Patent Application
20090107071
The present invention relates generally to wooden tile floor systems, and specifically to mosaic wooden tile floor systems, kits and method of installing the same that utilize a resilient grout and/or an under-layer cushion.
Hardwood flooring and tile flooring are two very common types of floors installed in both residential and commercial environments. Existing hardwood flooring system typically utilize elongated planks of wood as the primary flooring material. In a typical hardwood floor installation process, the elongated wooden planks mechanically fastened to a subfloor, such as plywood, through the use of staples and/or nails. The elongated wooden planks are generally interconnected to one another through a tongue and groove interlock mechanism. Such tongue and grove interlock systems are well known in the art. These hardwood planks are long-grain, meaning that they are cut generally parallel to the direct in which a tree grows. The main attraction to hardwood floors is generally their natural beauty and ease of cleaning. Stated simply, many people prefer the look of wood as compared to carpet and/or tile.
In existing tile floors, the individual tiles are typically constructed of glass, ceramic, stone or another brittle material. Tile floors are typically installed by gluing individual tiles (or sheets of tiles on a mesh backing) to a subfloor, such as cement board. The individuals tiles are usually spaced from one another by grout lines (i.e., channels located between the edges of adjacent individual tiles). Once the adhesive dries and the tiles are firmly secured to the subfloor, a cementitious grout is applied to the grout lines so as to partially fill the grout lines. Once dried, the cementitious grout is brittle. One or more water sealing layers may then be applied atop the grout and tiles to waterproof the floor. The main advantage of tiles is that they come in wide variety of shapes and colors and can be combined to form an infinitum of detailed patterns. This is especially of true of the smaller mosaic tiles.
There is believed to be a considerable market of people who generally prefer the look of natural wood floors but also like the detail and/or patterns of file floors. To date a number of manufacturers have commercialized wooden tile flooring systems. In existing wooden tile flooring systems, the tiles are formed from wood. Both long-grain and end-grain tiles have been created in the past. End-grain tiles are tiles where the major tile surface is cut generally perpendicular to the direction in which a tree grows. As with ceramic tile floors, the wooden tiles are glued to a subfloor in spaced relation to form traditional grout lines. These grout lines are then filled with a cementitious grout.
While existing wooden tile floors achieve the general desirability of a natural wood appearance in a detailed pattern, these wooden tile floors suffer from a number are drawbacks and are less than optimal for many settings. For example, existing wood tile floors are susceptible to moisture and temperature fluctuations which causes the wood to expand and contract, thereby cracking the grout and/or warping so as to create undesirable voids. Existing wood tile flooring systems are also deficient in that they provide a very hard walking surface, creating sound and joint shock to the homeowner during usage. Existing wood tile floors can not placed over sources of heat and/or near sources of moisture without eventual degradation.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel wooden tile flooring system, kit and installation method that reduces and/or eliminates the deficiencies discussed above.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a wooden tile flooring system and/or kit that is flexible, moisture resistant, soil resistant and/or resistant to temperature fluctuations.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wooden tile flooring system and/or kit that is cushioned and/or softer to walk on than existing wooden tile floors.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a wooden tile flooring system and/or kit that is sound absorbent and/or provides improved heat insulation.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a wooden tile flooring system and/or kit that can be provided atop radiant floor heating systems.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a wooden tile flooring system and/or kit that gasket seals the edges of the wooden tiles.
These and other objects are met by the present invention which in one aspect can be a wooden tile flooring system: a plurality of wooden tiles having an edge defining a major surface, the wooden tiles positioned atop a floor surface in spaced relation to one another so that a grout line exists between the edges of adjacent wooden tiles; and a resilient grout at least partially filling the grout lines.
The resilient grout preferably forms a gasket-like seal about the edges of the wooden tiles. The utilization of a resilient grout allows the wood tile floor to be sufficiently flexible so that a cushion layer can be disposed between a subfloor and the plurality of wooden tiles if desired.
