Moldable latex impregnated textile material

Method of making a moldable, hardenable, non-woven textile material comprising the steps of:

• selecting one or more fibers from the group of fibers consisting of polyesters, polyacrylics, polyester, copolymers, polyacrylics, copolymers, wool, cotton, condensation polymers of diamines and dicarboxylic acids, caprolactam based polymers and regenerated cellulose based polymers;
• needling the fibers into a non-woven web of sheet form having a weight greater than about 5 ounces per square yard and a thickness of between about 75 and about 450 mils;
• impregnating a surface of the needled sheet form web to a depth of at least about 10 percent of the thickness thereof with a latex impregnant comprising at least about 25 percent by weight of water, one or more fillers selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, clay and zinc oxide, and one or more stiffeners selected from the group consisting of polystyrene, styrene-acrylonitrile, styrene-acrylonitrile-butadiene, styrene acrylates, styrene butadiene, carboxylated styrene-butadiene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, alkyl acrylates, polyvinylidene chloride, ethylene vinyl chloride, and copolymer and terpolymer of the foregoing resins;
• and,
• drying the latex impregnant within the matrix of the fabric web by heating the latex impregnated portion of the web to between about 375 and about 450 degrees Fahrenheit for a period of time pre-selected to remove the water therefrom.