WO2009153044A1

WO2009153044A1 - Method for drying and optical recovery of floor coverings after water penetration

Info

Publication number: WO2009153044A1
Application number: PCT/EP2009/004405
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ralf Gross; Reinhard Klima
Original assignee: Ralf Gross; Reinhard Klima
Priority date: 2008-06-18
Filing date: 2009-06-18
Publication date: 2009-12-23
Also published as: DE102008029035B3; EP2304118A1; EP2304118B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for drying and subsequent optical recovery of floors after water damage, wherein bores are carried out in the region of mutual contact points of tiles, drying is then carried out through said bores, and the bores are subsequently closed using a round insert.

Description

Process for drying and visual restoration of floor coverings after ingress of water

The present invention relates primarily to a process for drying and subsequent optical restoration of soils with stone, wood or PVC surface after water entry into the underlying support and insulating layers. However, the present invention also generally relates to a method of making round-bottomed trays. Above all, tiles made of porcelain stoneware, stoneware, coarse ceramics, cotto material, stoneware, granite, marble, quartzite or slate may be considered as stone surfaces, in particular natural stone floors. It is irrelevant whether the coverings are glazed, unglazed or structured. The method is also applicable to non-slip industrial floors of classifications R9 - R 13 V 10 (see DIN 51130).

State of the art

The consequences of ingress of water in buildings, especially if they are detected too late, can lead to extensive damage to the building fabric and to health-threatening fungi formation in the interior spaces. The renovation of affected buildings is often very expensive and expensive. In the case of mains water damage, the costs for the owner are usually covered by the building insurance. It is therefore in the high interest of the insurance companies to use all possibilities for cost reduction and to instruct the refurbishment companies accordingly.

In a typical damage scenario, water from damaged pipes penetrates into the insulation layer under the screed or into the screed itself. Since a film for insulation is installed between the screed and the insulating layer, in particular the insulating layer can not be dewatered by mere surface drying.

The moisture spreads in the insulation layer or in the screed and gives it slowly but steadily to the masonry. The capillarity of the masonry increases the humidity upwards. In particular, older layers of insulation can decompose and begin to mold. Also on masonry often mold fungi, whose Spores can make an apartment at least temporarily uninhabitable. Furthermore, saltpeter can bloom.

Previously, in such cases often the entire floor covering had to be removed along with screed and insulating layer and completely re-applied. For some years now, a process has been established in which boreholes of several centimeters in diameter are introduced into the affected layers and an air stream is passed through the material in the underpressure or overpressure process. This air flow absorbs moisture, which is released in the overpressure process to the surrounding atmosphere and deposited in the suction process in a condenser. By the subsequent or outflowing air over the edge joints or over other open holes effective drying is achieved in this way.

The upper floor covering must necessarily be drilled through in the mentioned process. The drilling is realized through the use of drill bits. In this case, the outer Bohrkronendurchmesser should correspond to the diameter of the intake or discharge nozzle. A commonly used measure is 52 mm.

For smaller rooms drying over two holes is usually sufficient with natural air supply or air removal via the edge strips. In this case can be dispensed with additional holes in the topping. For larger rooms, however, the attachment of further inlet and outlet holes is essential, the drying time is the shorter, the more such relief holes are available. The upper limit of the air flow rate is then determined solely by the power of the pumping device.

After completion of the drying process, the drilled openings remain in the covering. If possible, the affected individual coverings are removed and replacement coverings incorporated. However, such a replacement presupposes that there is still sufficient spare material available. However, this is not the case in the majority of cases, especially for older rubbers.

In such circumstances, an attempt is made in advance to remove the material at the planned drilling sites without destroying it, ie to detach it from the underlay, and then first to install the corresponding main and relief holes. After the end the drying process, the individual tiles in question can be used again.

In the two scenarios mentioned, the appearance of the coverings is perfectly restored. In more than 80% of all cases of damage, however, these procedures are not applicable, since it is usually not possible, either thermally or mechanically, to remove the old tiles non-destructively.

The reasons for this are in practice mainly due to unsuitable adhesive material, as it was often used in the past, and / or on unevenly applied adhesive substrate. In addition, the use of commercially available drill bits, which are actually intended for concrete and screed processing, create vibrations in the soil, through which further material can unintentionally detach or even be destroyed.

