IE41914B1 - Decorative sheet-like material having a textured surface and process for making same - Google Patents

Abstract

1525108 Textured surface sheet materials G A F CORP 16 Oct 1975 [30 Dec 1974 (2)] 42516/75 Heading B2E Decorative sheet material, e.g. for floorcovering or wall-covering, having a textured surface is made by coating a flexible substrate e.g. of asbestos fibre sheet optionally impregnated with bitumen, woven or non-woven fibrous web, felt, cellulose or resin-impregnated cellulose, paper, cloth, plastics sheet or metal foil, with either (a) a plastisol or organosol of plastics material having foamable chips containing a blowing agent embedded therein, or (b) a foamable layer of plastisol or organosol of plastics material containing a blowing agent and having non- foamable chips embedded therein, and then heating the layer to a temperature sufficient to cure it, and decompose the blowing agent, thereby foaming the chips or the layer and imparting a textured surface due to the effect of the foamed chips in non-foamed layer or the non-foamed chips in the foamed layer. The plastisol or organosol may be of polyvinyl chloride, and the chips may be a plasticized polyvinyl chloride composition. Both or either may contain pigment e.g. TiO 2 particles. The substrate may be primed with an adhesion-promoting layer e.g. of acrylic latex, and the textured layer may be subsequently embossed or decoratively printed. A wear-resistant surface layer e.g. of polyurethane, epoxy resin or polyvinyl chloride, may be applied over the textured layer.

Description

This invention relates to a process for making decorative sheet-type covering material having a textured surface. ( Decorative sheet-type covering materials such as vinyl floor coverings are well known in the art and various attempts have previously been made to impart three-dimensional textured characteristics to the surface of such materials. A number of processes have been suggested for this purpose. For instance, U.S. Specification 3,458,337 to Rugg suggests a method for producing a textured surface by employing a resin layer containing a catalyst activated foaming agent and then applying in selected pattern areas an agent for suppressing the catalytic action of the catalyst. U.S. Specification 3,293,094 to Nairn ct at also makes use of a chemical inhibitor to control the extent of foaming which takes place on various portions of the material. U.S. Specification 3,585,099 to Van Buskirk discloses the possibility of partially embedding foamed granules into a vinyl layer and then spraying the granules with a thin layer of plastisol. Mechanical embossing has also been used to obtain three-dimensional textured surfaces.

Unfortunately, none of the prior art techniques described above has proven entirely satisfactory. Mechanical embossing for instance, does not easily achieve the fine texture which is desired because of the tendency for the entire layer of foamed material to be crushed. Likewise, the various chemical techniques previously proposed have failed to produce textured material of the desired quality. The tendency usually is for large areas of the surface to be affected and more precise results such as a sharp, pebbled appearance with a wear layer of adequate thickness have been difficult to obtain.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a process for making a decorative sheet-type covering material having a textured surface which comprises: (a) forming a layer of plastisol or organosol of plastics material on a substrate, the layer having foamable chips containing a blowing agent embedded therein, and (b) heating the layer to a temperature sufficient to cure same and - 2 41914 decompose the blowing agent, thereby foaming the chips and imparting a textured surface to the material.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a process for making decorative sheet-type covering material having a textured surface which comprises: (a) forming a foamable layer of plastisol or organosol of plastics material on a substrate, the layer containing a blowing agent and having non-foamable chips embedded therein, and (b) heating the layer to a temperature sufficient to cure same and decompose the blowing agent, thereby foaming the layer and imparting a textured surface to the material due to the effect of the non-foamable chips. At least a portion of the chips may contain a blowing suppressant.

With regard to the both first and second aspects of the invention; the layer may be formed of PVC plastisol or organosol; the layer may be formed by coating the substrate with wet plastisol or organosol and then embedding the chips in the plastisol or organosol; the layer of step (a) may be formed by first mixing the chips with the organosol and then applying the resulting mixture to the substrate; the chips preferably comprise a gelled plasticized vinyl composition; preferably, prior to step (b) the layer of step (a) is gelled and a clear wear layer is applied over the layer of step (a), the wear layer comprising a layer of polyurethane or a layer of PVC plastisol or organosol and the wear layer being cured during step (b), the cured wear layer preferably having a minimum thickness of 4 mils.

