KR20160114050A - Flooring product with grouting barrier - Google Patents

Abstract

A removable protective grouting film is provided on the flooring. In one embodiment, the bottom layer may be a synthetic polymer laminate tile. The protective grouting film may be detachably attached to the top surface of the tile and may have a flexible structure. In one embodiment, the protective grouting film is configured to cover the outer periphery of the tile and the central portion to open to form an exposed protective barrier. The protective grouting membrane helps the grout prevent contact with the tile, making subsequent cleaning quick and easy. In one embodiment, the tile may be an elastic type synthetic flooring formed of polyvinyl chloride, such as a luxury vinyl tile.

Description

{FLOORING PRODUCT WITH GROUTING BARRIER}

This application claims the benefit of U. S. Patent Application No. < RTI ID = 0.0 > No. < / RTI > No. 11, filed November 22, 2013 entitled " Flooring Product with Grouting Barrier ". 14 / 088,047, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.

The present invention relates generally to floor systems, and more particularly to a composite floor system including a grout joint.

To form a complete floor system, various floors are laid down with grout joints. The materials used include individual tiles of various types, including elongated plank, hexagonal or octagonal shapes or the like, which can be formed from many other natural or synthetic materials. During installation in the subfloor, the tiles are placed and spaced by a gap or joint that is opened, and filled with a suitable grout material (e.g., cement base) that begins to air dry in succession to the gap or joint and to harden in a relatively short period of time.

The grouting process typically involves troweling an excessive amount of wet flow grout across the joint that partially covers the adjacent top surface of the tile and into the joint to ensure that the joints are completely filled. Eliminating such overloading of the grout is a time consuming process including wetting and / or washing the tile surface with a wet and typically wet sponge. Wiping can take several attempts because the grout tends to spread across the surface of the tile, increases its adhesion to the tile, and partially air dries. Grout can also be more easily attached to some types of flooring due to the natural and synthetic origin of the tile, which makes cleaning more difficult.

In the form of tiles, a variety of polymer synthetic floorings can be laid as grout joints. One such flooring is LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile). LVT is a category of resilient thermoplastic floor coverings made of PVC (PolyVinyl Chloride), which can simulate natural materials such as ceramic tiles, stones, slates, marble, granite, wood and others. The use of LVT and double grout joints adds to the construction of floor systems with the appearance of natural floors. However, removing excess grout from LVT or other synthetic flooring can sometimes prove more difficult because these flooring materials can not be easily rubbed with a coarse abrasive as if they were part of a natural tile material counterpart (e.g., a ceramic tile). Also, thin dry grout stains or membranes detected later during the installation process can not be easily removed by acid cleaning, which is sometimes used to remove grout from ceramic or other natural material tiles. Conversely, these acid solutions can damage polymer floors such as LVT.

Improvements are needed in products and processes for grouting polymer composite bottom materials.

The present invention provides a synthetic flooring having a peelable protective grouting film that is removably attached to the outer circumferential top surface of the flooring adjacent to the grout line. The protective grouting film is formed of a hydrophobic material and forms a barrier impermeable to penetration of moisture by the uncured wet grout during the process of grouting the bottom system joint. Excessive or spatter grout is caught on the membrane and prevents it from reaching the top surface of the flooring. Excessive grout can be easily removed from the protective grouting film during conventional processes of washing or wiping grout joints with a wet sponge.

After the grout has been installed in the joint, the protective grouting film (with any remaining grout) can be easily peeled off the flooring leaving the clean top floor protection surface underneath the film with little or no additional cleaning. In some tile grouting scenarios, the protective grouting film can be removed immediately after filling the floor joint with grout before wiping with water. Thus, the protective grouting film can be removed completely when the grout is still wet, partially dried, or completely dry, according to the floor installation approach used. In one embodiment, the synthetic flooring may be a polymeric elastic laminate product such as a LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile).