Nondestructive recording does not work with natural stone coverings. One reason for this is the usual format (30 cm / 30 cm, 60 cm / 60 cm or 40 cm / 120 cm) of such natural stone coverings. In these formats, individual plates can not heat uniformly, which is a step in the replacement of the plates. In addition, the usually narrow joints (1-2 mm) with a large depth of, for example, 20 mm would have to be removed for the heating phase, but this is not possible.

There are two alternatives left to restore an acceptable optical image.

On the one hand, the lining is completely replaced, as it used to be. The associated costs can be significant. In addition, the expenses lead almost regularly to disputes with the insurance companies with regard to the amount of the damages to be borne.

On the other hand, attempts can be made to individually close the resulting openings by inserting replacement materials accurately. However, hue and structure are usually not sufficiently reconstructed. The human eye perceives even the smallest deviations here. This also applies to the subsequent reuse of the resulting in the course of the hollow bores blanks. These are often very badly damaged during the drilling process, especially at the edge, due to spalling, so that an optically acceptable image can generally no longer be produced. Because of the uncertain outcome of the work results, the two described methods can only be used in exceptional cases, for example, if the later interior design through furniture or carpets allows optical coverage of the affected zones.

DE 34 23 522A1 relates to a device for mounting openings in floors and a body with a special shape for closing the openings.

DE 101 18 383 C1 relates to a method for building dehumidification, in which a granulate or powder is used as a binder for drying.

CH 608432 A5 discloses decorative wall or floor covering panels.

US 1 040,117 discloses flexible tile arrangements with round inserts.

DE 102 04 154 A1 Tile arrangements with polygonal inserts.

The last three documents do not disclose procedures on existing land.

An object of the present invention is to provide an effective method for drying floors or for making openings and reclosing the openings, primarily tile floors, with the disadvantages described above can be avoided.

Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for drying floors and generally for making and opening and reclosing them to existing floors where laid floor tiles do not need to be replaced. A further object of the invention is that after closing the prepared openings an optically acceptable overall impression of the floor is obtained.

These objects are achieved by methods according to claims 1, 13 and 14. Preferred embodiments and further aspects of the invention can be found in further claims. The present invention thus relates to:

1. A method for drying floors, comprising the following steps:

a. Making at least one hole having a predetermined diameter in the soil to be dried, the at least one hole being made at the corners of adjacent tiles, and the bore having a diameter such that material of the adjacent tiles is removed;

b. Drying the soil by passing a gas stream over the at least one well through the soil, and

c. Close the hole or holes with a round insert.

2. The method of 1, wherein the floor is a tiled floor.

3. The method of 2, wherein the tiles are porcelain stoneware, stoneware, ceramics, heavy clay, Cottomaterial, earthenware, granite, marble, quartzite or slate.

4. The method of any of 1 to 3, wherein the at least one bore is made at the corners of four adjacent rectangular tiles such that the center of the bore substantially coincides with the intersection formed by the elongated diagonals of the rectangular tiles ,

5. The method according to any one of 1 to 4, wherein the bore in step a. of claim 1 is made in two stages, wherein in one stage a bore of larger diameter for later receiving the insert is made, and in another stage a bore of smaller diameter for receiving a gas flow line or a suction or discharge nozzle is made for it ,

6. The method of 5 wherein the smaller diameter bore is concentrically positioned in the first bore.

7. The method of 5 or 6, wherein first the bore is made with the larger and then the bore with the smaller diameter. 8. The method of any one of 5-7, wherein the depth of the larger diameter bore substantially matches the thickness of the surface material and the depth of the smaller diameter bore is adjusted according to the soil to be dried.

A method according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the diameter of the inserter is 50 to 70 mm, preferably 55 to 65 mm, and most preferably about 60 mm.

10. The method of any of 1 to 9, wherein the diameter of the bore, or the diameter of the larger bore in the case of a two-stage bore, about 5 mm larger than the diameter of the insert and the insert is grouted in the bottom.

11. A method according to any one of 1 to 10, wherein the number of holes per 10 m ² of the soil to be dried is 2 or greater, preferably 4 to 10 degrees.

12. The method according to any one of 1 to 11, wherein the holes in the ground are arranged such that a pattern results.

13. Method for the visual enhancement of tile floors, comprising the steps of:

a. Making holes of a predetermined diameter in the ground so that the holes form a pattern, the hole being made at the corners of adjacent tiles, and wherein the hole has a diameter such that material of the adjacent tiles is removed will, and

b. Closing the holes with round inserts.

