Floorboards, flooring systems and method for manufacturing and installation thereof

Abstract

Floorboards with a format corresponding to a traditional parquet block for laying of mechanically joined floating flooring. Rectangular floorboards include a surface layer and a core with two long sides and two short sides, for making a floating flooring, which floorboards are mechanically lockable and which along their four sides have pairs of opposing connectors for locking similar, adjoining floorboards to each other both vertically and horizontally wherein the long sides have a length not exceeding 80 cm and the short sides have a width not exceeding 10 cm.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 730,131, filed Dec. 9, 2003, which is a continuation application of PCT / SE03 / 00641, filed on Apr. 22, 2003, which claims the priority of SE 0201225-0 and SE 0203482-5. The present application also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 431,699, filed on Dec. 9, 2002. The contents of PCT / SE03 / 00641; SE 0201225-0; SE 0203482-5; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 431,699 are hereby incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The invention relates generally to the field of floorboards. The invention concerns floorboards which can be joined mechanically in different patterns so as to resemble traditional parquet flooring comprising blocks. The invention also relates to methods for laying and manufacturing floorboards. The invention is specifically suited for use in floating flooring which comprises floorboards having a ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This solution enables quick and accurate installation of floating flooring with consistent joints, reduced material waste, and improved durability, allowing for advanced patterns and reduced joint gaps, while utilizing raw materials more efficiently and maintaining the appearance of traditional parquet flooring.

Problems solved by technology

The machining of the joint edges to form floorboards is an expensive operation in all types of floor materials.

It is also known that small sizes of floor panels would cause disadvantages in a floor, especially in a floor where the floorboards are rectangular and narrow, thus having a large amount of joints at the long sides of the narrow panels.

It is known that small-sized floorboards with mechanical locking systems would be more expensive to produce than similar panels with traditional tongue and groove systems.

It is also known that mechanical locking systems, which enable a high quality locking with angling, due to the larger amount of material required for forming the locking system, are generally more costly and complicated to machine than the more compact snap systems.

Mechanical locking systems of any kind on the long sides of a rectangular panel are in general more costly to produce than any type of mechanical locking system on the short sides.

Installation with vertical snapping is complicated and there is a considerable risk that the edges or part of the locking system is damaged during locking or unlocking.

A further problem which causes an unnatural appearance is related to the manufacturing technology.

In connection with impregnating, the decorative paper swells in an uncontrolled manner.

The swelling and the manufacturing tolerances arising in connection with laminating, sawing and machining along the edges result in the position of the blocks in different floorboards deviating from the desired position.

All these circumstances cause great manufacturing problems in connection with manufacture of laminate flooring with a 3-block parquet pattern.

In order to solve these problems, a number of expensive methods have been used to control the manufacturing process when making laminate flooring.

All prior-art methods give an unsatisfactory result.

All these systems cause waste W. This waste arises in connection with sawing (SB) and in connection with machining of the mechanical connecting means.

Conversely, wider short sides, without any vertical locking system, would increase the risk of the short sides becoming warped, thus creating an uneven floor.

Small floorboards certainly contain essentially more joints per square meter of floor than large floorboards and the machining cost as well as the amount of waste are great when using the prior-art mechanical joint systems.

Such a Abanana shape≅ may cause visible joint gaps.

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