SOFTWOOD-CEILING/HARDWOOD-FLOOR STRUCTURE COMPRISED OF A SINGLE SET OF BONDED BOARDS

STRUCTURE DE PLAFOND EN BOIS RESINEUX OU DE PLANCHER EN BOIS FEUILLU, CONSTITUEE D'UN SEUL ENSEMBLE DE PLANCHES COLLEES

English Abstract

A structure comprising a softwood-ceiling/hardwood-floor formed of a single set of adjacent boards. Each of the boards including a hardwood layer bonded to a softwood layer, the board having a first edge and a second edge, the first edge having a tongue, the second edge having a groove, the first edge having a first chamfer on the softwood layer, the second edge having a second chamfer on the softwood layer. All boards securely attached to carrying beams that span the walls between two levels within a building.

French Abstract

Une structure comprenant un plafond en bois résineux ou un plancher en bois feuillu constitué d'un seul ensemble de planches adjacentes. Chacune des planches comprenant une couche de bois feuillu lié à une couche de bois résineux, la planche ayant un premier bord et un second bord, le premier bord ayant une languette, le second bord ayant une rainure, le premier bord ayant un premier chanfrein sur la couche en bois résineux, le second bord ayant un second chanfrein sur la couche de bois feuillu. Toutes les planches sont solidement fixées aux poutres de support qui traversent les murs entre deux étages dans un bâtiment.

Claims

What is claimed is:
1) A ceiling/floor structure, comprising:
a single set of adjacent boards, wherein each of said adjacent boards includes
a two
species bonded board having a softwood side and a hardwood side, wherein each
of said
adjacent boards is formed from a single piece of saw cut hardwood directly
bonded to a
single piece of saw cut softwood, wherein each of said adjacent boards has a
first edge
with a tongue and second edge with a groove, and wherein said softwood side
forms the
ceiling of a first floor room and said hardwood side forms the floor of a
second room.
2) A structure as recited in claim 1, further comprising carrying beams for
supporting said
single set of adjacent boards.
3) A structure as recited in claim 2, wherein said carrying beams include at
least one from
the group including a floor joist and a posted main carrying beam.
4) A structure as recited in claim 2, further comprising walls, wherein said
carrying beams
can span said walls between two levels within a building.
5) A structure as recited in claim 2, wherein said softwood side faces said
carrying beams.
6) A structure as recited in claim 2, wherein said set of adjacent boards are
secured to said
carrying beams.
7) A structure as recited in claim 1, wherein said set of adjacent boards are
laid with said
tongue in said groove.
8) A structure as recited in claim 1, wherein said softwood side includes a
chamfer on two
edges.
9) A structure as recited in claim 8, wherein said chamfer has a height of at
least 1/8-inch.
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10) A structure as recited in claim 1, wherein said softwood has a thickness
about equal to
said hardwood.
11) A structure as recited in claim 1, wherein each said adjacent board is 1-
inch to 4-inches
thick.
12) A structure as recited in claim 1, wherein said single layer of saw cut
hardwood is greater
than 1/4-inch in thickness.
13) A structure as recited in claim 1, wherein said first room includes walls
and said
softwood is the same species of wood as the walls of said first room.
14) A structure as recited in claim 1, wherein said single piece of saw cut
hardwood is
directly bonded to said single piece of saw cut softwood by an adhesive.
15) A method of fabricating a board comprising the steps of:
a) providing a saw cut hardwood layer and a saw cut softwood layer;
b) bonding said hardwood layer to said softwood layer with an adhesive to
create a two
species bonded board;
c) milling said two species bonded board to have (i) a tongue on a first edge
and groove
on an opposite second edge and (ii) a chamfer on said first and second edges
of said
softwood layer.
16) A method of fabricating a ceiling/floor comprising the steps of:
a) providing carrying beams and a set of ceiling/floor boards, each said
ceiling/floor
board including a two species bonded board having a softwood side and a
hardwood
side;
b) laying said set of ceiling/floor boards adjacent to each other with said
softwood side
towards said carrying beams; and
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c) securing each said ceiling/floor board to said carrying beams as each said
ceiling/floor board is laid.
17) A method are recited in claim 16, wherein said providing step further
includes each said
ceiling/floor board having a first edge with a tongue and an opposite second
edge with a
groove.
18) A method as recited in claim 16, wherein said providing step further
includes that said
carrying beams span the walls between two levels within a building.
19)A method as recited in claim 16, wherein said providing step further
includes that said
two species bonded board is a single layer of said softwood bonded to a single
layer of
said hardwood.
20) A method as recited in claim 16, wherein said providing step further
includes that the
thickness of said softwood is about equal to the thickness of said hardwood.
21) A method as recited in claim 16, wherein said providing step further
includes that said
two species bonded board have a first edge and a second edge with said
softwood side
having a chamfer on said first and second edges.
22) A method as recited in claim 16, wherein said laying step includes laying
said set of
ceiling/floor boards tongue in groove adjacent to each other.
23)A ceiling/floor structure, comprising:
carrying beams spanning between walls of a first room and a second room, a
posted main
carrying beam for supporting said carrying beams, and a single layer of
adjacent boards;
wherein each of said adjacent boards is formed from a single piece of saw cut
hardwood
directly bonded to a single piece of saw cut softwood; wherein each of said
adjacent
boards has a first edge with a tongue and a second edge with a groove, wherein
said
adjacent boards are laid with said tongue in said groove; and wherein said
adjacent
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boards are secured with said softwood against said carrying beams so that said
softwood
forms the ceiling of said floor and said hardwood forms the floor of said
second room.
24) A structure as recited in claim 23, wherein said single layer of saw cut
hardwood is
greater than 1/4-inch thick.
25) A structure as recited in claim 23, wherein said softwood is the same
species of wood as
the walls of said first room.
26) A structure as recited in claim 23, wherein said softwood includes a
chamfer on two
edges.
27) A structure as recited in claim 26, wherein said chamfer has a height of
at least 1/8-inch.
28) A structure as recited in claim 23, wherein said softwood has a thickness
about equal to
said hardwood.
29) A structure as recited in claim 23, wherein each said adjacent board is 1-
inch to 4-inches
thick.

