FLOORBOARD AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THEREOF

Abstract

Floorboards with a surface of flexible fibers for laying a mechanically joined floating floor, and methods for manufacturing and providing floorings containing such floorboards. For example, floorboards including a surface layer and a core, for making a floating flooring, which floorboards are mechanically lockable and which along their edge portions have pairs of opposing connectors for locking similar, adjoining floorboards to each other both vertically and horizontally, wherein the surface layer comprises flexible resilient fibers.

Claims

1-12. (canceled)

13. Floorboards configured to make a floating floor, the floorboards comprising a surface layer and a core, the floorboards are mechanically lockable and which along edge portions of the floorboards have pairs of opposing connectors configured for locking similar, adjoining ones of the floorboards to each other both vertically and horizontally, wherein the surface layer comprises flexible resilient fibers, and wherein a thickness of the surface layer is equal or larger than 0.5 times a thickness of the core.

14. The floorboards as claimed in claim 13, wherein the core is made of plastic.

15. The floorboards as claimed in claim 13, wherein the surface layer has a thickness of 1-2 mm.

16. The floorboards as claimed in claim 13, wherein the core has a thickness of 3-5 mm.

17. The floorboards as claimed in claim 13, wherein the connectors comprise a groove and a tongue configured for vertical locking.

18. The floorboards as claimed in claim 13, wherein the connectors comprise a strip, a locking element and a locking groove configured for horizontal locking.

19. The floorboards as claimed in claim 17, wherein the tongue and the groove have a vertical thickness which is larger or equal than 0.5 times the thickness of the core.

20. The floorboards as claimed in claim 18, wherein the locking element has a horizontal extent about 0.5 times the thickness of the core.

21. The floorboards as claimed in claim 13, wherein the floorboards are rectangular or square and wherein two opposite sides can be joined by inward angling, whereby upper adjoining joint edge portions are in contact with each other.

22. The floorboards as claimed in claim 21, wherein the upper adjoining joint edge portions of the floorboards are compressible and are configured to be changed in shape in connection with joining.

23. The floorboards as claimed in claim 13, wherein upper joint edges of the surface layer have a beveled portion.

24. The floorboards according to claim 13, wherein the flexible resilient fibers are made of synthetic fibers.

25. The floorboards according to claim 13, wherein the flexible resilient fibers are made of natural fibers.

26. The floorboards as claimed in claim 13, wherein the surface layer is made of needle felt.

27. The floorboards as claimed in claim 13, wherein the surface layer consists of flexible resilient fibers.

28. The floorboards as claimed in claim 13, wherein the surface layer is glued to the core.

29. The floorboards as claimed in claim 13, wherein the surface layer has a density below 400 kg/m3.

30. The floorboards as claimed in claim 13, wherein the surface layer has outer joint edges projecting beyond the outer parts of the core.

31. The floorboards as claimed in claim 13, the floorboards further comprising a balancing layer, wherein the balancing layer is arranged on a rear side of the core opposite the surface layer.

32. The floorboards as claimed in claim 31, wherein the balancing layer comprises foam, needle felt, or cardboard.

33. Floorboards configured to make a floating floor, the floorboards comprising a surface layer, a core, and a lower layer, wherein the lower layer is arranged on a rear side of the core opposite the surface layer, the floorboards are connectable with connectors configured for connecting similar, adjoining ones of the floorboards to each other both vertically and horizontally, wherein the surface layer comprises flexible resilient fibers, and wherein the lower layer is a soft fibre layer.

34. The floorboards as claimed in claim 33, wherein connectors are configured such that floorboards are exchangeable.

35. The floorboards as claimed in claim 33, wherein a thickness of the surface layer is equal or larger than 0.5 times a thickness of the core.

36. The floorboards as claimed in claim 33, wherein the core is made of plastic.

37. The floorboards as claimed in claim 33, wherein the surface layer has a thickness of 1-2 mm.

38. The floorboards as claimed in claim 33, wherein the core has a thickness of 3-5 mm.

39. The floorboards according to claim 33, wherein the flexible resilient fibers are made of synthetic fibers.

40. The floorboards according to claim 33, wherein the flexible resilient fibers are made of natural fibers.

41. The floorboards as claimed in claim 33, wherein the surface layer is made of needle felt.

42. The floorboards as claimed in claim 33, wherein the surface layer consists of flexible resilient fibers.

43. The floorboards as claimed in claim 33, wherein the surface layer is glued to the core.

44. The floorboards as claimed in claim 36, wherein the connectors are made of plastic.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] FIGS. 1a-d illustrate manufacture of a floorboard according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0034] FIGS. 2a-d show examples of mechanical joint systems which can be used in embodiments of the invention.

