Field of the invention
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The present invention generally relates to wood flooring, and is more particularly
concerned with flooring surfaces made of prefabricated flooring panels.
Background of the invention
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Wood floorings are a popular method of providing a decorative and long-lasting
flooring surface. While wood floorings have several advantages due to
their durability and natural beauty, they also have several disadvantages. For
example, the wood strips used to fabricate wood floorings are expensive due to
the cost of the wood. In addition, wood floorings require a skilled craftsman to
install the floor. As a result, the combined cost of the materials and the labor are
relatively high. This has discouraged many people from selecting this type of
flooring.
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Attempts have been made to provide the aesthetic look of wood floorings
without the associated costs. One method has been to provide a prefabricated
panel that has several rows of veneer strips which are attached to a substrate.
A major disadvantage of this type of floor, while providing the appearance of a
wood flooring, is that it is made of rectangular panels. When the rectangular
panels are installed, the seams that are formed between the rectangular panels
extend over several strips of wood and are very visible. This makes it very
obvious that the floor has been covered with prefabricated veneer panels rather
than with real wood strips.
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US 6,021,615 describes a prefabricated flooring panel that is made of a
plurality of parallel wood slats situated side by side, with the slats being of the
same lengths but staggered in their longitudinal positions. A tambour backing is
adhesively secured to a back side of the slats to hold the slats together as a
panel. By using an irregular pattern of hardwood slats, which end at different
points, the seam that runs across the entire width of rectangular, prefabricated
veneer panels is eliminated. Since there is no such seam, an observer would be
unable to determine if a prefabricated panel was used or if individual strips of
wood were installed in the conventional manner. However, variations in the
positioning of the slats on the tambour backing-e.g. during manufacturing-from
one panel to another results in the presence of gaps between the ends of
the slats of two successive, abutted panels in the same row. Furthermore, the
particular shape of this panel makes its handling, packaging and transport
relatively inconvenient. Besides, the edges of the protruding slats can easily be
damaged during handling and transport.
Object of the invention
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The object of the present invention is to provide an improved prefabricated
flooring panel that allows the construction of a flooring having the appearance of
a real wood flooring. This object is achieved by a prefabricated flooring panel as
claimed in claim 1.
Summary of the invention
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A prefabricated flooring panel in accordance with the present invention
comprises a number of parallel slats arranged side by side. Fixing means are
provided for fixing the prefabricated flooring panel to further similar prefabricated
flooring panels. It will be appreciated that the prefabricated flooring panel
further comprises coupling means that hold the slats transversally and that
allow the slats to be moved longitudinally with respect to their adjacent slats, so
that the panel can be installed with its slats longitudinally staggered. Hence, the
slats end at different locations, whereby a look of random slat arrangement is
created. A wood flooring consisting of such prefabricated flooring panels has an
improved aesthetic appearance when compared to a flooring made of traditional,
rectangular veneer panels, where a noticeable seam line extends across
several strips of wood. Since, with the present panels, there is no such seam
line, an observer would be unable to determine if the present panel was used or
if individual strips of wood were installed in the traditional manner. Hence, a
flooring surface made of prefabricated flooring panels according to the invention
has the appearance of a real wood flooring.
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A further, particularly advantageous aspect of the present prefabricated
flooring panel is the possibility of moving the slats and arranging them in a
desired position, to give the panel a desired shape. For example, at the factory,
the slats can be positioned in such a way as to minimize the dimensions of the
panel, whereby simplifying its packaging, handling and transport. When panels
according to the present invention are then used to install a floor, the flooring
installer will arrange the slats in a staggered position, so as to avoid straight
seams and obtain an improved aesthetic appearance.
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The mobility of the slats is also of great interest for installing the panel,
since it allows a very precise adjustment of the panel. Indeed, the ends of the
slats of the panel can be adjusted to be in proper abutment with the ends of the
slats of the preceding panel in the same row, whereby avoiding gaps between
two successive panels.
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In addition to improving the appearance of the flooring by avoiding straight
seams, the staggered position of the slats increases the strength of the flooring
by avoiding weak points which would be produced by straight seams.
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It is to be noted that the use of prefabricated flooring panels saves the installer
a substantial amount of time, since the individual strips do no longer
need to be installed one at a time.
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In a preferred embodiment, the coupling means comprises an insert element
for every pair of adjacent slats. The insert element cooperates with
longitudinal channels in the adjacent longitudinal edges of the adjacent slats. A
variety of shapes for the insert element and for the channels can be used, as
long as adjacent slats are held transversally and can be moved longitudinally.
To facilitate the assembly of the panel with further similar panels, the insert
element should preferably be shorter than the slats the adjacent slats. In other
words, the insert element should not extend over the whole length of the slats.