With regard to the decorative sheet-type covering material obtained by the process defined by either the first or second aspect of the invention the material may be one which includes a cured, textured wear layer over the plastics material layer of step (a), the wear layer being a minimum of about 4 mils thick and the surface of the wear layer having a height variation due to the effect of the chips of at least 4 mils.

Figures la and lb of the accompanying drawings are fragmentary sectional views through a preferred floor covering material of the invention. - 3 41914 In these views, it is not intended that the thickness of the various layers of the products shown are precisely represented. Rather, the various layers are represented on a considerably large scale and without showing precise relationships betv/een thicknesses of the layers.

Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings is a flow sheet diagram representing a preferred process for making the product depicted in Figures la and lb.

Figures 3a and 3b of the accompanying drawings are fragmentary sectional views through a preferred floor covering material of the invention.

Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings is a flow sheet diagram representing a preferred process for making the product depicted in Figures 3a and 3b. z As mentioned above, a particular product of the invention is a decorative sheet-type covering material having a textured surface and comprising a substrate, a cured plastics material layer adhered to the substrate and having foamed chips embedded therein and preferably having a textured wear layer over the plastics material layer containing foamed chips. The substrate may include any suitable supporting material such as an asbestos sheet, a nonwoven fibrous web, a woven fibrous web, a plastisol layer or a plastisol layer on felt backing. As an alternative a further product of the invention is a decorative sheet-type covering material having a textured surface and comprising a substrate, a cured, foamed plastics material layer adhered to the substrate and having non-foamable chips embedded therein and a textured wear layer over the plastics material layer containing such chips. The surface of this product material has surface depressions corresponding to the location of the chips. The substrate may include any suitable supporting material such as an asbestos sheet, a nonwoven fibrous web, a woven fibrous web, a plastisol layer or a plastisol layer on felt backing. While almost any flexible, base substrate may be used, the preferred substrate is felt, most advantageously an impregnated asbestos felt or a resin impregnated cellulose or other organic felt or with suitable sealing coats, an asphalt- 4 41814 saturated organic felt. While felt is preferred, paper sheet, cloth or even metal foil may be used for some purposes such as wall coverings.

The use of a sealing or priming coat is not considered essential but is preferred, especially where a felt base is used. Where used, the sealing or priming coat may be made up of a latex, for example a latex containing an acrylic polymer with or without pigments or fillers such as the prime coat described in U.S. Patent Specification 3,458,337 to Rugg.

The cured plastics material layer adhered to the substrate is, as mentioned above, preferably a cured PVC plastisol or organosol and has non-foamable or foamed chips embedded therein. Such PVC plastics material may be any of the various PVC resin materials normally used in connection with coating of decorative sheet materials and may specifically include but is not limited to those described in the above-mentioned U.S. Patent Specification 3,458,337, The foamed chips used in the product of the invention may be formed as described in more detail below and may be opaquely or translucently pigmented. The chips may be uniformly distributed throughout the plastics material layer or may be distributed in patterns to produce desired effects of texture on only some parts of the sheet. Where a wear layer over the sheet of plastics material containing the chips is used as described herein, the chips serve to provide a textured surface to the wear layer which may have surface depressions or protruberances corresponding to the location of the chips. The product of the invention is thus a sheet material having a textured surface, whether the surface be a wear layer or a layer of plastics material containing the chips. In order to provide the desired degree of texture and appearance it is necessary that the textured surface of the product material have a height variation due to the foamed chips of at least 4 mils. Greater variations such as about between about 5 and about 20 mils are preferred. By height variation is meant the difference in height above the substrate (with the material positioned horizontally as on a floor) between the lowest - 5 41914 points on the surface and the highest points on the surface of the finished product. Such variation is, of course, in addition to any effects created by mechanical means such as embossing or chemical means such as previously known in the prior art described above.

In an embodiment of the invention the desired surface effect is more readily obtained by including blowing suppressant in at least some of the chips.

