GB2346163A

GB2346163A - Height adjustable floor support

Info

Publication number: GB2346163A
Application number: GB0000855A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Graham Williams
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-01-20
Filing date: 2000-01-17
Publication date: 2000-08-02
Anticipated expiration: 2020-01-17
Also published as: GB2346163B; GB0000855D0; GB9901188D0

Abstract

A floor cradle (10) which has a floor support (18) that is height adjustable and has at least one slot for receiving a floor panel support member (14). Height adjustment can be accomplished by moving up or down a screw threaded floor support ring (24) which is disposed on a screw threaded outer surface (22) of the support (18). The support may preferably have two slots (26a, 26b, fig 3, not shown) at right angles for receiving floor support members (14). There is preferably a layer of sound absorbing material (20) on the base of the support (18) or formed integrally with the support (18). The floor cradle (10) can be formed from plastic.

Description

TITLE : Improvements in and relating to floors DESCRIPTION This invention concerns floors.

To provide a false floor on say a concrete sub-floor it is known to layer wooden battens on the sub-floor and to affix the flooring panels to the battens.

To support the battens and also to prpvide sound insulation it is known to provide floor cradles made of recycled rubber having a base and four upstands to form a pair of cross over slots, one or other of them receiving a wooden batten. One drawback with these cradles, is that to cope with uneven sub-floors, packing pieces have to be used to levez up the battens. Obviously placing the packing pieces is a time consuming task Nnd not particularly accurate.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved floor cradle for use in forming a false floor.

According to the invention there is provided a floor cradle for use in forming a false floor, the cradle comprising a support having at least one slot for receiving a batten or other floor panel. support member and means on the support for adjusting the height of the batten relative to a sub-floor on which the cradle is sited.

The invention further provides a false floor on a sub-floor, comprising a plurality of floor cradles on the sub-floor, each comprising a support having a slot for receiving a batten or other floor panel supporting member and means on the support for adjusting the height of the batten relative to the sub-floor, battens support on the cradles and flooring panels mounted on the battens.

The support preferably provides two slots for receiving battens preferably at right angles to each i. e. in cruciform formation. Thus, the supports may be laid out on a sub-floor with each of their slots in fine with a slot of an adjacent support and then battens laid out on the supports as desired possibly even with two battens on one support subject to them being mutually rebated.

The outer surface of the support is preferably screw threaded and carries a corresponding screw threaded batten support ring, whereby movement of the ring up or down can be used to adjust the height of the batten thereon.

The support preferably has on its base a layer of sound absorbing material which may be formed integrally with the support or added separately.

The floor cradles of the invention are preferably made from plastics material, especially from u-PVC.

The floor cradle of the invention may, if desired, be secured to the subfloor by any suitable means, including, for example, adhesive and rigid securing means, such as screws or nails through the support into the floor.

This invention will now be further described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which ; Figure 1 is a perspective view of a floor cradle according to the invention; Figure 2 is a section through the floor cradle of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a plan view of the floor cradle of Figure 1.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in order to provide a false floor over say a concrete sub-floor in order to provide a more even surface and/or to provide under floor space for services such as electrical and computer cabling, floor cradles 10 made of u-PVC are mounted on the concrete sub-floor 12. The floor cradles support wooden battens 14 onto which flooring panels 16 are fixed.

The floor cradles 10 comprise a floor mountable support 18 which has on its underside a sound absorbing layer 20, which may be integral or separate.

The support 18 has a screw threaded outer surface 22, which carries a corresponding threaded support ring 24 that can be raised or lowered on the support 18 by rotation thereof.

The support 18 has in its top a pair of slots 26A and 26B at right angles to each other leaving four circumferentially spaced upstands 28, themselves having outer surfaces continuing the screw threading 22. The wooden battens 14 are supported in the slots 26 as appropriate to their direction. A batten will sit either at the base of a slot 26 or on the support ring 24. The support ring 24 is rotated around the support 18 to adjust the height at which a batten is supported to accommodate variations in the surface of the sub-floor, whereby the battens can be supported on the level, so that the floor panels themselves are level.

To form a floor using the floor cradles 10, positions for the cradles are marked on the sub-floor in a grid-like pattern and the cradles affixed to the floor by a suitable means at the positions marked. Wooden battens or indeed, support beams of any other suitable material, are laid out on the cradles in a desired arrangement and then levelled using the support rings 24. Once the batten are level flooring panels are fixed down onto the battens to give a substantially level floor surface.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A floor cradle for use in forming a false floor, the cradle comprising a support having at least one slot for receiving a floor panel support member and means on the support for adjusting the height of the floor panel support member relative to a sub-floor on which the cradle is sited.
2. A floor cradle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support has two slots for receiving floor panel support members.
3. A floor cradle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the slots are at right angles to each other.
4. A floor cradle as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3 wherein the support has an outer surface that is screw threaded and carries a corresponding screw threaded floor panel supporting member support ring, whereby movement of the ring up or down adjusts the height of the floor panel support member thereon.
5. A floor cradle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the support has on its base a layer of sound absorbing material.
6. A floor cradle as claimed in claim 5, wherein the layer of sound absorbing material is formed integrally with the support.
7. A floor cradle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 formed of plastics material.
8. A false floor on a sub-floor comprising a plurality of floor cradles as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, battens supported between the cradles and flooring panels mounted on the battens.
9. A floor cradle for use in forming a false floor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
10. A false floor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.