In another aspect, the invention can be a wooden tile flooring system: a cushion layer positioned atop a subfloor; a plurality of wooden tiles adheres atop the cushion layer in spaced relation so that a grout line exists between adjacent wooden tiles; and a grout at least partially filling the grout lines.
In yet another aspect, the invention can be a wooden tile flooring kit comprising: a plurality of mosaic wooden tiles having an edge defining a major end-grain surface; and a grout in liquid form for filling grout lines between the mosaic wooden tiles, the grout being a resilient grout when cured that forms a gasket-like seal about the wooden tiles.
In still another aspect, the invention can be a method of installing a wooden tile flooring system at a work site comprising: a) applying an adhesive to a floor surface; b) positioning a plurality of wooden tiles atop the floor surface in spaced relation so that a grout line exists between adjacent wooden tiles; and c) applying a grout in liquid form so as to at least partially fill the grout lines, the grout being a resilient grout when cured that forms a gasket-like seal about the wooden tiles.
In a further aspect, the inventions set forth above and described herein may not be limited to tiles constructed of wood but may be practiced with tiles constructed of other materials, including without limitation ceramic, glass, plastics, etc.
Referring first to
Each of the wooden tiles 10A, 10B respectively comprise a major surface 11A, 11B and an edge 12A, 12B. The edges 12A, 12B form the perimeter of the wooden tiles 10A, 10B. While the edges 12A, 12B are illustrated as planar surfaces, the edges can be rounded, tapered, angled or irregular in shape. The edges 12A, 12B are free of the traditional “tongue-and-groove” structures of traditional hardwood floor.
The wooden files 10A, 10B are end-grain tiles, which means that they are cut generally perpendicular to the direction in which a tree grows. Stated another way, the major surfaces 11A, 11B of the wooden tiles 10A, 10B form a plane that would have been generally perpendicular to the axis of the tree trunk and/or branch it came from. While end-grain tiles are preferred, in some embodiments of the invention the wooden tiles 10A, 10B may of course be long-grain tiles or any variation thereof. In fact, in some embodiments of the inventive wood flooring system where a multitude of wooden tiles are used to create a desired pattern and/or look, both end-grain and long-grain tiles can be used concurrently.
The wooden tiles 10A, 10B are mosaic-style tiles that are cut to precise shapes on equipment designed to replicate pattern shapes. The major surfaces 11A, 11B of the wooden tiles 10A, 10B preferably have an area of 15 inches squares or less. It is envisioned that the wooden tiles should be sufficiently small so that detailed patters can be created on floors within standard room sizes. The wooden tiles 10A, 10B preferably have a thickness within a range of ⅜ inch to 2 inches. The invention, however, is not so limited and the size of the wooden tiles can vary greatly. The exact size will be dictated by the desired pattern, appearance and/or size of the room in which the wooden tiles are to be installed.
The specific size and shape of the wooden tiles 10A, 10B illustrated in
Referring to
As can best be seen in
Referring back to
The arrangement of the wooden tiles 10A, 10B on the wooden tile sheet 100 is selected so that a plurality of the wooden tile sheets 100 can be arranged in an adjacent manner so that the geometric pattern is repeated.
While utilizing the mesh backing 200 will be preferred in some embodiments of the invention, it is not necessary in all applications and/or embodiments. Thus, in some embodiments, the wooden tile flooring system of the present invention will not utilize a mesh backing 200.
Referring now to
The wooden tiles 10 are arranged atop the floor surface 301 in a spaced relationship so that grout lines 50 are formed between the edges 12 of the adjacent wooden tiles 10. The grout lines 50 are at least partially filled with a resilient grout 60. In some embodiment, the grout lines 50 may be entirely filled to create a non-skid surface. The resilient grout 60 is flexible and forms a gasket-like seal about the edges 12 of the wooden tiles 10. Preferably, the resilient grout 60 will have a Shore A scale between 25-35. In one suitable embodiment, the resilient grout 60 is a resilient polyurethane rubber. In one embodiment, the resilient grout 60 can be a room temperature vulcanizing rubber.