[0035] FIGS. 3a-c show an embodiment of the invention.

[0036] FIGS. 4a-f illustrate the manufacture of the joint edge portion according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0037] FIGS. 5a-c show a flow consisting of floorboards with different surface layers according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0038] FIGS. 6a-d show embodiments of floors according to the invention.

[0039] FIGS. 7a-e show embodiments off floors and locking systems according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0040] FIGS. 1a-d illustrate the manufacture of a floorboard according to an embodiment of the invention. A layer 31, which in this embodiment consists of needle felt, is joined, for instance, by gluing to a core 30. This core may consist of, for example, particle board, fiberboard, such as MDF, HDF, plywood or the like. A lower layer, for instance a balancing layer 32, can be applied to the rear side to prevent cupping. This rear layer can also be a soft material, such as foam, needle felt, cardboard or the like, which levels irregularities in the subfloor and which improves the reduction of sound. This lower layer is in some applications not necessary. The floor element 3, which may have a thickness of e.g. 5-20 mm, is then divided into a plurality of floor panels 2. These panels are then machined and joint edge portions are formed so as to constitute a mechanical joint system 7, 7. An example of such a joint system on the long sides 4a and 4b is shown in FIG. 1d. The floorboards could be produced in several alternative ways. For example the surface layer 31 and/or the balancing layer 32 could be applied on the core of the floor panels and not on the core of the floor elements.

[0041] FIGS. 2a-d show examples of mechanical joint systems which can be used in the invention. The joint system according to FIG. 2a can be joined by vertical snapping-in. In the joint system according to FIGS. 2b and 2c, a groove 36 and a tongue 38 form the vertical joint D1. A strip 6, a locking element 8 and a locking groove 14 form the horizontal joint D2. These locking systems can be joined by angling and horizontal snapping-in. If upper joint edges 41, 42 are compressible, the joint system in FIG. 2c can be locked by vertical snapping-in. If the tongue 32 is removed, the locking could be accomplished with vertical folding without any snapping. A surface layer 31, which consists of e.g. needle felt, can be pressed together, and this facilitates vertical snapping-in. FIG. 2d shows a different embodiment which can be joined by angling and snapping-in. Upper joint edges 41,42 have in this embodiment a beveled portion.

[0042] In one embodiment, the floorboard, on a first pair of opposing joint edges, is provided with a mechanical locking system adapted for locking the floorboard to an adjoining floorboard both vertically D1 and horizontally D2. This first pair of opposing joint edges may be the floorboard's long edges. A second pair of opposing joint edges may be provided with a mechanical locking adapted for locking the floorboard to an adjoining floorboard vertically and/or horizontally. This second pair of opposing joint edges may be the floorboard's short edges.

[0043] In one embodiment, the second pair of opposing joint edges is provided with a mechanical locking system which only provides locking in the vertical direction, such as is the case with a known tongue-and-groove system.

[0044] In another embodiment, the second pair of opposing joint edges are provided with a mechanical locking system which only provides locking in the horizontal direction, such as would be the case if the tongue 38 of any one of the embodiments of FIG. 2b or 2c was to be removed, while leaving the locking strip 6 with its locking element 8 and the locking groove 14. In FIG. 2d such a case would be accomplished if the tongue 38 or the lower lip 39 will be removed.

[0045] FIGS. 3a-c illustrate a floorboard which in this embodiment has a core 30 of a relatively soft material, such as MDF or particle board. The locking system has been adjusted to the soft core by the locking element 8 having a horizontal extent which is about 0.5 times the thickness of the core 30. The surface layer 31 has outer joint edges 40, 41 which in this embodiment project beyond the outer parts of the core 30. This projection can be some tenths of a millimeter. The outer parts of the surface layer are pressed together in connection with laying, and the floorboards will have very tight joints. The mechanical locking system guides the floorboards in exact positions and ensures a high quality of laying. In one embodiment the locking system may have a geometry where a play may exist, between the locking surface 9 of the locking element 8 and the locking groove 14,when the floorboards 1 and 1 are pressed together. The core 31 can have a thickness of e.g. 6-7 mm, and the surface layer 31 can have a thickness of 1-2 mm. In this embodiment, the total thickness of the floorboard can thus be about 7-9 mm, and the floor can then be joined to ordinary laminate floors having a thickness of about 7-8 mm. Other thicknesses can also be used in this invention.

