Patent Publication Number: US-2022213690-A1

Title: Luxury vinyl plank stair noses and other moldings

Description:
CLAIM OF DOMESTIC PRIORITY 
     The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/336,925, filed Jun. 2, 2021, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/034,204, filed Jun. 3, 2020, which application is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates in general to stair noses and other moldings made from luxury vinyl plank flooring, and to methods, tools, and machines for forming the stair noses and other moldings from luxury vinyl plank flooring. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Flooring manufacturers and installers have tried many different methods for providing custom stair noses that match the surrounding floor. Typical methods involve cutting off the existing stair nose and then installing a replacement stair nose closely matching the floor being installed, as shown in  FIGS. 1 a -1 d   .  FIG. 1 a    illustrates a stair step  10  with a tread  12  and riser  14 . Nose  16  is a part of tread  12  delineated with a dotted line to show where the nose will be cut off.  FIG. 1 b    illustrates a floor plank  20  with a replacement nose  22  being installed over tread  12 . Nose  22  is pretty similar to nose  16  that was already part of the underlying tread  12 , but is designed to reasonably match the color and pattern of flooring being installed in an adjacent room. 
       FIG. 1 c    illustrates continuing to install flooring planks  30  next to nose plank  20 .  FIG. 1 d    shows plank  30  installed. Additional flooring planks  30  will continue to be installed next to each other to fully cover the stair tread or perhaps an entire room in the case of the top step. 
     One problem that occurs with replacing stair treads along with the rest of the adjacent flooring is matching the wood grain pattern and color. Even when the exact same type of wood and finish is used for both nose plank  20  and flooring plank  30 , the color and pattern are usually off. All the floor planks  30  being used are usually made together at the same factory at the same time to match practically exactly. However, nose planks  20  are typically formed separately and, while they may match flooring planks  30  closely, will almost always have a noticeable difference in color and pattern due to being manufactured at a different time or even a different factory. 
     Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring is a modern type of flooring that is susceptible to the problems of color matching stair nosing and other molding.  FIG. 2 a    shows a cross-sectional view of one plank  50  of LVP flooring. LVP flooring is typically formed of a core  52 , padding  54 , an image layer  56 , and a clearcoat finish  58  formed over the image layer. Core  52  is commonly a stone polymer or wood-plastic composite. A stone polymer core  52  is composed of calcium carbonate (limestone), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and optionally plasticizers. Wood-plastic composite cores are similarly composed, with the addition of a wood product, such as sawdust or wood flour. A foaming agent may be added to soften the floor made with planks  50 . 
     The desired design for the flooring is printed on image layer  56  and then attached to core  52 . Image layer  56  can be a vinyl sheet or another printable substrate. Clearcoat layer  58  typically consists of anywhere from 1 to 100 layers of clearcoat or more. Usually between 10 and 25 layers of clearcoat are used. Clearcoat layer  58  protects the printed image layer  56 , and plank  50  as a whole, from wear. 
     Luxury vinyl plank flooring is typically formed with connectors  60  around the perimeter of planks  50  so that individual planks can be clicked or snapped together with other adjacent planks to easily form a floor with proper alignment and a seamless transition between planks.  FIG. 2 a    shows a connector  60   a  on one side of plank  50  and a connector  60   b  on the other side. When two pieces of LVP flooring  50   a  and  50   b  are slid together as shown in  FIGS. 2 b  and 2 c   , connector  60   a  of one plank and connector  60   b  of the other plank slide into each other. A detent is commonly used to snap the connectors together, maintaining alignment and eliminating visible gaps between planks. 
     While LVP flooring makes installing a beautiful floor easier, LVP does not eliminate the problems of matching stair nosing to the surrounding flooring. The closest matching hardwood nosing is usually used even though the vinyl planks are printed. Achieving an exact match is very difficult. Therefore, a need exists for an improved stair nose, as well as other types of molding, that matches LVP flooring planks. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1 a -1 d    illustrate replacing a stair nose as part of installing flooring; 
         FIGS. 2 a -2 c    illustrate luxury vinyl plank flooring; 
         FIGS. 3 a -3 i    illustrate cutting and folding a luxury vinyl plank to form a stair nose; 
         FIGS. 4 a -4 c    illustrate an alternative groove cut profile; 
         FIGS. 5 a -5 e    illustrate saw blades used to cut grooves into the luxury vinyl plank for folding; 
         FIGS. 6 a  and 6 b    illustrate saw blades used to cut the alternative groove profile; 
         FIGS. 7 a -7 c    illustrate table saw configurations used to cut grooves into luxury vinyl planks; 
         FIGS. 8 a -8 c    illustrate a table setup to fold and glue the luxury vinyl planks; 
         FIGS. 9 a -9 d    illustrate forming T molding out of a luxury vinyl plank; 
         FIGS. 10 a -10 e    illustrate forming end molding out of a luxury vinyl plank; 
         FIGS. 11 a -11 g    illustrate forming a stair tread from a larger plank; and 
         FIGS. 12 a -12 h    illustrate forming a stair tread from thinner vinyl flooring. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention is described in one or more embodiments in the following description with reference to the figures, in which like numerals represent the same or similar elements. While the invention is described in terms of the best mode for achieving the invention&#39;s objectives, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents as supported by the following disclosure and drawings. 
