GB2284378A

GB2284378A - Flooring tiles & flooring system

Info

Publication number: GB2284378A
Application number: GB9324668A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Philip Nigel Morgan; Technology Limited Bronzepalm
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-12-01
Filing date: 1993-12-01
Publication date: 1995-06-07
Anticipated expiration: 2013-12-01
Also published as: GB9324668D0; GB2284378B

Abstract

A method of making tiles comprises spraying loose aggregate, in a square, rectangular or other shaped mould, with fluid binder to form an open matrix of aggregate interspersed with interstitial channels. The tiles may be subsequently layed in edge abutting relationship and more of the same, or a different binder, applied to fill the channels and the gaps to bind the tiles together as a finished floor. The binder is typically an epoxy resin or polyurethane material. Tiles may be made in different textures by using different sized and shaped aggregate and in different colours using coloured aggregate and/or coloured binders. Any shape of tile may be made with the appropriately shaped mould, eg square, rectangular or kerb or skirting shapes or channelled drainage shapes. Alternatively a large roll of flooring can be made using this method. The method of the invention is quick and easy and inexpensive compared to known methods and results in a strong, well sealed floor. Pleasing effects are possible using different textures and colours and the method is very versatile.

Description

FLOORING SYSTEM DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to a flooring system including a method of laying a floor on a surface and particularly to a method of making a floor tile and to a floor tile made according to the method; a method of laying a floor on a surface using the floor tiles and a floor made by any such methods of laying.

Floors have traditionally been made of concrete by mixing the ingredients of concrete, i.e. cement, sand aggregate and water, transporting the mixture to the surface on which a floor is to be laid, and spreading the mixture over the surface with a trowel or similar tool.

In more recent years, with the advent of epoxy, polyurethane, acrylic and other synthetic resins, floors have been made by mixing the resins with aggregate material such as quartz and flint and spreading this mixture using conventional trowelling techniques onto surfaces on which floors are to be laid, allowing the mixture to cure. This results in a more desirable floor than concrete because it is easily washed and therefore hygienic, more insulated from cold and wet conditions, less likely to crack or crumble and stronger and more chemical resistant.

However, such floors take a long time to lay. For a typical factory floor, of say 2,500m2 4 to 6 weeks is required to lay an epoxy resin floor at present and during this time most other building works cannot progress as the factory is inaccessible whilst the floor is being laid. Obviously this is undesirable and adds considerably to the cost of the factory unit.

Tiles of terrazzo and ceramic grouted with cement or synthetic resin can form a durable flooring which can be laid relatively fast. However, tiles are not used for floors in food processing factories because of the threat to standards of hygiene of the grouting which is notorious for discolouration and cracking and hence harbouring dirt and bacteria.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved flooring system and a method of making a hygienic floor including a floor which is hygienic and is quick and relatively undisruptive to lay and a method of making and of laying such a superior floor.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of making a floor tile comprising filling a tile mould with a quantity of loose aggregate material and spraying or otherwise thinly coating the aggregate material with a liquid binder and allowing the liquid binder to set so as to bind the aggregate together to form an open matrix of aggregate in tile form in the shape of the mould. The finished tile is then removed from the mould.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a floor tile made according to the first aspect.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of laying a floor (either internal of a building or external) comprising the steps of using the method of claim 1 to make a plurality of floor tiles, laying the floor tiles in edge abutting relationship to cover at least a portion of the surface to be floored, pouring liquid binder over the tiles in situ, spreading the binder so as to substantially cover the floor tiles and preferably so that the top surface of the floor being laid is substantially smooth and flat, and allowing the binder to set.

Instead of using discrete tiles, it is envisaged that the invention will provide for fixing loose aggregate on rolls of material such as netting or polythene which can then be rolled out onto a surface on which a floor is to be laid, somewhat as a carpet or a roll of linoleum would be, and then finished with epoxy resin or like binder as with the tiles in order to fill the gaps between the aggregate and between the rolls and provide a continuous, non-porous, hygienic floor.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of laying a floor on a surface comprising spreading pieces of loose aggregate material over a portion of the surface, spraying the pieces of aggregate with a thin coat of liquid binder and allowing the binder to cure so as to fix the pieces in an open matrix, and subsequently applying liquid binder to fill gaps in the matrix and spreading and levelling the binder and allowing it to set.

The portion of surface on which the floor is to be laid, may be delimited by permanent or removable spacer bars or rods or by a frame laid on the surface of the sub-floor or by pins, for example, of plastic.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of laying a floor on a surface comprising laying extended rods or small gauge bars on the surface, and laying floor tiles on top of the rods or bars and filling gaps with grouting or binding material thus ensuring a generally flat finished floor level regardless of inconsistencies in the surface of the sub-floor.

