This application claims priority from Canadian Patent Application No. 2,768,393 filed Feb. 22, 2012, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to tiles for use in flooring and related construction applications, and specifically to such tiles including cementitious materials.
It is known in the building construction and remodelling industries to employ tiles of varying base materials for flooring and other purposes. For example, the tiles can be composed of ceramic, cement, porcelain or stone, and are available in many varieties of colour, texture, size and strength.
Cement tiles have become a popular choice in the industry, due in part to the ability to easily introduce colour and texture into the material before it hardens into the final form, even mimicking more expensive stone products. Cement can also be provided with strengthening elements, such as fibre, before hardening.
It is known in the industry to employ cement tiles as flooring materials, particularly given their ability to be coloured or textured to suit a desired application or design. However, texturing a cement tile can be time-consuming or, where an automated process is involved, the pattern can be repetitious and hence less desirable. Also, as with any sort of flooring tile, cracking of grout between tiles allows the introduction of moisture and the resultant negative impact on sub-flooring.
What is needed, therefore, is a method for manufacturing a cement flooring tile with a textured surface that enables a non-repetitious pattern without requiring the expenditure of an undue amount of manufacturing time. Also, it would be advantageous to have a method for installing such a flooring tile in such a way that the risk of grout cracking is reduced.
The present invention therefore seeks to provide a method of manufacturing and installing a textured cementitious tile flooring product, wherein sodium bicarbonate is used to texture the tile surface and a polyurethane caulking material provides flexible joints between tiles.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a textured cementitious flooring product, comprising the steps of:
In exemplary embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the inner surface of the mold can be optionally covered with a releasing agent before introduction of the sodium bicarbonate layer. The method may also optionally include the addition of a colouring agent into the mold on top of the sodium bicarbonate layer but before introduction of the cementitious material. Also, the method may include the further step of mixing a strengthening agent into the cementitious material before the cementitious material is introduced into the mold.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flooring product manufactured using the method of the first aspect.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of installing a deck flooring product, comprising the steps of:
In exemplary embodiments of the third aspect of the present invention, a waterproof membrane can be provided on top of the adhesive, followed by the application of polyurethane strips positioned in a direction of desired water drainage. Flashing can also be installed over the outer edge of the membrane.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of installing a flooring product over radiant heat tubing, comprising the steps of:
A detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is given in the following. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be construed as being limited to this embodiment.
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention:
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As is indicated above, the present invention is directed to providing a method of manufacturing and installing a textured cementitious tile flooring product. Sodium bicarbonate is used to texture the tile surface through reaction with certain reactive components in the cementitious material, and a polyurethane caulking material is employed during installation in order to provide flexible joints between tiles.
Turning to
At this point, or concurrently with one or more of the above mentioned steps, a cementitious material is prepared at 12 and introduced into the mold at 22. The method 10 may include the further step of mixing one or more strengthening agents such as fibrous materials into the cementitious material before the cementitious material is introduced into the mold at 22. It is know in the art that porcelain, ceramic and stone tiles are vulnerable to cracking because of a lack of internal reinforcing elements. Tiles according to the present invention are instead composed of cement and can therefore incorporate strengthening agents to help maintain structural integrity under concentrated impact or blows, with the result that one has a flooring product with the advantage of added strength and a desirable appearance such as stone.
The cementitious material is introduced into the mold interior and directly on top of the sodium bicarbonate layer. This forms a reaction interface between the sodium bicarbonate layer and the cementitious material; if a colouring agent has been introduced, this should not impact the reaction. Cementitious materials according to the present invention incorporate one or more of a variety of reactive materials, which can be selected as to type and volume at the discretion of the manufacturer. While the largest component in the cementitious material is preferably but not necessarily Portland cement, materials that will react with sodium bicarbonate are also present in varying percentages, such as metakaolin, fly ash and silica fume, although other reactive components are known to those having skill in the relevant art. When the cementitious material is introduced on top of the sodium bicarbonate layer at 22, the sodium bicarbonate comes into contact with these reactive components and a reaction occurs, thereby creating pockets, caverns and voids in the concrete—this is the manner in which the texturing of the tile surface will occur. The extent of the texturing is therefore due in part to the amount of sodium bicarbonate used and the amount of reactive components in the cementitious material.
While this straightforward surface reaction will result in some degree of texturing of the tile surface, it has been found that agitating the cementitious material once it has been poured into the mold but before it has hardened will result in a more randomly distributed reaction at the reaction interface and hence more desirable levels of texturing. It is believed that this is the result of the agitation of the cementitious material pushing and dislocating the sodium bicarbonate layer which therefore spatially randomizes the reaction taking place at the reaction interface. This agitation takes place at 24 of
The reaction and resultant texturing having been enabled, the cementitious material is allowed to harden into the flooring product at 26, and the flooring product is finally removed from the mold at 28 and is ready for installation.
A flooring product having the desired characteristics can therefore be produced according to the above method 10, and such flooring product is intended to fall within the scope of the present invention. A flooring product manufactured according to the above method 10 can be used in indoor and outdoor applications, and unlike porcelain or ceramic tile, such a flooring product would be considered a “structural tile”, capable of being laid over a wooden floor or deck and withstand the anticipated stresses.
Also, it is known to use natural stone having surface holes in flooring applications, such as travertine. These holes are normally filled when used in indoor applications where a smooth floor is desired, which is achieved by trowelling cement paste into the voids and then diamond-polishing the stone until smooth. This same process can be employed with a flooring product according to the present invention, again providing a flooring product with the same desirable appearance as natural stone but with greater structural strength.
Turning now to
The method 30 is set out in
In deck flooring installations involving tile, it is industry standard to utilize flexible control joints at approximately 10′-0″ on centre, in both directions, to allow for some degree of flexibility in the tile flooring, with the rest of the floor tiles grouted using conventional masonry grout (which does not allow any significant movement between adjacent tiles without cracking). The joints in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention are all filled with a flexible polyurethane caulking, however, which is injected down into the crevice between adjacent tiles, ensuring adhesion to each tile edge which gives a mechanical bond to the depth of the joint. This allows for a flexible expansion joint between all adjacent tiles and eliminates the commonly encountered grout cracking.
Turning now specifically to
Turning to
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the foregoing examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the specification as a whole.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2768393 | Feb 2012 | CA | national |