GB2259314A - Floor assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A floor assembly comprises a series of joists 10 supporting floorboards 20, temporary supports 12 spaced along each of said joists; and keying elements 14 having a primary position along opposite sides of each joist. Underfloor panels 16 are located between each pair of joists with edge portions supported by the keying elements. Fastening means such as screws 22 secure the floor boards, underfloor panels and keying elements to form a composite &cirf& sub-assembly which raises the keying elements 14 into a secondary position (Fig. 3) out of contact with the temporary supports 12. <IMAGE>

Description

FLOOR This invention is concerned with improvements in or relating to a floor assembly and to a method of constructing a floor assembly. Especially, the present invention is concerned with improvements in or relating to floating floor assemblies and their methods of construct ion.

Floating floor assemblies are well known and usually incorporate a layer or a strip of resilient material, e.g. foam rubber, between the floorboards and the joists supporting the floorboards. Such floors, which are well known as "platform" floors or "ribbed" floors, are somewhat thicker than conventional floor assemblies and, while this is not a drawback with new construction, it can be troublesome when upgrading existing floors because of the added requirement that doors and skirting boards, etc. be altered to accommodate the new floor thickness.

An assembly comprising floor supports arranged overlying resilient strips provided atop of successive joists is proposed in United Kingdom Specification No.

2211522A for overcoming the disadvantages of the prior art. However, the proposed assembly of Specification No. 2211522A, in overcoming the said disadvantages, creates the further drawback of noise transmission through the floors of a dwelling due to the contact between the floorboards, floor supports and joists of the assembly.

The floor assembly and its method of construction as provided by the present invention seeks to overcome or mitigate the disadvantages met heretofore; thus, the present invention conveniently provides a floor assembly comprising: i) a series of joists arranged in known manner for supporting conventional floorboards; ii) a plurality of supports mounted at spaced intervals along each of said joists; iii) keying elements located in a primary position along opposite side portions of each joist in which primary position the keying elements are supported by said supports; iv) .underfloor panels located between each pair of joists with edge portions thereof supported by associated keying elements; v) a strip of resilient material extending over and along each joist; vi) floorboards laid in conventional manner to overlie said joist, underfloor panels and resilient material; and, vii) fastening means for securing said floorboards, underfloor panels and keying elements to form a composite sub-assembly which 5 supported by the strips of resilient material and the joists and in which sub-assembly the keying elements are moved out of their primary positions in which they are supported by said supports into a secondary position in which the keying elements are held clear of said supports or substantially so.

In addition to the joists of the above mentioned series of joists, there may be additional joists which define the ends of the floor assembly and which'are provided with supports and keying elements along their sides facing inwardly of the assembly.

In a first embodiment, each of said supports is associated with a single side of a respective joist.

The supports may be arranged at intervals along the sides of the joists, either in staggered relationship or in oppositely arranged pairs. Each support may have a serrated limb which is hammered into the upper side of the joist, and a limb which lies against or adjacent a side of the joist. As an alternative, the supports may be screwed or nailed into place. In accordance with a second embodiment, the supports are each of generally saddle-shaped form, for mounting at spaced intervals along each of said joists as aforesaid. Such saddle shaped supports may each comprise two stirrup portions arranged, when the supports are mounted on an associated joist, to lie one on each side of said joist.

In their primary positions, the keying elements may be conveniently supported by an array of stirrup portions associated therewith.

The supports may conveniently be formed from thin section resilient material such as thin section steel.

Preferably the keying elements are each of inverted "L" shaped cross-section. When each of the elements is in its primary position, a first leg thereof is engaged and supported by the associated supports. When each of the elements is in its secondary position, a second leg thereof is secured to associated floorboards and underfloor panels by associated fastening means to form the composite sub-assembly as aforesaid.

Conveniently the present invention also provides a method of constructing a floor assembly comprising a series of joists, floorboards supported thereover and underfloor panels located between said joists, the method comprising the steps of: a) fixing a series of joists in situ; b) arranging a plurality of supports at intervals along said joists; c) supporting keying elements along opposite sides of said joists, on said supports; d) locating strips of resilient material along and overlying said joists and supports; e) positioning underfloor panels between each pair of joists with edge portions of said panels supported by said keying elements; f) positioning floorboards to overlie said resilient materials and underfloor panels;; and, g) securing said floorboards, panels and keying elements together to form a composite sub assembly supported by said strips of resilient material and said joists, wherein, during the securing together of said parts to form a composite sub-assembly as aforesaid, the keying elements of the composite sub-assembly cease to be supported on said supports.

By way of example of the present invention, a specific floor assembly and its method of construction will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an upper right hand perspective view of part of a first embodiment of floor assembly; Figure 2 is a part section view of the assembly shown in Figure 1 at an intermediate stage in its construction; Figure 3 is a part section view of the assembly shown in Figure 1 when completed, Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 but of a second embodiment, Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 but of the second embodiment, and Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3 but of the second embodiment.

