SE526773C2 - Rectangular floorboard for providing a patterned floating flooring, has opposing long edges, each having a length not exceeding 80 centimeters and short edges having a length not exceeding 10 centimeters - Google Patents

Abstract

The floorboard (40) has opposing long edges (4a,4b), each having a length not exceeding 80 centimeters and short edges (5a,5b) having a length not exceeding 10 centimeters. Independent claims are also included for the following: (a) a patterned floating flooring; (b) a block of floorboards; (c) a method in manufacturing a floorboard; (d) a flooring system; and (e) a method in installing a flooring.

Description

25 30 526 773 2 different patterns with a mechanical joint system. The invention can thus also be applied to homogeneous wooden floors and wooden floors consisting of several layers, floors with a core of wood fibers or plastic and with a surface which is printed or which consists of plastic, cork, needle felt and the like.

Background of the invention Parquet floors have from the beginning been laid by laying wooden rods of suitable shape and size in different patterns and joining them together by gluing them to a subfloor. As a rule, the floor is then sanded to obtain an even floor surface and surface-treated with, for example, varnish or oil.

Traditional parquet rods according to this technique do not have any locking means at all, as they are fixed by gluing to the subfloor. The main disadvantage of such a floor is that it is very difficult to lay. The main advantage is that the lack of locking means enables installation in complicated and attractive patterns.

Another known method is that the wooden rods are provided with a groove, or a groove in all the edges around the rod. When the wooden rods are then laid by gluing to the substrate, springs are inserted into the grooves in the places where it is needed.

This thus provides a floor where the wooden rods are locked in the vertical direction relative to each other by the spring engaging in groove grooves of two adjacent wooden rods.

The surface becomes smooth and the wooden rods can thus be delivered with a finished lacquered surface. The horizontal joint is achieved by nailing or gluing to the subfloor.

Traditional parquet rods are rectangular and usually have a size of about 7 * 40 cm. The advantage of the above floor is that the rods can be laid in attractive patterns, for example in parallel rows with the short sides 10 15 20 25 30 offset relative to each other, in grid patterns or in herringbone patterns where the rods are connected long side to short side. The disadvantage of these floors is mainly that the laying and manufacturing is cumbersome and expensive.

Such floors cannot move relative to the subfloor. When the rods shrink and swell due to changes in the relative humidity (RH), unwanted joint cracks occur between the rods.

To solve these problems, the floating wooden floors were first developed. These floors consist of significantly larger floorboards with a width of, for example, 20 cm and a length of l2O - 240 cm. The surface usually consists of parquet rods that are joined in parallel rows. With such floorboards, installation is easier because several poles can be joined at the same time. The main disadvantage is that it is not possible to achieve advanced patterns.

Later, floating laminate flooring was developed, which was mainly a copy of the floating wooden floors, with the difference that the decorative surface layer consisted of a printed and impregnated paper that was laminated to a wood fiber core.

Liquid floorboards of this type are joined only in their joint edges, ie without gluing, on an existing subfloor that does not have to be completely smooth or flat.

Any irregularities are eliminated with the help of base material in the form of, for example, cardboard, cork or foam. They can thus move freely towards the subfloor. With changes in RH, the entire floor swells and shrinks.

The advantage of floating floors with a surface of, for example, wood or laminate is that the joints between the floorboards are tight and the change in size takes place hidden under the baseboards.

Such floorboards have a substantially larger surface area than the wooden rods and this enables a faster laying and rational production. Traditional such floating laminate and wood floors are usually joined by means of glued tongue / groove joints (ie joints with a tongue on a floorboard and a tongue groove on adjacent floorboard) on the long and short side. During installation, the boards are brought together horizontally, whereby a projecting tongue along the joint edge of a board is inserted into a tongue groove along the joint edge of an adjacent board. The same method is used on both long and short sides, and the boards are usually laid in parallel rows long side to long side and short side to short side.

In addition to such traditional floating floors, which are joined together by means of glued tongue / tongue groove joints, floorboards have recently been developed which do not require the use of glue but which are instead joined together mechanically by means of so-called mechanical locking systems. These systems contain locking means that lock the discs horizontally and vertically. The mechanical locking systems can be formed by machining the core of the disc. Alternatively, parts of the locking system can be formed of a separate material which is integrated with the floorboard, i.e. joined to the floorboard already in connection with the manufacture of this in the factory. The floorboards are joined, ie connected or locked together, by various combinations of angling, snapping and insertion along the joint edge in a locked position. The floorboards are joined one after the other, ie. the previous floorboard is connected to another floorboard on a long and a short side when a new floorboard is joined to the previous one.

