Nonwoven surface covering elements having tongue and groove

A surface covering element comprising:

• a rigid core comprising a plurality of layers of densified fiber batts, the rigid core comprising a first surface and an opposed second surface that are spaced apart along a first axis, wherein the rigid core comprises a plurality of edges that define a periphery of the rigid core;
• wherein the plurality of edges comprise at least a first edge and an opposed second edge that are spaced along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis, wherein the first edge comprises a tongue, wherein the second edge defines a groove,
• wherein the plurality of layers of densified fiber batts comprise at least a first densified fiber batt and a second densified fiber batt, wherein the first densified fiber batt has a first density, wherein the second densified fiber batt has a second density that is greater than the first density,
• wherein the second densified fiber batt defines the tongue, and wherein portions of the second densified fiber batt define the groove, and
• wherein each densified fiber batt comprises a plurality of fibers, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of fibers have been melted to bind to adjacent fibers of the plurality of fibers.