The length of the insert element should preferably be such that, when the slats
are staggered, the insert element is enclosed over its whole length by the
adjacent slats.
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It will be understood that the panels of the present invention are pre-assembled
so as to be ready-to-lay for the flooring installer. The panels are thus
generally assembled at the manufacturing stage, which ensures a precise
machining of the channels to provide a smooth sliding of the insert element in
the channels.
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The fixing means of the present panel are preferably configured for a
tongue-and-groove assembly with further similar panels. The panel may thus
comprise a tongue on an external longitudinal edge of one of the outermost
slats of the panel and a groove on an external longitudinal edge of the opposite
outermost slat. Such tongue-and-groove joints are known per se, and allow a
rapid and optionally interlocking assembly with adjacent panels. Likewise, the
transversal edges of the slats will preferably be configured for a tongue-and-groove
assembly with the transversal edges of the slats of further similar
panels.
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Since the principal use of the present panel is to install wood floorings, the
panel will generally be made of wood or wood derived material. To provide a
long-lasting flooring surface, the slats should be made of real wood. Hardwood,
such as e.g. oak or beech, is preferred for its wear resistance, but softer wood
such as e.g. fir or pine may also be used.
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However, for cost reasons, each slat shall more generally comprise a supporting
layer provided on one face with a covering layer. The supporting layer
may e.g. be made of wood derived material such as H.D.F. (High Density Fiber)
or M.D.F. (medium density fiber) or plywood. The covering layer shall consist of
thin veneer strips attached to the supporting layer.
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For every pair of adjacent slats, the covering layer of one of the pair of
slats may be configured to partially cover the other adjacent slat. The gap
between the supporting layers of adjacent slats is thus covered, whereby further
improving the appearance of the panel.
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Floating parquet floors as well as fixed (i.e. glued or nailed) parquet floors
can be constructed with prefabricated flooring panels according to the invention.
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It is to be further noted that, while it is expected that the principal use of
the panel of the invention will be for flooring, it is also possible to use the
present panels on walls or ceilings. Likewise, while the principal use of the
panel of the invention is to install wood flooring, other materials such as synthetic
flooring, marble, etc. may also be installed using this technique.
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According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for installing
a flooring surface is proposed. It comprises the following steps:
- providing a prefabricated flooring panel as described above;
- adjusting the slats of the prefabricated flooring panel in longitudinally
staggered positions;
- installing the panel on a surface to be covered.
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The installation of the panel is done according to the known methods and
shall advantageously include the assembly of the panel with further similar
panels, preferably by means of tongue-and-groove fittings, as well as fixing the
panel to the target surface and/or to similar panels, e.g. using adhesives, nails
or screws.
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The mobility of the slats of the panel allows to adjust their position while
assembling the panel to similar panels, in particular in the same row. Hence, the
panel can be installed with precision and possible dimensional variations in the
panel due to manufacturing can be compensated.
Brief description of the drawings
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The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which:
- Fig.1:
- is a plane view of a prefabricated flooring panel in accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the invention;
- Fig.2:
- is a sectional view along line A-A of the prefabricated flooring panel of
Fig.1;
- Fig.3:
- is a plane view of two assembled flooring panels.
-
In the Figures, same reference numbers indicate similar or identical elements.
Detailed description of a preferred embodiment
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Fig.1 shows a plane view of a preferred embodiment of the present prefabricated
flooring panel 10. It comprises three parallel slats 12, 12' and 12" that
are longitudinally arranged side by side. It will be appreciated that the slats 12,
12' and 12" are pre-assembled in such a way that two adjacent slats 12, 12' and
12" can be moved longitudinally with respect to each other. Coupling means,
which will be detailed below, hold the slats 12, 12' and 12" together transversally
and allow the slats to be moved longitudinally with respect to their adjacent
slats. It follows that a flooring installer can install the panel 10 with its slats 12,
12' and 12" longitudinally staggered.
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As can be seen in Fig.2, in the present embodiment each slat 12, 12' and
12" consists of two layers: a supporting layer 14, 14', 14", e.g. made of wood
material such as H.D.F. (High Density Fiber) or M.D.F. (medium density fiber) or
plywood, and a covering layer 16, 16', 16". As shown in Fig.1, the covering layer
is formed by a row of thin veneer strips 18, such as e.g. oak segments. The
veneer strips 18 are disposed end to end and glued to the supporting layer 14,
14', 14".
