Building panels

A substantially planar floor element having at least a first edge and a second edge, a lower side and an upper decorative layer, said first edge comprising an undercut and an upper cheek surface at least partially defining a tongue, said second edge comprising at least one snapping hook and a lower cheek surface, wherein a radially projected length (L) of the undercut is less than or equal to a horizontal rotated radially projected height (H) of the upper cheek surface such that when said first edge is mated to a corresponding second edge on an adjacent floor element through substantially vertical motion, said undercut on said floor element unites with the snapping hook on the adjacent floor element and said upper cheek surface unites with the lower cheek surface of the adjacent floor element to prohibit at least vertical separation of the floor element and the adjacent floor element, wherein said undercut has a length smaller than the horizontal height of said upper cheek surface.

A substantially planar floor element having at least a first edge and a second edge, a lower side and an upper decorative layer, said first edge comprising an undercut and an upper cheek surface at least partially defining a tongue, said second edge comprising at least one snapping hook and a lower cheek surface, wherein a radially projected length (L) of the undercut is less than or equal to a horizontal rotated radially projected height (H) of the upper cheek surface such that when said first edge is mated to a corresponding second edge on an adjacent floor element through substantially vertical motion, said undercut on said floor element unites with the snapping hook on the adjacent floor element and said upper cheek surface unites with the lower cheek surface of the adjacent floor element to prohibit at least vertical separation of the floor element and the adjacent floor element, wherein said snapping hook has a length smaller than the horizontal height of said lower cheek surface.

A method of forming a floor comprising:

• providing a first floor element comprising at least one edge, the edge comprising an undercut and an upper cheek surface;
• providing a second floor element comprising at least one edge, the edge comprising at least one snapping hook and a lower cheek surface;
• and mating the first floor element with the second floor element by moving the second floor element in a vertical direction with respect to the first floor element, wherein said mating comprises joining the undercut of the first floor element with the snapping hook of the second floor element to limit relative vertical movement between the first floor element and the second floor element, wherein said mating consists of moving the second floor element in a vertical direction with respect to the first floor element.

A substantially planar floor element having at least a first edge and a second edge, a lower side and an upper decorative layer, said first edge comprising an undercut and an upper cheek surface at least partially defining a tongue, said second edge comprising at least one snapping hook and a lower cheek surface, wherein the radially projected length of the snapping hooks (η) is less than or equal to the horizontally rotated projected height of the lower cheek surface (θ) such that when said first edge is mated to a corresponding second edge on an adjacent floor element through substantially vertical motion, said undercut on said floor element unites with the snapping hook on the adjacent floor element and said upper cheek surface unites with the lower cheek surface of the adjacent floor element to prohibit at least vertical separation of the floor element and the adjacent floor element, wherein the size and shape of each of said undercut, upper cheek surface, at least one snapping hook and lower cheek surface requires mating only by vertical motion.