WO2019048547A1

WO2019048547A1 - Loose-lay rigid subfloor with finishing layer

Info

Publication number: WO2019048547A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/074009
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard Peres
Original assignee: Tarkett Gdl
Priority date: 2017-09-08
Filing date: 2018-09-06
Publication date: 2019-03-14
Also published as: LU100437B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for installing a floor covering. The method comprises assembling a subfloor, including loose-laying rigid subfloor panels on the ground to be covered, the subfloor panels being joined to one another on site by mechanical connection profiles disposed along the edges of the subfloor panels. Then a decorative finish is glued on the assembled subfloor after assembly thereof, the gluing being effected so that the decorative finish covers the joints of the underlying subfloor and forms with the subfloor a mechanically continuous loose-laid flooring. A second aspect of the invention relates to a floor covering obtained by the method.

Description

DESCRIPTION

LOOSE-LAY RIGID SUBFLOOR WITH FINISHING LAYER Field of the Invention

[0001 ] The invention generally relates to the field of finishing work, especially for but not limited to buildings. In particular, the disclosure relates to a floor covering including a loose-lay rigid subfloor with a finishing (hereinafter also referred to as "decorative finish").

Background of the Invention

[0002] Subfloors are typically used in the context of sport flooring in order to improve the deflection in terms of point- and area-elasticity of the floor when a downward force (e.g. from a footfall) is applied to the surface. Subfloors are also used with other floorings when a particular preparation of the ground to be covered is necessary, e.g. for hardwood floors.

Summary of the Invention [0003] According to the present invention, a new type of flooring is proposed.

[0004] According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a method for installing a floor covering. The method comprises assembling a subfloor, including loose-laying rigid subfloor panels on the ground to be covered, the subfloor panels being joined to one another on site by mechanical connection profiles disposed along the edges of the subfloor panels. Then a decorative finish is glued on the assembled subfloor after assembly thereof, the gluing being effected so that the decorative finish covers the joints of the underlying subfloor and forms with the subfloor a mechanically continuous loose-laid flooring.

[0005] A second aspect of the invention relates to a floor covering obtained by the method. Such a floor covering includes a subfloor comprised of loose-laid rigid subfloor panels joined by mechanical connection profiles disposed along the edges of the subfloor panels, and a decorative finish glued to the subfloor panels, the decorative finish covering the joints of the underlying subfloor and forming with the subfloor a mechanically continuous loose-laid flooring. [0006] As used herein, "loose-laying" means to arrange the subfloor panels on the ground without connecting them to the ground otherwise than by friction. It will be understood, however, that in the context of the present document, loose-lay is not intended to exclude cohesion of the subfloor panels; for instance, the mechanical connection profiles could be interlocking.

In the context of the present disclosure, the subfloor panels are rigid (stiff) in the sense that they elastically deform only to a radius of curvature of 20 cm or more, i.e. bending of the carrier plate to a radius of curvature smaller than 20 cm either leads to plastic (permanent) deformation of the subfloor panels or breaking thereof. More rigid subfloor panels are not excluded and may be preferred in some embodiments. For instance, the rigidity may be such that the subfloor panels elastically deform only to a radius of curvature of 50 cm or more, or 75 cm or more, or 1 m or more. Preferably, the Young's modulus of the subfloor panels is higher than 300 MPa, more preferably it is higher than 500 MPa. Preferably, the Young's modulus and the maximum deformation at break or plastic deformation (or maximum bending radius) are measured in a three- point or four-point flexural test. Samples of 6 cm length and 1 cm width were cut from the carrier plate and subjected to a 3-point flexural test, wherein the samples are 6 cm long, 1 cm wide and 6 mm thick, wherein the samples are stored during 24 hours at ambient temperature prior to the test, wherein the test apparatus is a universal testing machine, wherein the samples are placed on two rounded supports separated by a distance of 5 cm between the tips, wherein force is introduced centrally on the sample through a rounded loading nose mounted on a crosshead, wherein the initial load is set to 0.1 N and wherein the crosshead is then moved down with a speed of about 0.5 mm/min, and wherein the reaction force on the loading nose is recorded by a load cell as a function of the displacement. The test is stopped when the load reaches its maximum. The Young's modulus is determined from the slopes of the linear portions of the stress-strain curves. Preferably, under the described test conditions, subfloor panels according to the invention tolerate a flexure of at least 0.55 mm without undergoing damage. [0007] The decorative finish may be continuous or composed of individual elements disposed to bridge the joints of the underlying subfloor. Any joint between elements of the decorative finish is thus arranged in such a way that they do not run in the same vertical plane as a joint of the subfloor. This may be achieved by arranging the elements of the decorative finish in a staggered manner with respect to the subfloor panels. Another possibility would be to arrange the elements of the decorative finish at an angle (between 10 and 80°, preferably between 20 and 70°, still more preferably between 30 and 60°, e.g. 45°) with respect to the subfloor panels. [0008] According to an embodiment, the subfloor panels comprise each a carrier plate comprising plate mineral or polymeric cement matrix and a mineral or organic, preferably fibrous, filler or reinforcement material, provided that at least one of the cement matrix and the filler or reinforcement material comprises a mineral material or mineral material mixture representing at least 25%, preferably at least 35%, more preferably at least 50%, by weight, of the carrier plate.