Description

CA 02596576 2007-08-08
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SOFTWOOD-CEILING / HARDWOOD-FLOOR STRUCTURE COMPRISED OF A
SINGLE SET OF BONDED BOARDS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to the installation of flooring and
ceiling. In particular,
the present invention is directed to a single set of bonded hardwood/softwood
boards that
creates a hardwood floor and softwood ceiling using only one layer of boards.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The log cabin and post and beam building industry traditionally matches
the ceiling
materials to that of the softwood walls of the room. Tongue and groove
softwood boards are
laid across the post and beam structure. The softwood-ceiling boards typically
have a chamfer
on each edge to help aesthetically offset any minor variations where the
boards meet. If the
boards are for a first level ceiling, they may also act as the flooring for
the second level of
rooms if they have sufficient thickness. However, many homeowners would prefer
a hardwood
floor as it is more durable than softwood and the hardwood can add an
aesthetically appealing
visual offset to all of the surrounding softwood making up the walls and
ceiling. Currently to
install a hardwood floor in a post and beam building requires that the builder
lay down a second
layer of flooring made of hardwood on top of the softwood flooring already in
place for the
lower level ceiling. Laying down a second layer of flooring made of hardwood
adds
considerably to materials cost and labor. These costs may be more than fifty
percent of the
overall flooring/ceiling costs. The prior art offers no alternatives to the
two step process of
laying down hardwood flooring on top of a softwood floor/ceiling to create a
hardwood floor
and softwood ceiling between two levels of a building.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] One aspect of the present invention is directed to a board comprising a
hardwood layer
bonded to a softwood layer, the board having a first edge and a second edge,
the first edge
having a tongue and the second edge having a groove, the first edge having a
first chamfer on
the softwood layer and the second edge having a second chamfer on the softwood
layer.
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[0004] Another aspect is directed to a method of fabricating a board
comprising, providing a
saw cut hardwood layer and a saw cut softwood layer. Bonding the hardwood
layer to the
softwood layer with an adhesive to create a two species bonded board. Milling
the two species
bonded board to have (i) a tongue on a first edge and a groove on a second
edge and (ii) a
chamfer on the first and second edges of the softwood layer.
[0005] Still another aspect is directed to a structure comprising a
ceiling/floor formed of a
single set of adjacent boards, each of the adjacent boards including a two
species bonded board
having a softwood side and an hardwood side.
[0006] Yet another aspect is directed to a method of fabricating a
ceiling/floor comprising,
providing carrying beams and a set of ceiling/floor boards, each ceiling/floor
board including a
two species bonded board having a softwood side and a hardwood side, laying
the set of
ceiling/floor boards adjacent to each other with the softwood side towards the
carrying beams
and securing each ceiling/floor board to the carrying beams as each
ceiling/floor board is laid.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0007] The foregoing and other aspects and advantages of the invention will be
apparent from
the following detailed description of the invention, as illustrated in the
accompanying drawings,
in which:
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a board according the present invention wherein
a
hardwood layer is bonded to a softwood layer and shaped for use as a unitary
ceiling/floor
board;
FIG. 2 is a side, sectional perspective view of a softwood-ceiling / hardwood-
floor
structure between a first and second level in a log or post and beam building.
FIG. 3a is a top perspective view of a softwood-ceiling / hardwood-floor
structure
comprised of a single set of the ceiling/floor boards depicted in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3b is a bottom perspective view of the softwood-ceiling / hardwood-floor
