Patent Issued for Moisture resistant engineered hardwood veneer flooring (USPTO 11773604): Columbia Insurance Company
2023 OCT 24 (NewsRx) -- By a
The assignee for this patent, patent number 11773604, is
Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “Commercially available floorings, also known as engineered wood floorings, such as multiple cross-laminated veneers, face veneers on high density fiberboard (HDF) core, wood-polymer composite (WPC) core, or stone polymer composite (SPC) core have gained overwhelming success in the flooring market. These layered constructions are typically formed into standard-sized panels which are joined together at an installation site to create a floor covering system
“Though the veneer layer of such flooring systems is frequently coated with a water resistant or water tight material, the floor coverings systems can be still vulnerable to water damage at various joints points. Slight imperfections in the fit (seam) between adjacent floor panels may allow water or other liquids to penetrate into the joints between floor panes, which may in, in turn, result in damage, warpage, accelerated wear, or deteriorated fit of individual floor panels. Moreover, cleaning materials generally comprise surfactants that may accelerate the seepage of water into the seam. Because the material that make up the inner layers of the floor panels may not be completely impervious to water, those layers may absorb water or other fluids, resulting in damage or decreased product life.
“In actual residential and commercial settings, wood floorings are often contacted with liquids, either deliberately or through accident. Cleaning of floors with a detergent solution may cause up to as much as a 35% swelling of the flooring at the seam. Accidental wetting may also occur from spills or animal or human urine. Each of the liquids has a lower surface tension than water and will be likely to migrate into the seam formed by mating of two floor covering panels so as to cause engineered wood following to swell and eventually become dimensionally unstable. Also it is known that excess of moisture in hardwood or engineered wood floors can lead to splinters, splits, and face checking, mold and mildew growth that can also have a deleterious effect on human health.
“At least 98% of the engineered wood flooring sold in the US is pre-finished. Manufacturers commonly use flatbed finish lines that move boards via belts/rollers past roll coaters that apply finishes to the face. Applying moisture resistant sealer to the edges of the flooring boards prior to finishing, however, can be a problem if the sealer gets on the bevel as the sealer prevents stain from penetrating into the wood. This results in flooring boards that have unequal stain color on the veneer and on the bevel. Often to prevent sealers from getting on the face/bevels, the manufacturers need to use precision mounts that make this process more expansive.
“As result, a need exists in the industry for a simpler solution that allows application of a moisture resistant sealer in a single pass at production speeds. The disclosed methods providing moisture resistant engineered wood flooring allow to reduce the amount of water that seeps or penetrates into the surface of the floor, allow more time to clean up topical spills before damage can occur and increase the life of the hardwood floor.”
In addition to obtaining background information on this patent, NewsRx editors also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “The present disclosure is directed generally to engineered hardwood veneer flooring panels having increased resistance to moisture due to the application of a moisture barrier composition on one or more surface of the flooring panel.
“In one aspect, the disclosed flooring panel comprises a composite panel structure having a decorative veneer layer and a core layer, the veneer layer and the core layer having respective top surfaces and opposed bottom surfaces, wherein the veneer layer bottom surface overlies the core layer top surface. The composite panel structure has a first pair of opposing side edges that extend between the core layer bottom surface and the veneer layer top surface; and a second pair of opposing side edges that extend between the core layer bottom surface and the veneer layer top surface. Further, any two or more of the veneer layer top surface, the core layer bottom surface, the first pair of opposing side edges, and the second pair of opposing side edges further comprises a moisture barrier composition applied thereto
“In another aspect, disclosed is a method of making the engineered hardwood veneer flooring panels disclosed and described herein. The method generally comprises forming a composite panel structure by applying the veneer layer to the core layer such that the veneer layer bottom surface overlies the core layer top surface and such that a first pair of opposing side edges extends between the core layer bottom surface and the veneer layer top surface and a second pair of opposing side edges extends between the core layer bottom surface and the decorative veneer layer top surface; and applying a moisture barrier composition to any one or more of the veneer layer top surface, the core layer bottom surface, the first pair of opposing side edges, and the second pair of opposing side edges.
“Additional aspects of the invention will be set forth, in part, in the detailed description, figures, and claims which follow, and in part will be derived from the detailed description, or can be learned by practice of the invention. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as disclosed.”