     One solution to providing stair noses that match luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring is to make the stair noses out of the same LVP planks that are being installed for the flooring. Using the same planks for both stair noses and the rest of the flooring means that the stair nose planks are manufactured at the same plant and under the same conditions as the rest of the flooring planks. The issues in the prior art with slight variations in manufacturing conditions resulting in slightly off colors and patterns are eliminated because stair nosing and floor planks are manufactured together. 
     Making a stair nose out of LVP flooring involves cutting grooves into a floor plank and then folding the plank at the grooves into a stair nose shape.  FIGS. 3 a  and 3 b    illustrate a floor plank  100  with a bottom surface  102  and top surface  104 . Plank  100  includes two long edges  106  and two short edges  108 . Plank  100  has a width extending from one long edge  106  to the other, a length extending between the two short edges  108  parallel to the long edges, and a thickness extending between top surface  104  and bottom surface  102 . Planks  100  have a latching mechanism built into the edges as connectors  60   a  and  60   b , so the opposing long edges  106  are designed to interface with each other and the opposing short edges  108  are also designed to interface with each other. A connector  60  of a short edge  108  could interface with a connector of a long edge  106  if the installer wanted to get creative. Connectors  60  are optional, and some LVP flooring planks simply have flat surfaces that are designed to contact each other when installed without latching or otherwise interfacing with each other. 
     Two grooves  110   a  and  110   b  are formed into bottom surface  102 , but not completely through plank  100  to top surface  104 .  FIG. 3 c    shows additional detail of grooves  110 . Grooves  110  allow plank  100  to be folded 90-degrees along each of the grooves, thus turning the plank into a stair nose. Grooves  110   a  and  110   b  are substantially identical to create two 90-degree angles along the length of plank  100 . Grooves  110  each include a horizontal surface  112 , two vertical surfaces  114 , and two diagonal surfaces  116 . Diagonal surfaces  116  connect bottom surface  102  of plank  100  to the two vertical surfaces  114 . Vertical surfaces  114  connect diagonal surfaces  116  to horizontal surface  112 . Horizontal surface  112  is the deepest part of grooves  110  and connects the two vertical surfaces  114  to each other. Horizontal surface  112  is considered the bottom of groove  110  due to being the deepest part of the cut. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, plank  100  is 8 millimeters (mm) thick, and groove  110  is formed to a depth of 7 and ⅓ mm, leaving a thin flat flexible portion  120  between horizontal surface  112  and top surface  104  with a thickness of ⅔ mm. A thickness of ½ mm is left as flexible portion  120  in other embodiments. The depth of groove  110  can be formed as close to image layer  56  as possible without damaging the image layer. Ideally core  52  would be completely removed but doing so without damaging printed layer  56  can be a challenge. Accordingly, a thin portion of core  52  is typically left under horizontal surface  112  by design. Core material  52  is flexible enough that a thin layer remaining still allows plank  100  to be folded at groove  110 . In one embodiment, groove  110  is formed to leave a fixed thickness of plank  100  in flexible portion  120  so that the remaining thickness of core  52  will depend on the total thickness of image layer  56  and clearcoat layers  58 . 
     The width of horizontal surface  112 , and therefore the width of flexible portion  120  and the distance between vertical surfaces  114 , is 3.2 mm. Vertical surfaces  114  have a height of 1.6 mm, and diagonal surfaces  116  each extends off at a 45-degree angle from a respective vertical surface to bottom surface  102 . At bottom surface  102 , diagonal surfaces  114  are approximately 0.5772 inches or 14.66 mm apart. Horizontal surface  112 , vertical surfaces  114 , and diagonal surfaces  116  all extend in the same profile shape for the entire length of plank  100 . Any of the above measurements can be customized as needed for different plank types, compositions, sizes, etc. to ensure that diagonal surfaces  116  make proper contact when folded. 
     Grooves  110  with a flat horizontal surface  112  at the bottom of the grooves leaves a flat flexible portion  120  of plank  100  between horizontal surface  112  and the plank&#39;s top surface  104 . Flexible portion  120  has a relatively uniform thickness for a significant width, which allows plank  100  to bend uniformly along the entire width of horizontal surface  112  when the plank is folded. Diagonal surfaces  116  could meet at a point at the bottom of the groove, but bending of plank  100  would occur over a much thinner area of plank  100  and risk tearing of image layer  56 . For planks that are not as flexible, horizontal surface  112  can be made wider, allowing the plank to bend across a wider arc, or portion  120  can be made thinner to flex easier. 