The main advantages of floating floors with mechanical locking systems are that they can be laid even more easily and quickly and with high precision through various combinations of angling and / or snapping. They can also, unlike glued floors, be easily picked up again and reused elsewhere.

Definition of certain terms In the following text, the visible surface of the pre-assembled floorboard is referred to as "front", while the opposite side of the floorboard, facing the subfloor, is referred to as "back". The sheet-shaped starting material used in the manufacture is called "core". When the core is coated with a surface layer closest to the front and preferably also a balance layer closest to the back, it forms a semi-finished product called "floor panel" or "panel blank" in the case where the semi-finished product, in a subsequent operation, is divided into a plurality of above-mentioned floor panels. When the floor panels are edge-worked so that they have obtained their final shape with the joint system, they are called “floorboards”. “Surface layer” refers to all layers that are applied to the core closest to the front and which preferably cover the entire front of the floorboard.

"Decorative surface layer" refers to layers that are mainly intended to give the floor its decorative appearance. “Wear layer” refers to layers that are primarily intended to improve the wear resistance of the front. "Laminate flooring" refers to floors that are on the market under this name.

The wear layer of the laminate floor usually consists of a transparent paper with a mixture of alumina which is impregnated with melamine resin. The decorative layer consists of a melamine-impregnated decorative paper.

The outer parts of the floorboard at the edge of the floorboard between the front and the back are called "joint edge". The joint edge usually has several “joint surfaces” which can be vertical, horizontal, angled, rounded, bevelled, etc. These joint surfaces are available on different materials, such as laminate, wood fiber boards, wood, plastic, metal (especially aluminum) or sealing. material. By "joint" or "locking system" is meant cooperating coupling means, which connect the floorboards vertically and / or horizontally. By "mechanical locking system" is meant that joining can take place without glue horizontally parallel to the surface and vertically perpendicular to the surface.

Mechanical joint systems can in many cases also be joined with glue. "Floating floor" means floors with floorboards that are only joined to their respective joint edges and thus not glued to the subfloor. During moisture movements, the joint remains tight. Moisture movement takes place in the outer areas of the floor around the walls hidden under the baseboards. "Parquet rod" refers to a rectangular floorboard that has the shape of a traditional parquet rod. The most common format is about 40 * 7 cm. However, the parquet bar can also have a length of 20 - 60 cm and a width of 5 - 10 cm. "Floor unit" refers to several floorboards that are joined together and that form part of the floor. The "1 length" and "width" of the floorboard generally refers to the length and width of the front.

Prior Art and Problems Therewith In order to facilitate the understanding and description of the present invention and the realization of the problems underlying the invention, a description of the prior art will now follow with reference to Figs. 1-3 on the accompanying drawing sheets.

The predominant part of all floating laminate floors (fig. 1a) consists of rectangular floorboards 1 'with a (Sa) Using modern printing technology, laminate flooring can be length (4a) of about 120 cm and a width of about 20 cm. are produced that in terms of appearance are very lifelike copies of various natural materials such as wood and stone. The most common pattern is an imitation of parquet floors consisting of wooden rods (40). These wooden rods usually have a width of about 7 cm and a length of 20 -40 cm.

The floorboard usually contains three rows of parallel bars whose short sides are offset in relation to each other. This means that at least one rod (41) at the short side (5a, 5b) of the floorboard will be shorter than the other two rods. When the floorboards are joined together (fig. 1 b), the result is an unnatural appearance in comparison with a genuine traditional parquet floor which consists of equally long bars with offset short sides. The same applies to floating wooden floors.

Another problem that gives an unnatural look is related to manufacturing technology. This is shown in figure 2. Laminate flooring is manufactured by impregnating a printed decorative paper with melamine resin and laminating it to a wood fiber core so that a panel blank 2 is formed. Panel blank 2 is then sawn up, for example, to a dozen floor panels 3 which are edge processed into floorboards 1. The edge processing is done by first processing the long sides 4a 4b of the panels first in a machine 101, after which they are moved to another machine 105 which processes the short sides. In connection with the impregnation, the decorative paper swells in an uncontrolled manner. The swelling and the manufacturing tolerances that arise in connection with lamination, termination and edge processing lead to the position of the rods in different floorboards deviating from the desired position. When two floorboards are joined with their short sides facing each other, the rods (4la, 4lb) can be displaced laterally and their length can vary greatly (Fig. 1 c). All this gives major manufacturing problems in connection with the production of laminate flooring with a 3-strip parquet pattern.