According to a first aspect, a bottom layer includes a substrate and a polymer wear layer bonded to the top of the substrate, wherein the substrate and the wear layer are adjacent to the plurality of side edges and the plurality of side edges And a bottom material having an outer peripheral upper surface extending around the outer periphery of the substrate. The bottom layer further comprises a conformal protective grouting film detachably attached to the outer circumferential top surface of the bottom layer, and the protective grouting film has a flexible structure and can be removed from the outer circumferential top surface by peeling. In one embodiment, the protective grouting film is formed of a polymeric material.

According to another aspect, the synthetic flooring comprises a polymeric base layer and a transparent polymeric wear layer bonded to the substrate. Wherein the polymer base layer and the wear layer are formed by cavitating a synthetic flooring having a top major surface and a bottom right major opposite surface, the top surface being adjacent to the plurality of side edges and the plurality of side edges, Define the outer circumferential top faces that extend around. The bottom material also has a hydrophobic protective grouting film detachably attached to the outer circumferential top surface of the bottom material, and the protective grouting film has a flexible conformal structure coinciding with the contour of the outer circumferential top surface of the bottom material. The protective grouting film can be prevented from penetrating moisture from the grout and removed from the outer peripheral upper surface by peeling and bending of the grouting film.

A method of forming a protective grouting film on a synthetic flooring is also provided. The method includes the steps of: (a) disposing a template having apertures in the top surface of the synthetic polymer flooring; (b) spraying a hydrophobic fluid polymer composition onto the top surface of the flooring through the template; (c) removing the template from the building material; And (d) a composition drying step of forming a removable protective grouting film adhered to the top surface of the flooring and which is impermeable to moisture from the grout.

Are included in the scope of the present invention.

The same elements illustrate the features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the following drawings, which are labeled like.
1 is a top plan view of a tile-like flooring including an outer protective grouting film.
2 is an isometric view.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Figure 2
Figure 4 is a front view of the disassembled side showing the individual layers including the tiles.
Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating steps of an exemplary process for forming a tile and a protective grouting film.
Figure 6 is a schematic and top plan view of a process for forming a protective grouting film using a spray template.
Figure 7 is a top plan view showing the use of a protective grouting film during a tile joint grouting process.

The features and advantages of the present disclosure are presented and described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments. This description of the exemplary embodiment is intended to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which may be considered as part of the entire written description. Accordingly, the present disclosure should not be limited to these embodiments, which are non-limiting combinations of several possible features that may be expressly solely or in other combinations of other features; The scope of the claimed invention is defined by the appended claims.

In the description of the embodiments disclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merely for convenience of explanation and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Quot ;, "lower ", " lower ", " upper "," horizontal ", "vertical ", " upper" Quot ;, " downwardly ", "upwardly ", and the like) are to be interpreted as referring to directions as indicated or as shown in the drawings during the description. These related terms are merely for convenience of description, Terms such as "attachment," "attachment," "attachment," "connection," "interconnect," and the like are intended to refer to a structure Quot; refers to both mobile or rigid attachment or relationship, as well as the relationship in which they are fixed or attached to each other.

1 to 4 illustrate non-limiting exemplary embodiments of an elastic synthetic flooring having a peelable protective grouting film 110 according to the present disclosure. The bottom layer may be a plastic laminate composition formed from a polymer such as vinyl or non-vinyl thermoplastic resin. In one embodiment, without limitation, the thermoplastic resin used in the flooring composition may be vinyl, such as PVC. The bottom layer may be a vinyl composition tile (VCT) according to ASTM F 1066 or a solid vinyl tile (SVT) according to ASMT F 1700. VCT contains less PVC than SVT, and therefore is structurally tighter. Conversely, SVTs contain larger amounts of PVC and other components or fillers that provide more elasticity. SVT is generally manufactured with tiles and planks of various dimensions. In various embodiments, the SVT may be an integral tile with a color throughout the body of the tile, a surface-decorated tile with a pattern or design printed on a chip with inlaid colored color with a wear layer on the surface or surface, And may be a print-like film tile having a pattern or design printed on a film comprised of a layer between firing and a very durable top wear layer that is transparent. The tile may have a gently exposed top surface or an embossed top surface.

