Hardwood flooring board and methods

Abstract

The present invention is a hardwood flooring board including a middle layer formed from a non-hardwood flooring material and a hardwood material upper layer which is secured to an upper surface of the middle layer that is thick enough to include decorative designs. The middle layer forms between 45% and 75% of the overall material of the board and enables the board to be manufactured to be more dimensionally stable, i.e., wider and longer, than conventional hardwood flooring boards such that the boards can be more uniformly constructed. Also the use of the non-hardwood material in the middle layer greatly increases the dimensional stability and long term performance of the flooring boards, while providing a genuine hardwood appearance to the floor. The board also includes a lower layer that can be formed from either a hardwood material or a non-hardwood material to function as a base for the board. The upper layer is secured to the middle layer by an adhesive that is urged into the openings or cracks in the upper layer during the assembly of the board to prevent the cracks from spreading through the upper layer when the boards are in use.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 002,856 filed on Nov. 30, 2004, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 863,696, filed on Jun. 8, 2004 which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 563,638, the entirety of which are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to flooring surfaces, more specifically to a flooring surface made of individual flooring boards secured to one another to form the flooring surface. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] In a large number of commercial and residential buildings, hardwood flooring surfaces are utilized to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the interior of the building. In most instances, the flooring surface is formed from a number of flooring boards or planks engaged with one another to form the flooring surface. These boards are usually f...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] According to a primary aspect of the present invention, an improved hardwood flooring is constructed with upper and lower layers formed of a conventional flooring material and a central or middle layer formed of an alternative non-hardwood flooring material. The board includes a hardwood layer forming the upper layer of the board to give the board the appearance of a conventional hardwood flooring surface when the boards are assembled to form the flooring surface. This enables the boards to be sanded when damaged similarly to a hardwood only board in order to maintain the hardwood appearance of the board.

[0012] However, the use of the alternative flooring material as the middle layer or core of the board greatly increases the dimensional stability of the board. In addition, the raw material cost for the non-hardwood material forming the middle layer costs less than that of the hardwood forming the upper layer. Further, the types of non-hardwood materials that can be used to form the middle layer can be chosen to enhance various properties of the board, such as the dimensional stability, longer average board length and a specially milled connection between each board that significantly minimizes any future visible contraction of each board.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, the upper layer or veneer layer of the board is secured to the middle layer by a suitable adhesive in a process which urges the adhesive into the cracks present on an inner surface of the veneer layer. By urging the adhesive into the cracks, the adhesive effectively prevents the spread or propagation of the cracks in the veneer layer such that these cracks will not detrimentally affect the appearance of the veneer layer by spreading completely through the veneer layer due to any changes in the environmental conditions surrounding the boards.

[0014] According to still another aspect of the present invention, the high-strength construction enables the board to be sanded and precisely milled after it is formed, and prior to installation, such that once the boards is installed they require only a light screening (i.e., sanding with 120 grit sandpaper) that lightly abrades the surface of the board so that the wood readily accepts a finish. Also, because the board does not require significant sanding after installation, the board may be formed with a wide range of decorative features (i.e., a beveled edge, scraping, or embossing) that enhance the appearance of the boards and the resulting flooring surface formed by the boards.

Problems solved by technology

However, while these hardwood flooring surfaces provide the desired appearance to the interior of the building, the natural characteristics of traditional solid wood flooring often create challenges during installation and can develop later effecting the long term performance of the floor.

While these boards are faster to install and can be less expensive, the quality of the hardwood appearance is often unsatisfactory, and long term performance is poor, as normal wear and tear can often damage the hardwood-appearing surface of the boards, exposing the non-hardwood material forming the board.

While these cracks initially do not mar the appearance of the veneer after it is used to form the flooring board, due to fluctuating humidity levels after installation, the cracks can propagate completely through the veneer layer and can break the smooth surface of the veneer, detrimentally effecting the appearance of the hardwood flooring board.

Images