It will accordingly be seen that the invention provides a method of making a floor using a plurality of pieces of aggregate material comprising spraying the plurality of pieces of aggregate material with a thin coat of a binder so as to adhere the pieces in fixed spatial relationship, the binder being of a consistency and quantity so as to leave interconnecting channels between the pieces, producing a porous floor base. A weight ratio of between 10 and 20 to 1 of aggregate to binder is preferred.

The method may be used to make a floor base in situ by spreading the aggregate over at least a portion of a surface to be floored. Alternatively, the method may be used to make a floor base by making a plurality of floor base tiles from one or more tile moulds and laying the tiles in edge abutting relationship on a surface to be floored. A further alternative is to make a floor base by fixing loose aggregate on rolls of material and subsequently laying pieces of the rolls in edge abutting relationship on a surface. Floor base tiles or a floor base roll may be adhesively fixed to a surface by tape, for example double sided adhesive tape.

Alternatively, loose aggregate may be held in place on a subfloor by adhesive sheets or overlapping adhesive strips.

In any case the floor is preferably finished by pouring a structural binder over the floor base so as to fill up the interconnecting channels and allowing the structural binder to cure or set so as to produce a non-porous, seamless finished floor.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a cross-section of a tile constructed according to the first aspect of the present invention; Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b are plan views of a floor being laid according to the third aspect of the invention; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are cross-section of floors illustrating alternative embodiments of the methods of the invention; Fig. 6 shows a method of laying a floor according to the fourth aspect of the invention; Fig. 7 shows a floor laid according to the present invention; Fig. 8 is a cross-section of a floor laid according to the present invention; Fig. 9 is a cross-section of part of a floor according to one aspect of the invention; Fig. 10 is a plan view of part of the flooring system of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a cross-section of part of a floor according to another aspect of the invention; Fig. 12 is a perspective view of part of a floor according to a further aspect of the invention; and Fig. 13 is a cross-section of part of a floor according to the invention.

In Fig. 1 tiles 1 comprise pieces 2 of aggregate being a mixture of flint and quartz as these are particularly cheap and freely available materials. The pieces 2 have been sprayed with a binder 3 which may suitably be of epoxy resin, polyurethane or other synthetic which coats the pieces 2 of flint and quartz and binds them together so that the aggregate assumes the form of a solid tile though the pieces are also separated in part from each other so that the tile is in the form of an open matrix.

Before the tile 1 of Fig. 1 is applied to a surface on which a floor is to be laid a polythene Damp Proof Membrane (DPM) layer is put down. Then polyurethane levelling rods 4 are laid on the surface on which a floor is to be laid.

Subsequently a screed 5 is laid to 5mm depth to cover the levelling rods 4. Instead of levelling rods, springs or balls may be used. Then tiles 1 are placed on top of the screed 5 abutting each other to cover the surface as far as possible, loose quartz or other cheap filler material is used to fill in areas of detail which the tiles 1 are too big or the wrong shape to cover, for example at skirting edges if not a full tiles width or around curved areas. This loose quartz is sprayed with an epoxy resin or like material spray, for example applied with a watering can or hand spray, to lock the loose quartz together. Finally a liquid synthetic resin such as epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, polyester resin or methyl methacrylate resin is then poured over the whole floor. The resin fills up the gaps in the matrix of the tiles and fills the spaces between the tiles together with the spaces between the loose quartz. This is indicated generally at 7 in Fig. 1.

The binder is levelled and left to set, typically overnight.

The finished floor is a continuous surface with all the attendant advantages including hygiene, yet it has been laid at least as easily as terrazzo tiles, probably more easily because there is no fiddly grouting to accomplish.

Fig. 2a shows a plan view of the floor before the final binder is applied. The tiles 1 are juxtaposed to abut one another and to fill the area as fully as possible. Awkward shaped and sized spaces 8 are filled with loose screed.

Fig. 2b shows the finished floor after the binder is applied. The resin has filled all the gaps and formed a continuous flooring.

The tiles are typically made 0.5 m to 1.5 m square though preferably 1 m square and between 5 to 15 mm thick and will be about 10 kgs. in weight.

Fig. 3 shows an alternative method of ensuring that the floor is level using a cement grout 9 over an aggregate of 3-5 mm pieces 10. Rods 4 are typically 5 mm.

The rods or spacers 4 may be of aluminium, steel, nylon, PVC or wood. As shown in Fig. 4 they rest on a shim 11 to give an accurate finished floor level.