structure
in FIG. 3a.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates board 10 according to the present invention. Board
10 can be in the
range of 2-12 inches wide and 2-20 feet long, but is typically about 6-inches
wide and 8-feet
long. Board 10 comprises a single first layer 12 bonded to single second layer
14. First layer
12 and second layer 14 can each be a single piece of lumber or a single piece
of graded, finger-
jointed lumber. First layer 12 is one species of wood and second layer 14 is a
different species
of wood, however, the first layer is preferably hardwood and the second layer
is preferably
softwood. Hardwoods include species such as oak, maple, birch, ash, walnut,
hickory, cherry,
and any other domestic or imported hardwood. Softwoods include species such as
pine, spruce,
fir, white cedar, red cedar and any other domestic or imported softwood. First
layer 12 and
second layer 14 are both saw cut layers rather than rotary peeled from the
circumference of the
log, which is known as veneer fashion. Rotary peeled layers inherently have
fractures from the
peeling process making them undesirable for use in boards 10.
[0009] Board 10 is fabricated by first sawing logs into rough cut boards to be
used as layers.
The layers are kiln dried to 6-8% moisture. Having low moisture content helps
reduce warping
in board 10. First layer 12 is bonded to second layer 14 with adhesive layer
16. Adhesive
layer 16 is applied to one or both of the plane surfaces of the two wood
layers to be joined.
Adhesive layer 16 may be rolled or sprayed onto each wood layer. First layer
12 and second
layer 14, with adhesive layer 16 between them, is then press rolled or clamp
pressed to create a
two species bonded board 18. Heating by radiation or RF heating may or may not
be
incorporated into the process depending on the type of adhesive used. Adhesive
layer 16 may
be a glue, an epoxy or other similar wood-bonding agent. Examples of
commercially available
wood bonding adhesives are TITEBOND 50 and TITEBOND Regular, both aliphatic
resin
emulsion adhesives manufactured by Franklin Adhesives.
[0010] Two species bonded board 18, having hardwood side 20 and softwood side
22, is then
milled to provide board 10 with first edge 24a and second edge 24b. During the
milling
process a tongue 26 is created in first edge 24a and a groove 28 is created in
second edge 24b.
The tongue 26 of a first board is shaped to fit in groove 28 of a second board
so that when
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boards 10 are laid adjacent to each other the tongue in groove structure
provides a tight
interlocking seam between the boards. Board 10 may also have a tongue on one
end and a
groove on the other opposing end for creating a tongue in groove interlocking
seam when the
boards are laid end-to-end. On softwood side 22, first edge 24a is further
provided with first
chamfer 30a and second edge 24b is further provided with second chamfer 30b.
Chamfers 30a
and 30b are typically 1/8-inch to 1/2-inch and help aesthetically offset any
minor variations
where boards 10 meet when the boards are laid adjacent to each other. A micro-
bevel of less
than 1/16-inch may also be provided on first edge 24a and second edge 24b of
the hardwood
side 20. Once milled to spec board 10 may have hardwood side 20 or softwood
side 22 sanded.
A finishing layer 32 may be applied to either or both hardwood side 20 and
softwood side 22.
Finishing layer 32 protects the luster and beauty of the wood. Finishing layer
32 may include
at least one from the group including a stain, polyurethane, varnish or a
mixture thereof.
[0011] Softwood-ceiling / hardwood-floor structure 40, illustrated in FIGS. 2,
3a and 3b, are
formed from a single set of adjacent boards 10. When fabricating structure 40,
carrying beams
42 are first provided to span walls 44 between first level 46 and second level
48 within a
building. First level 44 and second level 46 may be the basement and ground
level, ground
level and second story, second story and third story, etc. Carrying beams 42
are usually
softwood and match the wood used to construct the exterior walls of the home.
Carrying
