Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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EASY CI~~N GIrtJE FORMULATION FOR FLOORING
1~ND I~T80D OF ZTSING $~:
~1C1CGROUND OF THE I~lVEi~2~rrnt
The present invention relates to a glue formulation
used in the installation of laminate floors. The glue
formulation is applied to the seams formed between adjacent
floor panels or planks when those panels or planks are laid
side by side during the installation of a floor.
The glue formulation is comprised of an adhesive
blended with a soluble composition comprised of a surfactant,
an esterified polyol, glycerin, and citric acid. The
invention also relates to a method of installing a floor using
the glue formulation.
Description Of R~lat~d art
A variety of materials are available for use as
floorings. Several of these materials are sold in the form of
panels or planks including laminate and natural wood
materials. A floor of this type may generally be installed by
laying appropriately sized panels of flooring material side by
side and connecting the panels to each other and, sometimes,
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to the underlying surface onto which the floor is being
installed.
Frequently, flooring material comprised of panels
are connected together by a "tongue and groove" method. The
panels employed in this process typically are narrow and
rectangular in shape having a length substantially greater
than their width, but can be square in shape and, in some
instances, triangularly shaped. Most commonly, the two panels
are positioned in adjacent abutting relationship and connected
together along their lengths. Along one lengthwise side of a
panel there is a protrusion formed by the panel material
commonly referred to as a "tongue". Along the other
lengthwise side of the same panel there is a groove or recess
formed into the panel material. When two such panels are laid
next to each other along their lengthwise sides, the tongue
side of one panel fits into the groove side of the other
panel. The fitting of the tongue side of the first panel into
the groove side of the second panel forms a first physical
connection between the two panels. The tongue and groove
arrangement aligns the top surfaces of the panels.
Likewise formed panels can be similarly added and
connected to the first two panels until a desired area is
covered by the connected panels to form a floor. The length
of the panels can be adjusted to fit the size of the room in
which the floor is being installed without losing the tongue
and groove mechanism of connecting the panels.
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Typically, a second physical connection is made at
the seams between adjacent panels by using glue, mastic,
screws, or nails. Glue is also used to seal and waterproof
the seams.
The installation of a floor having panels fitted
together by the tongue and groove method and sealed with glue
generally requires additional steps including the removal of
excess glue. For example, the first three rows of panels of
the floor must not only be glued, but clamped together to
establish a straight line. Additional panels are also glued
at the seams, but do not require clamping. While the glue is
necessary to seal the seams created between panels by the
tongue and groove connections, excess glue is extruded through
the seam onto the surface of the panels. Consequently, a
significant amount of time is needed to clean the glue off of
the decorative surface of the panels. Removal of the glue
from panel surfaces is a very significant issue for the
laminate floor industry. If not removed, excess glue creates
a haze on the surface of the floor and is cosmetically
undesirable.
Until now, excess glue has been very difficult to
remove. It is currently desirable to remove as much of the
excess glue as possible when the top surface of the glue is
hardened and the glue against the flooring surface is still
soft. The glue is typically in this state approximately 1 to
1 ~ hours after the glue is applied. As much of the glue as
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possible is removed using a glue scoop to physically lift the
excess glue away from the seams. As much of the remaining
excess glue is then removed using a sponge. Typically, in
spite of efforts to remove excess glue with both the scoop and
the sponge, some amount of excess glue remains on the flooring
surface. Once this glue dries and hardens, it is extremely
difficult to remove. While commercially available solvent
products may remove some of the dried, hardened glue, in all
likelihood some will remain on the flooring surface.
Additionally, time is lost when installers have to
plan on removing all of the excess glue within the initial one
to one and a half hour time period after installation.
Further, extra time is needed when solvents must be used to
remove the dried excess glue from the seams between the
panels. For these reasons, the need to quickly remove
partially dried glue and the need to rely on solvents to
remove dried glue are undesirable.