To solve these problems, a number of costly methods have been used to control the manufacturing process in the manufacture of laminate flooring. The most common method is that production is controlled with advanced cameras that automatically measure and position the semi-finished products during the manufacturing process. Different patterns are also produced with special displacements of the rods so that the position errors are hidden to the greatest possible extent. In wooden floors, rods of varying length and parallel displacement are used to hide the cut rods at the short side. All known methods give an unsatisfactory result. Floating floors could reach a larger market if lifelike parquet patterns could be achieved in combination with a rational production and installation.

Figures 3a-3d show examples of mechanical joint systems used in floating floors. All these systems give rise to material waste W. This waste occurs in connection with termination (SB) and in connection with processing of the mechanical coupling means. To minimize this spill W, the aim is to make the floorboards as large as possible and with as few joints as possible. The floorboards should therefore be wide and long. Narrow floorboards contain many joints per square meter of floor space. Such narrow laminate floorboards with a width corresponding to a traditional parquet bar do not exist on the market. The narrowest laminate floorboards have a width exceeding 150 cm. and Figure 3 f shows interconnection by snapping.

Figure 3e show connection by angle Summary of the invention An object of the present invention is to provide floorboards which can be mechanically joined to a floating floor with a true-to-life parquet pattern which in appearance corresponds to traditional parquet rods.

Another object is to indicate suitable joint systems, laying methods and laying patterns for these floorboards.

The invention is based on a first insight that modern production technology and mechanical joint systems in combination with special laying methods make it possible to join very small floorboards quickly and with extremely high precision. A surprising result is that floors that consist of small floorboards can be installed almost as quickly and with the same quality as traditional floors that consist of considerably larger floorboards. It is also possible to achieve an installation that is faster and gives a better result than large floorboards with mechanical joint systems. The reason is that we have discovered that small floorboards are easier to handle, the friction surfaces along the long sides of the joint parts become smaller, which facilitates displacement, and finally the short side can be snapped in with lower force, because the parts that bend in connection are smaller and give less resistance.

The invention is based on a second and very surprising insight that the production cost for small floorboards with mechanical joint systems does not necessarily have to be greater than for large floorboards. Admittedly, small floorboards contain significantly more joints per square meter of floor than large floorboards, and the processing cost and material waste are large with the known mechanical joint systems. However, these problems can be largely avoided if the floorboards are produced and if joint systems are designed according to the invention. Small floorboards mean that a larger proportion of the wood raw material can be used because it is easier to produce small rods without twigs and defects than it is in the production of large boards. The format and placement of the floorboard in the floor can also be used to create the decorative appearance of a floor in a cost-effective manner, which is produced by terminating a panel blank, for example a laminate floor. By terminating, for example, a panel blank in the format 2.1 * 2.6 m with a printed veneer pattern, about 100 floor panels can be produced. These small floorboards, which can have the shape of a parquet bar, can be joined in different patterns with different laying directions. Then a parquet pattern of wooden rods can be created that is not possible to produce with today's technology. The swelling problem of the decorative paper is eliminated and no careful positioning and pattern fitting in connection with termination is necessary. This reduces production costs. If the floorboards are narrow, any angular errors between the long and the short side will be less visible in a narrow floorboard than in a wide floorboard.

The invention is based on a third insight that it is possible and even advantageous to use small floorboards in floating floors with formats corresponding to, for example, traditional wooden rods. Such a floating floor will consist of significantly more joints than a traditional floor consisting of large boards. The large amount of joints per unit area reduces the movement of the floor around the walls because each joint has a certain flexibility. Laminate flooring moves, for example, about 1 mm per m when RH varies during the year. For example, if the floorboards have a width of 66 mm, each meter will contain 15 joints. A shrinkage will then result in a maximum joint gap of 0.06 mm, provided that the floor is prevented from moving due to load. Such a joint gap is invisible.

Floating floors that consist of small floorboards can thus be laid in larger spaces.

The invention is based on a fourth insight that narrow floorboards cup significantly less than wide floorboards as RH varies. This provides a flatter floor and easier installation.

The invention is based on a fifth insight that a floor consisting of many small floorboards provides better opportunities to achieve a high laying quality with invisible joint cracks. Laminate and wooden floors can become side hooks due to uneven 10 15 20 25 30 526 775 ll moisture ratio in the board. This "banana shape" can give rise to visible joint cracks. For example, if the length of the boards is reduced from 1200 mm to 400 mm, the joint gap will be significantly reduced. Narrow discs are also easier to bend and in practice the mechanical joint system will automatically pull the discs together and completely eliminate the banana shape.

The invention is based on a sixth insight that the moisture problems that often arise when gluing wooden rods to a concrete floor can be solved by joining the wooden rod floating so that a plastic moisture barrier can be laid between the wooden floor and the concrete.

The invention is further based on a seventh insight that a very suitable way of creating a true-to-life parquet pattern which consists of parallel-displaced wooden rods is that the floorboards are made narrow with a width and preferably also with a length corresponding to a parquet rod.

The invention is based on an eighth insight that it is possible to provide a floor system which for example consists of small floorboards with preferably the same width and preferably different lengths where the length can be an even multiple of the width, and in which floor system floorboards have mirrored mechanical joint systems. Such a floor system enables laying in all the advanced patterns that can be achieved with traditional parquet poles. Laying can be done considerably faster and with better precision. Such a floor system can provide advanced patterns even with a surface layer which in traditional use can only be used in a few variants. A surface layer of needle felt or linoleum can, for example, be glued to an HDF board. If such panel blanks are manufactured in different color variants and processed into a floor system according to the invention, joining different floorboards in different colors can give very varied and advanced patterns which cannot be achieved with the original surface layer.

Finally, the invention is based on the insight that a short side in a narrow floorboard must withstand the same load as a substantially longer short side in a traditional floating floor. The reason that a point load on a single line can be the same. An example 85 mm short side in a floor according to the invention must thus withstand the same load as a 200 mm short side in a traditional floor. The short side should suitably have a strength that can withstand a tensile load of 100 kg or more. Joint systems that are laid by angling the short side, displacement along the joint edge and angling the long side are especially suitable for narrow boards. The reason is that a joint system that is joined by angling can be made stronger than a joint system that is joined by snapping. The floorboards should preferably according to the invention have joint systems on the long and short side which can be joined by angling down.

The above thus means that according to the invention it is possible to produce small floorboards, with a format corresponding to a traditional parquet rod, which in a surprising way and contrary to what has hitherto been considered possible, can contribute to giving advantages in floating floors. These advantages significantly outweigh the known disadvantages.

The principles of the invention as described above can also be applied to floor systems that have other formats than traditional parquet rods. For example, stone reproductions can be made in formats 200 * 400 mm, 200 * 60O mm 10 15 20 25 30 526 773 13 or similar with mirror-inverted joint systems that can be joined by angling and / or snapping. These formats can be joined in advanced patterns according to the above long side to long side, short side to short side or long side to short side. This object is achieved in whole or in part by floor systems and laying procedures as set out in the independent claims. The dependent patent claim states a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention.

Rectangular floorboards with long sides and short sides and with a width corresponding to a traditional parquet rod for forming a floating floor covering, which floorboards are mechanically lockable and have along their four edge portions in pairs opposite coupling means for locking similar, adjacent floorboards in both vertical and horizontal direction (D1 and D2, respectively), and wherein the long side of the floorboards has a length not exceeding 80 cm and the short side a width not exceeding 10 cm, is an embodiment.

According to one embodiment, the floorboards can be provided with mechanical joint systems which consist of a separate material which is mechanically connected to the floorboard. This reduces material waste in connection with machining the joint edges.

Several variants are possible. Flooring can be provided with all known mechanical joint systems. Special floorboards can be produced which consist of, for example, 9 floorboards which are joined together in three parallel staggered rows. The short sides are thus not straight but consist of staggered lines. Such floorboards can be laid by a combination of angling the long side, lateral displacement and snapping in the short side. Other preferred embodiments can also be laid by angling the short side, lateral displacement and downward angling. Finally, different combinations of snapping or insertion along the joint edge of one long or short side, lateral displacement and snapping of another long or short side can also be applied.

According to a process example for the manufacture of floorboards as above, a floor panel whose width corresponds to the length of the floorboard is machined in a first step. This floor panel, called a short-side panel, is then sawn up perpendicular to the long side in new panels, after which these are edged along the long sides in a second step.

The manufacturing technique is thus characterized by the short sides being processed before the final termination and before the long sides. This method enables a rational manufacture of small floorboards. Both the first and the second step can be done in the same machine line. If the floorboards have the same locking system on the long and short side, the same tool set can be used for both the long side and the short side. Mirrored A and B discs can be made by turning the short side panel 180 degrees before termination.

Floorboards according to the above embodiments can be joined at an angle to the locking means in contact with each other but in a position which deviates from the final position when the floorboards lie flat on the subfloor.

The floorboard is then shifted corresponding to its entire length relative to another floorboard in the previous row before the final reading takes place.

The above-mentioned manufacturing and laying technique is especially suitable for small floorboards, but can of course also be used in floorboards with other and larger formats. According to a first aspect of the present invention, a floor system comprising rectangular floorboards (41A, 41B), having a surface layer of laminate, having 4b) and short sides (5a, having a length which is an even multiple of 5b), flooring. The floorboards are mechanically lockable and have long sides (4a, (4a, 4b) short sides (Sa, 5b). , 14, 22) for interconnecting similar, adjacent floorboards with each other in both (D1 and D2) respectively. relation to the second type, which can be joined together by angling towards the upper joint edge long side to long side, short side to short side and long side to short side.