In one embodiment, the composite flooring may be an SVT, such as a laminate tile 100 to form an elastic floor system comprised of a plurality of tiles. The tile 100 may be a Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) in one embodiment. However, it will be understood that other suitable polymer or plastic composition tiles may be used. As used herein with respect to a floor system or flooring, it should be noted that the term "elastic" refers to a synthetic polymeric material having a certain amount of flexibility or elasticity that alleviates the hardness of these structures. Conversely, natural flooring tiles (e.g., ceramic, marble, slate, quartz, etc.) are substantially hard and have a high degree of hardness in the structure.

The term "flooring material" is used herein for convenience of description only, but such a flooring material can be applied to any suitable type and plane including, but not limited to, horizontal, vertical, and / or angled or inclined surfaces . The application surface or substrate on which the flooring is to be mounted may include a floor, a wall, a countertop, a ceiling, and the like. Thus, the flooring materials described herein are not limited solely to floor systems in their application or use.

1-4, a tile 100 generally comprises a substrate, such as a base layer 102, to form a laminate composition flooring structure, a substrate having a decorative pattern or design engraved on and imprinted thereon An ink print film or pattern film 130 (e.g., a "white film"), and a wear layer 140 bonded to the film 130. The tile 100 includes a top major surface 101 opposite the bottom major surface 103 and a side 104 extending between the major surfaces around all sides of the tile and defining an outer circumference. The top and bottom ends of side 104 define top and bottom edges 105 and 106, respectively. The areas of the top surface 101 adjacent the top edge 105 of the tile 100 define an outer circumferential top surface 101A on the wear layer 140 that lies adjacent to the grout line of the floor system during installation 4). As described further herein, these outer circumferential surfaces 101A can be protected during the grouting using the protective grouting film 110. [

Base layer 102 may be any thermoplastic-based composition or mixture suitable for producing an elastic laminate floor. In one embodiment, the base layer 102 limits PVC (polyvinyl chloride), a polymeric resin that can be mixed with appropriate fillers, plasticizers, binders, stabilizers, organic materials (e.g., limestone, etc.) and / or dyes Lt; / RTI > In one embodiment, base layer 102 may be a substrate of SVT in the LVT category.

The base layer 102 may have any suitable thickness depending on the final bottom cover material to be manufactured. In some exemplary embodiments, the base layer 102 may have a thickness or representative gauge of about 80 mil to 250 mil for the LVT product. In one embodiment, the thickness may be about 145 mils. Other suitable thicknesses may be used. The base layer 102 forms the primary or core structural component of the tile 100 and the thickness is substantially greater than the patterned film 130 or the wear layer 140.

The patterned film 130 may typically be a print layer having any type of pattern, design, marking, and color image imprinted on one side of the membrane. For example, in some embodiments, the pattern and color may simulate wood, stone, slate, marble, granite, and other natural materials. The patterned film 130 may be formed of any suitable plastic or polymer material, such as PVC, for example. Alternatively, a print transfer sheet can be used. The typical thickness of the patterned film 130 may be about 0.5-5 mil.

The wear layer 140 may be formed of any suitable clear or transparent polymeric film material or composition. The wear layer 140 protects the pattern film 130 from abrasion by foot or equipment on the top surface of the tile 100 while allowing the decorative pattern to be seen. The wear layer 140 may be formed of vinyl, such as PVC, in some embodiments, and may have a thickness, without limitation, of at least 3 mils. In one form, the wear layer film can be a "thick" wear layer having a thickness of at least 12 mils to provide a durable and long wear layer to protect the pattern layer 130 and the base layer 102. In one embodiment, the thick abrasive layer 140 may be made of RVF (Rigid Vinyl Film). One non-limiting example of RVF is a thickness of about 20 mils. Semi-Rigid Vinyl Film (Semi-Rigid Vinyl Film) may also be used and in various embodiments a thickness of less than 20 mils may be used. In some embodiments, without limitation, the urethane top coating can be applied to the wear layer 140.

In some embodiments, a back print abrasion layer 140 film that can be reprinted with a pattern or design on the underside of the film facing the base layer 102 may be used, thereby eliminating the printed pattern layer 130. In this example, the tile 100 will typically include a base layer 102 bonded together and a back print wear layer 140.

The laminate composition structure of the tile 100 can be manufactured by forming and providing a bulk laminate sheet including the base layer 102 separately, a print pattern film 130, and a wear layer 140, . These layers can then be integrated to form the tile 100 using a laminating process that combines heating and pressing, which basically bonds the three components together in a self-supporting structure together. Adhesive layers may optionally be used between certain layers required to fully bond and form the laminate composition structure.

The tile 100 may be manufactured using any suitable method or process. Continuous bonded lamination transport and rotary drums and / or batch mode flat table press laminating processes can be used. In a continuous lamination process, one or more calendering workbenches may be used to attach the patterned film 130 to the base layer 102 and then attach the abraded layer 140 to the patterned film to form a composite bottom laminate. The sheet materials for each of these layers may be staged or spooled into separate rolls that are fed in turn to various other calendering workbenches made up of spaced rollers that make up a nip (i.e., gap). The sheets are moved in through the nip where the sheets are pressed together and attached. In some embodiments, the laminate may optionally be embossed in an embossing workbench to add a regular and / or irregular pattern of recesses or surface textures to the tile 100. Appropriate temperatures and pressures for the lamination process are known to those skilled in the art in order to achieve proper sum bonding between the various laminate layers of the flooring. A lamination process as described in U.S. Patent 4,804,429, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety or as a modified form of the process, may be used. After formation of the laminate composition sheet, any given form of individual tiles 100 may be cut from the laminate using a die and / or knife known in the art. The final gauge of the composite laminate floor covering material may be about 150 mils in some instances.

1-4, the tile 100 further includes a protective grouting film 110 serving as a barrier to facilitate grouting and dewatering to which the tiles are bonded. The protective grouting film 110 has a flexible conformal structure that provides a removable removable surface that is removably attached to the major surface 101 of the tile 100. The protective grouting film 110 may be formed and adhered to the exposed top surface of the wear layer 140 after the composite laminate flooring is manufactured as described above. In certain embodiments, the protective grouting film 110 may be adhered to the laminate flooring before and after cutting the individual tiles. The protective grouting film 110 conforms to the contour and topology of the tile 100, which may have an embossed wear layer 140. This is because even in the undulations of the recesses or surfaces the film 110 and the abrasion layer 110 can be prevented from reaching the top surface 101 of the tile 100 in order to minimize the possibility of wet grout leaking under the edge of the protective grouting film 110. [ Thereby substantially uniforming the adhesion between the top surface of the substrate 140 and the top surface.

In one embodiment, the protective grouting film 110 is formed of a hydrophobic material that is impermeable to penetration of moisture, such as leaching, from the wet uncured grout. Thus, the protective grouting film 110 provides a watertight barrier to contain excess grout when filling joints between adjacent tiles, thereby protecting the top surface 101 of the tile 100. [ The protective grouting film 110 may be made of a thin polymeric material. In some exemplary embodiments, the grouting film 110 is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, (in some preferred embodiments) polyester, cellophone, acetate, silicone, vinyl, vinyl acetate, vinyl alcohol, . ≪ / RTI >

The protective grouting film 110 may be applied to the tile 110 at an outer circumferential top surface 101A adjacent the top edge 105 forming the grout lines opposite as best seen in Figure 7 when adjacent tiles are placed in a sub- 100). 1-4, the inner edge of the protective grouting film 110 defines an open central region 141 that exposes a major surface 101 of the tile 100, To form a protective frame. The exposed central tile area advantageously allows the user (e.g., installer) to view, mix, or match the decorative pattern on each tile to achieve an overall aesthetic floor installation. The protective grouting film 110 may have any suitable shape. In one embodiment, a rectangular shape is provided, as shown, including substantially parallel and vertical grouting film edges. Other suitable configurations or forms of protective grouting film 110 are also possible and may be used.

Lifting taps 142 may optionally be provided to facilitate lifting and filling of the protective grouting film 110 from the tile 100, in one embodiment. One end of the lifting tabs 142 are coupled to the protective grouting film 110 and the opposite free end is configured to be lifted and held by the user. The bottom surface of the tab 142 may be detachably attached to the top surface 101 of the same flooring as the protective grouting film. In some embodiments, the protective grouting film 110 may be provided with a complete or partial cut slit 143 (not shown) extending through the thickness of the film in place of or in addition to the tab 142 to provide a starting point for peeling the film. ) (See the dashed line in Fig. 1).

The protective grouting film 110 may have a typical thickness of about 1 to 5 mils, and in one embodiment may be about 3 mils. The selected thickness is preferably suitable to protect the top major surface 101 of the tile 100 during grouting and prevent rupture during routine handling of the tile prior to grouting. Thus, different thicknesses are possible, depending in part on the type of material used in the protective grouting film 110 and its mechanical / physical properties.

Referring to FIG. 2, the protective grouting film 110 may have any suitable width W1. In some non-limiting exemplary embodiments, the width W1 may be about 1-5 inches, and more preferably about 2-4 inches. The width W1 is preferably not large enough to significantly hide the pattern from the tile installer to the tile 100, but not so small as to be ineffective as a protective barrier to the tile during grouting. The outer circumferential edges of the protective grouting film can optionally be retracted from the side surface 104 and the top edge 105 of the tile 100. This may be advantageous in some embodiments if the top edge 105 is formed with chamfered or convex contours to facilitate grouting and / or prevent chipping, especially during handling and installation. In some embodiments, without limitation, the retraction distance of the outer membrane edge may be about 1/16 inch to about 1/4 inch. In other embodiments, no retraction may be provided at all.

The protective grouting film 110 may be formed and applied to the upper major surface 101 of the tile 100 in any suitable manner. In one embodiment, the protective grouting film is formed in a tile manufacturing plant prior to packaging and shipping to the end user. This allows a protective grouting film to be created in a controlled environment to maintain the desired dimensional accuracy and quality of the grouting film. Also, the tile installer does not have to waste time at the work site where the protective grouting film is attached.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary process for forming a protective grouting film 110 during a tile 100 manufacturing process at a factory. The formation of the protective grouting film 110 occurs after the laminate composite tile 100 is produced in the above-described manner, which is completed by itself. The final steps of cutting the bulk sheet of the tile 100 and forming the protective grouting film 110 as shown in the figure may be alternated.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the protective grouting film 110 may be a spray-on coating applied at the factory setting, as schematically shown in Fig. It is possible to provide a template 200 constructed and formed with openings 203 (negative images) that conform to a predetermined pattern and shape of the protective grouting film 110 to be formed on the tile 100. In this example, the template 200 includes a central closure 201 and an outer closure 202 that can be of a greater dimension than the width of the tile 100 as shown. A coding material, which may be in the form of a liquid solution, is stored in a bulk container 210 of any size and fluidly coupled to one or more spray nozzles 212. The coating material is pressurized by any suitable means (e.g., pneumatic, pumping, etc.) and is sprayed through openings 203 to the upper major surface 101 of the tile 100. The template forms a mast that covers a portion of the tile where the protective grouting film 110 is to be removed. If the coating material has been sprayed, a protective grouting film 110 having the outer frame configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is formed in the tile 100.

According to another possible embodiment, another template process due to spraying on the protective grouting film at predetermined locations is performed by a program controlled by a processor moving through a predefined and configured program path while accurately spraying the film product required to form the grouting film Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > computer-processor-based < / RTI > Precision spray nozzles can be used that are sprayed with protective grouting film material to be relatively straight or to form an edge, and that can not be sprayed or minimally sprayed onto adjacent tile areas whose range is not intended by the protective grouting film. According to another possible embodiment, the third step for forming the strippable protective grouting film comprises register flexor printing. The tiles are indexed to a register printer and the material is printed using a patterned rubber pad. The register printer applies a pattern of registers with the edges of the tiles. Thus, it will be appreciated that the protective grouting film can be formed in the tile 100 using many possible processes, and that the present invention is not limited to the process used above.

The coated spray on grouting film 110 can be formed and adhered to the outer peripheral upper end surface 101A of the tile without using any adhesive. Preferably, the material or composition used in the protective grouting film 110 is a flexible, detachable, peelable, removable material that can be detachably attached to the wear layer 140 of the tile 100 and removed later in the field during tile installation Lt; / RTI > The protective grouting film 110 forms a continuous frame-like structure around the periphery of the tile 100 without any joints or joints. Thus, in some embodiments, the grouting film may be removed from the tile 100 as one integral unit. In another embodiment, the protective grouting film 110 may be formed of discrete segments with close joints formed between the segments.

In addition to the exemplary materials described above for forming the protective grouting film 110, in some embodiments commercially available, removable, removable spray booth protective coatings may be applied to the spray-on protective grouting film material . These materials are available from a number of manufacturers and include products such as Chemco 05CL030, which is white for a cloudy / transparent aqueous based strippable booth coating available from Chemco Manufacturing of Northbrook, IL. In one embodiment, an aqueous-based spray booth protective coating is preferred to prevent chemical reaction with the wear layer 140.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the protective grouting film 110 may be a pressure relief and conformal flexible type that adheres and conforms to the upper major surface 101 of the irregular texture of the tile 100. The tape may be made of vinyl or polyethylene fired with an appropriate acrylic, rubber, or other removable type of adhesive that can be semi-agglutinously adhered to the tile 100 but with little or no residue left and can be acted to cleanly remove. The tape may have an appropriate thickness of about 3 to 6 mils without limitation. In one exemplary embodiment, the tape thickness may be about 3 mils. The tape is temporarily attached to the top surface of the wear layer 140 and has a tensile strength sufficient to easily peel off the strip or large pieces, but remains in place in the tile during routine handling until removed after grouting Material is selected. In some non-limiting embodiments, the tape may have a width W1 of about 2-4 inches (see FIG. 2) and may extend over the entire circumference of the tile on the wear layer 140, To a plurality of strips. This leaves an open central region 141 in the tile 100 that exposes the top surface 101 of the tile. Butt, lap, or corner joints may be formed between adjacent sections or strips of tape. In one embodiment, four strips of tape may be used to cover the entire circumferential top surface 101A around the perimeter of the tile. An industrial labeling or taping device may be used to attach the protective grouting film 110 tape to the top surface 101 of the laminate tile 100. These devices include a tile 100 and a tape feed for placing sections of the tape against the rubber roller to press the adhesive plastic tape conformal tape to the top surface of the tile to achieve a suitable but detachable bond, . ≪ / RTI >

Figure 7 illustrates an embodiment of a protective grouting film 110 in use during the grouting process. After the grout joint is formed, the protective grouting film can be peeled off the tile 100.

It is to be understood that the above description and drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and that various additions, modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and the scope of equivalents thereof. In particular, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other forms, structures, arrangements, proportions, sizes, and other elements, materials, and components without departing from the spirit or essential features of the present invention . There are also numerous variations in the method / process. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many modifications of the embodiments of the present invention that are particularly well suited to specific environments and operating requirements without departing from the principles of the present invention can be used with many variations of other shapes, structures, arrangements, ratios, sizes, May also be used. Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being defined by the claims and their equivalents, and not being limited to the foregoing description or examples. Rather, the appended claims are to be construed broadly to include other modifications and embodiments of the present invention that can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of equivalents of the present invention.

Claims (40)

Substrate;
A polymer abrasion layer bonded to the top of the substrate; And
And a conformal protective grouting film detachably attached to the outer peripheral upper surface of the bottom material,
The substrate and abrasive layer cooperating with a bottom material having a plurality of side edges and an outer circumferential top surface adjacent to the plurality of side edges and extending around the periphery of the substrate,
The protective grouting membrane has a flexible structure and can be removed from the upper peripheral surface by peeling. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the protective grouting film has an open frame shape defining an open central region in which the top major surface of the flooring is exposed. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the protective grouting film forms a continuous structure extending around the periphery of the bottom material on the upper main surface. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Protective grouting film is a complete unit that can be stripped from the flooring. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Protective grouting membrane does not allow penetration of moisture. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The protective grouting film is a rectangular flooring material. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Further comprising a printed pattern layer bonded between the substrate and the wear layer. 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Wherein the edge of the protective grouting film is recessed about 1/16 inch to about 1/4 inch from the side edge of the substrate. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Protective grouting membrane is an adhesive-free flooring. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Protective grouting film is a polyester or flooring containing a detachable spray booth protective coating material. 11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
And a lifting tab for removing the protective grounding membrane from the flooring. 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
Protective flooring during the manufacture of the flooring in the factory Flooring where the grouting film is applied to the flooring. 13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
Protective grouting membrane is a flooring which is spray coated on the flooring. 14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
Flooring is tile flooring. 15. The method of claim 14,
The tile is a floor material in the form of a three-elongated plank. 16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
Protective grouting membrane is a flooring material that matches the topology of the substrate. 17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16,
The abrasion layer has an embossing surface. 18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17,
The protective grouting membrane is about 1 to 5 mils thick. 19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18,
The protective grouting membrane is 3 mils thick. 20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19,
Flooring is laminate luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring. 21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 20,
The substrate is composed of non-vinyl polymer. A polymer base layer;
A transparent polymer abrasion layer bonded to the substrate; And
And a hydrophobic protective grouting film detachably attached to the outer peripheral upper surface of the bottom material,
Wherein the polymer base layer and the wear layer are formed by cavitating a synthetic flooring having a top major surface and a bottom right major opposite surface, the top surface being adjacent to the plurality of side edges and the plurality of side edges, Defining outer circumferential top surfaces extending around the circumference,
The protective grouting film has a flexible conformal structure coinciding with the contour of the outer peripheral upper end surface of the bottom material,
The protective grouting film can be prevented from penetrating moisture from the grout and can be removed from the outer circumferential top surface by peeling and bending of the grouting film. 23. The method of claim 22,
Protective grouting membrane is a synthetic flooring formed from polymer. 24. The method according to claim 22 or 23,
The abrasive layer is a synthetic flooring having an embossed surface. 25. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 24,
The protective grouting membrane has an open frame shape defining an open central region in which the top major surface of the flooring is exposed. 26. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 25,
Wherein the protective grouting film comprises one continuous structure extending around the periphery of the flooring on the upper main surface. 27. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 26,
Protective grouting membrane is a synthetic flooring that forms a flooring with one integral unit. 28. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 27,
Protective grouting membrane is a synthetic flooring that does not allow penetration of moisture. 29. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 28,
The protective grouting membrane is a synthetic flooring having a rectangular shape. 30. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 29,
Further comprising a printed pattern layer bonded between the base layer and the wear layer. 31. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 30,
Wherein the edge of the protective grouting membrane is recessed about 1/16 inch to about 1/4 inch from the side edge of the flooring. 32. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 31,
Synthetic flooring consisting of base layer and wear layer made of vinyl. 33. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 32,
Protective grouting membrane is a synthetic flooring composed of polymer. (a) disposing a template having openings in the top surface of the synthetic polymer flooring;
(b) spraying a hydrophobic fluid polymer composition onto the top surface of the flooring through the template;
(c) removing the template from the building material; And
(d) drying the composition to form a removable protective grouting film adhered to the top surface of the flooring and unable to penetrate moisture from the grout. 35. The method of claim 34,
Wherein the template comprises a closed center and a boundary open to the closed center periphery, wherein the template forms a protective grouting film that covers the periphery of the top surface around the periphery of the bottom material and leaves the center open, A method for forming a protective grouting film on synthetic flooring which exposes a surface. 35. The method according to claim 34 or 35,
Wherein the bottom layer comprises a base layer bonded to the top of the substrate and a polymer substrate defining a transparent polymer abrasion layer. 37. The method according to any one of claims 34 to 36,
Wherein the substrate and the abrasion layer are made of vinyl. 37. The method according to any one of claims 34 to 37,
Wherein the protective grouting film forms a protective grouting film on a synthetic flooring formed of a polymer. 39. The method according to any one of claims 34 to 38,
Wherein the wear layer forms a protective grouting film on a synthetic flooring having an embossed surface. A method as claimed in any one of claims 34 to 39,
Further comprising a printed pattern layer joined between the substrate and the wear layer.

Images