Tufted pile fabric and method of making and installing the same

A method of making a tufted pile fabric having a soft hand capable of being adhesively secured to a floor structure by a water based adhesive comprising the steps of:

• tufting a series of synthetic pile projections through a synthetic plastic primary backing and outwardly from one face of the backing;
• heating a hot melt adhesive until it is liquefied and tacky;
• smoothly applying the liquefied hot melt adhesive to the other face of the primary back backing;
• immediately pressing a synthetic plastic secondary backing onto the other face of said primary backing to form a laminated structure and permitting the adhesive to set and form a substantially impervious and relatively inflexible sheet bonding the secondary backing to the primary backing and anchoring the pile projections to the primary backing;
• and
• then piercing the laminated structure from the secondary backing side at a plurality of sufficiently close places thereon over the entire surface thereof to provide a plurality of perforations of sufficient size and extending completely through the secondary backing, impervious sheet of hot melt adhesive, and the primary backing, the perforations through the laminated stucture causing the sheet to become pervious and more flexible and causing the pile fabric to have a soft hand while maintaining dimensional stability of the same.

A substantially permanent floor covering for a floor structure or the like comprising:

• a tufted pile fabric having a dimensional stability, a soft hand and being capable of breathability, said tufted pile fabric including a synthetic plastic primary backing of synthetic plastic substantially uniform thickness, a series of pile projections extending through said primary backing and outwardly from one face thereof, a synthetic plastic secondary backing of substantially uniform thickness, a hot melt adhesive securing said secondary backing to other face of said primary backing and anchoring said series of pile projections to said primary backing, the hot melt adhesive defining a substantially impervious and relatively inflexible sheet providing dimensional stability to said pile fabric, a plurality of perforations, each extending completely through the secondary backing, impervious sheet of hot melt adhesive, and the primary backing, said plurality of perforations having a size and spacing over the pile fabrics entire surface sufficient to increase flexibility of and cause the impervious sheet to become pervious and to provide breathability to the pile fabric while maintaining dimensional stability of the same;
• and
• a water based installation adhesive securing the tufted pile fabric to the floor structure, said water based installation adhesive having its water evaporated therefrom through the perforations in the tufted pile fabric.

A method of making a tufted pile fabric having a dimensional stability, a soft hand and being capable of breathability and then substantially permanently installing the same on a floor structure comprising the steps of:

• tufting a series of synthetic plastic pile projections through and outwardly from one side of a synthetic plastic primary backing which is substantially non-foraminous;
• heating a hot melt adhesive until it is liquefied and tacky;
• smoothly applying the liquefied hot melt adhesive to the other face of the primary backing;
• immediately pressing a substantially non-foraminous synthetic plastic secondary backing onto the other face of said primary backing to form a laminated structure and permitting the adhesive to set and form a substantially impervious and relatively inflexible sheet bonding the secondary backing to the primary backing and anchoring the pile projections to the primary backing;
• then piercing completely through the laminated structure over its entire surface from the secondary backing side at a plurality of places thereon to provide a plurality of perforations having a size and spaced sufficiently close together and extending through the secondary backing, impervious sheet of hot melt adhesive, and the primary backing to form the tufted pile fabric having a smooth hand, flexibility and breathability;
• troweling a viscous water based installation adhesive onto the floor structure;
• and
• then applying the tufted pile fabric to the floor structure and permitting the water of the water based installation adhesive to evaporate through the perforations in the tufted pile fabric.