An embodiment of the present invention is a floor system consisting of floorboards of the same width but with different lengths which may be a multiple of the width.

The floorboards have mirror-inverted joint systems that can be joined together by angling. They can be laid in a variety of patterns with long sides joined by short sides.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of joining a floor by angling two short sides of two floorboards of a first 41A type towards a long side of a second type 41b. illustrating, by way of example, presently preferred embodiments of the invention according to its various aspects. Brief Description of the Drawings Figures 1a-c show known floorboards.

Fig. 2 shows the manufacture of laminate flooring according to known technology.

Figures 3a-e show examples of known mechanical locking systems.

Figures 4a-e show floors.

Figs. Sa-b show joint systems according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figures 6a-d show a laying procedure.

Figures 7a-d show a laying method Figures 8a-e show a manufacturing method for manufacturing floorboards.

Figures 9a-e show an embodiment of the floor system according to the invention.

Fig. 10 shows the laying of floorboards.

Figures 11a - 16e show examples of different patterns and laying methods.

Figures 17a-17c show examples of embodiments of floor systems with floorboards according to the invention in formats and laying patterns which are suitable for imitating stone floors.

Description of preferred embodiments Figs. 4a-c show floorboards 1, 1 'whose long sides 4a, 4b and short sides 5a, 5b are provided with mechanical locking systems. The vertical locking means may, for example, comprise a groove 23 and a spring 22 (see Fig. 5a). The horizontal locking means may comprise locking elements 8 which cooperate with locking grooves 14. All floorboards are rectangular and have a width corresponding to a traditional parquet rod.

The width is thus about a third of a traditional laminate floorboard. In Fig. 4a, the surface of the floorboard has a shape of 10 15 20 25 30 C fi high CP. 775 17 a parquet rod: In Fig. 4b the surface has a decorative surface layer consisting of two parquet rods and in Fig. 4c the surface layer consists of three parquet rods. The surface layer can be laminate, wood, plastic, linoleum, cork, various fibrous materials such as needle felt and the like. The surface can also be printed and / or lacquered.

Fig. 4d shows that such floorboards, which may thus consist of one or more rods, can be joined to a floor which in a true-to-nature manner forms a rod parquet pattern. All rods, except those located at the outer portions of the floor, can be full length. If the floorboard consists of more than one rod (Fig. 4b, c), a certain pattern fit must take place in the production. If, on the other hand, the floorboard consists of a single rod, according to Figure 4a, it is necessary to submit such a pattern fit. The floorboard can be made by terminating a panel blank that only has a pattern consisting of, for example, wood veneer with varying shades so that it mimics wooden rods that are made from different wooden logs of the same type of wood. In the floor according to Fig. 4d, the rods are offset corresponding to half the length. Figure 4e shows an example of a displacement by one third of the length.

Figures 5a-d show that the material spillage can be reduced to substantially the spillage that occurs in connection with the termination if the joint system is formed with a separate strip 6 which is mechanically fastened by a tongue 38 cooperating with a groove groove 36. Fastening can be done by snapping into the floorboard 1 joint edge in such a way that the upper lip 20 and the lower lip 21 are bent upwards and downwards, respectively, when the strip 6 is pushed in against the groove 36 of the floorboard 1.

The locking element 37 cooperates with the locking groove 39. Joining of the strip 6 to the groove groove 36 can take place in a plurality of alternative ways. The locking groove 39 can for instance be formed in the lower lip 21 and the locking element 37 can be formed in the lower front part of the strip 6 so that it cooperates with the locking groove 39. Joining the strip 6 to the joint edge of the floorboard can also be by angling the strip 6 or snapping the strip 6 in a slightly angled position. This locking system enables cost-effective manufacture of narrow floorboards without major material spills. Fig. 5a shows an example of a laminate floorboard 1, 1 'with a wood fiber core 30 and a surface layer 31 of laminate. The separate strip 6 in this embodiment consists of wood fiber.

Figures 5a, b show a locking system that can be locked by angling and snapping and Figure 5c, d shows a locking system that can be locked by snapping.

Figs. 6a - 6d show a laying procedure.

The floorboards are rectangular and can be joined mechanically. The laying begins, for example, by joining a first row R1 by, for example, angling the short sides of the floorboards together.