[0046] FIGS. 4a-4f illustrate how joint edge portions can be machined. We have discovered that a soft surface layer of fibers cannot be machined accurately by means of cutting rotary tools which are normally used in manufacture of laminates and wooden floors and the wood-based core materials that are the most common ones in these cases. Loose fibers, especially in corner portions, cause a frayed joint edge. Plastics that are used in manufacture of synthetic fibers have as a rule a melting point round 120-160 degrees C. The fibers melt at high machining speeds. These problems can be solved by the surface layer being cut using, for instance, knives. These knives TP1A and TP1B can be rotary. The angle of action of the knives is indicated by the arrows R1a and R1b in FIGS. 4a, 4b. The knives, which can have other angles than the 90 degrees as shown, cut against the core 30, and in this embodiment the cut is placed outside the upper and outer part of the core in the completed floorboard. FIGS. 4c-f show that the entire joint system can be formed using merely 4 milling tools TP2A, TP2B, TP3A and TP3B which machine the core. The joint system in the shown embodiment is made in one piece with the core. It is also possible to make the whole, or parts of, the joint system of a material other than that of the core of the floorboard. For instance the strip 6 can be made of aluminum or of a sheet-formed blank which is machined to a strip and mechanically attached to the joint edge.

[0047] FIGS. 5a-c show floorboards with two surface layers. The floorboards 1, 1 can, for instance, have a surface layer of laminate or wood, and the floorboards 2, 2 can have a surface layer of e.g. needle felt, linoleum, plastic of some other suitable material. Also other combinations of materials may be used. FIGS. 5b and 5c show that joining to outer upper parts can take place, which are essentially positioned in the same plane. No transition strips are required.

[0048] In an alternative design, the fibers of the surface layer 31 may extend vertically such that the floorboard having the fiber surface layer appears slightly higher than the adjacent, normal floorboard. Hence, the vertical extension of the fiber surface layer may be used to provide a desired surface structure of the flooring, e.g. in order to provide the appearance of a rug being placed on a hard floor.

[0049] FIGS. 6a-6d show examples of floors that can be provided according to the invention. In FIG. 6a, the floorboards 2, 2 have a surface of needle felt. They can be square, for instance 4040 cm. The floorboards 1, V can have a surface of laminate, wood, cork, linoleum, plastic etc. For example they can have a width of 10 cm and a length of 40 cm. In FIG. 6b, the squares are offset. If the harder floorboards 1, 1 are positioned at a somewhat lower level than the softer floorboards, the hard floorboards will not cause a high sound level since they will, to a limited extent, be in contact with shoes generating sound. Thus, the invention also concerns a set of floorboard with at least two different surface layers to provide a floor.

[0050] FIGS. 6c and 6d illustrate floors consisting of two different floorboards with surface layers of flexible fibers which differ from each other with respect to color, surface structure etc. In FIG. 6c, the floorboards are joined to form a herringbone pattern. They have mirror-inverted mechanical locking systems that allow joining of long side to short side by angling and/or snapping-in. The long sides can also be joined by angling and/or snapping-in. If the short sides of the floorboards in FIG. 6c have a locking system which only locks horizontally, the whole floor could be installed with angling only.

[0051] FIG. 7a shows a combination floor in which one floorboard 1 has a harder surface, such as laminate, wood, linoleum, plastic etc. than another floorboard 2. One floorboard 2 has in this embodiment a softer surface layer which is positioned higher than the harder surface layer of the other 1 floorboard. It is preferable to position the softer surface layer on the same or higher level than the harder surface layer. The advantage is the softer and more flexible layer protects the edges of the hard surface.

[0052] FIG. 7b shows a floorboard with a soft fibre layer 32 on the rear side which may be used as a balancing layer.

[0053] FIG. 7c shows a locking system which only locks horizontally and FIG. 7d shows a locking system which only locks vertically.

[0054] FIG. 7e shows a floorboard where the thickness T1 of the soft surface layer 31 is equal or larger than 0.5 times the thickness T2 of the core. Such a thin core gives several advantages related to production cost, transport, installation etc. It is possible to produce a mechanical locking system by machining in a sheet material which has a thickness of 3-5 mm only. Generally diamond tools are used and in order to reach the best cost and quality levels, the tools should be as thick and compact as possible. A difficult part to produce is the groove 36. In this embodiment the grove 36 and the tongue 38 has a vertical thickness T3 which is larger or equal than 0.5 times the thickness T2 of the core 30.

[0055] It is obvious that all known parquet and tile patterns can be made by means of floorboards according to the invention. The sides of the floorboards need not be perpendicular. The soft surface allows that also the thickness may be varied between different floorboards. If the core is made of a moisture-proof material, such as plastic or compact laminate, floorboards with a fiber surface resembling synthetic grass can be provided. Such floorboards can be laid immediately on the ground or on concrete, and they may, for instance, constitute tees on golf courses, balcony floors etc. During the winter, the boards can be taken up and stored under a roof.

[0056] Although only preferred embodiments are specifically illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated that many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention.