NZ572068A

NZ572068A - Floor or wall covering removably fixed to an elastic intermediate layer by an adhesive

Info

Publication number: NZ572068A
Application number: NZ572068A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Bers Frederik Johannes Van
Original assignee: Bers Frederik Johannes Van
Priority date: 2006-04-21
Filing date: 2007-03-07
Publication date: 2011-11-25
Also published as: BRPI0710659A2; NL1031653C2; ZA200800366B; WO2007123393A1; AU2007241612A1

Abstract

Disclosed is a floor consisting of floor elements (5, 6) placed on a base surface (1). An elastic layer is present between the floor elements (5, 6) and the base surface (1). The elastic layer has an adhesive layer (3) on at least one side, and the composition of the adhesive of the adhesive layer (3) is such that a self-adhesive effect is obtained after placement of the floor elements (5, 6), so that hardly any residual adhesive will remain behind on the floor elements (5, 6), if at all, after removal of the floor elements (5, 6) from the elastic layer (3). A method for laying such a floor is also disclosed.

Description

FLOOR AND WALL COVERING, METHOD FOR INSTALLING SUCH A FLOOR AND SUCH WALL COVERING, AND THE ELASTIC INTERMEDIATE LAYER TO BE USED THEREWITH DESCRIPTION The invention relates to a floor to be installed on or being installed on a base surface, which floor consists of floor elements laid on said base surface, between which floor elements and which base surface an elastic intermediate layer is present, which is provided with an adhesive layer on at least one side thereof.

Such a floor is known from European patent No. 0 629 755 in the name of the present applicant. Further research has shown that it is possible to improve the existing floor by modifying the adhesive. The object of the invention is to provide a method which furthermore makes it possible to install the floor elements on the base surface in a manner comparable to that which is known European patent No. 0 629 755, which makes it possible to remove the floor elements more quickly, if necessary, and subsequently reuse the floor elements and possibly the intermediate layer. This is in particular important for retail businesses, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, laboratories and the like, which in principle must remain in operation at all times.

US patent application US-A1-2005/0238850 describes an overlay system for floors or walls, wherein use is made of a square, flexible support, onto which a square facing overlay is glued before said glued assembly of support and facing overlay is glued to a substrate. After the assembly has been affixed to a substrate, the joints between the tiles are filled. When a tile is removed, the joints are cleaned first, after which the facing overlay is removed and the flexible support remains in place. To install a new facing overlay on the support, the surface to be overlaid anew is cleaned first so as to remove residue of the first layer of glue.

According to the invention, the above object can be achieved with a floor as referred to in the introduction, which is characterised in that the composition of the adhesive of the adhesive layer is such that a self-adhesive effect is obtained after placement of the floor elements, so that hardly any residual adhesive will remain behind on the floor elements, if at all, after removal of the floor elements from the elastic layer. In practice this can be accomplished if an adhesive similar to or at least comparable to the adhesive used with "Post-it" (brand name of 3M, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company) stickers is used in the adhesive 2 layer. Such ari adhesive does riot lose its adhesive strength, or at worst to a limited degree, after a connection between two parts which has been effected by means of the adhesive in question is broken by separating the parts that have been joined together by means of the adhesive joint. Said adhesive remains behind on a first part, to which the adhesive had originally been applied. Because the adhesive does not lose its adhesive strength, or at worst to a limited extent when the connection is broken, the adhesive can be reused for effecting an adhesive joint with the same second part of with another second part.

Such an adhesive is described in US patent No. 5,378,536, in which the adhesive is used for making diapers. Said US patent No. 5,378,536 or European patent No. 0 443 263 may be considered to be incorporated herein by reference.

If use is made of the releasing layer that is incorporated in the core of the elastic layer, the new elastic layer according to the invention may be affixed to the base surface by means of a permanent adhesive as has been used so far, after which the floor elements are affixed to the elastic layer by means of a permanent adhesive. Preferably, an adhesive as described in Dutch patent application No. 1031215 is used in that case.

The floor elements may be made of various materials, such as cork, linoleum, marmoleum®, rubber, parquet (wood) or a plastic material. The floor elements may also be made of a ceramic material, natural stone of floor coverings made up of parts (for example tiles), such as in particular textile floor coverings. The elastic properties of the intermediate layer may be geared to properties such as the weight and shrinking and swelling properties of the floor elements.

The invention further relates to a method for laying a floor, wherein the elastic layer is affixed to a base surface by means of a permanent adhesive and floor elements are placed on said elastic layer, which method is characterised in that a protective foil is removed from the elastic layer before or after the placement of the floor elements, thereby exposing an adhesive of a kind such that hardly any residual adhesive will remain behind on the floor elements when the floor elements are removed from the elastic layer. In practice this is achieved by using an adhesive such as the adhesive that is used with "Post-it" stickers (3M brand).

It is also possible to use a method wherein the elastic foil is affixed to the base surface with a permanent adhesive and the floor elements are placed on 3 a permanent adhesive, with the elastic foil being provided with a releasing layer.

The invention also relates to an elastic layer as used in the above-described methods.

The invention is furthermore based on the perception that the principles thereof can be implemented not only with floors but also with wall coverings, for example when tiling walls with ceramic tiles or other types of tiles or with wooden covering elements, for example as used in panelling.