The first row, which can actually be an optional row in the floor, contains a floorboard Gl which is called the first floorboard. A second (Fig. 6a) angle A relative to the first floorboard G1 i and is with floorboard G2 in a second row R2 is placed in its upper joint edge in contact with the joint edge of the first floorboard G1. Fig. 6b shows that the installation can be facilitated if a wedge-shaped tool WT is used as a support. A new floorboard G3 in a second row R2 is then locked with its (G2) second row. This short-side joining can take place by short side against the short side of the second floorboard in the indentation along the joint edge of the short side, by angling or by snapping towards the joint edge of the short side. When angled and preferably also when snapped in, this joining is carried out so that the upper joint edge of the new floorboard G3 is at a distance from the upper edge of the joint of the first floorboard G1. When sliding in along the joint edge of the short side, this is not necessary as the new disc G3 can be slid so that it comes into contact with the first disc. The new board G3 can also first be joined to the first G1 by snapping, after which it is laterally displaced along the long side so that its short side is snapped towards the short side of the second floorboard G2. Thereafter, laterally (Fig. 6c) both the new G3 and the second floorboard G2 are displaced along their long sides parallel to the first floorboard G1. The first lateral displacement is preferably substantially equal to the length 4a of the floorboard.

Another new floorboard G3 'can then be joined according to Fig. 6d. When substantially the entire second row R2 is filled, all floorboards are angled down and locked. Essentially the entire flooring can be done in this way.

Figs. 7a - 7d show the corresponding floor laying seen and G3 "displaced, the second row R2 grows. This laying can be from above. the advantage is that the entire row R2 can be laid without the floor layer having to move along the floor rows.Due to the weight and flexibility of the floorboards, the different upturned floorboards will assume different angles.They can easily slide in a semi-locked position.This is shown in Fig. 5b. , 23 and 8, 14 are not completely locked and this reduces the friction at the same time as the discs 1, 1 'are prevented from sliding apart by the locking element 8 being partially inserted in the locking groove 14.

This laying method is especially suitable for small floorboards but can also be used in larger ones.

The laying method makes it possible to automate the laying. Another advantage is that this laying method enables an automated laying with the aid of a laying device. By means of a laying device for floorboards, the floorboards can be laid with a suitable device which, for example, consists of the following parts and functions. Device a magazine containing a number of New floorboards G3, G3 'etc. These floorboards are for example stacked on top of each other. It has a first sliding device which first inserts the new disc G3, at an angle to the first disc G1 in the first row R1.

The insertion movement takes place along the short sides so that the short sides of the second G2 and the new G3 disc are mechanically locked. The device further has a second sliding device which displaces the two interconnected discs laterally parallel to the first row R1. When the device is moved away from the first row R1, all boards, which have not yet reached a position parallel to the subfloor, are finally angled down towards the subfloor.

Fig. 8 shows a method for manufacturing floors with mechanical joint systems. The panel blank 2 is sawn up into new panel blanks 2 'These panel blanks are machined along their long sides, preferably in a machine with two chains. In this way a semi-finished product is manufactured in the form of a short side panel 2 ". This machining, which is thus a rational machining of the long sides of the panel blank, actually forms the floorboards short sides 5a, 5b. along its long sides 4a, 4b preferably in a machine with only one chain. The method is based on the fact that the production, contrary to today's production, takes place by the long sides being machined last and that a special sawing or dividing operation takes place between machining the short side of the floorboard and its long side. The method thus means that the short sides can be manufactured in large format very rationally even in cases where the floorboards are narrow. Today's processing machines work with lower capacity because machining of short sides takes place with the help of cams on chains and this means that the discs are machined at a distance which in Fig. 2 is denoted by D. The risk of angular errors between 10 15 20 25 30 35 526 773 21 long side and short side can be significantly smaller than in traditional manufacturing. Any side hooks, which can occur in connection with termination to floor panels, can be eliminated by directing the boards towards a ruler RL before the long-side machining.

If the floorboard has a width of 85 mm and a length of 6 * 85 = 510 mm, the long-side machining will require six times longer machining time than the short-side machining. An efficient production line can consist of a short-side machine and a saw unit and several long-side machines, for example 6 pieces.

Mirrored locking systems can be achieved by, for example, rotating the short side panel 2 "in the horizontal plane 180 degrees before termination. Alternatively, the floor panel 3 can be rotated in a corresponding manner after termination.

Machining of long sides and short sides can take place in the same machine and with the same set of tools. Several variants are possible. The long sides can, for example, be machined first. The panel blank then has a length corresponding to several floorboards and a width corresponding to one of the floorboards. After the first machining, the panel blank is divided into several floor panels which are then edge machined along the short sides.