For most applications, especially for use as flooring, the products of the invention should include a cured wear layer over the plastics material layer containing the chips. To provide necessary protection on flooring material, the wear layer should advantageously have a minimum thickness of about 4 mils, preferably at least about 7 mils and, depending upon the degree of protection desired, may be substantially thicker, such as up to about 15 or 20 mils or more. The wear layer may be any suitable material, such as polyurethane or cured PVC plastisol or organosol. Such materials are well known in the art and are described, for instance, in the abovementioned U.S. Patent Specification 3,458,337.

If desired, additional plastics material coatings and printing may be used in the manner well known in the art. For instance, a plain or foamed plastics material layer may be included as part of the substrate on which the plastics material containing chips is placed and printing may be applied either beneath or above the layer of plastics material containing the foamed chips. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a suitable pattern or printing is located between the plastics layer containing non-foamed or foamed chips and the wear layer. Also,if desired, a foamed plastics material layer may be located beneath the layer of plastics material containing the foamed chips. Preparation of these various optional components as well as the layer containing the chips is described in greater detail below. Compositions, thicknesses and method used in applying these optional components, may be as conventionally known in the art including, for instance, but not limited to those described in the above-mentioned U.S. Patent Specification 3,458,377. - 6 41914 While the products of the present invention provide a unique, pebbled textured surface appearance it should be understood that this unique appearance may be combined with other effects obtainable by the known prior art techniques, such as the mechanical and chemical techniques mentioned above. Additional novel effects may thus be obtained since such prior art techniques tend to produce relatively larger and less well defined surface appearances than the sharper textured appearance produced by the present invention. For instance; the technique described in the above mentioned U.S. Patent Specification 3,458,337 may readily be used to provide an overall brick design with the techniques of the present invention being used in the same material to provide a pebbled, textured appearance which may be pebbled either over the entire surface or, if desired, merely within the valleys of the basic design.

For a further appreciation of the unique structure and advantages of the material of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings and especially to Figures 1(a) and 1(b) thereof. Figure 1(a) illustrates a section of a floor covering material embodying the invention before final curing of the plastics material layers and foaming of the chips. As can be seen from Figure 1(a) this preferred material includes a felt base, a latex prime coat, a plastics material layercontaining foamable chips, a pattern of printing over the plastics material layer and a topcoat or wear layer which forms the outer surface of the product. Figure 1(a) illustrates this product after the plastics material layer containing the chips has been applied but before curing of the plastics material layer and wear layer and foaming of the chips.

Figure 1(b) illustrates the product shown in Figure 1(a) after curing of the plastics material layer and foaming of the chips. From Figure 1(b) it can be seen that the foaming of the chips has resulted in protuberances and valleys being formed in the upper surface of the material with the protuberances corresponding to the location of foamed chips and that this has been accomplished while retaining substantially the same thickness wear layer over the chips and printing. This produces a unique pebbled texture on areas of the material in which the foamable chips are used.

As mentioned above, one embodiment of the basic process of the invention involves the manufacture of a decorative sheet-type covering material having a textured surface by first forming a layer of wet PVC plastisol or organosol or a layer of wet polyurethane organosol on a substrate. In either case the layer has foamable chips containing blowing agent embedded therein. Also, a previously mentioned, PVC plastisol or organosol is preferred. Once a layer containing foamable chips embedded therein has been formed, the layer is then heated to a temperature sufficient to cure the same and decompose the blowing agent to thereby foam the chips and impart a textured surface to the material.

As a further appreciation of the unique structure and advantages of the material of the invention, reference may be had to the drawings and especially to Figures 3a and 3b thereof. Figure 3a illustrates a section of a floor covering material embodying the invention before final curing and foaming of the plastics material layers. As can be seen from Figure 3a this preferred material includes a felt base, a latex prime coat, a foamable plastics material layer containing nonfoamable chips a pattern of printing over the foamable plastics material layer and a topcoat or wear layer which forms the outer surface of the product. Figure 3a illustrates this product after the foamable plastics material layer containing the chips has been gelled and after the printing and wear layer have been applied but before foaming or curing of the plastics material and wear layers.

