US3735497A - Flooring spacers - Google Patents

Abstract

A piece usable to maintain a slight space between groups of laid floor boards until the floor has been fully laid. The piece has a head adapted to be grasped between the fingers, a pendent tongue insertible into the space, and a wide base with feet seating the piece squarely on the floor boards adjoining the space.

Description

United States Patent [191 Boettcher FLOORING SPACERS [76] Inventor: William A. Boettcher, 4507 North Clarke Street, Chicago, Ill. 60640 [22] Filed: May 6, 1971 [211 App]. No.: 140,833

[52] US. Cl. ..33/180 R, 33/168 R [51] Int. Cl. ..G0lb 5/14 [58] Field of Search ..33/l80 R, 168 R,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,290,712 12/1966 Richey ..33/l80R [451 May 29,1973

2,930,135 3/1966 Roditz, Sr. ..33/180 R 3,174,227 3/1965 House ..33/180 R 2,466,919 4/1949 Sykes ..33/180 R 1,742,103 12/1929 Sholtes ..33/180 R Primary Examiner-William D. Martin, Jr. Attorney-S. J. Lehrer [5 7] ABSTRACT A piece usable to maintain a slight space between groups of laid floor boards until the floor has been fully laid. The piece has a head adapted to be grasped between the fingers, a pendent tongue insertible into the space, and a wide base with feet seating the piece squarely on the floor boards adjoining the space.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures FLOORING SPAC My invention relates to flooring, and more particularly to means for maintaining floor boards in slightly separated relation at suitable intervals.

When floor boards are laid, it is customary not to lay all of them in close or contacting succession because of their inherent tendency to expand when the air is damp or moist. This condition or inclement weather may occur after flooring has been laid; and in such event flooring laid close will expand and buckle. It is therefore the practice to lay only a group of boards close, and separate them from the next group by the insertion of a few washers along the line where they are spaced. This expedient is unreliable because the washers may roll out of place or fail to settle, and require special handling. Sheet metal angle strips are also in use, with one wing deposited in. the space of separation. However, when the flooring expands the angle strips become jammed tight, requiring the insertion of tools to pry them out. Also, their insertion and removal tend to scratch or mar the surface of the flooring.

In view of the above conditions, it is one object of the present invention to provide a flooring spacer in the form of a small, solid piece with means to both fit spaces in flooring and rest squarely on adjoining floor boards.

A further object is to devise a spacer of the character mentioned which is sufficiently wide to span or rest on boards which are separated more widely or at an angle, and has a tongue depending into the space of separation, insuring the proper placement of the spacer and its self-alinement with the boards when they gather or close from expansion.

Another object is to taper the tongue of the spacer in downward direction in order that it may not become fully tightened between adjoining boards when they gather from expansion, so that no extreme efiort will be required to pull the spacer loose from the floor.

A still further object is to form the spacer with a constricted body portion suitable for engagement by a claw hammer to pull the spacer up in case it cannot be loosened by manual effort.

A final object is to provide a spacer which is in one piece of light metal, and handy to carry in quantities from job to job.

A better understanding of the invention may be gained by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a spacer somewhat enlarged and set on a floor board, dotted lines showing the application of a claw hammer for pulling the spacer up from the floor;

FIG. 2 is an end view showing the spacer spanning the adjoining portions of a pair of floor boards;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing spacers of conventional size applied to flooring; and

FIG. 4 is a similar view of modified spacers applied I to parquet flooring blocks.

Referring specifically to the drawing, denotes the head portion of the spacer, which is rounded at the sides and formed with a well 11 in the middle. The spacer is preferably made as an aluminum extrusion immune to corrosion and requiring no paint or other protective coating on its surface. Its head is designed to be grasped between the fingers, and has no function in its top. Therefore, the well 1 l saves metal without sacrificing strength. I

the need of skill or accuracy,

2 The medial portion 12 of the spacer is constricted into hollow form, and re-expanded toward the bottom to form a wide base 13. The top corners of the base are also rounded, as seen at 13a; and the base is divided on the under side to form feet 13b having flat bottom surfaces. This enables the spacer to span a pair of floor boards 14 squarely with a wide stance, as shown in FIG. 2

The spacer has a pendent medial tongue 15 which extends in longitudinal direction and tapers toward the bottom, as shown in FIG. 2. By entering the space between the pair of floor boards, as shown, the spacer prevents them from close engagement.

When a floor is laid, the floor boards are usually set a few at a time in close succession. A very narrow space is left before the next group of boards is laid to allow for expansion of the floor boards. Thus, a number of very narrow spaces occur across the floor by the time it has been laid. While these spaces are not readily noticeable, their cumulative width comprises a suitable allowance for the expansion of the floor boards, so that the floor will not warp or buckle when the air is damp or moist from inclement weather. Plain flooring has a greater factor of expansion than quarter-sawn flooring. The width of the periodical spaces is therefore calculated to suit the expansion factor of the flooring laid; and the spacers may be made with tongues 15 in two or three thicknesses, according to the spacing of the floor board groups for one job or another.

In contrast with the makeshift spacers previously mentioned, the present spacer assumes a stable position the moment it has been deposited with the tongue 15 inserted in a flooring space. In advancing the floor boards, a space here and there may be too wide, out of line or tapered. In this event the improved spacer will still span the boards even when seating with a side turn, as shown in the right-hand portion of FIG. 3, and turn to self-alinement with the boards when they are moved closer.

When a floor has been completely laid with spacers deposited between groups of floor boards and at points along the spaces therebetween, it may be found overnight or after a spell of inclement weather that the floor boards have expanded into tight engagement with the spacer tongues 15. Since these are tapered the grip on them is not even; and in some instances the spacers may be pulled up by hand. However, where the grip on them is tighter, a claw hammer 16 may be inserted under the head of each spacer, as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 1, to pull the spacer out with ease and without harm to the flooring.

The spacer may also be used for separating parquet floor blocks wherever desired. Since these blocks are short, a single, longer spacer 18 is applicable as shown in FIG. 4 between blocks wherever their separation is desired.

It is now'apparent that the novel spacer is a unit which is easily deposited wherever necessary without and holds its place whether the floor board spaces are narrow, wide, out of line or of irregular form. Since the spacer is heavier at its wide bottom, it is always upright and easily picked up. Further, since the spacer is in one piece and very light, a supply of spacers may be carried in a tool kit from job to job. Finally, the even form of the spacer enables it to be produced inexpensively from linear stock by extrusion.

tending tongue depending from the base portion.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said tongue is of a taper and downward extension determined by the width of the said space which is calculated to suit the expansion factor of the flooring laid.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the bottom surfaces of of the base portion are arched on the under side to form feet along the outer edges of the arches,

said feet having flat bottom surfaces.

* i i i i

Claims (3)

1. A spacer for laying wooden flooring with a space between selected adjacent floor boards and maintaining said borads in a space relationship, comprising a base portion to span said space and having a pair of flat bottom surfaces of sufficient width to rest on the top surfaces of said adjacent boards where they adjoin said space, an upward extension from said base having a constricted medial portion terminating in a head portion formed aS a gripping surface, and a medially-positioned, downwardlytapered, longitudinally extending tongue depending from the base portion.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said tongue is of a taper and downward extension determined by the width of the said space which is calculated to suit the expansion factor of the flooring laid.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the bottom surfaces of of the base portion are arched on the under side to form feet along the outer edges of the arches, said feet having flat bottom surfaces.

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