Linoleum floor covering

Abstract

The present invention provides a linoleum floor covering comprising: a first layer of cured linoleum composition; a second layer of cured linoleum composition, and a reinforcement layer having multiple through openings arranged between the first layer and the second layer, wherein a combined surface area of the through openings is at least 50% of the total surface are of the reinforcement layer, wherein the first layer and second layer are adhered to each other through the through openings, and wherein the reinforcement layer is made of knitted material.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A linoleum floor covering comprising:
 a first layer of cured linoleum composition;   a second layer of cured linoleum composition, and   a reinforcement layer having multiple through openings arranged between the first layer and the second layer,   wherein a combined surface area of the through openings is at least 50% of the total surface area of the reinforcement layer,   wherein the first layer and second layer are adhered to each other through the through openings, and   wherein the reinforcement layer is made of knitted material.   
     
     
         2 . The linoleum floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement layer is made of a warp knitted mesh comprising several yarns in which wales and courses run roughly parallel to itself, wherein each wale is a column of loops corresponding to the first direction of the reinforcement layer and each course is a meandering row of loops moving both with the first direction of the wale and in a second direction of the reinforcement layer, interlocking to the wale loops at each crossing and connecting the individual columns of wale loops to each other. 
     
     
         3 . The linoleum floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein each individual through opening has a surface area of 1 mm 2  to 10 mm 2 . 
     
     
         4 . The linoleum floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein the through openings are distributed in a regular pattern over the reinforcement layer. 
     
     
         5 . The linoleum floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement layer has a constant thickness. 
     
     
         6 . The linoleum floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein a maximum thickness of the reinforcement layer is in the range of 0.05 to 0.5 mm. 
     
     
         7 . The linoleum floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein the mass percentage of the reinforcement layer is maximally 3% of the total weight of the linoleum floor covering. 
     
     
         8 . The linoleum floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement layer has a first tensile strength in a first direction and a second tensile strength in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the first tensile strength is lamer than the second tensile strength, 
     
     
         9 . The linoleum floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein the linoleum floor covering is a shaped as a tile or a panel. 
     
     
         10 . The linoleum floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement layer is made of a non-porous material. 
     
     
         11 . The linoleum floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement layer is free of adhesive material to adhere the first layer and/or the second layer to the reinforcement layer. 
     
     
         12 . The linoleum floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein a hydrophobicity of the reinforcement layer is the same or lamer than a hydrophobicity of the first and second layer. 
     
     
         13 . The linoleum floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein the linoleum floor covering comprises a third layer of cured linoleum composition, wherein the third layer is arranged on the first layer or the second layer at a side opposite to the reinforcement layer. 
     
     
         14 . The linoleum floor covering of  claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement layer has a mass of less than 100 g/m 2 . 
     
     
         15 . A method for manufacturing of a linoleum floor covering comprising the steps of:
 providing a reinforcement layer having multiple through openings wherein the reinforcement layer is made of knitted material;   applying a first layer of a linoleum composition at a first side of the reinforcement layer;   applying a second layer of a linoleum composition at a second side of the reinforcement layer, wherein during the step of applying the second layer, the first layer and the second layer are adhered to each other through the openings in the reinforcement layer; and   curing the first layer and the second layer of linoleum composition so as to form a linoleum sheet in which the first layer and the second layer are bonded together, wherein the reinforcement layer is enclosed between the first layer and the second layer.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the method comprises the step of providing a further layer on the linoleum sheet. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step of providing a further layer on the linoleum sheet comprises the step of printing on the linoleum sheet. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step of providing a further layer on the linoleum sheet comprises the step of laminating the further layer on the linoleum sheet. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the further layer is an acoustic layer and/or a self-adhesive layer. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the method comprises the step of cutting or punching tiles or panels from the linoleum sheet.