Figure 3b illustrates the product shown in Figure 3a after curing of the plastics material and wear layers and foaming of the foamable plastics layer. From Figure 3b it can be seen that the presence of the chips has resulted in depressions being formed in the upper surface - 8 41914 of the material corresponding to the location of the chips and that this has been accomplished while retaining substantially the same thickness wear layer over the chips and printing. This produces a unique texture on areas of the material in which the chips are used.

As mentioned above, a further embodiment of the basic process of the invention involves the manufacture of a decorative sheet-type covering material having a textured surface by first forming a layer of foamable plastics material on a substrate, the layer having nonfoamable chips embedded therein. Also, as previously mentioned, PVC plastisol or organosol is the preferred plastics material. Once such a layer has been formed, the layer is then heated to a temperature sufficient to cure the same and decompose the blowing agent in the layer to thereby foam the layer and impart a textured surface to the material due to the presence of the non-foamable chips.

Also as mentioned above, embodiments of the invention involve the use of a separate clear wear layer over the layer of plastics material containing chips. Where such a wear layer is used the plastics layer containing foamable chips is normally gelled and the wear layer is then applied before the entire sheet is heated to a temperature sufficient to cure or foam the plastics layer and wear layer and form the chips.

Where a printed pattern is used it may be applied to the gelled layer containing chips or to a plastics material layer which may be used under the layer containing the chips. In any event the final curing of the sheet at temperature sufficiently high to cure the various plastics layers and to foam the chips is not normally done until all of the layers have been applied.

The chips are preferably of gelled or fused plasticized vinyl composition which may contain a blowing agent. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the chips contain blowing suppressant. The chips may be opaquely or translucently pigmented. They may be prepared from extruded thin vinyl sheets, plasticized calendered sheets or sheets cast from plastisols, which are then chopped or diced into fine particles. Chips - 9 41914 may conveniently be prepared using the same basic plastics material composition used in forming the plastics layer in which the chips are embedded or in forming the wear layer. The chips used may include a wide variety of materials and may more specifically include both filled and unfilled chips. For instance, the chips may be of the type described in U.S. Patent Specification 3,682,741 to Elliott et al or those described in U.S, Patent Specification 3,265,548 to Harkins et al with the addition of blowing agents as mentioned above. The term chips as used herein is intended to include not only chips formed as described immediately above but also other relatively small particles such as the gelled plastic particles described in U.S.Patent Specification 3,345,235 to Miller or small plasticized particles such as those formed as described in U.S. Patent Specification 3,856,900. While size of chips used is not critical, particles averaging between about 1/64 inch and about 1/8 inch in diameter or sheets between about 1 and about 10 mils thickness chopped into particles of about this size range are preferred.

Application of the chips to the wet plastisol or other plastics material forming the plastics material layer within which the chips are to be embedded can be by suitable means such as sifting, screening, vibratory feeding, etc. It is also within the scope of the invention to premix the chips with the plastics coating composition prior to spreading the coating composition of the substrate. After application of the plastics material layer and chips the plastics material may be cured or foamed immediately, but preferably is gelled, printed and then covered with a wear layer prior to final curing and foaming of chips.

The foaming or blowing agent incorporated in the foamable chips may be any suitable blowing agent or catalyst activated blowing agent such as is known in the art for producing foamed plastisol or organosol layers including, for instance, such blowing agents as azodicarbonamide (ABFA). Gelling of plastics material layers is carried out according to normal practices whereby the plastics material is heated sufficiently to gel but is not heated sufficiently to decompose blowing agents. When the - IQ 41914 various desired layers have been applied and gelled, the entire sheet is heated to a temperature sufficient to cure the plastics material (e.g. fuse PVC plastisols or organosols) and also decompose the blowing agent used in the foamable chips as well as any blowing agent used in other plastics material layers. Typical blowing agent systems have decomposition temperatures within a range between about 300°F and about 400°F. Typical conditions for gelling without decomposing blowing agents involve exposure to temperatures of, for instance, about 250°F for times of about 2 to 4 minutes or at higher temperatures for correspondingly shorter periods of time.