In addition to the clamping and cleaning steps,
floors formed by panels that are glued together require
expansion joints approximately every twenty feet. A wood
floor comprised of panels that are glued together essentially
forms a solid structure. The expansion joints compensate for
the natural expansion and contraction of the wood. A raised
molding is installed as an expansion joint every twenty feet
in a glued floor. As with the gluing step, the installation
of expansion joints increases the overall installation time
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for the floor. The expansion joints create areas where excess
glue is more likely to accumulate. The installation of an
expansion joint creates a pooling spot where a larger quantity
of excess glue spread over a larger area accumulates.
In view of the above, there remains a need for a
glue formulation that is more easily removed from the seams of
a floor while providing a waterproof joint and without
compromising the strength of the bond that the glue forms
between the flooring panels or planks. There also remains a
need for a glue formulation that can be easily removed at any
time from a floor surface.
O
The purpose and advantages of the invention will be
set forth in and apparent from the description that follows,
as well as will be learned by practice of the invention.
Additional advantages of the invention will be realized and
attained by the elements of the formulation and method
particularly pointed out in the appended claims_
The present invention relates to a glue formulation
used for the installation of laminate and other types of
floors. Laminate and other types of floors are typically
comprised of panels or planks that are laid next to each to
form the surface of the floor. The edges of the panels fit
together by a tongue and groove arrangement described above.
The glue formulation of the invention is applied to the edges
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of the panels when the "tongue" of one panel is fit into the
"groove" of an adjacent panel. The glue formulation of the
invention does not bond to the surface of the flooring panels,
thereby making it easier to clean excess glue from the surface
of the newly installed floor. In fact, the glue formulation
can be easily removed even when the glue formulation has
completely dried. Even though it is easier to clean, the glue
formulation of the invention still provides a waterproof joint
between the panels. In addition, the glue formulation creates
a sufficiently strong bond between adjacent floor panels.
The glue formulation comprises an adhesive and a
soluble composition. The adhesive and soluble composition are
blended and mixed together to form a uniform, single phase
formulation. Further, the glue formulation comprises from
about 1 to about 10% soluble composition blended with the
adhesive. The soluble composition comprises a surfactant, an
esterified polyol, glycerin, and citric acid. In a preferred
embodiment, the adhesive of the glue formulation comprises
polyvinyl acetate adhesive.
The surfactant of the soluble composition can
comprise a blend of an anionic surfactant and a nonionic
surfactant. In a preferred embodiment, the anionic surfactant
is sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate. Further in a preferred
embodiment, the nonionic surfactant is an amine oxide such as
cocamidopropylamine oxide. The esterified polyol of the
soluble composition can comprise glycol stearate.
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The soluble composition can further comprise a foam
booster. An example of a suitable foam booster is an
alkanolamide such as cocamide DEA. The soluble composition
can comprise additional components including antioxidants,
salts, and preservatives.
The objects and advantages of the present invention
are further achieved by a method of using the glue formulation
during installation of a floor. The method is comprised of
positioning at least two floor panels or planks adjacent each
other such that a seam is formed between them. The floor
panels each have a top surface, a bottom surface, and two
length sides. One of the length sides has a recess formed
into it and the other of the length sides has a protrusion
formed on it, the protrusion sized to fit into the recess. A
glue formulation is applied to the recess and the protrusion
of the length sides. The glue formulation is comprised of an
adhesive and a soluble composition. The glue formulation
selectively adheres to the raw wood fiber of the recess and
the protrusion of the panels. However, the glue formulation
does not adhere, and, in fact, easily releases from the top
surface of the panels. This is significant because the top
surface of the floor panels is often decorative.
The soluble composition comprises a surfactant, an
esterified polyol, glycerin, and citric acid. The protrusion
formed on the length side of one of the floor panels is fitted
into the recess formed in the length side of the other floor
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panel. The glue formulation is allowed to dry or partially
dry and then the excess glue formulation is removed from the
top surfaces of the floor panels using a glue scoop and a
cloth moistened with water.
In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive of the glue
formulation of the method is a polyvinyl acetate adhesive.
The surfactant of the soluble composition of the method can
comprise a blend of an anionic surfactant and a nonionic
surfactant. In a preferred embodiment, the anionic surfactant
is sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate and the nonionic surfactant
is an amine oxide such as cocamidopropylamine oxide. Further
in a preferred embodiment of the method, the esterified polyol
of the soluble composition is glycol stearate.
