, where it suits a plan, and what to ask the architect. Descriptive, with no dimensions.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Standard tile sizes in India: modular and non-modular, IS 15622
The tile sizes listed in IS 15622:2017 for wall and floor tiles, what modular, non-modular, work size and rectified mean, and why the standard fixes no tile thickness.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Stone cladding on an outside wall: how it is fixed so it stays on
What IS 4101 Part 1 says about fixing stone facing on an outside wall with cramps, dowels and mortar, what CPWD adds, and what no standard covers, like thin glued stone.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Terrace tiles: clay terracing tiles, china mosaic and the flat roof
What a terracing tile is under IS 2690, what IS 3036 and IS 1346 say about tiles on a flat roof, why no standard covers china mosaic, and why tile is not waterproofing.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Tile adhesive Type 1 to Type 5: what IS 15477 says about each
IS 15477:2019 sorts tile adhesives into five types by tile porosity, size and surface. What each type is for, how it differs from a cement bed, and what the bag must say.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Tile grout: cement vs epoxy grout and what CG and RG mean
What tile grout is, the five types in IS 17190 (CG1, CG2, RG1, RG2, MRG), how cement grout differs from epoxy (reaction resin) grout, and what the pack must say.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Types of flooring for a house in India: cement, tile, stone, wood
The main floor types used in Indian houses: cement concrete, terrazzo, tiles, natural stone and wood, and which Indian Standard covers each. No prices.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Types of roof tiles in India: Mangalore, country, ridge, terracing
Clay roof tile types with an Indian Standard: Mangalore (IS 654), country (IS 13317), ridge (IS 1464) and flat-roof terracing tiles (IS 2690), and what each is for.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
Wall tiles vs floor tiles: what IS 13712 says is different
How IS 13712:2019 groups ceramic tiles, which it calls wall tiles and which floor tiles, the extra properties floors need, and how to check a tile is rated for floors.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
What is a chajja? Chajja, sunshade, lintel and balcony
What a chajja is and how it differs from a sunshade, a lintel and a balcony, using the model bye-laws' definitions. No projection lengths, thicknesses or costs.
Flooring, roofing and exteriors
What is screeding in flooring? Screed strips, base concrete and IPS
What IS 2571 means by screeding and screed strips, how base concrete and topping are laid, why dry cement is barred, and the curing and hollow-sound checks.