In an aspect the present invention consists in a floor to be installed on or being installed on a base surface, which floor consists of floor elements placed on said base surface, between which floor elements and which base surface an elastic intermediate layer is present, which is provided with an adhesive layer on at least one side thereof, characterised in that the composition of the adhesive of the adhesive layer is such that a self-adhesive effect is obtained after placement of the floor elements, so that hardly any residual adhesive will remain behind on the floor elements, if at all, after removal of the floor elements from the elastic layer.

Preferably the adhesive has been applied to the upper side of the elastic layer, and in that the elastic layer has been affixed to the base surface by means of a permanent adhesive.

Preferably the adhesive has been applied to both sides of the elastic layer.

Preferably the floor elements are made of cork, linoleum, rubber, parquet (wood) or a plastic material.

In another aspect the present invention consists in a method for installing a floor, wherein the elastic layer is affixed to the base surface by means of a permanent adhesive and floor elements are placed on said elastic layer, characterised in that a protective foil is removed from the elastic layer before or after the placement of the floor elements, thereby exposing an adhesive, the adhesive being of a composition such that a self-adhesive effect is obtained after placement of the floor elements, so that hardly any residual adhesive will remain behind on the floor elements, if at all, after removal of the floor elements from the elastic layer.

Preferably the elastic layer is provided with an adhesive on at least one side thereof and with a protective foil overlying said adhesive. 4 The invention will be explained in more detail in the description below, in which reference is made to the appended drawing, in which: Figure 1 shows a floor construction according to the prior art, as described in European patent No. 0 629 755.

Figure 1 shows the base surface 1, which in many cases is a concrete floor provided with a finishing layer (not shown), but it may also be a wooden subfloor. On the base surface 1 lies a foil 4 with an elastic intermediate layer consisting of an elastic and/or resilient material, which covers the base surface 1 entirely or partially, for example in strips.

The upper side of the elastic intermediate layer 2 is provided with an adhesive layer 3. Said adhesive layer 3 is of the type that comprises an adhesive that is used with or is at least comparable to the adhesive that is used with "Post-it" (brand name of 3M, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company) stickers. Such an adhesive does not lose its adhesive strength, or at worst to a limited degree, after a connection between two parts which has been effected by means of the adhesive in question, with the adhesive initially being present only on one of the two parts, is broken by separating the parts that have been joined together by means of the adhesive joint. No residual adhesive will remain behind on the part other than the part on which the adhesive was initially present, at least not to the extent that this is visible and/or that residual adhesive would negatively affect another, new adhesive joint.

Prior to or after the placement of the floor elements 5, 6 on the elastic intermediate layer 2, more specifically on the adhesive layer 3, a protective foil initially present on the adhesive layer 3 is removed from the upper side of the elastic intermediate layer 2, thereby exposing the adhesive layer 3. This method is explained in more detail in EP 0 629 755 B1. It is advantageous in this regard that, seen in plan view, the dimensions of the elastic intermediate layer are larger than those of the floor elements 5, 6, so that the elastic intermediate layer is covered with a number of floor elements 5, 6, and/or that the joints between the floor elements are not located directly above joints that may be present between adjacent individual sections of elastic intermediate layer 2.

The foil 4 may be laid loose on the base surface 1, but it may also be glued to the base surface or be fixed thereto in a different manner, for example by providing the elastic intermediate layer 2 with an adhesive layer at the bottom side, as is the case with a sticker, or with an adhesive layer of a type similar to the adhesive layer 3, Although the invention has been explained on the basis of the implementation thereof in the installation of floor elements in the foregoing, the invention may also be implemented in a comparable manner in the installation of wall elements.

Alterations and modifications to the invention may be realised by those skilled in the art within the scope of the appended claims, which alterations and modifications all fall within the scope of protection as defined in the claims. 6

Claims

1. A floor to be installed on or being installed on a base surface, which floor consists of floor elements placed on said base surface, between which floor elements and which base surface an elastic intermediate layer is present, which is provided with an adhesive layer on at least one side thereof, characterised in that the composition of the adhesive of the adhesive layer is such that a self-adhesive effect is obtained after placement of the floor elements, so that hardly any residual adhesive will remain behind on the floor elements, if at all, after removal of the floor elements from the elastic layer.

2. A floor according to claim 1, characterised in that the adhesive has been applied to the upper side of the elastic layer, and in that the elastic layer has been affixed to the base surface by means of a permanent adhesive.

3. A floor according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the adhesive has been applied to both sides of the elastic layer.

4. A floor according to any one of the claims 1-3, characterised in that the floor elements are made of cork, linoleum, rubber, parquet (wood) or a plastic material.

5. A method for installing a floor according to claim 1, wherein the elastic layer is affixed to the base surface by means of a permanent adhesive and floor elements are placed on said elastic layer, characterised in that a protective foil is removed from the elastic layer before or after the placement of the floor elements, thereby exposing an adhesive, the adhesive being of a composition such that a self-adhesive effect is obtained after placement of the floor elements, so that hardly any residual adhesive will remain behind on the floor elements, if at all, after removal of the floor elements from the elastic layer.

6. An elastic intermediate layer for a floor according to claim 1, characterised in that the elastic layer is provided with an adhesive on at least one side thereof and with a protective foil overlying said adhesive.