Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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FLOORING METHOD AND USE OF A COMPRESSION ARRANGEMENT
The present invention relates to a flooring method wherein the floor elements
consisting of or comprising boards, planks, panes, sheaves, blocks, strips and
the
like are joint to a floor. The invention also refers to the use of a
compression
arrangement for pressing said floor elements together.
Prefabricated tongued-and-grooved floor elements, such as boards, planks,
panes,
sheaves, blocks, strips and the like, are today commonly used and easy to
floor,
professionally as well as on a do-it-your-self basis. Disclosed floor elements
include highly abrasive resistant floor boards etc. being made up from a fibre
or
particle board and at least one thermosetting laminate, whereby the upper
surface
of said floor boards etc. is a thermosetting laminate surface. Laminated
boards etc.
are normally floored by being tongue and groove joint and glued together. It
is
here desired to compress the joint as much as possible, thus making the joint
almost invisible, which substantially increases the moisture resistance of the
resulting floor. Compressing of the joint is often made using a hammer, mallet
or
other impacting tool and optionally an impact absorbing or protecting block or
the
like. An substantial drawback using such a method is that impact damages often
occur resulting in disfiguring damages and/or damages obstructing further
tongue
and groove joining. A further disadvantage is that the joint is not kept
tightly
pressed together during the drying or curing time of the glue. The latter
makes the
joint weaker. The fibre of particle board normally swells when wetted by the
glue,
which causes the floor boards to creep back from the compressed position, thus
resulting in a joint having a gap of up to 0.5-1 mm. Penetration of moisture
and
other contamination into said gap may result in considerable swelling causing
the
edges of the floor board surface to rise upwards, whereby the edges are
subjected
to severe abrasion reducing the life-time of the floor.
Above drawbacks and problems have through the present invention been
eliminated or substantially reduced, whereby the life-time of disclosed floors
is
substantially increased. The invention refers to a flooring method wherein the
floor elements consists of or comprises rectangular elements such as boards,
planks, panes, sheaves, blocks, strips and the like. The floor elements are at
a first
short and a first long side tongued and at a second short and a second long
side
grooved. The floor elements are by means of the tongues and grooves joint to a
floor. The invention is characterised in that the floor elements are,
subsequent
application of glue in the grooves, joint in columns, which columns consists
of at
least two, preferably three, floor elements. The columns are then gradually
joint to
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form units corresponding to the width of the floor. The units consists of at
least
two, preferably three rows of floor elements. The floor elements in the
columns
are preferably sideways dislocated by at least 10% of the length of a floor
element, whereby the short side joints in adjoining rows not coincide. The
floor
elements in the units, or preferably the floor elements in the columns, are
gradually pressed together, thus compressing the joints, by means of one or
more
compression arrangements comprising a first counterstay, at least one strap
and a
second counterstay being provided with a locking device. The strap or straps
are
preferably placed under the floor elements before joining of these. The first
counterstay is placed towards the edge of a long side of the first row of
floor
elements in the first unit or preferably the first element in the first
column. The
strap or straps are connected to the first counterstay and the elements in the
unit
or column are pressed together by means of the locking device and the second
counterstay.
The columns are suitably dislocated, row by row, in the same direction by at
least
10% of the length of the floor elements. The number of rows in a unit is
preferably three, whereby the columns, row by row, preferably are dislocated
by
one third of the length of the floor elements.
The length of the strap exceeds the number of rows multiplied by the width of
a
floor element.
The first and the second counterstay comprise suitably a geometry adapted to
the
grooves and tongues of the floor elements.
In a further aspect, the present invention refers to the use of a compression
arrangement as substantially herein disclosed. The compression arrangement
comprises a first counterstay, at least one strap and a second counterstay
provided
with a locking device and is used in a flooring method wherein a number of
substantially rectangular floor elements, such as boards, planks, panes,
sheaves,
blocks, strips and the like, are joint to a floor.
The invention is further illustrated in enclosed figures which teach a
preferred
embodiment of a flooring method and a compression arrangement included
therein, whereby
- Figures 1.1 - 1.4 schematically and stepwise show, in perspective views, a
preferred embodiment of the flooring method of the invention.
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- Figure 2 show a compression arrangement used in the flooring method of the
invention.
Figures 1.1 - 1.4 schematically and stepwise show, in perspective views, a
preferred embodiment of the flooring method of the invention. Rectangular
tongued-and-grooved floor elements 1 are used in the embodiment. The grooves
and tongues are used to join the floor elements 1 to a finished floor. The
floor
elements 1 consists of a carrier made of fibre board, which on its upper
surface is
clad with a multiply thermosetting laminate having a very high abrasion
resistance. The lower surface of the fibre board is clad with a laminate
barrier.
The floor elements 1 have a length of 1200 and a width of 200 mm. The first
step
(Fig. 1.1) in the embodiment of the flooring method is to cut a first floor
element
1 to give a floor element 1" having a length of 800 mm. A second floor element
1
is cut to give a floor element 1 "' having a length of 400 mm. An uncut floor
element 1' is then placed with the tongue facing the wall, whereby the cut
floor
elements 1" and 1"', after applying glue in the grooves of elements 1' and 1",
and
floor element 1' are joint to a first column 4', which column forms the basis
for a
unit 2. Further uncut floor elements 1 is now added column by column 4" - 4""
(Fig. 1.2). Pieces cut from floor elements 1" and 1"' are suitably used in the
last
column 4. A floor element 1 is if necessary cut to fit the width of the room.
A first
unit 2' comprising three rows 3', 3" and 3"' is now pressed together by means
of
compression arrangements 10 (Fig. 2). The number of compression arrangements
can of course be adjusted as desired, but a suitable number is one for each
column 4.
The compression arrangements 10 can alternatively be applied gradually as
soon as a column 4 is finished. The straps 12 (Fig 2) is placed under the
floor
elements 1.
Two further floor elements 1 is now cut to a length of 800 and 400 mm and
then placed as disclosed above, whereby column by column 4' - 4"" is added
until
a second unit 2" (Fig. 1.3) is finished. The locking devices 13 are unlocked
from
the first unit 2' and the straps 12 (Fig. 2) are pulled under the second floor
unit 2".
Glue is now applied in the future joint between units 2' and 2" and said units
are
pressed together.
The compression arrangements 10 can alternatively be applied gradually as
soon as a column 4 in the second unit 2" is finished. The straps 12 (Fig 2) is
placed under the floor elements 1.
The steps as disclosed above of these embodiment of the present invention is
repeated and further floor elements 1 are joint to units 2 until a complete
floor is
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obtained. The compression arrangements 10 are preferably allowed to remain in
a
compressed state until the glue is dried or cured.
Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a compression arrangement 10 used in the
flooring method of the present invention. The compression arrangement 10
comprises a first counterstay 11, a strap 12 and a second counterstay 13'
provided
with a locking device 13. The first counterstay 11 is placed towards the edge
of
the long side of the first row 3' of floor elements 1 in the first unit 2'
(Fig. 1.1 ).
The strap 12 is connected to the counterstay 11 and then placed under the
units 2.
The strap 12 is then connected to the locking device 13 of the second
counterstay
13', which is used to press the units 2 together, thus compressing the joints.
A compression arrangement 10 used in the flooring method of the present
invention can of course also be used in conventional flooring methods. The
compression arrangement 10 can also be used with for instance wood floors such
as hardwood floors.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown, it will be
understood, of course, that the invention is not limited thereto since many
modifications may be made, and it is, therefore, contemplated to cover by the
appended claims any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and
scope of
the invention.