[0009] As a further option, the subfloor panels could comprise carrier plates made from medium density fibreboard (MDF) or high-density fibreboard (HDF).

[0010] Each subfloor panel may be comprised of a carrier plate and a functional backing, the functional backing comprising at least one of an acoustic isolation layer, a fire-retardant layer, a fire-resistant layer, an intumescent layer, a shock-absorbing layer, a thermal insulation layer, a self-levelling layer, a point-elastic layer and an area- elastic layer. For instance, the functional backing could comprise a shape-memory foam.

[001 1 ] The method may further comprise the preparation of the ground to be covered, the preparation including cleaning and/or application of a floor-levelling compound, preferably a self-levelling compound.

[0012] The decorative finish could be a conventional floor covering. For instance, the decorative finish could comprise a resilient floor covering, such as, e.g. a textile floor covering (e.g. carpet), a homogeneous floor covering or a multilayer floor covering formed of discrete elements or of a continuous sheet. Alternatively, the decorative finish could be comprised of a laminate (or another layered assembly) made of a printing substrate, a decor (i.e. a print or ink layer) and a protective wear layer. A core layer, responsible for the predominant mechanical properties of flooring (e.g. resilience, stiffness, point-flexibility, etc.), need not be present in the decorative finish as the subfloor plays the role of such a core layer. It should be noted, however, that the presence of a core layer in the decorative finish is not excluded. [0013] The floor covering as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein each subfloor panel comprises a carrier plate and a functional backing, the functional backing comprising at least one of an acoustic isolation layer, a fire-retardant layer, a fire-resistant layer, an intumescent layer, a friction-increasing layer, a shock-absorbing layer, a point-elastic layer and an area-elastic layer.

[0014] According to preferred embodiments, the carrier plate is a fibrocement plate. As used herein, a "fibrocement plate" is a plate wherein the principal binder (in terms of weight) is a mineral cement or a mineral cement mixture. In a fibrocement plate, the presence of organic cement(s) is not excluded, provided that the mineral cement (mixture) outweighs the organic cement(s). Such a fibrocement plate preferably comprises cementitious binder in combination with organic fibres, e.g. a mixture of polymeric fibres and cellulosic fibres. The cementitious binder could be a hydraulic cement, (e.g. Portland cement, blast furnace cement, etc.). Preferably, the hydraulic is a mixture comprising belite (2CaO SiO₂), alite (3CaO SiO₂), tricalcium aluminate (3CaO AI₂O₃) and/or brownmillerite (4CaO AI₂O₃ Fe₂O₃).

[0015] As an alternative to fibrocement, the carrier plate could comprise a rigid plastic plate (with a polymeric cement). The carrier plate could be based on rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a thermoplastic polymer matrix, or a thermoset polymer matrix. The carrier plate could take the form of a rigid polymer foam (e.g. foamed with N₂ or CO₂). [0016] Whether the carrier plates is based on mineral cement, polymeric cement or both, at least one of the cement and the filler or reinforcement material comprises a mineral material or mineral material mixture representing at least 25%, preferably at least 35%, more preferably at least 50%, by weight, of the carrier plate. Higher contents of mineral materials, e.g. at least 60% by weight, 70% by weight, 75% by weight, 80% by weight or even more, may be possible in specific embodiments.

