Scratch board and method of manufacturing and using same

Abstract

The present invention is a scratch board for laying on a sub-floor to form a foundation for floor tiles. The scratch board consists of a rectangular flat board made of cement and has opposite first and second surfaces. The board has a metal screen extending throughout the board parallel between the first and second surfaces and a mesh screen extending throughout the board and imbedded in the first surface. The scratch board is used to construct a tile floor by first covering the sub-floor with a plurality of the boards and securing them to the sub-floor with a staples. A tile adhesive is then spread overtop of the boards and the tiles are then laid onto the adhesive. The boards themselves are manufactured by first placing the mesh screen and then the metal screen into a rectangular form. Wet cement is then poured into the rectangular form and then leveled to form one of the surfaces. The cement is left to cure before removing the finished board from the form.

Therefore, what is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A board for laying on a sub-floor to form a foundation for floor tiles, the board comprising:
 a a rectangular flat board made of cement and having opposite first and second surfaces,   b the board having a metal screen extending throughout the board parallel between the first and second surfaces, and   c a mesh screen extending throughout the board and positioned adjacent the first surface.   
     
     
         2 . The board of  claim 1  wherein the cement is made from a cured mixture of water, silica sand, portland cement and a plasticizer. 
     
     
         3 . The board of  claim 1  wherein the cement is made from a cured mixture of water, silica sand, portland cement, a plasticizer and a water repelling agent. 
     
     
         4 . The board of  claim 2  wherein the plasticizer is equivalent to Plastifier Bu-40. 
     
     
         5 . The boar of  claim 3  wherein the water repelling agent is equivalent to Plastocrete DM™. 
     
     
         6 . A method of manufacturing a tile floor using the boards of  claim 1  comprising the steps of
 a covering the sub-floor with a plurality of boards and securing the boards to the sub-floor with a plurality of staples, 
 b spreading a tile adhesive overtop of the boards after the boards have been secured to the sub-floor and then 
 c laying the tiles onto the adhesive. 
 
     
     
         7 . A method of manufacturing the board of  claim 1  comprising the steps of
 a placing the mesh screen into a rectangular form, 
 b placing the screen over top of the mesh screen in the rectangular form, 
 c pouring wet cement into the rectangular form containing the mesh screen and metal screen, 
 d leveling the cement to form one of the surfaces and 
 e curing the cement before removing the finished board from the form.