Flooring board with a thin veneer wood aesthetic and durable surface

• US 10,576,715 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2015
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aladdin Manufacturing Corporation (Mohawk Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Aladdin Manufacturing Corp. (China) (Mohawk Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bogner, Harry, Quinlan, Dick
• Primary Examiner(s): Vineis, Frank J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sawdon, Alicia J
• Application Number:
  US14/796,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20170008258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 21/02 the layer being formed of fibres, chips, or particles , e.g. MDF, HDF, OSB, chipboard, particle board, hardboard
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 21/042 of wood B32B21/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 21/14 comprising wood board or veneer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/067 Wood fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/536 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2317/16 Wood, e.g. woodboard, fibreboard, woodchips
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2419/04 Tiles for floors or walls tiles for roofs B32B2419/06
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/14 characterised by the properties of the layers
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/042 the lower layer being of fibrous or chipped material, e.g. bonded with synthetic resins

Abstract

A flooring board having a plurality of layers may have a sufficiently high modified Janka hardness rating for use in general flooring applications. The flooring board may comprise a fiberboard core layer having a thin veneer layer of a natural wood species adhered to a surface of the core layer. The veneer layer may be a gymnosperm (softwood) or angiosperm (hardwood) having a low Janka hardness rating. Surprisingly, the flooring board has a high modified Janka hardness rating significantly higher than the Janka hardness rating of the natural wood species and sufficient for use in general flooring applications when the veneer layer is sufficiently thin.

Claims

1. A flooring board comprising:

a core layer comprising a fiberboard material, wherein said fiberboard material comprises compressed ground wood fibers and a binder material, and wherein said fiberboard material is selected from the group consisting of;

medium-density fiberboard and high-density fiberboard;

a veneer layer adhered to the core layer such that the veneer layer defines an aesthetic and durable surface of the flooring board, wherein the veneer layer comprises a natural wood species having a Janka side hardness rating between about 350 lbf and about 850 lbf when tested in block form, and wherein the veneer layer has a thickness between about 0.6 mm and about 2.0 mm;

an adhesive heat-cured between the core layer and the veneer layer to secure the veneer layer to the core layer; and

wherein the flooring board has a modified Janka hardness rating measured on the aesthetic and durable surface of the flooring board of at least about 120% of the Janka side hardness rating of the wood species tested in block form.

2. The flooring board of claim 1, wherein the natural wood species is a gymnosperm.

3. The flooring board of claim 2, wherein the natural wood species is selected from the group consisting of:

pine and fir.

4. The flooring board of claim 1, wherein the natural wood species is selected from the group consisting of:

sweetgum, poplar, and aspen.

5. The flooring board of claim 1, wherein the veneer layer has a thickness between about 0.6 mm and about 1.75 mm.

6. The flooring board of claim 5, wherein the flooring board has a modified Janka hardness rating measured on the aesthetic and durable surface of the flooring board of at least about 130% of the Janka side hardness rating of the wood species tested in block form.

7. The flooring board of claim 1, wherein the veneer layer has a thickness between about 0.6 mm and about 1.50 mm.

8. The flooring board of claim 7, wherein the flooring board has a modified Janka hardness rating measured on the aesthetic and durable surface of the flooring board of at least about 135% of the Janka side hardness rating of the wood species tested in block form.

9. The flooring board of claim 1, wherein the flooring board has a modified Janka hardness rating measured on the aesthetic and durable surface of the flooring board of at least about 200% of the Janka side hardness rating of the wood species tested in block form.

10. The flooring board of claim 1, wherein the core layer has a thickness between about 6.25 mm and about 6.75 mm.

11. The flooring board of claim 1, further comprising a backing layer adhered to a side of the core layer opposite the veneer layer.

12. The flooring board of claim 11, wherein the backing layer has a thickness between about 0.96 mm and about 2.12 mm.

13. A flooring board comprising:

a core layer comprising a fiberboard material;

a veneer layer adhered to the core layer such that the veneer layer defines an aesthetic and durable surface of the flooring board, wherein the veneer layer comprises sweetgum, and wherein the veneer layer has a thickness between about 0.6 mm and about 2.0 mm;

an adhesive heat-cured between the core layer and the veneer layer to secure the veneer layer to the core layer; and

wherein the flooring board has a modified Janka hardness rating measured on the aesthetic and durable surface of the flooring board of at least about 120% of the Janka side hardness rating of the sweetgum tested in block form.

14. The flooring board of claim 13, wherein the sweetgum has a Janka side hardness rating of about 850 lbf measured in block form.

15. The flooring board of claim 13, wherein the veneer layer has a thickness between about 0.6 mm and about 1.75 mm.

16. The flooring board of claim 15, wherein the flooring board has a modified Janka hardness rating measured on the aesthetic and durable surface of the flooring board of at least about 130% of the Janka side hardness rating of the sweetgum tested in block form.

17. The flooring board of claim 13, wherein the veneer layer has a thickness between about 0.6 mm and about 1.50 mm.

18. The flooring board of claim 17, wherein the flooring board has a modified Janka hardness rating measured on the aesthetic and durable surface of the flooring board of at least about 135% of the Janka side hardness rating of the sweetgum tested in block form.

19. The flooring board of claim 13, wherein the core layer has a thickness between about 6.25 mm and about 6.75 mm.

20. The flooring board of claim 13, wherein the fiberboard material is selected from the group consisting of:

medium-density fiberboard and high-density fiberboard.

21. The flooring board of claim 13, further comprising a backing layer adhered to a side of the core layer opposite the veneer layer.