Patent ID: 9290952
Filing Date: 2016-03-22
CPC Classification: C09J,E04F,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A method of replacing a floor panel in a floating floor system comprising a plurality of floor panels each having a top layer with an exposed marginal end portion and a bottom layer with an exposed marginal end portion, the marginal end portion of the top layer being adhered to the marginal end portion of the bottom layer of an adjacent first floor panel, and the marginal end portion of the bottom layer being adhered to the marginal end portion of the top layer of an adjacent second floor panel, the method comprising: providing a plurality of transition strips each having an adhesive top side with and a bottom side free of adhesive; inserting a cutting mechanism into a seam extending around a perimeter of one floor panel; cutting along the seam and severing the marginal end portions of the bottom layers of the adjacent first floor panel and the one floor panel; removing the one floor panel to form an opening in the floating floor system, wherein no marginal end portions remain inside the opening and a remnant portion of the bottom layer of the one floor panel remains underneath the adjacent second floor panel when the one floor panel is removed from the floating floor system; inserting a portion of a first transition strip beneath the bottom layer of the adjacent first floor panel such that the adhesive top side adheres to the bottom layer of the adjacent first floor panel and an exposed portion of the adhesive top side of the first transition strip extends into the opening; inserting a portion of a second transition strip beneath the remnant portion of the bottom layer of the one floor panel such that the adhesive top side adheres to the remnant portion and an exposed portion of the adhesive top side of the second transition strip extends into the opening; adhering a bottom surface of a bottom layer of a replacement floor panel to the exposed portions of the transition strips extending into the opening.