GB2399748A

GB2399748A - Releasable surface covering system

Info

Publication number: GB2399748A
Application number: GB0307194A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Steven Tasker
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-03-28
Filing date: 2003-03-28
Publication date: 2004-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 2023-03-28
Also published as: WO2004085737A2; WO2004085737A3; GB2399748B; GB0307194D0

Abstract

A releasable surface covering system, and method of installing thereof, comprises at least one membrane (2) having one side pre-glued or pre-pasted (4) and a surface covering (6); wherein the membrane is attached by means of its pre-glued/pasted surface to a surface (10), e.g. a floor, and the surface covering is permanently bonded to the other side of the membrane. Preferably, the membrane comprises paper which may be vinyl coated on the side that is not pre-glued/pasted. A pressure sensitive adhesive may be used as the glue; and a removable sheet, preferably comprising three strips, can be provided over the pre-glued side. Ideally, the surface covering may be a floor covering, e.g. underlay (6) or carpet (8); or a wall covering, e.g. a tile.

Description

Title: Releasable Surface Covering Systems.

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a releasable surface covering system, particularly but not exclusively a releasable floor or wall covering system.

The conventional method for installing a new carpet over a floor surface generally involves applying adhesive to the floor, adhering an underlay to the floor by means of the adhesive, allowing this to dry and then adhering the carpet to the underlay. This system is known as "double- stick".

Gluing the floor with a tackyfier prior to application of the underlay can take anything from 30 minutes to three hours for the adhesive to cure, depending upon weather conditions. Installation of a new carpet can prove difficult because the underlay is permanently bonded to both the floor and the carpet which results in some of the underlay being removed with the carpet whilst some remains attached to the floor. The remaining ripped underlay must then be removed from the floor using special machinery to ensure an even surface is provided prior to application of a new underlay and carpet. This process is extremely time-consuming and labour intensive.

Whilst the above mentioned underlay and carpet system is acceptable for covering relatively small areas of floor, there are serious cost implications for the installation of new carpets over large flooring areas. For example, the changing of a carpet on a cruise ship must be carried out whilst the ship is in a dry dock which costs millions of pounds per day. Thus, the curing time of the adhesive and the time spent completely removing the ripped underlay and carpet greatly increases the cost of installing a new carpet. Furthermore, it is difficult to accurately assess the time that will be required to remove the old carpet and/or underlay and install a new one. It would be desirable to provide a system that allows for a speedier installation of a new carpet and enables a more accurate installation time to be estimated.

Wall surfaces are often covered with ceramic tiles to provide a decorative effect and to protect the wall from moisture. Generally, these tiles are adhered directly to a wall surface by means of a tile adhesive and joint lines between adjacent tiles are then filled with grout. Whilst this system is perfectly acceptable for the application of tiles, removal of the tiles from the wall is a time-consuming process and may often result in damage occurring 1 S to the wall surface.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a releasable surface covering system, for example for a floor or wall, that aims to overcome, or at least alleviate, the abovementioned drawbacks.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved method for installing a surface covering that aims to overcome, or at least alleviate, the abovementioned drawbacks.

Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention provides a releasable surface covering system comprising at least one membrane having one side pre-glued or pre-pasted and a surface covering, the at least one membrane being attached by means of its pre-glued or pre-pasted side to a surface and the surface covering being permanently bonded to the opposing side of the membrane.

In a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for installing a surface covering comprising the steps of applying a preglued or pre-pasted membrane to a surface and permanently bonding a surface covering to the opposing side of the membrane.

Preferably, the surface is a naked floor or wall. Alternatively, the surface may already be provided with a covering to which the membrane and surface covering is applied.

The surface covering may comprise a floor covering, such as a carpet, or a wall covering, such as a ceramic tile. The surface covering is permanently bonded to the membrane, for example using the conventional adhesive that is normally used to apply the covering directly to the floor or wall, such as an acrylic or water-based adhesive or a tile adhesive. In contrast, the membrane is attached to the surface by means of a pre-applied adhesive or paste, more preferably a pressure sensitive adhesive.

Preferably, the membrane comprises paper. More preferably, the paper is vinyl coated with the glue or paste being provided on the side of the paper that is not vinyl coated. Vinyl paper comprises a plastic film laminated to a paper backing that is easy to remove from a surface because the plastic layer may be peeled off dry, leaving the paper backing behind. If the paper is pre-glued, as in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a removable sheet is preferably provided over the pre-glued side to protect the glue prior to its application and to prevent the paper from sticking to itself.

More preferably, a pressure sensitive adhesive is used to provide a preglued paper. Alternatively, if pre-pasted paper is provided, the paper is wet with water prior to its application.

It is preferable for the pre-glued paper to be covered by a removable sheet that comprises three strips whereby the central strip may be removed first to attach the central area of the paper to the relevant surface and the two strips flanking the central strip may be removed after securement of the central area.

