Pine and deal are most often used for cheapness, but they wear unsatisfactorily, and, if scrubbed much, soon show the grain and become ragged. Oak blocks are used in the Minet Library, and form a close floor almost impervious to damp and dirt. The most suitable covering for a wood floor is cork carpet or corticene: this can be obtained nearly half an inch thick, and it seems to consolidate with heavy traffic. A block floor is unsuitable for covering, as the sharp edges cut the material and cause it to wear. Covered floors should be made in the ordinary manner, and of well-seasoned wood that will not readily warp. Great care should be taken to see that the wood is dry and well-ventilated underneath before the cork carpet is laid upon it, for if it is done while the wood is at all green, dry rot will set in, and the floor be destroyed. For the same reason the cleaners should be cautioned against using too much water in cleansing floors of this character. Cocoa-nut matting and carpets are unsuitable coverings for rooms which are much used, and should not be placed in any of the public rooms.
