Floor covering panel

A method for assembling a floor covering;

• said method comprising at least the step of interlocking a plurality of rectangular panels;
• said plurality of rectangular panels having an elongated design and being provided with a pair of opposite long sides and a pair of opposite short sides;
• both said pair of opposite long sides and said pair of opposite short sides being provided with edges having coupling means;
• said coupling means allowing said interlocking in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the floor covering as well as in a direction perpendicular to said edges and parallel to the plane of the floor covering;
• said pair of opposite long sides being provided with a bevel at both edges of said pair, each of the long side bevels being located at an upper side edge of the long sides and extending downwardly from a top surface of the panel;
• wherein said step of interlocking a plurality of rectangular panels comprises
• forming a first row of panels by at least interlocking a number of said panels at said edges of said pair of short sides;
• forming a second row of panels including rotating a first panel of said second row into the panels of said first row at the long sides;
• rotating a second panel of the second row into the panels of said first row at the long sides;
• and
• coupling said first panel and said second panel at the edges of their short sides;
• wherein co-operating panels of the first and second rows define upper contact surfaces located below the bevels and lower contact surfaces located below the upper contact surfaces, the lower contact surfaces of the first and second rows having inclined surfaces which are configured to cooperate with each other;
• wherein the upper contact surfaces of the panels of the second and first rows rotate against each other as the panels of the second row are coupled to the panels of the first row, wherein the bevels of the panels avoid contact with one another during the rotating of the panels of the second row into the panels of the first row, wherein the lower contact surfaces are brought against each other as the first and second panels are coupled;
• wherein the coupling means at the long sides include a tongue and a groove, such tongue fitting in the groove when interlocking two of such panels, said groove being bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip;
• wherein a V-shaped width is defined by the coupled panels, a recess is formed on each panel such that when the panels are coupled at their long edges, a clearance is formed by the recesses of the opposed panels below the upper contact surfaces and above the tongue, said clearance, measured in horizontal direction, having a maximal width, and said clearance in horizontal direction being completely confined with its maximal width within the V-shaped width by not extending beyond the V-shaped width in the horizontal direction;
• wherein a first panel of the panels defines a groove below the upper contact surface, said groove being bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip, the recess of the first panel is located between the groove and the upper contact surface and has a first width, a second panel of the panels defines a tongue below the upper contact surface, the recess of the second panel is located between the tongue and the upper contact surface and has a second width such that the first and second widths form the clearance, a perimeter of the clearance, seen from a cross section along a direction perpendicular to said edges, at least partially being defined by a bevelled lower edge of the upper lip, the bevelled lower edge of the upper lip being at a lowermost portion of the recess of the first panel, the recess of the first panel terminates at the tongue when the tongue is inserted into the groove, the first width, when measured in a direction perpendicular to the long edges of the first and the second panels and parallel to the plane of the floor covering, is larger than the second width, and
• wherein the height of the long side bevels is smaller than the average height difference, seen in coupled condition, between a contact point formed between the long side bevels and a contact zone formed between an upper side of the tongue and an underside of the upper lip.