Use of the glue formulation of the invention in the
installation of a floor reduces the amount of time needed for
installation of the floor and provides a glue-free surface
without compromising the strength of the bond formed between
adjacent floor panels. In addition, the excess glue
formulation can be easily removed from the floor surface
regardless of the extent to which the glue formulation has
dried.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing
general description and the following detailed description are
exemplary and provided for purposes of explanation only, and
are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Reference will now be made in detail to the present
preferred embodiment of the glue formulation of the invention,
examples of which are provided. The method of the present
invention will be described in conjunction with the detailed
description of the glue formulation.
In the installation of a floor, individual panels or
planks of laminate or natural wood material are positioned
adjacent to each other to form the flooring surface. Seams
are formed between adjacent panels or planks. Each panel or
plank has a top surface, a bottom surface, and at least two
sides by which the panel or plank can be connected to an
adjacent panel or plank. While the panels can have a variety
of polygonal shapes, including hexagonal and triangular,
typically the panels are rectangular. With rectangular
panels, at least two of the sides are formed to be connected
to adjacent panels. One side, usually a length side, has a
recess formed into it and the opposite length side has a
protrusion formed on it. The protrusion is sized to fit into
the recess. Therefore, the protrusion of one panel fits into
the recess of an adjacent panel. This arrangement forms a
first physical connection between the panels. Also, the
tongue and groove arrangement aligns the top surfaces of the
panels.
Likewise formed panels can be similarly added and
connected to the first two panels until a desired area is
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covered by the connected panels to form a floor. The length
of the panels can be adjusted to fit the size of the room in
which the floor is being installed without losing the tongue
and groove mechanism of connecting the panels.
Typically, a second physical connection is made at
the seams between adjacent panels by using a glue that creates
a strong physical and chemical bond between the panels forming
the floor. The glue is also used to seal and waterproof the
seams. The present invention is directed to a glue
formulation used to form a second physical connection between
adjacent panels. The glue formulation comprises an adhesive
and a soluble composition that is blended with the adhesive.
The glue formulation further comprises from about 1 to about
10~ soluble composition blended with adhesive. A preferred
adhesive for the glue formulation is polyvinyl acetate such as
is supplied by Franklin International of Columbus, OH.
The soluble composition of the glue formulation is
comprised of a surfactant, an esterified polyol, glycerin, and
citric acid. These components of the soluble composition,
together with the adhesive, provide a glue formulation that is
easy to remove from the flooring surface while still forming a
strong bond between floor panels. The surfactant of the
soluble composition can be a blend of an anionic surfactant
and a nonionic surfactant. In a preferred embodiment, the
anionic surfactant is sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate and the
nonionic surfactant is an amine oxide. A suitable amine oxide
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is cocamidopropylamine oxide. Further in a preferred
embodiment, the esterified polyol is glycol stearate.
The soluble composition can further comprise other
compounds providing various benefits to the glue formulation.
For example, the soluble composition can contain a foam
booster. An exemplary foam booster is an alkanolamide such as
cocamide DEA. Depending on the application of the glue
formulation, the soluble composition can further comprise
antioxidants, salts, and preservatives.
It is presently believed that the components of the
soluble composition combine with the adhesive to form a glue
formulation that remains sufficiently soluble in water to
permit easy removal of the glue formulation from a flooring
surface, regardless of the extent to which the glue
formulation becomes dry and hardens. In addition to being
easy to remove from the flooring panel surfaces, the glue
formulation of the invention has a lower chalk temperature.
At low temperatures, conventional adhesives develop a chalky
appearance and have a weaker bonding strength. A standard
adhesive, such as polyvinyl acetate, has a chalk temperature
between 60 and 65 deg. F. The glue formulation of the
invention has a chalk temperature of about 53 to about 57 deg.
F. The lower chalk temperature permits the glue formulation
of the invention to be used for installations being performed
at an ambient temperature in the 60s, without the formation of
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a chalky appearance and without a weaker bond being formed
between panels.