14. Method of making round-bottomed flooring comprising the steps of: a. Making at least one hole having a predetermined diameter in the soil to be dried, the hole being made at the corners of adjoining tiles, and wherein the hole has a diameter such that material of the adjacent tiles is removed, and b. Close the hole or holes with a round insert.

15. Tile arrangement in which a round insert is grouted in a hole made in square tiles.

16. The tile assembly of claim 15, wherein the tile assembly is formed from rectangular or square tiles and the circular inserter is positioned such that its center substantially coincides with the point of intersection formed by the elongated diagonal of four contiguous rectangular or square tiles is formed.

17. Use of a round inserter in the method according to one of claims 1 to 14.

18. Use of a round insert for closing holes in tile floors.

Use according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the insert has a diameter of 50 to 70 mm, preferably 55 to 65 mm, and most preferably about 60 mm.

Description of the pictures

Fig. 1 shows the drying in the process according to the invention via suction hoses.

Fig. 2 shows a round insert on tile cross after grouting following drying.

Fig. 3 shows examples of Intarsiendekore.

4 shows an example of a tile arrangement according to the floor drying method according to the invention Detailed description

The present invention relates to a method as described in claim 1. In a preferred embodiment, the holes are not made at random locations through the tiles, but preferably at the common points of contact of tiles, e.g. four tiles (joint cross, see Fig. 2), the four tiles adjoin each other with their corners. Not all tile arrangements are bordered by four tiles with their corners. According to the invention, the holes are then made on at least two adjoining tile corners. For staggered tile arrangements square or rectangular tiles z. B. two with their corners adjacent tiles, with a tile edge is on the other side. In such a case, according to the invention, the hole is made at the corners of the two adjoining tiles (joint-T-cross), wherein preferably material of the two corners and the adjacent tile edge is removed.

After the drying process, the holes are closed with round inserts of uniform decoration. The round inlays are usually round depositors. These preferably have the three-dimensional shape of a straight circular cylinder. In the method according to the invention of making holes in the joint cross or joint T-cross, in contrast to the drying methods currently used, the damage of several tiles is deliberately accepted.

An advantage of such a bore arrangement lies in the free geometric and optical design possibilities of the hole arrangement and thus of the newly emerging base pattern through the inserts or inlays used. Especially in design, these no longer need to match the surrounding material, but can be designed individually within wide limits. Both colors and decor are freely selectable. By consistently complying with predominantly geometrical arrangements, a surface image emerges that seems to be designer-designed and, with commercially available standard components, would not be possible to do so even with a new layout. In the trade, there are only tiles, which are designed for the introduction of rectangular inlays at the Fugenkreuzen.

Another advantage of the hole localization at the tile crosses results from the combination of coating and substrate, which is usually particularly adhesive at these locations. Grouting material flows between grout and screed in the grouting area. This backside wetting additionally stabilizes the four corners, minimizing the risk of breakage during the drilling process. Therefore, although several or four tiles per hole are "damaged" in the method of the present invention, it can still be achieved that no tile needs to be replaced, thus solving a fundamental problem of the prior art methods.

In general, every floor can be upgraded according to this principle. So z. B. instead of or in addition to the tile touch points holes are also placed at the intersection of the diagonal of individual tiles. With a suitable overall arrangement, a deliberate-looking geometric pattern also arises in this way.

For the drying process, it may be sufficient to install only one hole in the tiling floor if a gas flow passage is possible, e.g. in the presence of open edge joints.

With a view to a rapid drying process, however, it is possible with the method according to the invention to install a large number of relief bores, which allows a larger air throughput. In the prior art, however, because of the problems of damaged tiles and the often non-existent replacement material usually dispensed as many holes as possible. A fast drying time can be achieved, for example, by a number of holes per 10 m ² of 2 or greater, preferably 4 to 10. In the case of unschematically mounted holes, the optics deteriorate after completion with each additional hole. In contrast, in the case of the method described here, it may even make sense for a visual revaluation or restoration to install more bores than is technically necessary in order to positively enhance the overall visual impression.

The drying step is preferably carried out with a drying gas such as air or nitrogen. Preferably, no moisture-binding solid or liquid agent is used.

Technically, preference is given in the tile covering to the previously specified

First, the holes drilled for the later intarsia recording. The holes are to be limited in depth to the thickness of the surface material. Preferably, followed by a second purpose concentric bore for receiving the intake manifold or pressure nozzle or generally a gas flow line. The drilling depth depends on the aspects of the most effective drying option.