The blowing suppressant used in one of the emobidments of the invention may be any suitable suppressant for the blowing agent used in the foamable layer having the chips embedded therein. The suppressant may be a direct suppressant but more usually is an inhibitor for a catalyst used to catalyze decomposition of the blowing agent used. In either case the blowing suppressant will migrate into the wet plastics material layer in which the chips containing the suppressant are embedded and will substantially inhibit foaming of the foamable layer in the vicinity of the chips containing the suppressant. Suitable suppressants are known in the art and include those described in the above-mentioned U.S. Patent Specifications 3,458,337 and 3,293,094 such as benzotriazole and aminotriazole.

Where a clear wear layer is used over the layer of plastics material containing the foamable chips, it is preferred prior to application of the wear layer to smooth the plastics material layer containing the chips as by pressing the solidified, gelled layer against a roll. After the wear layer has been applied and the wear layer and plastics material layer containing chips cured and the chips foamed, the surface of the resulting sheet product will possess an overall textured embossing in which the raised protuberances correspond to the location of foamed chips beneath the surface. If one or more inks containing a chemical suppressant is/are used to print over the plastics material containing the foamable Chios, these areas will be embossed in register. - 11 41914 Alternatively, as mentioned above the invention also contemplates the use of other conventional chemical and mechanical embossing techniques to supplement the pebbled, textured appearance obtained by the practice of the invention.

If desired, foamable or nonfoamable chips may be mixed with foamable chips in practising the invention. If a foamed undercoating is used, the use of a mixture of nonfoamable or suppressant chips and foamable chips will result in even greater contrast in texture between valleys and high points in the surface of the finished material. In any event, coverage of the sheet with non-foamable or foamable chips may vary considerably, but typically involves between about 10$ and about 80$ coverage if a foamable undercoat is not used and the only foaming effect is provided by the foamable chips.

EXAMPLE 1 This Example illustrates a suitable method of preparing a product such as that depicted in Figure 1(b). In this Example the base material may be a 32 mil thick sheet of asbestos felt onto which is doctored a latex size coating which acts as a barrier against plasticizer migration and improves adhesion of the vinyl layer, which is next applied. A clear plastic vinyl adhesive coat is then applied to the latex coated felt.

This adhesive layer has the following composition.

Parts by Weight PVC Homopolymer dispersion resin 50.0 PVC Homopolymar suspension resin 50.0 Di hexyl phthalate 50.6 Nonylphenoxy poly (ethyleneoxy) ethanol 0.6 This adhesive layer may be applied with a reverse roll coater at thickness between 10 and 25 mils. Chips having the following composition are used in this Example.

Parts by Weight PVC Homopolymer dispersion resin 50 - 12 Parts by Wei ght 41814 PVC Homopolymer suspension resin Epoxydized Soya Oil Di hexyl Phthalate Zinc-Cadmium catalyst Titanium dioxide 6.0 58.0 2.5 7.2 ABFA 2.5 The above chips are formed in sheets as described above in a thickness of 10 to 15 mils and are broken up into pieces averaging about 1/16 of an inch diameter. These chips are sprinkled onto the adhesive plastics material layer in amounts of about 0.6 lb. per square foot of adhesive layer surface areas yielding a coverage of about 80? of such area with foamable chips. The sheet is then subjected to a temperature of about 325°F for about 30 seconds in an oven to gel the adhesive layer containing the chips and the gelled layer is pressed against a chrome drum heated to 300°F while,still hot to further embed the chips in the layer of plastics material and smooth the surface thereof. The gelled, smoothed sheet is then printed with a suitable design via conventional printing techniques and then covered with a topcoat or wear layer of the same formulation as the adhesive layer to a thickness of 10 to 15 mils. The sheet is then subjected to a temperature of 370°F for a period of 3 minutes to completely cure the PVC and foam the embedded foamable chips by decomposing the blowing agent. The resultant product has a clear wear layer with a minimum thickness of 10 mils and a textured surface with a height variation of 15 mils between the valleys and protuberances of its surface. If one or more inks are used containing a chemical suppressant, the areas printed with such inks will be embossed in register. Alternatively, as mentioned above the invention also contemplates the use of other conventional chemical and mechanical embossing techniques to supplement the textured appearance obtained by the practice of the invention.

If desired, foamable chips may be mixed with non-foamable chips - 13 5 in practising the invention. The use of a mixture of non-foamable chips and foamable chips will result in even greater contrast in texture between valleys and high points in the surface of the finished material.