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In Fig.1, the panel 10 is shown with its slats 12, 12', 12" longitudinally
staggered, as it would be positioned in a flooring. In Fig.3, the panel 10 of Fig.1
is assembled in end to end relationship to another similar panel 10' in the same
row. Since the slats 12, 12', 12" end at different locations, a look of random slat
arrangement is obtained. It is to be noted that the present panels 10 provide an
improved aesthetic appearance when compared to the traditional, rectangular
veneer panels, where a noticeable, straight seam line extends across several
strips of wood. As can be understood from Fig.3, wherein the junction area
between the two panels 10 and 10' is encircled with the dashed line, there is no
such straight seam line and an observer would be unable to determine if the
present panels 10 were used or if individual strips of hardwood were installed in
the traditional manner. The surface flooring obtained with the present prefabricated
flooring panels 10 thus has the appearance of a real wood floor.
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The mobility of the slats 12, 12', 12" allows the flooring installer to define at
will the end positions of the slats 12, 12', 12", which results in a great flexibility
of use. It will be particularly appreciated that the mobility of the slats, while
installing the panel, allows for a very precise adjustment of the panel. Indeed,
the ends of the slats of the panel 10 can be adjusted to be in proper abutment
with the ends of the slats of the preceding panel 10' in the same row, whereby
avoiding gaps between two successive panels. in this encircled zone of Fig.3.
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When compared to the rather cumbersome panels described in
US 6,021,615, it will be noted that in the present panel 10, the slats 12, 12', 12"
can be arranged in such a way as to minimize the dimensions of the panel 10.
In the present case, since the panel 10 is made of slats 12, 12', 12" of equal
lengths, the most compact shape is the rectangle. The mobility of the slats 12,
12', 12" thus allows to align the slats so as to form a rectangle, as indicated by
the dashed lines in Fig.1. This greatly simplifies handling, packaging and
transport of the panels. Basically, upon manufacturing of the panel 10, the slats
12, 12', 12" will be arranged so that the panel has a rectangular shape. The
floor installer will then bring the slats 12, 12', 12" into longitudinally staggered
positions during installation of a floor. Although in Fig.1 the slats are arranged in
a step, it may alternatively arranged in a random manner. It will also be noted
that the slats can have different lengths.
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As already mentioned, adjacent slats within the panel are assembled by
means of a coupling means. In the present embodiment, this coupling means,
shown in Fig.2, is an insert element 20, which has an X-shaped cross-section.
The insert element 20 cooperates with V-shaped channels 22 provided in the
adjacent longitudinal edges (24, 24') and (24", 24''') of adjacent slats 12 and 12',
respectively 12' and 12". This type of assembly allows to move the slats 12, 12',
12" longitudinally, but holds the slats 12, 12', 12" side by side transversally.
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It is clear that the insert element is introduced longitudinally in the channels
when pre-assembling the panel and that it is not possible to separate two
adjacent slats without first removing the insert element.
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The panel 10 is further provided with fixing means that are advantageously
configured for a tongue-and-groove assembly with adjacent, similar panels (not
shown). With regard to Fig.3, such adjacent panels would be installed to the left
and/or to the right of the panels 10, 10'. Therefore, one of the outermost slats
12 of the panel 10 has its external longitudinal edge 26 provided with a groove
28. The opposite, outermost slat 12" of the panel 10 has its external longitudinal
edge 30 provided with a tongue 32 having a profile matching that of the groove
26. In the present embodiment, the tongue-and-groove joint is preferably an
interlocking joint, so that adjacent panels are held together in both vertical and
horizontal directions.
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Although not shown, the ends of each slat 12, 12', 12" is also preferably
configured for a tongue-and-groove assembly with the ends of the slats of
further similar panels. However, contrary to the tongue 28 and groove 32 of the
longitudinal edges 26 and 30, which have a particular profile to provide an
interlocking joint, the tongues and grooves of the ends of the slats 12, 12' and
12" shall preferably have a rectangular profile.
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It is to be further noted that the covering layers 16 and 16' are configured
so as to partially cover an adjacent slat. The gap between the supporting layers
is thus hidden, which further contributes to the improved appearance of the
panel 10.
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In an alternative, not shown embodiment, the coupling means provided
between each couple of adjacent slats may be realised in the form of a dovetailed
joint. This alternative embodiment will however be described with reference
to Fig.2 for a clear explanation. The coupling means shall thus comprise a
longitudinal dovetailed tongue on one longitudinal edge, e.g. 24, resp. 24", of
the first 14, resp. 14', of the adjacent slats. The second slat 14', resp. 14", shall
have its adjacent longitudinal edge 24', resp. 24", provided with a longitudinal
groove having a profile matching that of the dovetailed tongue.
List of reference signs:
-
- 10
- prefabricated flooring panel
- 12, 12' and 12"
- slat
- 14, 14', 14"
- supporting layer
- 16, 16', 16"
- covering layer
- 18
- veneer strips
- 20
- insert element
- 22
- channel
- 24, 24', 24", 24'''
- longitudinal edge
- 26
- external longitudinal edge
- 28
- groove
- 30
- external longitudinal edge
- 32
- tongue