The intended upper surface of the membrane may be provided with printed matter thereon, for example in the form of a grid or a pattern to aid installation of the surface covering. The membrane may also be used as a template to allow accurate cutting of the covering prior to its installation.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a releasable floor covering system comprising at least one membrane having one side pre-glued or pre-pasted, an underlay and a top floor covering, the at least one membrane being attached by means of its pre-glued or prepasted side to either a floor surface or an upper surface of the underlay and the underlay or top floor covering being permanently bonded to an opposing side of the membrane.

The present invention also provides a method for installing a floor covering comprising the steps of applying a pre-glued or pre-pasted membrane to a floor surface or an upper surface of an underlay and permanently bonding an underlay or top floor covering to the opposing side of the membrane respectively.

The membrane may be provided between just the floor and the underlay or just between the underlay and the top floor covering. However, more preferably, the membrane is attached to the floor via its pre-glued or pre-pasted side, underlay is permanently bonded to the upper surface thereof, a further membrane is attached to the upper surface of the underlay by means of its pre-glued or pre-pasted side and then a top floor covering, such as a carpet, is adhered to the upper surface of this membrane.

The top floor covering may be any appropriate floor covering but is preferably a woven carpet. Similarly, any type of underlay may be provided, such as cloth or foamed. Preferably, the underlay is foamed.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect reference will now be made by way of example only to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic drawing illustrating the components of a releasable floor covering system according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic drawing of a releasable floor covering system using the components of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic drawing illustrating the components of a releasable floor covering according to another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a schematic drawing of a releasable floor covering system using the components of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a schematic drawing of the underside of one embodiment of pre-glued paper for use in a flooring system according to the present invention; and Figure 6 is a schematic drawing of the upper side of the pre-glued paper shown in Figure 5.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, a releasable floor covering system according to one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The system comprises a layer of pre-glued vinyl- coated paper 2 having a releasable sheet 4 attached to the pre-glued side, an underlay 6 and a top covering 8, such as a carpet. The pre-glued side is provided by means of a pressure sensitive adhesive, such as that used in Duck_ tape or double-sided sticky tape. The releasable sheet 4 is removed from the pre-glued side of the paper and this side is then stuck to the floor 10.

A layer of adhesive is then applied to the other side of the vinyl paper and the underlay is permanently bonded thereto. A further layer of adhesive is then applied to the top side of the underlay and the carpet permanently bonded to the underlay.

This system enables the underlay and carpet to be installed far more quickly than using the systems of the prior art because the pre-glued paper can be applied directly to the floor and the underlay applied thereto without having to wait for the adhesive to cure. Furthermore, the system allows the underlay and carpet to be easily removed from the floor without ripping of the underlay. The use of a membrane that has glue already applied thereto removes the need for the floor and/or underlay to be soaked with adhesive prior to application of a covering. The use of a paper membrane that is adhered to the floor by means of an adhesive applied to the floor would be unsatisfactory since the paper would become soaked and be dimensionally unstable. In contrast, the present invention overcomes this problem by using a membrane having glue pre-applied which will prevent the paper from being ripped upon installation of the floor covering.

Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings illustrate a second embodiment of the present invention. The underlay 6 is secured to the floor by means of pre-glued vinyl-coated paper 2 as described in relation to Figures 1 and 2 above. Additionally, a second layer of re-glued vinylpaper 12 is provided, having a releasable sheet 14 provided over the glued side. In this manner, the release sheet can be removed and the pre-glued paper lain over and stuck to the top surface of the underlay 6. Adhesive is then applied to the top side of the paper 12 and the carpet 8 is permanently bonded to the S paper. Again, this system dramatically reduces the time taken to install and remove the carpet. Furthermore, the provision of a paper layer between the carpet and the underlay enables the carpet and vinyl part of the paper layer to be completely removed with the underlay layer remaining intact. This allows the underlay to be used again beneath a new carpet.

l O Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings illustrates the preferred method of applying the pre-glued paper to the surface of the floor or underlay. The release sheet 4 that is applied to the glued side of the paper is provided as three strips, a narrow central strip 4a flanked by two wider strips 4b, 4c. This enables easy application of the paper to the floor or underlay.

The central strip is removed first and the central region of the paper is applied to the surface. Each side strip can then be removed to stick the rest of the paper to the floor or underlay. This arrangement prevents the paper becoming stuck to itself.

A further optional feature of the present invention is that patterns or a grid system may be printed on the upper surface of the paper on the side opposite the glued surface, i.e on the vinyl layer of the vinyl-coated paper.

For example, Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings illustrates a sheet of paper 2 that is pre-glued on its reverse side but is provided with a grid system on its intended upper side. This is to assist in the installation of square pieces of carpet to the paper. Alternatively patterns may be printed on to the paper to facilitate lining up of a carpet featuring the same pattern and/or to give true and accurate picture of the finished carpet prior to its installation.

It is to be appreciated that any suitable pre-glued or pre-pasted substrate may be used for attaching the underlay to the floor and the carpet to the underlay. However, it is preferable to use a vinyl-coated paper. The vinyl layer of the paper results in the layer being waterproof which protects the underlay from any heavy spills that may occur on the carpet. Furthermore, the peelable nature of the vinyl coating from the paper enables the carpet to be removed from the underlay and the underlay to be removed from the floor, with only a layer of paper remaining. The underlay and/or carpet may also be removed and re-installed elsewhere. The paper can also tolerate medium to heavy traffic immediately after installation enabling persons to walk on the vinyl-coated paper prior to application of the underlay and/or carpet and the releasable paper may be used as a template to ensure accurate fitting of the carpet and/or underlay within an area.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the releasable covering system may be used in relation to the application of tiles to a surface.