[0017] The thickness (height) of the rigid carrier plate is preferably comprised in the range from 2 to 8 mm, more preferably in the range from 3 to 6 mm and most preferably in the range from 3 to 5 mm. Any functional layer (assembly) formed on the backside of a carrier plate so as to form a multilayer subfloor panel preferably has a thickness in the range from 2 mm to 1 cm. The lateral dimensions of any functional layer (assembly) would be the same as those of the carrier plate. The lateral dimensions of the subfloor panels are preferably comprised in the range from 80 mm and 2 m. More specifically, the subfloor panels are preferably rectangular and preferably have a width in the range from 80 mm to 1 m as well as a length in the range from 250 mm to 2 m.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] By way of example, preferred, non-limiting embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 : is a schematic drawing illustrating the installation of a floor covering according to a preferred embodiment;

Fig. 2: is a cross-sectional view of an edge of a subfloor panel comprising a first connection profile; Fig. 3: is a cross-sectional view of an edge of a subfloor panel comprising a second connection profile, configured for interlocking with the first connection profile;

Fig. 4: is a cross-sectional view of a first connection profile of a subfloor panel featuring a carrier plate and a functional backing;

Fig. 5: is a cross-sectional view of second connection profile of the subfloor panel of Fig. 4, configured for interlocking with the first connection profile.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

[0019] Fig. 1 schematically illustrates the installation of a floor covering comprised of a loose-laid subfloor and a decorative finish glued on top. In a first step, the subfloor 10 is assembled by loose-laying rigid subfloor panels 12 on the ground 14 to be covered. The subfloor panels are equipped with connection profiles 16, 18 (see Figs. 2 and 3) arranged along their edges. The subfloor panels 12 are joined to one another on site: each new subfloor panel is connected with one or more subfloor panels already in place by engaging a connection profile of the new subfloor panel with a complementary connection profile of the one or more subfloor panels already in place. The connection profiles are preferably machined (e.g. cut, drilled or milled) into the edges of the subfloor panels. The connection profiles could be tongue-and-groove connection profiles but, preferably, they are shaped so as to provide an interlocking engagement when the subfloor panels are assembled. When the subfloor 10 is in place, a decorative finish 20 is glued on the subfloor 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the decorative finish 20 is provided in the form of a roll 22 and the glue 24 is spread on the subfloor 10 before the decorative finish 20 is unrolled. The gluing is carried out in such a way that the decorative finish 20 covers the joints 26 of the underlying subfloor 10 and forms with the subfloor 10 a mechanically continuous loose-laid flooring when the glue has set. [0020] It should be noted that the gluing step could be achieved in different ways. Preferably, for instance, the glue is provided on the backside of the decorative finish and protected by a release liner. The latter is removed and the decorative finish is applied on the assembled subfloor without further ado.

[0021 ] While Fig. 1 illustrates that the decorative finish may take the form of a continuous sheet, it is recalled that it could alternatively be provided as discrete elements, such as planks, tiles, strips or the like. Preferably, the decorative finish is a resilient floor covering.

[0022] Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate a subfloor panel 12 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. The subfloor panel 12 consists of a carrier plate into the edges of which the connection profiles 16, 18 have been machined.

[0023] The carrier plate may be a fibrocement plate comprising mineral (e.g. glass), polymeric and/or cellulosic fibers embedded in a mineral, preferably hydraulic, cement. As used herein, the term "cellulosic fibers" is intended to include lignocellulosic fibers (e.g. sisal fibers, hemp fibers, bamboo fibers, wood pulp, etc.). The fibers may be microfibril lated. Preferably, the fibrocement comprises a mixture of cellulosic fibers of two or more different SR fineness degrees (measured according to ISO 5267-1 ).

[0024] As an alternative to a fibrocement plate as the carrier plate, a rigid polymer- based carrier plate charged with at least 25% by weight (with respect to the total weight of the carrier plate), preferably more, of a mineral filler or reinforcement material could be used. Filler or reinforcement material could comprise, e.g., calcium carbonate, limestone, gypsum, ground stones, glass fibers, clay, or the like. The presence of organic filler or reinforcement materials is not excluded. For instance, the composite carrier plate could comprise cellulosic or polymeric fibers (e.g. wood flour or saw dust).

[0025] MDF or HDF plates may be suitable alternatives to carrier plates made from fibrocement or rigid, highly filled, polymer. In any case, the connection profiles 16, 18 are preferably machined into the edges of the carrier plates. [0026] The connectors of Figs. 2 and 3 are of complementary shapes. Fig. 2 shows the first connector 16, which can mechanically engage with the second connector 18, shown in Fig. 3. The shapes of the connectors 16, 18 are such that they effect an interlocking when the connectors are engaged. Preferably, the interlocking occurs both (a) in the direction normal to the top side of the subfloor element and (b) in the direction parallel to the top side and normal to the edges that are put together. It should be noted, however, that embodiments of the connectors providing interlocking effect only in one of these directions are not excluded and may even be preferred in certain applications. The connectors shown in Figs. 2 and 3 comprise, respectively, a first locking element in the form of a protruding tongue 28 and a second locking element in the form of a groove 30. The rear part of the groove 30 is delimited by a bracket 32, which is shaped complementarily to the rear side 34 of the tongue 28.