The resilient grout 60 is applied to the grout lines 50 in liquid form. Over time, the liquid form resilient grout 60 cures, thereby forming highly adhesive bond between the wooden tiles 10 that acts as a rubber gasket-like seal about the edges 12 of the wooden tiles 10. In a specific embodiment, the liquid form of the resilient grout 60 is formed by mixing two components together at the job site. In the preferred embodiment, equal amounts of a polyurethane prepolymer and a mixture of a polyol and a plasticizer are combined. The resilient grout 60 can be white or colored by adding a coloring agent.
The resilient grout 60 provides flexibility to the wooden tile flooring system 1000, allowing the wooden tiles 10 to expand and contract with minimal resistance as needed without breaking the gasket-like seal. Thus, the wooden tile flooring system 100 can be used over radiant heating systems and in more moist and temperature diverse environments. The flexibility of the resilient grout 60 also allows another novel feature, the addition of a cushion layer beneath the wooden tiles 10. This will be discussed below.
Referring now to
The cushion layer 400 is preferably a foam material, such as styrene butadiene rubber. However, the invention is not so limited and other padding materials can be used, including without limitation latex. The cushion layer is preferably between ¼ inch to ¾ inch in thickness.
The cushion layer 400 provides a soft feel to the finished wooden tile floor system 2000 for the user. The cushion layer 400 also provides as an added layer of insulation for both sound and heat. In embodiments where the wooden tile flooring system 2000 is to be placed over a heated floor, the cushion layer 400 may be formed of non-insulating material.
An installation process for the wooden tile flooring systems described above will now be described. First, the subfloor 300 to be covered is cleaned of all dust and debris. If the subfloor 300 is concrete, it must be ensured that the concrete is cured and completely dry. All cracks and holes in the subfloor 300 are to be filled with caulking or another filler. This prevents the liquid resilient grout 60 from leaking through the subfloor 300 when initially applied. If a cushion layer 400 is to be used, panels of the cushion layer 400 are then glued atop the subfloor 300. All seams of the cushion panel 400 are then sealed with caulking.
The layout gridwork for the wooden tiles 10 are then mapped out and chalked. Glue is then applied to the top surface of the cushion layer 400 (or the subfloor 300) with a trowel. The wooden tile sheets 100 are then placed on the glued surface in accordance with the gridwork (in some embodiments, individual wooden tiles 10 will be placed atop the glued surface rather than the wooden tile sheets 100). Either way, the wooden tiles 10 are placed so as to maintain the proper spacing and network of the grout lines 50 and to achieve the desired geometric pattern. Once all of the wooden tiles 10 are in position, the glue is allowed to dry so as to secure the wooden tiles 10 in place.
The resilient grout 60 must now be created and applied. First, equal parts of a liquid room temperature vulcanizing rubber and a liquid mixture of a polyol and a plasticizer are poured into a container and mixed to form the liquid resilient grout 60. A mixer can be used to adequately mix the components if desired. Once mixing is complete, the liquid form resilient grout 60 is then poured onto the tiled surface so as to flow into and at least partially fill all of the grout lines 50. A squeegee can be used to spread the liquid form grout 50 as needed. Preferably, the liquid form resilient grout 60 fills at least ⅔ of the depth of the grout lines 50. The liquid form resilient grout 60 is allowed to cure over night, thereby forming a gasket-like seal surrounding each wooden tiles 10.
The entire floor is then sanded and cleaned. A finish such as Dluraseal or Waterlox Original Formula is then applied to the tiled and grouted floor surface. A coating of wax may then be applied. The method of the invention can comprise any combination of the steps mentioned above. All of the steps are not necessary to practice the invention.
While the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, various alternatives and modifications will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Specifically, the invention can take on a wide variety of embodiments that omit one or more of the components illustrated above. Moreover, in other embodiments, the tiles may not be constructed of wood but rather may be constructed of a wide variety of materials, including without limitation ceramic, stone, plastic and/or glass. This would allow the resilient and cushioned characteristics of the invention described above to be incorporated into tile floors made of traditional materials.
The present invention claims the benefit of the U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/983,839, filed Oct. 30, 2007, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60983839 | Oct 2007 | US |
