GB319655A - Improvements in or relating to floor covering materials and a method of and apparatus for decorating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

319,655. Armstrong Cork Co., (Assignees of McCarthy, J. C.). Sept. 25, 1928, [Convention date]. Resist printing. - Hard-surfaced covering materials, such as linoleum and felt-base floor covering, are decorated by applying a masking material to portions of the surface, applying a thick wear-resisting film thereover, and then removing the masking material and the portion of the wear-resisting film thereabove. The process is particularly applicable in applying rapidly drying paint such as nitro-cellulose lacquer. The masking material is preferably of non-drying nature, and is put on in the form of a design, and the whole surface is sprayed with the lacquer. The material is then scrubbed with water to remove the masking material. The material is drawn from a roll 2, Fig. 1, and passes beneath means such as sprayers 3 for applying either a plain or spotted colour over the entire surface of the material. This base coating may be omitted. The material then passes under printing mechanism 4, which may be of rotary or reciprocating block type, which applies the masking material in the form of a design, and the printing is preferably repeated to ensure a sufficient thickness. An all-over coating of lacquer is next applied by means of spraying- apparatus 5. The coating is then dried, preferably by means of cold water jets J, and the material then passes through a brushing and rinsing unit comprising brushes 2 and jets 7, 7<1>. After being scrubbed and rinsed, the material preferably passes over a rubber squeegee roll R co-operating with a roll R<1> around which the material passes during the scrubbing. The operations may be repeated by a similar series of mechanisms 8, 9, 10. An example of a pattern in three colours is shown in Fig. 2. An all-over base coat 11 is first applied, masking is then applied to the whole surface except the area 12, and lacquer of the colour to be applied to that area is sprayed over the whole surface. The material is then scrubbed, and the lacquer left only on the area 12. By a similar process, another colour is applied to the area 13. Fig. 7 shows a tile pattern in which the spotted appearance of the tiles is produced by means of sprayers adjusted so as to project drops of lacquer. Preferably, the scrubbing is effected before the lacquer is dry, so as to blur the outline. The masking material may consist of 60 parts of whiting or other filler, 40 parts of glycerine, and two or three parts of soap solution containing 24 parts of anhydrous soap and 76 parts of water. Ethylene. glycol may be used instead of glycerine.