The present invention relates to surface-coverings, like flooring, and methods of installing the same.
Laminate flooring usually has at least a core of particle or fiberboard or other wood-type material, an upper decorative surface layer, and a lower balancing layer of polymer or paper, or like material. The surface layer provides appearance and durability to the floorboards. The core provides stability, and the balancing layer keeps the board plane when the relative humidity (RH) varies. The floorboards are generally laid floating, i.e., without gluing, on an existing subfloor. Conventional floating flooring of this type are usually joined by means of a tongue-and-groove joints (i.e., joints involving a tongue on one floorboard and a tongue groove on an adjoining floorboard) on the long side and the short side that are mechanically locked in place. When laying the floor, the boards are brought together horizontally, whereby a projecting tongue along the joint edge of one board is introduced into a groove along the joint edge of an adjoining board. The same method is used on the long side as well as on the short side. Various types of glueless mechanical locking systems (including straight tongue and groove arrangements) have been utilized in the flooring industry. Flooring with glueless mechanical locking systems (tongue and groove arrangements) are becoming increasingly popular, as they are easy to lay, and, thus, it is not necessary to utilize highly trained personnel to lay such floor tiles.
An advantage of floating floors with mechanical locking systems is that the floating floors can easily and quickly be laid by various combinations of inward angling and snapping-in. The floating floors can also easily be taken up again and used once more at a different location. A further advantage of the mechanical locking systems is that the edge portions of the floorboards can be made of materials which need not have good gluing properties. The most common core material is a fiberboard with high density and good stability, such as HDF—High Density Fiberboard. Sometimes also MDF—Medium Density Fiberboard—is used as the core.
Current floor systems have suffered, however, from disadvantages. One disadvantage experienced with current floor systems is that if each of the side edges of a plank includes a mechanical locking tongue or groove, once one of the side edges is connected to another similar plank, it is difficult to connect the other side edges of the plank with yet another similar plank. Lifting portions of the connected flooring is necessary to create a proper angle to connect the plank. This problem particularly accentuates itself while installing a click system floor in a very limited-free-space and/or confined area such as in corners of a room, under or around a door jamb, or under or around closets or kitchen islands, and the like. In these areas there is no room for lifting portions of the connected flooring to create the necessary angle to connect the plank.
In addition, the groove edge design of many conventional planks having a wood or wood-based core require the edge portions of the plank to be cut very thin. The thin edge portions of these planks render the planks more vulnerable to damage during shipping and handling. Once the edge of the plank is damaged, the plank cannot be effectively attached to other planks and is thereby rendered useless.
Also, certain groove edge designs are difficult to machine on wood or wood based materials. Oftentimes, it is difficult to precisely shape a groove profile for wood or wood-based materials in a production line. Thus, there are a limited number of groove designs which are available and effective for the edges of wood or wood-based planks.
Some current flooring systems have a mechanical locking tongue and groove on the first opposing side edges and a straight edge on the other opposing side edges. This type of flooring system, however, also includes certain disadvantages. For example, the straight side edges that are connected to one another may not be water tight and could potentially slide open to form a gap. If an adhesive is used, the adhesive can be pressed out of the seams and create messy seams.
Other flooring systems have flexible grooves that have some “give” to permit connecting without angling. The integrity of such systems, however, is questionable and there is difficulty in making such a joint.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a connecting system for flooring and other surface-coverings, which is relatively inexpensive, provides an excellent connection between the planks, is easy to connect along each of the side edges of the planks, and/or is moisture resistant and provides an overall acceptable bond strength between two joined planks.