Loose laid ventilating decorative floor covering

Abstract

According to the invention there is provided a ventilating decorative floor covering ( 1 ) for loose laying on the upper surface of a floor, which floor covering has a decorative upper surface ( 5 ) and a lower surface ( 15 ) on which are formed one or more studs ( 20 ) which, in use, provide an air gap between the lower surface ( 15 ) of the floor covering and the upper surface of the floor sufficient to ventilate the floor. The floor covering can be applied to concrete floors which have not completely cured or on contaminated sub-floors, thus negating the need for timely and expensive sub-floor preparation.

1 . A ventilating decorative floor covering for loose laying on the upper surface of a floor which floor covering has a decorative upper surface and a lower surface on which are formed one or more studs which, in use, provide an air gap between the lower surface of the floor covering and the upper surface of the floor sufficient to ventilate the floor.  
   
   
       2 . A floor covering as defined in  claim 1  wherein the lower surface of the floor covering is chemically or mechanically modified to ensure that there is adequate grip between the lower surface of the floor covering and the floor to which it is applied.  
   
   
       3 . A floor covering as defined in  claim 2  wherein the modification is in the form of a softening and/or a roughening of the lower surface.  
   
   
       4 . A floor covering as defined in  claim 3  wherein the lower surface is roughened by including a blowing agent in the material from which the lower surface of the floor covering is formed.  
   
   
       5 . A floor covering as defined in  claim 3  wherein the lower surface is softened by including additional plasticiser or a chemical blowing agent in the material from which the lower surface of the floor covering is formed.  
   
   
       6 . A floor covering as defined in  claim 1  which includes one or more particulate materials in the upper surface of the floor covering to provide slip resistance.  
   
   
       7 . A floor covering as defined in  claim 6  wherein a particulate material is embedded in the upper surface of the flooring material which material is at least partially proud from the upper surface to achieve adequate slip resistance.  
   
   
       8 . A floor covering as defined in  claim 1  comprising a plastics flooring material.  
   
   
       9 . A floor covering as defined in  claim 8  which includes a plastics material selected from the group consisting of a PVC, a plasticised PVC, a polyurethane, an epoxy resin, an acrylic, a plasticised acrylic, a polyurefin, a polyester, and a PVC plastisol.  
   
   
       10 . A floor covering as defined in  claim 8  which includes a plastics material preferably in an amount of 100 to 200 php, a blowing agent preferably in an amount from 0 to 2 parts per hundred parts of plastics material (php), filler preferably in an amount of from 0 to 100 php, thermal stabiliser preferably in an amount of from 1 to 3 php, and/or a pigment preferably in an amount of from 1 to 3 php.  
   
   
       11 . A floor covering as defined in  claim 1  wherein the floor covering is a heterogenous floor covering.  
   
   
       12 . A floor covering as defined in  claim 1  which includes a wear layer.  
   
   
       13 . A floor covering as defined in  claim 1  wherein the upper surface includes a decorative element such as a pigment and/or a PVC chip.  
   
   
       14 . A floor covering as defined in  claim 1  which includes a support.  
   
   
       15 . A method of laying a slip resistant floor covering to decorate and ventilate a concrete floor having an upper surface which method includes loose laying on the upper surface of the floor a floor covering having a decorative slip resistant upper surface and a lower surface on which are formed a plurality of studs and/or other suitable profiles which provide an air gap between the lower surface of the floor covering and the upper surface of the floor sufficient to ventilate the floor.  
   
   
       16 . A method as defined in  claim 15  wherein the floor covering is as defined in  claim 1.