Unlike prior art assemblies, the present invention enables the quick and. easy construction of floating floor assemblies despite the width of floor joists used therewith. In addition, because there are no direct paths for transmission of noise, i.e. vibration, or for allowing thermal losses between floors, the commercial success of the floor assembly its'greatly enhanced.

The floor assembly 8, see particularly Figure 3 and Figure 6, generally comprises a series of joists 10, only one of which is shown in these Figures, a plurality of temporary supports 12 mounted on each of said joists at spaced intervals therealong, L-Sectioned keying elements 14 located one on each side of each joist, underfloor panels 16 positioned between successive pairs of joists 10, sealing strips 18, floorboards 20 and fasteners, e.g. self-tapping screws, 22 for securing the floorboards 20, panels 16, and keying elements 14 to form a composite sub-assembly which is supported by way of the strips 18 on joists 10 as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 6. The keying elements may be long enough to extend the length of the associated joist, or a joist may be served be several keying elements arranged end to end.

The joists 10 are conventional timber joists each comprising an upper longitudinal surface 24 and opposite longitudinal side faces 26 and 28.

The temporary supports 12 are formed from thin gauge steel. In the first embodiment, shown in Figures 1 to 3, the supports 12 each have a seat portion 30 which rests on the upper surface 24 of the joist and a limb 31 which is serrated along its lower edge to enable the limb to be driven (as by hammering) into the joist to hold the support in place. In the second embodiment, as shown in Figures 4 to 6, the supports are generally saddle-shaped in cross-section, each comprising a seat portion 30 which extends across the width of its associated joist.

In the first embodiment a stirrup portion 32 depends from one end of the seat portion 30, see Figures 2 and 3. The seat portion 30 of the second embodiment has stirrup portions 32-at each end. Each stirrup portion 32 comprises a lower channel portion 36, the purpose for which will be made clear hereinafter.

The stirrup portions of the two embodiments differ slightly in shape. In the first embodiment, the upper region of the stirrup portion lies flush against the side of the joist and the lower region is spaced therefrom with a packing strip 33 interposed therebetween. In the second embodiment, the two stirrup portions converge so that the support clips onto the joist.

The keying elements 14 are of rolled steel section and are generally of inverted "L" shape in use, see Figures 1 to 3, and comprise a depending leg 40 and a horizontal leg 42, the purpose for which will be made clear hereinafter.

The underfloor panels 16, the sealing strips 18 and the floorboards 20 may be of any conventional materials used for such purposes, examples of which are given below.

In constructing the floor assembly provided by the present invention, the following process steps are undertaken: a) a series of conventional joists 10 are set in a spaced apart relationship; b) a plurality of supports 12 are mounted at spaced intervals, i.e. 400 mm centres, along the joists 10 as shown in the drawings, the stirrup portions 32 being positioned in contact with the side faces of the joists. In the case of the second embodiment, the stirrup portions may be sprung apart upon mounting of the supports 12 to grippingly engage the side faces 26 and 28 respectively of their associated joist 10.

c) strips 18 of resilient sealing material, e.g.

6 mm thick adhesive coated foam rubber, are positioned atop the joists 10 and pressed against the surface 24 thereof, whereupon the adhesive coating adheres to the joist and to the supports 12 also overlaid thereby; d) keying elements are located in a primary position as shown in Figure 1 with the depending legs 40 thereof located in and supported by the channels 36 of the associated stirrup portions 32 and with the legs 42 thereof disposed as shown in Figure 1; e) underfloor panels 16 of 19 mm thick gypsum board are located between adjacent joists 10 with marginal edge portions 46 thereof in engagement with and supported by legs 42 of the associated keying element 14 as shown in Figure 2; f) floorboards 20, e.g. 18 mm thick tongue and grooved chipboard flooring, are positioned as shown in Figure 3 overlying the underfloor panels 16 and strips 18; and, g) the floorboards 20 are secured to the underfloor panels 16 and the associated legs 42 of the carrying elements 14 by the self tapping screws 22 to form a composite sub assembly as seen in Figure 3.

In securing the floorboards 20, underfloor panels 16 and the carrying elements 14 together to form the composite sub-assembly, it will be appreciated from the drawings that the depending legs 40 of the keying elements 14 will be raised from their primary locations, shown in Figures 1 and 2, in which they are supported in their associated channels 36 of the respective stirrup portions 32, into their secondary locations, as shown in Figure 3, in which secondary locations the depending legs 40 of the keying elements 14 are at least raised clear cf the bottoms of the channels 36 (and preferably out of the channels altogether) to form a thermal break between the floorboards 20 and the joists 10.

If will be seen that the elements 14 serve both to carry the underfloor panels during the initial assembly stage the sub-assembly during the final assembly stage.