Figs. 9a - 9d show a floor system consisting of two different board formats with mirror-inverted mechanical locking systems that can be joined by angling on the long and short sides.

Fig. 9a shows a preferred locking system which in this embodiment is manufactured in one piece with the core of the floorboard and which is designed so that the long side can be joined to the short side. It is an advantage if the locking system is In this preferred embodiment the locking system is identical. It should be essentially identical on both the long and short side. however, it is pointed out that the invention can also be applied to floorboards with different locking systems and / or locking systems containing different materials. Such differences may exist between different floorboards and / or long and short sides. The locking system can be joined at an angle.

In this embodiment, the locking system can handle a high tensile load corresponding to approximately 100 kg in a locking system that has an extension along the joint edge of 100 mm. The locking element 8 has a considerable extent vertically VT and horizontally HT. the extent VT 0.1 times the floor thickness T and the In this embodiment, the vertical horizontal HT is 0.3 times the floor thickness T.

Fig. 9b shows a floorboard 41A having a width M1 and a length 6M which is 6 times the width. It is a significant advantage if the power accuracy can be within the tolerance 0.05 mm or lower. With modern machines, tolerances of 0.02 mm can be achieved. Fig. 9c shows an identical floorboard 41B with the difference that the locking system is mirror-inverted. 41 A and 41 B have short sides with the same spring side 22 and groove side 23. The long side of floorboard 41A has a spring side 22 on the side where the floorboard 42B has a groove side. The locking systems are thus mirror-inverted.

Such a preferred floor system enables laying in advanced patterns because long sides can be joined to short sides and the laying direction can be varied.

The modular system with the length as an exact multiple of width increases the possibilities of variation.

Figs. 9d and 9e show corresponding floorboards with a length 9M which in this embodiment is, for example, 9 times the width M1. If the floor system also consists of boards of different lengths, even more advanced patterns can be achieved.

It is obvious that a number of variants are possible within the framework of the above-mentioned principles. Floor tiles can be manufactured in many varying lengths and widths.

The floor system can consist of three or more floorboards.

Some floorboards may have a width of 1M and others 2M or more. The floorboards do not need to have parallel sides either.

For example, the short sides can be manufactured at a 45 degree angle 10 15 20 25 30 35 52% 773 23 towards the long sides. Such a manufacture can be done rationally in a machining machine with two chains where the cams of the chains are displaced so that the discs pass the milling tools at an angle of, for example, 45 degrees. Other optional angles can also be produced in this way.

Fig. 10 shows examples of how floorboards 41A can be joined by angling long side to short side towards an already laid floorboard 42B. According to the invention, the long sides of the floorboards 41A are joined together by angling. Such a floorboard, called the second floorboard 41A, is in the initial phase of the laying in an angled position relative to a first previously laid floorboard 42B in the first row. A short side of this second floorboard 41A is in contact with the long side of the already laid first floorboard 42B. It is an advantage if a support WT is used to keep this and the already laid floorboards in the second row in an angled position. A new floorboard 41A 'is angled with its long side towards the second floorboard 41A in the second row which is perpendicular to the first laid floorboard 42B. The new floorboard 41A 'which is locked to the second floorboard 41A is then displaced along the joint edge in the locked position until its upper short side edge comes into contact with the long side edge of the first board 42B.

Then the entire second row is angled with the floorboards 41A, 41A 'down towards the subfloor. If an appropriate laying order is applied, advanced patterns can lay with this angle-angle method. The joint system has a high strength and large floors can be laid without expansion joints.

Fig. 11a shows how different floorboards 41A and 42A can be combined into a floor unit FU in a floor system so that all rows become the same length and that the entire floor unit FU has a locking system on all sides.

Figs. 11b and 11c show how the length of the floor unit FU can be varied by combining the different long boards.

The length of the floor unit can be changed in steps which are half the length of the shortest slab. The width can be varied with the number of rows according to Fig. 11c.

Fig. 12a shows that the floor unit FU can be adapted to the room size so that a decorative frame of sawn 41A boards can be designed which can be used to make the final adjustment of the floor to the room size. To create the decorative pattern, floorboards with mirrored locking systems 41A and 4lB are used. Ol - O4 shows a preferred laying order that can be used to join the floorboards with the angle - angle method.

After the floor unit FU has been installed in parallel rows with different lengths of boards, a mirrored board 4lB is joined to the short sides (02) of the floor unit. This board has a length which in the preferred alternative corresponds to the width of 6 floorboards. Then the vertical rows O3 are joined by the angle-to-angle method and finally the floor laying is completed by also locking the horizontal rows O4 in the same way.

This and other preferred patterns can of course also be joined by the combination of angular displacement and snap or just snap, offset and snap. Insertion along the joint edge can also be used.