When the glue formulation of the invention is used
for installation, the bond strength between flooring panels is
as strong as that formed when conventional glue is used. The
strength of the bond formed between panels (seam adhesion) is
measured by the force (pounds/inch) needed to break the panels
apart. An Instron device is used for making such
measurements. The floor panels used for testing are two (2)
inches wide by eight (8) inches long. Two of the panels are
glued together along their two inch width. The two inch width
of the panels also has the tongue-and-groove arrangement
described above. The attached panels are then positioned in
the Instron device where the force needed to pull the panels
apart is measured. The seam adhesion test results in Table 1.
were obtained for samples prepared with conventional adhesives
as well as glue formulations of the invention:
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Table 1.
SERM SEPARATION
SAI~1.~ LQAD E F71ILUR~ LQ7lD ~i l7l.IL~ POSITION
L~tY TIET~
Formica~ Hrand 158 lbs/in of seam112 lbs/in of board seam-dry
seam
Control Adhesive 28 kg/cm of seam 20 kg/cm of seam board seam-wet
Franklin White 95 lbs/in of seam 61 lbs/in of seamboard seam-dry
Adhesive 17 kg/ca of seam 11 kq/cm of seam board seam-wet
Stel 51 3159 Adhesive 44 lbs/in of seam 39 lbs/in of seamglue seam-dry
8 kg/an of seam 7 kg/cm of seam glue seam-wet
Stel 52 1223 Adhesive 28 lbs/in of seam 17 lbs/in of seamglue seam-dry
5 kg/cm of seam 3 kg/aa of seam glue seam-wet
Glue Formulation-~1 116 lba/in of seam78 lbs/in of seamboard seam-dry
21 kg/c~a of seam 14 kg/cm of seam board seam-wet
1 0 Glue Formulation-2233 lbs/in of seam166 lbs/in of board seam-dry
seam
42 kg/cm of sewn 30 kg/cn of seam board seam-wet
soaked in 23-26C tap water for 1 hour
The "adhesive" samples in Table 1. are examples of adhesives
that are currently available for providing a second physical
connection between flooring panels. The "Franklin White"
adhesive was provided by Franklin International of Columbus,
Ohio and the "Stel" adhesives were provided by Stel of
Seattle, Washington. The seam adhesion strengths were
measured when the panels were dry and when they were wet, that
is soaked in water for an hour. The force necessary to
separate dry panels glued together using the existing
adhesives ranged from 2B to 158 lbs./in. The average force
necessary to separate dry panels bonded together with
conventional adhesives is 80-90 lbs./in. As is shown,
significantly less force is needed to separate panels that
have been soaked in water.
The dry and wet results for the two samples having
the glue formulations (#1 and #2) of the invention are
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comparable to the results obtained for the samples having
conventional adhesives. These results show that the glue
formulation of the invention provides an adequate bond
strength between floor panels while providing the benefits of
easy cleanability and low chalk temperature. The "seam
separation position" is an indication of the location of the
break in the bond between the panels. "Board seam" indicates
that the bond broke between one of the panels and the
adhesive/glue formulation. "Glue Seam" indicates that the
bond broke within the adhesive/glue formulation (that is, the
failure occurred within the cohesive force of the glue and
there was still adhesive/glue formulation attached to both
panels after the test).
The seam adhesion strength is not dependent on the
amount of soluble composition that is blended with the
adhesive. Seam adhesion tests were performed for a control
adhesive and three samples of the glue formulation of the
invention having varying amounts of soluble composition. The
results are provided in Table 2.
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Table 2.
