The term 'floor coatings' covers many technologies and applications whose main common property is a requirement for a hard-wearing, abrasion and scuff resistant surface. The primary types of floor which can or must be protected by surface coatings are wood, concrete and PVC (vinyl), though reference will be made to other substrates below.
Carpet is the most widely sold floorcovering in Europe and the USA, though on a global basis ceramic tiles are the most popular, with a 45% share of the total market. Laminate flooring is the fastest-growing market sector, though currently with a market share of only about 5% globally (but 12% in Europe). Neither of these require coatings.
However, these figures relate to sales and so give a poor indication of the area of each type of covering that is in use, since the demand for different types is constantly changing, and the average lifetimes of different covering vary greatly.[These issues are discussed in more detail in the editorial which accompanies this review.]