Fig. 12b shows a variant which in this preferred embodiment contains several mirror-inverted disks 41b.

The laying can be done in the same way as above, for example according to the laying order Ol - 09.

A prerequisite for the above flooring to be able to be done with high quality without large visible joint cracks is that the floorboards are manufactured with great dimensional accuracy. It is an advantage if each joint can be given a certain flexibility so that the manufacturing tolerances are equalized. A clearance P between the locking surfaces in locking element 8 and the locking groove 12 of, for example, 0.05 mm is an advantage in this context. Such a play P does not give rise to a visible joint gap. A chamfer 133 of upper joint edges can also be used to conceal a joint gap and to remove parts of the hard surface layer so that upper joint edges become more flexible and possible to compress.

Fig. 13a shows another preferred pattern which can be laid according to the angle-angle method according to the order Ol - 07. The pattern can be produced with only one type of boards which need not have mirror-inverted joint systems.

Figs. 14a - b show a grid pattern with offset squares which can preferably be laid by first joining floorboards to two floor units FU 1 and FU 2. Then these two floor units are joined to each other by, for example, angling.

Figures 15a-c show alternative patterns that can be achieved with a floor system and laying methods described above.

Figures 16a -b show herringbone patterns joined by angling the long sides in and snapping the short side towards the long side. Laying can take place in many different ways. In Fig. 16, the floor is laid with both groove 23 and spring side 22 in the laying direction ID. Even more suitable is if laying takes place with only groove side 23 in the laying direction according to Fig. 16b.

Fig. 16c-e show herringbone pattern with two and three rods.

Figs. 17 a-c show how corresponding patterns can be achieved with floorboards which have a format which, for example, mimics stone. The floorboards have a decorative groove DG on a long and a short side which is produced, for example, by cutting off a part of the outer decorative layer so that other parts of the surface layer, 526 773 26 which lie below the decorative layer, or the core become visible.

Fig. 17c shows how mirror-inverted floorboards can be joined in advanced patterns where the decorative groove after laying frames the floorboards.

Claims (3)

10 15 20 25 30 35 526 775 27 PATENT REQUIREMENTS Floor system consisting of rectangular floorboards (41A, 41l), with a surface layer of laminate, with long sides (4a, 4b) and short sides (5a, Sb), the long sides (4a, the short sides (5a, 4b) have a length that is an even multiple of 5b) f floor covering, which floorboards are mechanically lockable and (4a, 4b, 5a, 5b) pairwise opposite coupling means (8, 9, 14, 22) for forming a liquid which along its four edge portions has for coupling of similar, adjacent floorboards with each other in both vertical and horizontal directions (D1 and D2, respectively), characterized by a first and second type of rectangular floorboards (41A, 41B), that the coupling means of the first type are mirror-inverted relative to the second type and that the first and the second type can be joined together by angling towards the upper joint edge long side to long side, short side to short side and long side to short side Floor system according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a third and fourth type of 42B), laminate, with long sides (4a, 4b) and short sides (5a, rectangular floorboards (42A, having a surface layer of 5b), for forming of a floating floor covering, which floorboards are mechanically lockable and which along their four (4a, 4b, 5a, coupling means (8, 9, 14, edge portions 5b) have pairwise opposite 22) for interconnecting similar, adjacent floorboards with each other in both vertical and horizontal direction (D1 and D2, respectively), the long sides 4a, 4b have a length which is an even multiple of the width (5a, multiple is less than the third and fourth floorboard 5b), that the multiple of the first and second floorboard , that the coupling means on the first and third board are mirror-inverted in relation to the second and fourth board and that all boards can be joined together by angling towards the upper joint edge long side to long side, short side to short side and long side to short page. Method for providing a floor with a floor system consisting of rectangular floorboards (41A, 41B), having a surface layer of laminate, with long sides (4a, 4b) and short sides (Sa, Sb), the long sides (4a, 4b) has a length which is an even multiple of the short sides (Sa, Sb), to form a floating floor covering, which floorboards are mechanically lockable and which along their four edge portions (4a, 4b, Sa, Sb) have pairwise opposite coupling means (8, 9, 14, 22) for interconnecting similar, adjacent floorboards with each other in both vertical and horizontal directions (D1 and D2, respectively), characterized by a first and second type of rectangular floorboards (41A, 4lB) , that the coupling means of the first type 41A are mirror-inverted relative to the second type 41B, that the first and the second type can be joined together by angling towards the upper joint edge long side to long side, short side to short side and long side to short side and that the floor is joined by angle of two cows sides of two floor slabs of the first 41A type against a long side of the second type 41l.