As described herein, the supports 12, i.e. the stirrup portions 32 thereof, assist in the location and spacing of the underfloor panels 16 from their respective joists 10. However, it can readily be appreciated that in constructing the floor assembly, in order to create and maintain a thermal break between the floorboards 20 and the joists 10, it is important to space the panels 16 from said stirrup portions 32 and care is taken to ensure that the panels 16 are in fact so spaced, see Figures 2 and 3. It will also be appreciated that even if the underfloor panels 16 are in contact with the stirrup portions 32 because the stirrup portions are directed inwardly away from end faces of said underfloor panels 16 any contact therebetween is only minimal point contact.In order to ensure that such minimal contact between said portions 32 and the panels 16 has no detrimental effect on the performance of the floor assembly, a rubber latex composition, or the like, may be provided on said stirrup portion 32.

It will be appreciated that the joists at the side edges of the floor need be provided with a keying element or keying elements along one side only, so that if the supports according to the second embodiment are used, one stirrup portion thereof will be redundant on such end joists.

The means for securing boards 20 to the underfloor panels 16 may also include: a) adhesive applied between the boards 20 and the underfloor panels 16; and/or b) drywall screws or the like inserted from above or below to secure the boards 20 and panels together.

The temporary supports 50 have a hole or holes 50 in the seat portion 30 to allow screws to be used to additionally secure the supports in place.

From the foregoing, it will readily be appreciated that difficulties met hitherto in the construction of floating floors or the like are greatly reduced if not totally eradicated in that noise transmission is kept to an acceptable level.

Other modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims (13)

1. A floor assembly comprising: i) a series of joists arranged in known manner for supporting conventional floorboards; ii) a plurality of supports mounted at spaced intervals along each of said joists; iii) keying elements located in a primary position along opposite side portions of each joist in which primary position the keying elements are supported by said supports; iv) underfloor panels located between each pair of joists with edge portions thereof supported by associated keying elements; v) a strip of resilient material extending over and along each joist; vi) floorboards laid in conventional manner to overlie said joist, underfloor panels and resilient material; and, vii) fastening means for securing said floorboards, underfloor panels and keying elements to form a composite sub-assembly which is supported by the strips of resilient material and the joists and in which sub-assembly the keying elements are moved out of their primary positions in which they are supported by said supports into a secondary position in which the keying elements are held clear of said supports or substantially so.

2. A floor assembly according to Claim 1 wherein said supports are mounted at spaced intervals along each of said joists as aforesaid.

3. A floor assembly according to either one of Claims 1 and 2 wherein said supports each comprise at least one stirrup portion arranged, whereby, when the suppo-rts are mounted on an associated joist, stirrup portions lie on both sides of the joist.

4. A floor assembly according to Claim 3 wherein, in their primary positions, the keying elements are supported by an array of stirrup portions associated therewith.

5. A floor assembly according to any one of Claims I to 4 in which the supports associated with each joist assist in locating and spacing associated underfloor panels with respect to said joist.

6. A floor assembly according to any one of Claims 3 to 5 wherein the supports are formed from thin section resilient material to enable the stirrup portions thereof to grippingly engage sides of associated joists.

7. A floor assembly according to Claim 6 wherein the supports are formed from thin section steel.

8. A floor assembly according to any one of Claims I to 7 wherein the keying elements are each of inverted "L" shaped cross-section a first leg of which, when the elements are in their primary positions, is engaged and supported by said supports and a second leg of which, when the elements are in their secondary positions, is secured to associated floorboards and underfloor panels by associated fastening means to form the composite subassembly as aforesaid.

9. A method of constructing a floor assembly comprising a series of joists, floorboards supported thereover and underfloor panels located between said joists, the method comprising the steps of: a) fixing a series of joists in situ; b) arranging a plurality of supports at intervals along said joists; c) supporting keying elements along opposite sides of said joists, on said supports; d) locating strips of resilient material along and overlying said joists and supports; e) positioning underfloor panels between each pair of joists with edge portions of said panels supported by said keying elements; f) positioning floorboards to overlie said resilient materials and underfloor panels;; and, g) securing said floorboards, panels and keying elements together to form a composite sub assembly supported by said strips of resilient material and said joists, wherein, upon constructing a floor assembly as aforesaid, the keying elements of the composite sub-assembly are no longer supported on said supports.

10. A method according to Claim 9 wherein the supports provide spacing means whereby in use the underfloor panels, located between the joists as aforesaid, are maintained out of contact with said joists.

11. In combination, a temporary support for mounting on a joist, the support having at least one channel shaped stirrup portion, an L-Sectioned keying element arranged to cooperate with the stirrup portion, and securing means for securing the keying element to underfloor panels and floor boards.

12. A method substantially as hereinbefore described.

13. An assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in figures 1 to 3 or figures 4 to 6 of the drawings.