The occupant compartments of motor vehicles, such as cars and trucks, typically have some type of floor covering that is secured in place on the floor. In cars the covering is often a carpeted fabric. In trucks, especially commercial ones, coverings other than carpeted ones are used, rubber or synthetic coverings being common examples.
In some trucks separate smaller floor coverings, rather than a single large floor covering, are used. Functional and/or appearance considerations may call for the use of one or more parts to create a joint along edges where the separate coverings meet. For example, a prior joining technique known to the inventors involves the use of an extruded metal strip that is placed over the margins of the meeting edges, closing any gap between them in the process, and securing the extrusion to the floor by separate fasteners. That results in an acceptable appearance and reduces likelihood of the joint being a trip point and/or margins of the meeting edges curling. However, thermal conductivity of the fasteners and the extrusion can cause the extrusion to feel cold in winter even when the occupant compartment is warm.
Moreover, the use of an extrusion and separate fasteners adds parts to the vehicle, requires some amount of installation time, and therefore adds to manufacturing cost. Where a floor covering itself comprises multiple separate layers, such as a rubber or synthetic mat and a separate underlying pad or the like, the pad would be laid first and then covered by the mat, adding to the installation time.