Hardwood flooring board and methods

Abstract

The present invention is a hardwood flooring board including a middle layer formed from a non-hardwood flooring material and a hardwood material upper layer which is secured to an upper surface of the middle layer that is thick enough to include decorative designs. The middle layer forms between 45% and 75% of the overall material of the board and enables the board to be manufactured to be more dimensionally stable, i.e., wider and longer, than conventional hardwood flooring boards such that the boards can be more uniformly constructed. Also the use of the non-hardwood material in the middle layer greatly increases the dimensional stability and long term performance of the flooring boards, while providing a genuine hardwood appearance to the floor. The board also includes a lower layer that can be formed from either a hardwood material or a non-hardwood material to function as a base for the board. The upper layer is secured to the middle layer by an adhesive that is urged into the openings or cracks in the upper layer during the assembly of the board to prevent the cracks from spreading through the upper layer when the boards are in use.

1 . A method of forming a hardwood flooring board, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing a first layer formed of a hardwood material and having a plurality of openings on one surface of the first layer, and a second layer formed of a non-hardwood material;    applying an adhesive in a liquid state to one of the first layer or the second layer;    subsequent to the applying step, positioning the first layer and second layer adjacent to each other, wherein both the first layer and the second layer are in contact with the adhesive layer; and    subsequent to the positioning step, pressing the first layer and the second layer against one another to urge the adhesive into the openings in the first layer.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pressing step includes pressing the first layer and the second layer against one another with a compression force of at least 200 psi.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the adhesive has a viscosity of between about 25 poise and about 40 poise at room temperature.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the non-hardwood material is a non-oriented fiber board.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the non-hardwood material has a density of at least 790 kg/m 3 .  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising curing the adhesive after the adhesive has been urged into the openings in the first layer.  
   
   
       7 . A method of forming a hardwood flooring board assembly, the hardwood flooring board assembly including at least a first layer comprising a hardwood material, a second layer comprising a non-hardwood material, and a cured adhesive, the first layer having a plurality of cracks defined in a first surface thereof, the adhesive having a viscosity of about 25 poise to about 40 poise before curing, the method comprising: 
 spreading the adhesive in a liquid form on one of the first surface of the first layer and a first surface of the second layer;    subsequently engaging the other of the first surface of the first layer and the first surface of the second layer with the adhesive that has been spread to form a stack of layers that includes the first layer, a layer of the adhesive, and the second layer;    subsequently applying a compression force to the first and second layers to urge the adhesive into the cracks of the first layer; and    subsequently curing the adhesive to form a bond between the first and second layers.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the compression force is at least 200 psi.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the hardwood flooring board assembly further includes a third layer, the third layer including first and second surfaces, the method further comprising: 
 spreading the adhesive on one of a second surface of the second layer and the first surface of the third layer;    subsequently engaging the other of the second surface of the second layer and the first surface of the third layer with the adhesive that has been spread on one of the second surface of the second layer and the first surface of the third layer;    subsequently applying a compression force to the second and third layers; and    subsequently curing the adhesive to form a bond between the second and third layers.    
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the first, second and third layers are compressed and bonded together simultaneously.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the first and second layers are compressed and bonded together in a separate step from compressing and bonding the second and third layers together.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the second layer is constructed to resist the adhesive from being compressed into the second layer during the step of applying the compression force.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the step of applying the adhesive includes applying the adhesive to only one of the first and second layers prior to the step of engaging the first and second layers to form the stack.  
   
   
       14 . A method of forming a hardwood flooring board, the method comprising the steps of: 
 providing a first layer formed of a hardwood material and having a plurality of cracks on a first surface of the first layer, a second layer formed of a non-hardwood material, and a third layer;    applying an adhesive in a liquid state to only one of the first layer and the second layer;    subsequent to applying the adhesive to only one of the first layer and the second layer, positioning the first layer and second layer adjacent to each other, wherein both the first layer and the second layer are in contact with the adhesive to define a first stack, the first stack including the first layer, the second layer, and a first adhesive layer positioned between the first and second layers;    applying the adhesive in a liquid state to only one of the second layer and the third layer;    subsequent to applying the adhesive to only one of the second layer and the third layer, positioning the second layer and third layer adjacent to each other, wherein both the second layer and third layer are in contact with the adhesive to define a second stack, the second stack including the second layer, the third layer, and a second adhesive layer positioned between the second and third layers;    pressing the first layer and the second layer against one another to urge the adhesive into the cracks in the first layer;    pressing the second layer and the third layer against one another; and    curing the adhesive while pressing the first and second layers against one another to create a bond between the first and second layers that resists propagation of the cracks through the first layer to a second surface of the first layer; and    curing the adhesive while pressing the second and third layers against one another to create a bond between the second and third layers.    
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the second layer is a non-oriented fiberboard having a density of at least 790 kg/m 3  on that surface of the second layer facing the first layer.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the adhesive has a viscosity of about 25 poise to about 40 poise at the time of the applying steps.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the step of compressing the first and second layers occurs simultaneously with the step of compressing the second and third layers.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the step of curing including simultaneously curing the first and second adhesive layers.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the second layer defines a tongue feature along a first side edge and a groove feature defined along a second side edge that is arranged opposite the first side edge.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the first layer is a veneer layer.