In any event, coverage of the sheet with non-foamable chips may vary considerably, but typically involves between 10% and 80% coverage.

EXAMPLE 2 This Example illustrates a suitable method of preparing a product such as that depicted in Figure 3b. In this Example, the base material may be a 32 mil thick sheet of asbestos felt onto which is doctored a latex size coating which acts as a barrier against plasticizer migration and improves adhesion of the vinyl layer, which is next applied. A foamable plastic vinyl adhesive coat is then applied to the latex coated felt using a knife coater to obtain a 15 mil thick layer. This adhesive layer has the following composition.

Parts by Weight PVC Homopolymer Dispersion resin 50.0 PVC Homopolymer Suspension resin 50.0 Epoxidized Soya Oil 6.0 Dihexyl Phthalate Plasticizer 58.0 Zinc catalyst 2.5 Ti02 7.5 ABFA Blowing agent 2.5 A mixture of plain and supressant chips (chips containing blowing suppressant) may be used. Plain chips made from the following composition are used in this Example.

Parts by Weight Plain chips PVC Homopolymer Dispersion resin 54.0 PVC Homopolymer Suspension resin 46.0 Di hexyl Phthalate 32.0 Calcium-Zinc Stabilizer 11.0 - 14 41914 Parts by Weight Mineral spirits 3.0 Suppressant chips used may have the same composition as the plain chips except for the addition of 5 parts by weight benzotriazole blowing suppressant.

The above chips may be made by foaming gelled sheets as described above in a thickness of 10 to 15 mils and then breaking the sheets into pieces averaging about 1/16 of an inch diameter. These chips are sprinkled onto the adhesive plastics material layer in the ratio of about 50$ plain to 50$ suppressant chips in amounts of about 0.04 lb. per square foot of adhesive layer surface area, yielding a coverage of about 50$ of such area with non-foamable chips. The sheet is then subjected to a temperature of about 325°F for about 30 seconds in an oven to gel the adhesive layer containing the chips and the gelled layer is pressed against a chrome drum heated to 300°F while still hot to further embed the chips in the .layer of plastics material and smooth the surface thereof. The gelled, smoothed sheet is then printed with a suitable design via conventional printing techniques and is then covered to a thickness of 10 to 15 mils with a topcoat or wear layer of the following formulation: Parts by Weight PVC Homopolymer Dispersion resin 100 Di hexyl Phthalate 56 Light Stabilizer 5 Epoxidized Soya Oil 6 Mineral Spirits 3 Alkyl phenyl ether of polyethylene Glycol 0.6 The sheet is then subjected to a temperature of 370°F for a period of 2 3 / 4 minutes to completely cure the PVC and foam the foamable layer by decomposing the blowing agent therein. The resultant product has a - 15 41914 clear wear layer with a minimum thickness of 10 mils and a textured surface with a height variation of 15 mils.

Claims (14)

1. A process for making a decorative sheet-type covering material having a textured surface which comprises: (a) forming a layer of plastisol or organosol of plastics material on a sub 5 strate, the layer having foamable chips containing a blowing agent embedded therein, and (b) heating the layer to a temperature sufficient to cure same and decompose the blowing agent, thereby foaming the chips and imparting a textured surface to the material.

2. A process for making decorative sheet-type covering material lo having a textured surface which comprises; (a) forming a foamable layer of plastisol or organosol or plastics material on a substrate, the layer containing a blowing agent and having non-foamable chips embedded therein; and 15 (b) heating the layer to a temperature sufficient to cure same and decompose the blowing agent, thereby foaming the layer and imparting a textured surface to the material due to the effect of the non-foamable chips.

3. The process according to Claim 2, in which at least a portion of the 20 chips contains a blowing suppressant.

4. The process according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which the layer is formed of PVC plastisol or organosol.

5. The process according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the layer is formed by coating the substrate with wet plastisol or organosol 25 and then embedding the chips in the plastisol or organosol.

6. The process according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the layer of step (a) is formed by first mixing the chips with the organosol or plastisol and then applying the resulting mixture to the substrate.

7. The process according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, in which the 30 chips comprise a gelled plasticized vinyl composition. - 17 41914 CLAIMS / Cont'd.

