Flooring system

Abstract

A panelling system preferably for floors is defined by a series of panels each formed of a plurality of tongue and groove main floor plank strips arranged side edge to side edge and cut to a common length with a tongue along one cut edge and a groove along the other. At the edges are attached edge strips formed also from the flooring planks with tongue and groove and fastened together to form a common panel member for transportation and installation. The outwardly facing edge of each edge has a tongue or groove for mating with a groove or tongue of a next adjacent panel. The strips are fastened by a corrugated fastening plate bridging the junction or by pins from the rear or by a bonded sheet material on the rear.

1 . A floor panelling system comprising;
 a plurality of flooring members for locating on a supporting surface generally edge to edge in an array to at least partly cover the supporting surface;   each flooring member having a front surface for defining an exposed surface of the floor panelling system and a rear surface for engaging the supporting surface;   the flooring members including:   a rectangular main portion having a first pair of opposed parallel sides and a second pair of opposed parallel sides at right angles to the first pair, wherein the rectangular main portion has a tongue along a first of the first pair of opposed parallel sides and a groove along a second of the first pair of parallel sides, and wherein the rectangular main portion has a tongue along a first of the second pair of opposed parallel sides and a groove along a second of the second pair of parallel sides;   a first dividing strip arranged to extend along of the first of the first pair of opposed parallel sides;   and a second dividing strip arranged to extend along of the second of the first pair of opposed parallel sides;   wherein each of the dividing strips has a tongue along one side edge and a corresponding groove along an opposed side edge;   wherein the first dividing strip has the groove thereof engaged with the tongue of the first of the first pair of parallel side edges;   wherein the second dividing strip has the tongue thereof engaged with the groove of the second of the first pair of parallel side edges;   wherein the first and second dividing strips are arranged with a portion at each end of each of the dividing strips projecting beyond the rectangular main portion;   wherein each end portion is shaped to form two diagonal end edges each at an angle to a respective side edge of the respective dividing strip with the first and second diagonal end edges converging to an apex such that, when the end portions of four such dividing strips are located at a junction therebetween, the apexes and the diagonal end edges meet;   wherein there is provided, at the diagonal end edges of the end portions of the four dividing strips at the junction, connecting means extending between the diagonal end edges for connecting each diagonal end edge to its meeting end edge to prevent relative vertical movement therebetween;   wherein the flooring members, when arranged in position on the supporting surface, are arranged to be fastened to the supporting surface by an adhesive layer;   wherein the flooring members are formed from a lower layer of a material which is dimensionally stable to allow the fastening by the adhesive and an upper layer fastened to the lower layer which forms a flooring facing material.   
   
   
       2 . The panelling system according to  claim 1  wherein the dividing strips and the rectangular main portion are fastened together to form a common panel member for transportation and installation. 
   
   
       3 . The panelling system according to  claim 1  wherein the rectangular main portion is formed by a plurality of parallel main strips arranged side by side, each main strip having a tongue along one side edge and a groove along an opposed side edge with the main strips being engaged each to the next by engagement of a tongue of one within a groove of the next. 
   
   
       4 . The panelling system according to  claim 3  wherein each of the main strips has the same width between side edges thereof and each dividing strip has substantially the same width as the main strips. 
   
   
       5 . The panelling system according to  claim 1  wherein the main strips are parallel to the dividing strips. 
   
   
       6 . The panelling system according to  claim 1  wherein the main strips are at right angles to the dividing strips. 
   
   
       7 . The panelling system according to  claim 1  wherein some of the main strips are parallel to the dividing strips and some of the main strips are at right angles to the dividing strips. 
   
   
       8 . The panelling system according to  claim 1  wherein the end portions of the dividing strips have the diagonal end edges thereof in the front surface chamfered such that the dividing strips when butting have a chamfered groove at the front surface. 
   
   
       9 . The panelling system according to  claim 1  wherein the dividing strips and the rectangular main portion are fastened together by corrugated joining plate members each plate member bridging a butting line between the strips so as to have a part of its length in one strip and a part of its length in a next adjacent strip and each plate member engaged into the strips through the rear surface thereof such that a height of the plate member extends into the thickness of the strips, each joining plate member being shaped with a series of corrugations spaced along its length with each corrugation extending through the height of the plate member. 
   
   
       10 . The panelling system according to  claim 9  wherein the plate member is formed of a plastics material which can be cut by a cutting blade when the strips are cut. 
   
   
       11 . The panelling system according to  claim 8  wherein the height of the plate members is such that the plate members extend from the rear surface into the lower layer and do not reach the upper layer. 
   
   
       12 . The panelling system according to  claim 1  wherein the connecting means comprises tongue and groove connecting members. 
   
   
       13 . The panelling system according to  claim 12  wherein one of the two diagonal end edges of each end portion has a tongue therealong and the other of the two diagonal end edges of each end portion has a groove therealong.