SEAM S~P~4R~1TION
s~r.~ raan a axrsau~ rcv~n a suzv~ rosr~roN
t~ wEr
Formica~ Brand 101 lbs/in of 35 lba/in of seamboard seam-dry
seam
Control Adhesive 18 kg/cm of seam 6 kg/cm of seam board seam-wet
Glue formulation 130 lbs/in of 61 lbs/in of seamboard seam-dry
w/ seam
1% soluble 23 kg/cm of seam il kg/~ of asam board seam-wet
composition
Glue formulation w/ 103 lbs/in of 63 lba/in of seamboard seam-dry
seam
5% soluble 19 kg/aa of seam 11 kg/csa of seamboard seam-wet
1 0
composition
Glue formulation w/ 119 lbs/in of 2d lbs/in of seamboard seam-dry
seam
10% soluble 21 kg/ca of seam 4 kg/cm of seam board seam-wet
composition
;soaked in 26C tap
water for 1 hour
As can be seen in Table 2., the seam adhesion strength does
not change dramatically as the amount of soluble composition
blended with adhesive is increased. The results of the seam
adhesion tests in Tables 1. and 2. show that the glue
formulation provides significant benefits without compromising
the strength of the second physical connection formed between
flooring panels.
The present invention is also directed to a method
of using a glue formulation during the installation of a
floor. The method is perfoaned by first positioning at least
two floor panels adjacent to each other such that a seam is
formed between them. The floor panels each have a top
surface, a bottom surface, and two length sides. The length
sides are configured to have the tongue and groove arrangement
previously described so that adjacent panels can fit together.
Therefore, one length side has a recess formed in it and the
other length side has a protrusion farmed on it. The
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protrusion formed on the length of one panel fits into the
recess formed into the length of the other panel. After the
panels are positioned adjacent to each other, a glue
formulation is applied to the recess and the protrusion of the
length sides that will fit together. The glue formulation
selectively adheres to the raw wood fiber of the recess and
the protrusion of the panels. However, the glue formulation
does not adhere to and, in fact, easily releases from the top
surface, Which may be decorative, of the floor panels.
The glue formulation comprises an adhesive and a
soluble composition. In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive
is a polyvinyl acetate adhesive. The soluble composition
comprises a surfactant, an esterified polyol, glycerin, and
citric acid. In a preferred embodiment, the surfactant is a
blend or mixture of an anionic surfactant and a nonionic
surfactant. An example of a suitable anionic surfactant is
sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate. An example of a suitable
nonionic surfactant is an amine oxide, such as
cocamidopropylamine oxide. In the preferred embodiment, the
esterified polyol is glycol stearate.
After the glue formulation is applied to the recess
and the protrusion of the adjacent floor panels, the
protrusion is fit into the recess. This tongue and groove
arrangement provides a first physical connection between the
floor panels and the glue formulation provides a second
physical connection. The glue formulation is then permitted
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to dry. While dependent on atmospheric conditions, the glue
formulation will dry like conventional adhesives. Therefore,
it will be partially dry in 1 to 1 ~ hours and completely dry
within 24 hours of application.
Once the glue formulation has reached the desired
stage of dryness, the excess glue formulation that is squeezed
onto the surfaces of the floor panels is removed. An initial
amount of excess glue formulation is removed using a glue
scoop. The glue scoop is maneuvered along the seam between
the floor panels to collect the excess glue formulation that
is collected there. After the initial amount is removed, the
remainder of the excess glue formulation is removed using a
cloth, sponge, or other suitable material for Wiping that has
been moistened with Water or a cleaning liquid. The remainder
of the excess glue formulation is easily removed with the
dampened cloth.
In view of the description above, it is evident that
the present invention provides a glue formulation useful in
the installation of laminate and other types of floors. The
2D glue formulation is used to form a second physical connection
between adjacent floor panels or planks. The excess amount of
the glue formulation that is squeezed out at the seam is
easily removed using a glue scoop and moistened cloth or
sponge. While the glue formulation is substantially easier to
remove from the floor surface than conventional adhesives, it
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still provides a strong bond between the panels and forms a
waterproof seal.
Although reference has been made to the use of the
present invention for the installation of floors for the
purpose of explanation, it is understood that alternative uses
may exist. It also will be apparent to those skilled in the
art that various modifications and variations can be made in
the composition of the glue formulation, as well as in the
performance of the method, without departing from the scope or
spirit of the invention.
Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent
to those skilled in the art from consideration of the
specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein.
It is intended that the specification and examples be
considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit
of the invention being indicated by the following claims.
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