Metal faced tile
AssigneeMetex Flooring Systems Limited
InventorsPaul Bentham, Jim Dobson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A base element (14), such as plywood, has a stainless steel plate (10) bonded to its upper surface with an overhang (15) allowing for application of a strip (20) of a sealing material therebelow to form a cavity sealed butt joint between tiles when they are laid side by side, usually as a floor surface. The base element (14) has tongues (17) and grooves (18) in respective edges to permit interengagement as expansion joints. A deformable, foamed plastics layer (22) may be bonded to the underside of the base (14) to allow for uneven substrate.
Claims10
A tile comprising a substantially rectangular base element having an upper and a lower surface and a metal plate bonded to the upper surface, in which respect the base element is formed with tongues projecting from two of its sides and with corresponding grooves in the other two of its sides and the metal plate extends beyond side edges of the base element for a relatively short distance, sufficient to allow for application of a strip of sealing material therebelow when a plurality of such tiles are laid side by side with inter-engaging tongues and grooves and abutting metal plates.
A method of laying a floor using a plurality of tiles which each comprises a substantially rectangular base element having an upper and a lower surface and a method plate bonded to the upper surface, said base element being formed with tongues projecting from two of its sides and with corresponding grooves in its other two sides, and said metal plate having overhanging edges which extend beyond side edges of the base element for a relatively short distance, in which respect a first tile is laid upon a substrate floor, and is optionally secured thereto, a strip of polymer sealing material is applied below at least one of the overhanging edges of its metal plate and protruding therefrom, and a further tile is slid into adjacent position where one of its tongues engages into one of the grooves of the first tile or, respectively, one of its grooves fits over one of the tongues of the first tile, and one edge of its metal plate buts up against that edge of the metal plate of the first tile where the sealing strip has been applied and is thereby sealingly connected thereto.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.