The diameter of the inlays can in principle be chosen freely. The standard diameter is 60 mm. With a standard drill bit of 65 mm diameter then remains to be grouted edge of 2.5 mm thickness. Naturally, completely different variants are also possible, although it should be noted that commercially available drill bits are not available as standard in any desired diameter.

The inlays to be used are made by specialized manufacturers. Basically, almost any decor is feasible. It can be used very many different materials. In addition to ceramics made of acid- and alkali-resistant, tested material, the use of natural stones of all kinds, V2A or Alu materials (for example with Aluriffelblechoptik) wood or PVC is easily possible. Frequently the choice will fall on the type of material already specified by the floor covering, but interesting contrasts can be achieved even with deviating material.

For economic reasons, inlays of 60 mm are held in various standard decors, which already allow a wide range of design options. Examples of this can be found in Fig. 3. In Fig. 4, a geometric pattern is exemplified.

The present invention also relates to processes which do not contain a drying step, in particular to a process for the visual enhancement of tile floors (claim 13) and generally to a process for the preparation of soils with round inserts (claim 14), ie the process according to the invention can also be carried out. without having to dry the soil. This may be the case, for example, if damage to the tiles has taken place in the area of the joints, or to carry out chemical or structural analyzes of the soil beneath the tiles, such as a determination of the mortar group, determination of the soil structure or the overall structure. Otherwise all steps and preferred embodiments are the same as in the drying method according to the invention. The present invention also relates to a tile arrangement produced by the methods according to the invention. In particular, a tile arrangement is formed, which is formed from rectangular or square tiles, wherein the round insert is positioned such that its center coincides substantially with the point of intersection formed by the extended diagonal of four adjacent rectangular or square tiles (Groove cross); and a tile arrangement in which the center of the round insert is at the T-joint cross.

The invention also relates to the use of round inserts for closing or grouting holes in tile floors.

Claims

1. A method for drying floors, comprising the following steps:

a. Making at least one hole having a predetermined diameter in the soil to be dried, the hole being made at the corners of adjoining tiles, and the hole having a diameter such that material of the adjacent tiles is removed;

c. Close the hole or holes with a round insert.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the floor is a tile floor.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the tiles are porcelain stoneware, stoneware, ceramics, heavy clay ceramics, earthenware, granite, marble, quartzite or slate.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one bore is made at the corners of four adjacent rectangular tiles such that the center of the bore substantially coincides with the intersection formed by the elongated diagonals of the rectangular tiles.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bore in step a. of claim 1 is made in two stages, wherein in one stage a bore of larger diameter for later receiving the insert is made, and in another stage a bore of smaller diameter for receiving a gas flow line or a suction or discharge nozzle is made for it ,

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the smaller diameter bore is concentrically positioned in the first bore.

7. The method of claim 5 or 6, wherein first the bore is made with the larger and then the bore with the smaller diameter.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the depth of the larger diameter bore is substantially equal to the thickness of the surface material and the depth of the smaller diameter bore is adjusted according to the soil to be dried.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the diameter of the insert is 50 to 70 mm, preferably 55 to 65 mm, and most preferably about 60 mm.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the diameter of the bore, or the diameter of the larger bore in the case of a two-stage bore, about 5 mm larger than the diameter of the insert and the insert is grouted in the bottom.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the number of holes per 10 m ^{2 of} the soil to be dried is 2 or greater, preferably 4 to 10.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the holes are arranged in the ground so as to give a pattern.

13. Method for the visual enhancement of tile floors, comprising the steps of:

a. Making holes having a predetermined diameter in the ground so that the holes form a pattern, the hole being made at the corners of adjacent tiles, and wherein the hole has a diameter such that material of the adjacent tiles is removed; and

b. Closing the holes with round inserts.

14. Method of making round-bottomed flooring comprising the steps of: a. Making at least one hole having a predetermined diameter in the soil to be dried, the hole being made at the corners of adjoining tiles, and wherein the hole has a diameter such that material of the adjacent tiles is removed, and

b. Close the hole or holes with a round insert.

16. The tile assembly of claim 15, wherein the tile assembly is formed from rectangular or square tiles and the circular insert is positioned such that its center substantially coincides with the intersection point formed by the elongated diagonal of four contiguous rectangular or square tiles is formed.

17. Use of a round inserter in the method according to one of claims 1 to 14.

18. Use of a round insert for closing holes in tile floors.