[0027] As the connection profiles 16, 18 are mechanically machined into the edges of the carrier plate, the rigidity of the carrier plate is chosen such that the machining can be effected without difficulty.

[0028] Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate a subfloor panel 36 in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention. The subfloor panel 36 consists of a rigid carrier plate 38 and a functional backing 40. Connection profiles 16, 18 are provided on the edges of the rigid carrier plate 38. The functional backing 40 has the same lateral dimensions as the carrier plate 38 but may have a different thickness. The functional backing could be an acoustic isolation layer, a fire-retardant layer, a fire-resistant layer, an intumescent layer, a shock-absorbing layer, a point-elastic layer, an area-elastic layer, a friction-increasing layer, a combination of these layers or a layer uniting several of the aforesaid functions. Typically, the functional backing is substantially less rigid than the carrier plate. Specifically, it may be very advantageous if the functional backing is point-elastic in order to conform to small unevenness of the ground to be covered.

[0029] Regarding the connection profiles, it may be worthwhile noting that they are pairwise complementary on opposite edges of the carrier plates. Simple tongue-and- groove connectors may be suitable for some applications. Interlocking connection profiles however provide better protection against separation. With so-called angling- type connectors, the tongue profile is angled into the groove profile whereupon the subfloor panel with the tongue is hinged down. During this movement, the connection profiles deform resiliently and then snap into place. The tongue profile is thus locked in the groove profile such that a separation thereof requires a higher amount of force or a specific relative movement of the profiles. When the profiles are made of relatively hard material as in the present case, sometimes a click can be heard when the connection profiles are securely connected. When angling-type connectors are provided on the four edges of each subfloor panel, the new panel to be laid is first angled into the panel on the left already in place. Then, the new panel is declined towards the rear and angled into the row behind. The latter step requires that the element(s) on the left follow the movement of the new panel. They are thus also raised at their front and hinged down. Installing such subfloor panels requires some coordination, which is however easily acquired through some practice.

[0030] Nevertheless, in order to facilitate the installation of the subfloor panels, they may be of the so-called angling and drop-down type. On such subfloor panels, two opposite edges ere equipped with a tongue and a groove profile respectively. The new panel to be laid is angled into the panel already in place behind it. On the left edge (when the subfloor element is viewed from above at that moment of its installation), the subfloor panel comprises a connection profile with an overhang that is the counterpart of the connection profile on the right edge, which has a protrusion at the bottom side. These connection profiles are thus configured in such a way that they can be assembled by simply dropping down the new panel to be installed from the angled position into the final horizontal position. Some configurations may even have a latch on the right-hand connection profile, which prevents the separation of the subfloor panel on the edges with the "drop-down" profiles. Of course, the connection profiles on the right and left sides may be inverted. The sense of installation is then preferably changed.

Example

[0031 ] A PVC-based rigid carrier plate having a thickness of 6 mm for use in a subfloor panel was produced in accordance with the following composition:

Material Example Product Name (supplier) Content

Phr Wt.%

PVC Vynova 5730 (Vynova) 100 27.8 CaCOs (filler) OMYA VS35 (OMYA) 250 69.5

Stabilizer Baeropan 90704P (Baerlocher) 4.5 1 .3

Processing aid Durastrength 200 or 3000 (Arkema) 3 0.8

(CPE)

Processing aid Plastistrength 530 (Arkema) 1 0.3

Processing aid (PE A-C629 (Honeywell) 0.5 0.1 wax)

Processing aid Stearina RG (Brentag) 0.5 0.1

(stearic acid)