Pre-glued vinyl paper is applied to a wall and then ceramic tiles are attached to the vinyl-coated side of the paper by means of conventional tile adhesive.

The tiles are then grouted. The tiles are securely fixed to the wall but may be removed easily therefrom by removing the vinyl layer from the paper backing of the membrane. This greatly reduces the time taken to remove tiles from a surface and also assists in providing a smooth wall surface after removal of the tiles.

Claims

1. A releasable surface covering system comprising at least one membrane having one side pre-glued or pre-pasted and a surface covering, the at least one membrane being attached by means of its pre-glued or pre pasted side to a surface and the surface covering being permanently bonded to the opposing side of the membrane.

2. A releasable surface covering system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the membrane comprises paper.

3. A releasable surface covering system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the paper is vinyl-coated with the glue or paste being provided on the side of the paper that is not vinyl coated.

4. A releasable surface covering system as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein the paper is pre-glued using a pressure sensitive adhesive.

5. A releasable surface covering system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the membrane is provided with a removable sheet over its pre-glued side.

6. A releasable surface covering system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the removable sheet comprises three strips.

7. A releasable surface covering system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the central strip is narrower than the two strips either side of the central strip.

8. A releasable surface covering system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the intended upper surface of the membrane is provided with printed matter thereon.

9. A releasable surface covering system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the surface is a naked floor or wall.

10. A releasable surface covering system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the surface to which the membrane and surface covering is applied is already provided with a covering.

11. A releasable surface covering system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the existing covering is an underlay.

12. A releasable surface covering system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the surface covering is a floor covering.

13. A releasable surface covering system as claimed in claim 12 wherein the floor covering is a carpet.

14. A releasable surface covering system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the surface covering is a wall covering.

15. A releasable surface covering system as claimed in claim 14 wherein the surface covering is at least one tile.

16. A releasable floor covering system comprising at least one membrane having one side pre-glued or pre-pasted, an underlay and a top floor covering, the at least one membrane being attached by means of its preglued or pre-pasted side to either a floor surface or an upper surface of an underlay and the underlay or top floor covering being permanently bonded to the opposing side of the membrane.

17. A releasable floor covering system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the membrane is provided between the floor and the underlay only.

18. A releasable floor covering system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the membrane is provided between the underlay and the top floor covering.

19. A releasable floor covering system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the membrane is attached to the floor via its pre-glued or pre-pasted side, the underlay is permanently bonded to the upper surface of the membrane, a further membrane is attached to the upper surface of the underlay by means of its pre-glued or pre-pasted side and a top floor covering is permanently bonded to the upper surface of the further membrane.

20. A releasable floor covering as claimed in any one of clams 16 to 19 wherein the at least one membrane comprises paper.

21. A releasable floor covering system as claimed in claim 20 wherein the paper is vinyl-coated with the glue or paste being provided on the side of the paper that is not vinyl coated.

22. A releasable floor covering system as claimed in claim 20 or 21 wherein the paper is pre-glued using a pressure sensitive adhesive.

23. A releasable floor covering system as claimed in claim 22, whereinthe membrane is provided with a removable sheet over its pre-glued side.

24. A releasable floor covering system as claimed in claim 23 wherein the removable sheet comprises three strips.

25. A releasable floor covering system as claimed in claim 24 wherein the central strip is narrower than the two strips either side of the central strip.

26. A releasable floor covering system as claimed in any one of claims 16 to wherein the intended upper surface of the membrane is provided with printed matter thereon.

27. A method for installing a surface covering comprising the steps of applying a pre-glued or pre-pasted membrane to a surface and permanently bonding a surface covering to the opposing side of the membrane.

28. A method for installing a surface covering as claimed in claim 27 wherein the membrane is vinyl-coated paper.

29. A method as claimed in claim 28 further comprising the step of removing the surface covering by peeling the vinyl from the paper attached to the surface.

30. A method for installing a floor covering comprising the steps of applying a pre-glued or pre-pasted membrane to a floor surface or an upper surface of an underlay and permanently bonding an underlay or top floor covering to the opposing side of the membrane respectively.

31. A method as claimed in claim 30 comprising the steps of attaching a membrane by its pre-glued or pre-pasted side to the floor, permanently bonding an underlay to the upper surface of the membrane, attaching a further membrane to the upper surface of the underlay by means of its pre glued or pre-pasted side and permanently bonding a top floor covering to the upper surface of the further membrane.

32. A method for installing a floor covering as claimed in claim 30 or claim 31 wherein the membrane is vinyl-coated paper.

33. A method as claimed in claim 32 further comprising the step of removing the top surface covering and/or underlay by peeling the vinyl from the paper attached to the underlay or floor surface.

34. A releasable floor covering system substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Figures 1 and 2, Figures 3 and 4 or Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.