The claims supplied by the inventors are:
“1. A flooring panel comprising: a decorative veneer layer and a core layer, the decorative veneer layer and the core layer having respective top surfaces and opposed bottom surfaces, wherein the opposed bottom surface of the decorative veneer layer overlies the top surface of the core layer, wherein the flooring panel comprises: a first pair of opposing side edges extending between the opposed bottom surface of the core layer and the top surface of the decorative veneer layer; and a second pair of opposing side edges that extend between the opposed bottom surface of the core layer and the top surface of the decorative veneer layer, wherein one or more of the top surface of the decorative veneer layer, the opposed bottom surface of the core layer, the first pair of opposing side edges, and the second pair of opposing side edges further comprises a 100% solid UV cured moisture barrier composition at a quantity from about 0.1 g to about 5.0 g per 2.67 sq.ft of the flooring panel.
“2. The flooring panel of claim 1, wherein opposing side edges of the first and second pairs of opposing side edges are not profiled to define any form of an interlocking or other connecting or fastening mechanism by which adjacent floor covering boards can be attached to one another, and wherein the flooring panel has a water absorption rate of 162-315 g/m2 and moisture gain of 28-82 g/m2.
“3. The flooring panel of claim 1, wherein opposing side edges of the first and second pairs of opposing side edges comprise connecting structures.
“4. The flooring panel of claim 3, wherein the first pair of opposing side edges define a complementary connecting structure.
“5. The flooring panel of claim 3, wherein a first side edge of the first pair of opposing side edges defines a tongue structure, and wherein a second side edge of the first pair of opposing side edges defines a groove structure.
“6. The flooring panel of claim 3, wherein the second pair of opposing side edges defines a complementary connecting structure.
“7. The flooring panel of claim 6, wherein a first side edge of the second pair of opposing side edges defines a tongue structure, and wherein a second side edge of the second pair of opposing side edges define a groove structure.
“8. The flooring panel of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the decorative veneer layer comprises the 100% solid UV cured moisture barrier composition, and wherein the first pair of opposing side edges and the second pair of opposing side edges comprises a moisture barrier composition that is not a 100% solid UV cured moisture barrier composition.
“9. The flooring panel of claim 1, wherein the core layer comprises a plurality of core layers.
“10. The flooring panel of claim 1, wherein the core layer is one of a rigid core layer, semi-rigid core layer, and flexible core layer; and wherein a thickness of the core layer ranges from 1.5 mm to 20 mm.
“11. The flooring panel of claim 1, wherein the decorative veneer layer is a decorative wood veneer layer.
“12. A method comprising: forming a flooring panel by applying a decorative veneer layer to a core layer, the decorative veneer layer and the core layer having respective top surfaces and opposed bottom surfaces, such that the opposed bottom surface of the decorative veneer layer overlies the top surface of the core layer and such that a first pair of opposing side edges extends between an opposed bottom surface of the core layer and a top surface of the decorative veneer layer and a second pair of opposing side edges extends between the opposed bottom surface of the core layer and the top surface of the decorative veneer layer; applying a 100% solid UV curable moisture barrier composition to one or more of the top surface of the decorative veneer layer, the opposed bottom surface of the core layer, the first pair of opposing side edges, and the second pair of opposing side edges at a quantity from about 0.1 g to about 5.0 g per 2.67 sq.ft of the flooring panel; and curing the applied 100% solid UV curable moisture barrier composition, thereby producing the 100% solid UV cured moisture barrier at a quantity from about 0.1 g to about 5.0 g per 2.67 sq.ft of the flooring panel.
“13. The method of claim 12, wherein the 100% solid UV curable moisture barrier composition is applied to the opposed bottom surface of the core layer after the decorative veneer layer has been adhered to the core layer.
“14. The method of claim 12, wherein the 100% solid UV curable moisture barrier composition is applied to the bottom surface of the core layer before the decorative veneer layer has been adhered to the core layer.
“15. The method of claim 12, wherein the 100% solid UV curable moisture barrier composition is a 100% solid UV curable hydrophobic sealer, and wherein the 100% solid UV curable moisture barrier composition is applied in a single pass at production speed.
“16. The method of claim 12, wherein the core layer is a high-density fiberboard (HDF), and wherein the 100% solid UV curable moisture barrier composition is roll coated onto the core layer while the HDF is in raw panel form.
“17. The method of claim 12, further comprising cutting the core layer to a desired floor panel size.
“18. The method of claim 14, further comprising hot-pressing the decorative veneer layer to the top surface of the core layer, wherein the decorative veneer layer has a hardwood, softwood, or woody grass veneer face.
“19. The method of claim 18, wherein the hot-pressing does not decrease moisture resistance of the 100% solid UV curable moisture barrier composition.”
For more information, see this patent:
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