359.5 100

Samples of 6 cm length and 1 cm width were cut from the carrier plate and subjected to a 3-point flexural test. The samples were stored during 24 hours at ambient temperature in the room where the test was carried out. The test apparatus was an Instron 3344 universal testing machine. The samples were placed on two rounded supports separated by a distance of 5 cm between the tips. Force was introduced centrally on each sample through a rounded loading nose mounted on a crosshead. The initial load was set to 0.1 N. The crosshead was then moved down with a speed of 0.5 mm/min. The reaction force on the loading nose was recorded by a load cell as a function of the displacement. The test was stopped when the load reached its maximum. Two samples were subjected to the test. The flexures (displacements) at maximum load were 3.06 mm and 2.82 mm, respectively (average: 2.94 mm). Maximum loads were 1 17.25 N and 1 13.42 N, respectively. The Young's moduluses were determined from the slopes of the linear portions of the stress-strain curves. The values of the Young's modulus were 1287 MPa and 1 138 MPa, respectively (average: 1212 MPa). Preferably, under the described test conditions, subfloor panels according to the invention tolerate a flexure of at least 0.55 mm without undergoing damage.

[0032] While specific embodiments have been described herein in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention, which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof.

Claims

WO 2019/048547 <| <| PCT/EP2018/074009 Claims

1 . A method for installing a floor covering, comprising:

assembling a subfloor, said subfloor assembling including loose-laying rigid subfloor panels on the ground to be covered, the subfloor panels being joined to one another on site by mechanical connection profiles disposed along the edges of the subfloor panels; and

gluing a decorative finish on the assembled subfloor, the gluing being effected so that the decorative finish covers the joints of the underlying subfloor and forms with the subfloor a mechanically continuous loose-laid flooring.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the decorative finish is continuous or composed of individual elements disposed to bridge the joints of the underlying subfloor.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the subfloor panels comprise each a carrier plate comprising plate mineral or polymeric cement matrix and a mineral or organic, preferably fibrous, filler or reinforcement material, provided that at least one of the cement matrix and the filler or reinforcement material comprises a mineral material or mineral material mixture representing at least 25%, preferably at least 35%, more preferably at least 50%, by weight, of the carrier plate.

4. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each subfloor panel comprises a carrier plate and a functional backing, the functional backing comprising at least one of an acoustic isolation layer, a fire-retardant layer, a fire- resistant layer, an intumescent layer, a friction-increasing layer, a shock- absorbing layer, a thermal insulation layer, a self-levelling layer, a point-elastic layer and an area-elastic layer.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the functional backing comprises a shape-memory foam.

6. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising preparing the ground to be covered, said preparation including cleaning and/or application of a floor-levelling compound, preferably a self-levelling compound.

7. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the decorative finish comprises a resilient floor covering, e.g. a textile floor covering, a homogeneous floor covering or a multilayer floor covering formed of discrete elements or of a continuous sheet.

8. Floor covering, comprising

a subfloor comprised of loose-laid rigid subfloor panels joined by mechanical connection profiles disposed along the edges of the subfloor panels, and a decorative finish glued to the subfloor panels, the decorative finish covering the joints of the underlying subfloor and forming with the subfloor a mechanically continuous loose-laid flooring.

9. The floor covering as claimed in claim 8, wherein the decorative finish is continuous or composed of individual elements disposed so as to bridge the joints of the underlying subfloor.

10. The floor covering as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the subfloor panels comprise each a carrier plate comprising plate mineral or polymeric cement matrix and a mineral or organic, preferably fibrous, filler or reinforcement material, provided that at least one of the cement matrix and the filler or reinforcement material comprises a mineral material or mineral material mixture representing at least 25%, preferably at least 35%, more preferably at least 50%, by weight, of the carrier plate.

1 1 . The floor covering as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein each subfloor panel comprises a carrier plate and a functional backing, the functional backing comprising at least one of an acoustic isolation layer, a fire-retardant layer, a fire- resistant layer, an intumescent layer, a shock-absorbing layer, a thermal insulation layer, a self-levelling layer, a point-elastic layer and an area-elastic layer.

12. The floor covering as claimed in claim 1 1 , wherein the functional backing comprises a shape-memory foam.

13. The floor covering as claimed in claim 10, 1 1 or 12, wherein said carrier plate is a fibrocement plate.

14. The floor covering as claimed in claim 13, wherein said fibrocement plate comprises cementitious binder and organic fibres, e.g. a mixture of polymeric fibres and cellulosic fibres.

15. The floor covering as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 14, wherein the decorative finish comprises a resilient floor covering, e.g. a textile floor covering, a homogeneous floor covering or a multilayer floor covering formed of discrete elements or of a continuous sheet.

16. The floor covering as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 15 wherein the carrier plate of each subfloor panel has a thickness in the range from 2 to 8 mm, more preferably in the range from 3 to 6 mm and most preferably in the range from 3 to 5 mm.