beams 42 include floor joists 42a. If engineering calls for it, carrying beams
42 may also
include a main carrying beam 42b. Floor joists 42a generally lay at right
angles to main
carrying beam 42b. Main carrying beam 42b requires the support of post 50.
[0012] To construct the softwood-ceiling / hardwood-floor structure 40, the
user usually starts
on one side of the room. A first board 10 is placed with softwood side facing
downwards,
toward carrying beams 42 and secured to the carrying beams. Each board 10 is
usually secured
by hammering nails through tongue 26. The next board 10 is then laid adjacent
to the first
board with groove 28 of the second board fitted into tongue 26 of the first
board. This second
board 10 is then secured to carrying beams 42. The process of laying and
securing boards 10
adjacent to each other is carried out until the whole ceiling/floor structure
40 is complete.
Using this process a hardwood-floor and softwood-ceiling structure 40 can be
fabricated using
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only a single layer of boards 10 in one pass. This provides a significant
time/cost savings over
the two step process of laying a softwood ceiling and then subsequently laying
a hardwood
floor.
[0013] Flooring/ceiling structure 40 and boards 10 are unique from the prior
art in several
respects. First, boards 10 are not constructed from thin laminate sheets. A
laminate is usually a
layer less than 1/16-inch thick. Second, boards 10 are not a veneer. Veneer
consists of a thin
layer of one type of wood bonded on top of a thick base board of a different
type of wood,
where the veneer is merely for changing the appearance of one side of the
board and has no
other function. Veneer is usually a layer rotary peeled from a log and less
than 1/8-inch thick.
In the current invention both first layer 12 and second layer 14 are saw cut
and greater than 1/4-
inch thick, preferably greater than 1/2-inch thick. First layer 12 has a first
thickness and second
layer 14 has a second thickness wherein the first thickness is about equal to
the second
thickness. The minimum thickness ratio of first layer 12 to second layer 14 is
twenty-five
percent hardwood to seventy-five percent softwood or 1:3. The maximum
thickness ratio of
first layer 12 to second layer 14 is fifty percent hardwood to fifty percent
softwood or 1:1.
Since boards 10 will act as the floor of the second level, they require
sufficient structural
thickness to support what is placed on the floor. Boards 10 will typically
range in thickness
from 1-inch to 4-inches thick.
[0014] An additional requirement that second layer 14 not be a laminate or
veneer is that in
order for second layer 14 of board 10 to have first chamfer 30a on first edge
24a and second
chamfer 30b on second edge 24b and not show a bonding seam, the thickness of
second layer
14 must be greater in thickness than the height of the chamfer. A chamfer of
1/8-inch or more
requires that second layer 14 be thicker than 1/8-inch. If second layer 14 was
just a laminate or
veneer, it would show a bonding seam in first chamfer 30a and second chamfer
30b. Hence
second layer 14 cannot be a laminate or veneer. First layer 12, which is the
flooring layer, is
typically sanded and refinished many times during the life of the flooring.
This requires that
first layer 12 also not be a laminate or veneer. If layer 12 was a laminate or
veneer it would be
sanded away after being refinished only once or twice. Therefore, neither
first layer 12 nor
second layer 14 can be a laminate or veneer.
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100151 Tongue 26 and groove 28 must be at the same height on each of first
edge 24a and
second edge 24b on board 10 so that they line up when the boards are placed
adjacent and
edge-to-edge with each other. Tongue 26 and groove 28 may span a considerable
thickness of
board 10 so as to include part of first layer 12 and second layer 14. Because
first layer 12 and
second layer 14 are thick layers, tongue 26 and groove 28 may lie within just
one of either
layer. The board may also have two tongues 26 and two grooves 28 each lying
respectively in
first layer 12 and second layer 14.
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Representative Drawing