In Fig. 4 10 mm thick tiles 1 are used on top of 5 mm thick rods 4 filled with a 10 mm layer of grout 12 on top of a liquid or polythene sheet DPM (damp proof membrane). The lower half (5 mm) 13 of the tiles is filled with the grout while the top half 14 is filled with epoxy or other synthetic resin.

Fig. 5 shows an arrangement without levelling rods where undulations 15 in the surface to be floored are filled with a tile bedding grout which also acts as a DPM and an anchor material for the tiles, which may be bitumen or pitch epoxy or SBR (styrene, butidene, rubber), to form a levelling screed and bedding.

In Fig. 6 an alternative aspect is shown. Two shutterings are spaced apart on the floor and may be stuck down with DPM material. The shutterings may either be permanent in the form of screed rail 16 of steel, aluminium or PVC or may be removable such as is shown at 17. A shim 18 helps to adjust the final floor level. Between these rails 16 and 17 a loose aggregate 19 is installed and sprayed by rapid setting material to fix it in place. The aggregate 19 is installed on top of a 1 mm thick bitumen or epoxy pitch 20 or another combined liquid DPM and bonder/anchor material for the aggregate 19.

Finally liquid epoxy or polyurethane or other grout is pumped onto the anchored aggregate and allowed to set.

Excess resin can be removed with a squeegee before it sets.

Another alternative is to mount quartz and flint aggregate on a net or a perforated vinyl sheet or an aluminium medium or an open weave fibreglass material, which can be delivered to a building site in rolls. Fig. 7 shows two lengths 21 and 22 of such a roll laid out next to each other with a reinforcement net 23 between the rolls, i.e. sections of floor.

In order to facilitate rolling such sheet flooring material it is preferable to have just one layer of aggregate material bonded to the backing sheet or alternatively the adhesive for holding the aggregate in place on the sheet must be sufficiently flexible to allow the sheet to be rolled up. Sheets could be made of a variety of thicknesses by choosing the size of aggregate. For example, a 5 mm size aggregate mounted on a backing sheet will provide a finished floor layer of approximately 5 mm. Alternatively, a 5 mm finished layer can be achieved by laying two sheets of 2.5 mm aggregate one on top of the other. The bottom layer could be chosen with larger size aggregate for extra strength, and the top layer of smaller size aggregate for improved appearance and smoothness. The sheets could be held in place with double sided sticky tape, preferably in the form of an open mesh to allow binder to flow through, until the structural binder is applied and set. Double sided self-adhesive tape to hold the bottom layer to the sub-floor could double as a damp proof membrane.

If the aggregate size is chosen to be the same as the desired thickness of the floor, for example 10 mm would be suitable, then it could be bonded to sheet vinyl which would not need to be porous and could be stuck to the sub-floor with double sided sticky tape. The structural binder would then contain fine aggregate such as quartz sand to increase the abrasion resistance of the structural binder and also to reduce cost.

Of course, double sided adhesive tape could also be used for holding floor tiles according to the invention in place; it could be used in spaced strips to hold the tiles in place or in overlapping strips or in sheet form to completely cover the sub-floor - for example to act as a damp proof membrane.

Such a sheet or overlapping strip could also be used to hold loose aggregate in place before the structural binder is applied.

The invention is applicable to floors for offices, toilets, scientific laboratories, kitchens, utility rooms or car showrooms. It is particularly useful for areas where hygiene and hence having a uniform, non-porous,continuous floor surface is important but the ease with which patterns and textures can be built in makes the invention of use in any flooring task.

If the floor tiles or sheets incorporate some metallic aggregate they could be held in place magnetically. An electrically conductive self-adhesive is laid on the subfloor and the tiles or sheet material are laid on top. Then a magnetic field is applied to the tape and hence to the tiles to magnetise the tiles which are then held in place by the magnetic field.

The top surface of such a magnetised sheet or tape is preferably smooth waxed paper or PVC material. The tiles will then slide over the adhesive tape. Structural binder is poured over the tiles and allowed to cure and then the magnetic field is turned off.

A self-levelling floor topping typically 1 to 3 mm of epoxy resin binder combined with fine silica sand and flour could be used above the top surface of the floor tiles or could be used as the structural binder itself yet still provide a smooth layer above the floor tile.

The tiles can be manufactured to any shape to create patterns in the floor if they are different colours or consistencies. The aggregate pieces may be coloured and the same colour binder could be used to produce a uniform coloured floor finish. Alternatively a multi-coloured floor finish is produced by using different colours for the aggregate pieces to that used for the binder which may be either clear or coloured. Also kerb or skirting pieces can be made to ensure a hygienic and durable edge to a floor which, when coated with the resin will be integral with the floor. This is illustrated in Fig. 8.

