Flexible wood floor covering

Abstract

The invention pertains to a method of making a wood floor covering which is flexible and can be laid on concrete with a mastic using momentary pressure. Instead of the nominal 3/4-inch thickness of conventional strip hardwood floors, the floor covering is only about 1/10-inch thick. The finish on the floor covering is sufficiently wear-resistant so that for the life of the flooring the wood is never subject to wear. The finish is applied in the factory as a thermoplastic resin film which extends over the wood and spans the joints between the wood blocks of which the flooring is composed. In bonding the film a cushion is placed on the film, and heat is applied to the assembly sufficiently high to soften or melt the film. The blocks are kept from spreading apart by a constraining means partly embedded in the back of the wood by pressure, and the resin is chilled under pressure until it reaches room temperature and is solidified. In a preferred form of the flooring, the finish is the sole means for tying the blocks together, and the wood surface is rough.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.