Insulating floor underlayment

Abstract

A flooring material having a textile pad substructure with a density of greater than 13 pounds per cubic foot is provided. The textile pad has reinforcement and binding fibers. The binding fibers are thermoplastic and are used to bind the reinforcement fibers together. The pad is created by heating and compressing a fibrous textile batt so that it has a density of greater than 13 pounds per cubic foot.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An insulative textile flooring pad comprising: 
 reinforcement fibers; and    binding fibers selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, and mixtures thereof, said pad having a density of greater than about 13 pounds per cubic foot.    
     
     
         2 . The insulative textile flooring pad according to  claim 1  wherein the binding fibers and reinforcement fibers are distributed substantially randomly in a first plane.  
     
     
         3 . The insulative textile flooring pad according to  claim 1  comprising less than about 20% binder fiber.  
     
     
         4 . The insulative textile flooring pad according to  claim 1  comprising about 15% binder fiber.  
     
     
         5 . The insulative textile flooring pad according to  claim 1  comprising less than about 0.2 pounds per square foot binder fiber.  
     
     
         6 . The insulative textile flooring pad according to  claim 4  comprising about 0.1875 pounds per square foot binder fiber.  
     
     
         7 . The insulative textile flooring pad according to  claim 1  comprising less than about 1.2 pounds per square foot reinforcement fiber.  
     
     
         8 . The insulative textile flooring pad according to  claim 1  having a density of about 18.9 pounds per cubic foot.  
     
     
         9 . A floor structure comprising: 
 a sub floor;    a surface layer; and    an insulative pad disposed between said sub floor and surface layer comprising binder and reinforcement fibers distributed substantially random in a first plane, said binder fibers being meltable at a predetermined temperature to couple the binding fibers to the reinforcement fibers.    
     
     
         10 . The floor structure according to  claim 9  wherein said surface material comprises wood.  
     
     
         11 . The floor structure according to  claim 9  wherein said surface material comprises ceramic.  
     
     
         12 . The floor structure according to  claim 9  wherein the binder fibers are selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         13 . The floor structure according to  claim 9  having a density of greater than about 13.3 pounds per cubic foot.  
     
     
         14 . The floor structure according to  claim 9  having a density of about 18.9 pounds per cubic foot.  
     
     
         15 . The floor structure according to  claim 14  being about {fraction (3/32)} inch thick.  
     
     
         16 . The floor structure according to  claim 9  having a compression resistance at a compression of 25% of the original thickness of greater than about 20 psi.  
     
     
         17 . The floor structure according to  claim 9  having a compression resistance at 50% of the original thickness of greater than about 180 psi.  
     
     
         18 . A floor underlayment for disposal under a floor surface comprising: 
 less than about 20% thermoplastic binder fibers and more than about 80% reinforcement fibers;    said floor underlayment having a first surface disposed beneath said floor surface and having a density of greater than about 13.3 pounds per cubic foot.    
     
     
         19 . The floor underlayment according to  claim 18  having a density of greater than about 18 pounds per cubic foot.  
     
     
         20 . The floor underlayment according to  claim 18  wherein the thermoplastic binder fiber is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, and mixtures thereof.