8. The process according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, in which, prior to step (b) of Claim 1 or Claim 2 the layer of step (a) of Claim 1 or Claim 2 is gelled and a clear wear layer is applied over the layer of step (a) of Claim 1 or Claim 2, the wear layer comprising a layer of polyurethane or a layer of PVC plastisol or organosol and the wear layer being cured during step (b) of Claim 1 or Claim 2.

9. The process according to Claim 8, in which the substrate comprises felt coated with latex.

10. The process according to Claim 9, in which printing is applied to the layer of step (a) of Claim 1, or Claim 2 after the layer is gelled and before application of the clear wear layer. IT. The process according to Claim 1 or any one of preceding claims attendant thereto, in which the layer containing embedded foamable chips also contains non-foamable chips.

11. 12. The process according to Claim 3 or any claim appendant thereto, in which the foamable layer having embedded chips containing a blowing suppressant also contains chips not containing a blowing suppressant.

12. 13. The process according to Claim 1 or any preceding claim appendant thereto, in which the substrate includes a gelled layer of PVC plastisol or organosol containing a blowing agent, the blowing agent being decomposed in step (b) to form a foamed, cured layer under the cured layer containing the foamed chips,

13. 14. The process according to claim 8 or any preceding claim appendant thereto, in which the cured wear layer has a minimum thickness of 4 mils. ' .) 15. A process of making decorative sheet-type covering material having a textured surface according to claim 1 or claim 2 substantially as herein described with reference to Figures la and lb and/or Figure 2 or Figures 3a and 3b and/or Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings. 16. A decorative sheet-type covering material which has been obtained by the process claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15. - 18 41914 17. The material according to claim 16, which includes a cured, textured wear layer over the plastics material layer of step (a), the wear layer being a minimum of about 4 mils thick and the surface of the wear layer having a height variation due to the effect of the chips of at least 4 mils. 18. The material according to claim 16 or claim 17, wherein the plastics material layer of step (a) is foamed and the chips are non-foamed, which includes a clear, cured, textured plastics material wear layer over the foamed plastics material layer, the wear layer having depressions in the surface thereof corresponding to the location of the non-foamed chips within the foamed plastics material layer. 19. The material according to any one of claims 16 to 18 when obtained by a process claimed in claim 8 and claims appendant thereto, in which the plastics material layer of step (a) adhered to the substrate comprises cured PVC plastisol or organosol and the wear layer comprises polyurethane or cured PVC plastisol or organosol. 20. The material according to claim 19, in which the chips comprise gelled plasticized vinyl composition. 21. The material according to any one of claims 16 to 20, in which the plastics material layer of step (a) is foamed and the chips are non-foamed and at least a portion of the chips contain blowing suppressant. 22. The material according to claim 21, when dependant on claim 19 in which the chips are completely embedded in the plastics material layer. 23. The material according to claim 22 including printing applied to the plastics material layer containing the embedded chips and under the wear layer, 24. The material according to any one of claims 16 to 23, wherein the plastics material layer of step (a) is foamed and the chips are non-foamed, including a layer of foamed PVC plastisol or organosol between the coated substrate and the plastics material layer containing the non-foamed chips. 25. The material according to claim 16 or claim 17 or any preceding claim appendant thereto, in which the plastics material layer is non-foamed and contains foamed chips and non-foamable chips. 26. The material according the claim 18 or any claim appendant thereto, in which the foamed plastics material layer of step (a) adhered to the substrate comprises cured PVC plastisol or organosol and the wear layer 5 comprises, polyeurethane or cured PVC plastisol or organosol. 27. The material according to claim 26, in which the wear layer has a minimum thickness of about 4 mils and has a height variation of at least 4 mils due to the presence of the chips. 28. The material according to claim 26 or claim 27 in which the chips 10 comprise gelled plasticized vinyl composition. 29. The material according to claim 18 or any claim appendant thereto, in which the chips are completely embedded in the foamed layer. 30. The material according to claim 29 including printing applied to the layer containing the embedded chips and under the wear layer.

14. 15 31. The material according to any of claims 16 to 30 in which the substrate comprises felt coated with latex.