An array of square tiles 1 is laid across the floor, a specially shaped kerb tile 24 is laid around the side and a channel shaped tile 25 is laid to line the drainage channel 26. The channel and kerb tiles can be made in long lengths to make installing them easy. A cove shaped tile 27 could alternatively be used at the edge of a room. When all the tiles 1, 24 and 25 have been laid, then the binder is poured and spread over the tiles, smoothed out and allowed to set.

Using a flooring system according to the invention, a factory floor of 2,400m2 can be laid in just a few days whereas conventional methods usually take several weeks.

It is also important to ensure that the sub-floor is level prior to installing a flooring system according to the invention.

This can be done using a snap connected plastic or PVC lattice or matrix supported by levelling springs or rubber balls and filled with loose aggregate, as illustrated in Figs.

9 and 10. Shallow areas where the concrete sub-floor dips, shown generally at 28 in Fig.9, have rubber balls 29 and/or springs 30. It can be seen from Fig. 9 that in this way, the top of the lattice is made level. The space within the lattice 31 is filled with loose aggregate 8. Then the final floor layer 32 is laid on top of the level lattice 31, and resin binder poured on to the floor filling up gaps between the aggregate 8.

Alternatively, the sub-floor may be levelled by a floating lattice or matrix as shown in Fig. 11. Plastic or PVC lattice tiles 31 are assembled on the sub-floor by snap fitting them together. Then the binder is flooded over the matrix of lattice tiles. The tiles 31 float on top of the binder and so that sub-floor depressions 28 are filled with binder and the lattice floating on the surface of the binder is automatically levelled. The flotation is aided by air cups or bubbles 33 in the lattice tiles 31. The binder may be a grout or an epoxy liquid and is allowed to harden setting the sub-floor surface, i.e. the top of the lattice, level ready for laying a finished floor surface - for example that according to the present invention.

Fig. 12 shows an alternative system for laying a floor.

Frame elements 34 typically 10 mm thick are clipped together in situ to provide receptacles or moulds for loose aggregate 8. Loose aggregate 8 is put into the frame up to the level of the top of the frame and then binder is poured over the filled moulds. Holes 35 in the mould frame elements allow binder to floor through the whole structure to provide a continuous, hard wearing finished floor.

Fig. 13 shows a sheet vinyl backing sheet 36 fitted with pins 37, preferably of plastic, of a length equal to the desired thickness of the finished floor. Loose aggregate 8 can then be stuck to the sheet vinyl in the factory or installed loose on site. The pins provide a useful guide to help "rule-off" the top level of the aggregate.

Claims

1. A method of making a flooring tile comprising filling a tile mould with a quantity of loose aggregate material and spraying or otherwise thinly coating the aggregate material with a fluid binding medium and allowing the binding medium to set so as to bind the aggregate material together to form a matrix of aggregate material interspersed with channels, in tile form in the shape of the mould and removing the finished tile from the mould.

2. A method of laying a floor (either internal of a building or external) comprising the steps of: using the method of claim 1 to make plurality of flooring tiles; laying the flooring tiles in edge abutting relationship to cover at least a portion of the surface to be floored; covering the tiles with a fluid binding medium; spreading the binding medium so that medium flows into the channels and the top surface of the floor being laid is substantially smooth and flat; and allowing the binding medium to set.

3. A method of laying a floor according to claim 2, wherein, after the flooring tiles have been laid, loose aggregate material is used to fill any substantial gaps between the tiles.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the binding medium is a thixotropic fluid.

5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the binding medium is epoxy resin.

6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the binding medium is a polyurethane material.

7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein a mass ratio of between ten and twenty parts of aggregate to 1 part of binding medium is used.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims comprising the step of mixing the aggregate material with colouring dye to produce coloured aggregate material for making a coloured tile.

9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein a substantially transparent binding medium is used.

10. A method according to any preceding claim wherein a coloured binding medium is used.

11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the mould is in the shape of a regular polygon.

12. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the mould is of a square shape.

13. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein the mould is rectangular.

14. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the mould is of a shape suitable for forming skirting tiles.

15. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the mould is channel shaped to form drainage tiles.

16. A tile substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. A tile made according to the method of claim 1 or of any of claims 3 to 15 when appended to claim 1

18. A method of laying a floor according to any one of claims 2 to 15 wherein the step of laying the tiles comprises arranging elongated rods in parallel spaced relationship across a surface to be floored and laying the tiles on top of the rods.

19. A floor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

20. A floor when made according to the method of claim 2 and any one of claims 3 to 15 and 19 when appended to claim 2.

21. A method of making a flooring medium comprising spreading a quantity of loose aggregate material over a generally flat surface, binding the aggregate material together in a flexible matrix and rolling up the flooring medium for transport to a surface to be floored.