Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02431610 2003-06-10
1
FLEXIBLE SELF-ADHESIVE HARDW~~D FL,O~F2 BOARD
FIELD ~F THE INVENTI~N
The present invention relates generally to the field of flooring strips. More
specifically,
it concerns a thin flexible self-adhesive hardwood lining strip suitable for
covering a
floor or a wall.
BADKGR~IJN~ ~F THE INVEN°TI~IN
Zo On the market, there exist many different types of hardwood wood flooring
coming
in the form of strips. The main disadvantages of known hardwood flooring
products
are their thickness, weight and rigidity Their installation requires highly
skilled
workers and is also expensive.
15 Also known in the prior art are the flooring products disclosed in CJS
patents no.
6.156.402; 5,900,099; 5.894.700, 5.830.549 arsd 5,816,304. Each of these
documents discloses a flooring strip which is a three laminate structure
having three
wood layers bonded together. The top layer is madle of hardwood while the
middle
and base layers are made of hardwood or a less expensive type of wood. The
base
2 o surface of the flooring strip disclosed therein has longitudinally-
extending wood fibers
which have been broken to form scores to an extent sufficient to relieve
tension on
the base surfiace and thereby increase the flexibility of the flooring strip
for more
closely adhering to a subfloor. The base layer is also covered with one or
more
pressure sensitive adhesive-coated tapes for adhering the flooring strip to
the
2 5 subfloor or with an adhesive layer adhered directly to the base layer.
Although these
wood floorings provide some advantages over traditional hardwood floorings,
they
are very expensive to produce because of their three laminate structure and
the
presence of the scores required for providing flexibility to the product.
3 o Also known in the prior art, there are the °°floating" wood
floorings made of thin
stratified woodboard that looks like hardwood. These stratified woodboards
imbricate
side by side into each other. Although these floating wood floorings may look
at first
CA 02431610 2003-06-10
glance like hardwood, they do not provide the quality of hardwood flooring
such as
durability, hardness, and strength.
There is indeed a need for low cost hardwood throughout strips providing a
solid and
seamless look like nail-down hardwood flooring yet thin, flexible and easy to
install.
SUMMITRY ~F THE INVENTI~~J
An object of the present invention is to provide a lining strip that satisfies
the above-
mentioned need.
In accordance with the present invention, that object is achieved with a
lining strip for
covering a floor or a wall, the strip comprising a top face, a bottom face,
opposed
side edges and opposed end edges. The lining strip is characterised in that it
is a thin
one-layer structure made of hardwood throughout comprising:
- rounded chamfers at the junction between thE: base face and the edges
of the strip; and
- a layer of self-adhesive totally covering the bottom face of the strip but
the chamfers.
2 o By thin layer structure, it is meant a layer of less than '/~ inch thick,
more preferably
of 1I8 inch thick. Such a thin structure, which can be installed without
raising doors,
provides flexibility to the strip, thereby preventing the same to be pulled
away from
the subfloor once installed thereon.
2 5 The layer of self-adhesive covering the base face provides a good
interface for
adhering the strip to a subfloor whereas the chamfers which are not covered
with the
self-adhesive facilitate the installation of a strip alongside and close to
another strip.
The chamfer also allows the application of the adhesive on the whole surface
of the
underside of the strip, while preventing any extra to be laid accidentally on
the edges
3 o during the manufacturing process. The edges are perpendicular to the
underside of
the strips despite the presence of the chamfer. This configuration and the
fact that
the edges are adhesive free allow for a better abutting connection between
edges,
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and a seamless finish like nail-down systems. During storage, the adhesive is
covered with a thin layer of protective material that can be peeled off just
before
installation. The thin layer can be made of waxed paper or other material
available
for that purpose, installation is simply done by abutting consecutive strips.
The hardwood strips of this invention may also be used to cover walls and pre-
existing floors.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
1 o Fig 1 Is a perspective view of portions of two strips according to a
preferred
embodiment of the invention showing strips with interlocking means about to be
assembled.
Fig 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view through a portion of two
assembled strips
s s showing abutting end edges.
Fig 3 is an enlarged view of one of the side edges of the strips of figure 1
Fig 4. is a transversal cross-sectional view through a portion of three
assembled
2 o strips showing abutting side edges.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the following description, similar features in the drawings have been given
similar
2 s reference numerals and in order to lighten down the figures, some elements
are not
referred to in some figures if they were already identified in a precedent
figure.
A preferred embodiment is described in reference to figures 1-4. In this
embodiment
the strips 1 are thin (1I8'°) and made of hardwood, such as oak and
maple tree. A
3 o rounded chamfer 2 is cut between edges 3 and 4 and the underside 8 of a
strip. The
underside of the strip is totally covered with a thin layer of adhesive 6 that
stops at
the chamfers. Chamfer 2 prevents an excess quantity of adhesive 6 from
extending
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4
to edges 3 and 4. Edges 3 and 4 are perpendicular to underside 5. When edges 3
of neighbouring strips abut as shown in figure 2, the finish of the top 7 is
seamless.
Referring to figure 1, the strip 1 has a locking means consisting of tongue 8
and
groove 9. As shown specifically in figure 3, the upper side of the groove has
a
rounded chamfer 10 with edge 4.This chamfer 10 allows the groove 9 to slide
easier
on tongue 8 during installation of two neighbouring strips. Tongue 8 and
groove 9
usually exist on opposite edges 4 of the strip.