     Each diagonal surface  116  is at a 45-degree angle so that the angle between the two diagonal surfaces is 90 degrees. When plank  100  is bent across groove  110 , diagonal surfaces  116  contact each other when the plank is flexed to the same angle as exists between the diagonal surfaces. For a 90-degree bend in plank  100 , diagonal surfaces  116  should make a 90-degree angle when formed. A non-symmetrical groove could be formed with, e.g., one diagonal surface  116  at a 30-degree angle and the other at a 60-degree angle, and the diagonal surfaces would still meet when plank  100  is bent to 90 degrees. Plank  100  can be folded or bent at non-right angles by varying the total angle between diagonal surfaces  116 . 
     The height of vertical surfaces  114  in combination with the width of horizontal surface  112  controls how diagonal surfaces  116  meet when plank  100  is folded. The ideal is to have diagonal surfaces  116  lie flat on each other perfectly aligned so that the entire area of each diagonal surface is contacted by the other diagonal surface. If vertical surfaces  114  are made too short, the top edges of diagonal surfaces  116  will meet first and the diagonal surfaces will not fully touch. If vertical surfaces  114  are made too tall, the bottom edges of diagonal surfaces  116  will meet first and make full contact difficult. The above listed dimensions were found through trial and error to be optimal for most LVP flooring on the market today. However, if diagonal surfaces  116  are not meeting each other properly in practice, some dimensional adjustment might help. 
       FIG. 3 d    shows plank  100  bent across both grooves  110  to 90-degree angles and glued in place so that the angles are maintained. Adhesive  130  is disposed in grooves  110  prior to folding plank  100 . Diagonal surfaces  116  of each groove  110  contact each other with a thin layer of adhesive  130  between them. Vertical surfaces  114  now form a 90-degree angle, and horizontal surface  112  curves to connect the ends of vertical surfaces  114 . 
     A gap between horizontal surface  112  and vertical surfaces  114  is shaped like an isosceles right triangle with an outwardly curved hypotenuse. The gap should be filled with adhesive  130  with as few voids as possible to maximize hold of the plank  100  folds. Thorough application of adhesive  130  can be confirmed by viewing a bead formed by the adhesive being squeezed out of groove  110  during folding. If the bead of adhesive  130  is continuous along the length of plank  100  then the gap between horizontal surface  112  and vertical surfaces  114  is likely to be filled with adhesive. Small breaks in the bead of adhesive  130  are likely fine, but long breaks in the bead may indicate an adhesive void in groove  110  at that location. 
     Bending and gluing both grooves  110  to 90-degree angles completes the transformation of plank  100  into a stair nose  150 . Stair nose  150  is ready to be put into service on a stair step. To install stair nose  150 , glue or adhesive  152  is first applied to bottom surface  102  as shown in  FIG. 3 e   . Adhesive  152  can be applied directly to padding  54 . Liquid nails or any type of industrial adhesive can be used. In some embodiments, planks  100  can be manufactured in two different varieties: normal planks with padding  54  for the main floor and planks without padding for stair noses. Both plank varieties are still manufactured together in the same factory to have closely matching color and pattern styles. Leaving padding  54  off planks  100  destined for being made into stair noses  150  has the added benefit that the bead of adhesive  130  that squeezes out of groove  110  sits on core  52  instead of padding  54 , which provides a stronger adhesive bond. 
     Adhesive  152  is applied to bottom surface  102  in sufficient quantity to adhere stair nose  150  to the underlying stair tread  12 . In addition, a bead  154  of adhesive  152  is applied over the folded groove  110   b  so that, when stair nose  150  is installed on a stair step as shown in  FIG. 3 f   , a gap  160  in the upper corner is substantially filled with adhesive. Filling gap  160  with adhesive  152  structurally supports the corner of stair nose  150  and reduces the likelihood of a heavy stepper breaking or bending the stair nose. For the best structural support, nose  16  of tread  12  should physically contact bottom surface  102  of stair nose  150  between grooves  110   a  and  110   b . If the bottom section of stair nose  150  is too long such that riser  14  is contacted before nose  16 , then the bottom end of stair nose  150  can be cut off as shown below in  FIG. 3 i    to allow nose  16  to be contacted. 
     With stair nose  150  installed, additional planks  100  can be laid next to the stair nose to continue the rest of the floor as shown in  FIGS. 3 g  and 3 h   . Connector  60   a  of plank  100  is interfaced with connector  60   b  of stair nose  150 . As plank  100  is laid down next to stair nose  150 , connectors  60  snap together and create a nearly seamless top surface  104  between the two. For an intermediate stair step, a single plank  100  may be enough to cover the stair tread. Plank  100  may be cut to size so that connector  60   b  is removed and the plank ends at or just short of the riser of the next step. For the top stair step, additional planks  100  are added until the desired floor area is covered. Both plank  100  and stair nose  150  can be cut to length appropriate for the stairs being covered. Using the same planks  100  to form stair nose  150  as well as to cover the surrounding floor area results in a uniform look with consistent color and pattern across the entirety of the floor and stairs. 
       FIG. 3 i    shows a stair nose  156  made from a plank  100  without padding  54  on the bottom of the plank. Stair nose  156  is otherwise structured and manufactured the same as stair nose  150 . The folded corners of stair nose  156  are stronger than those of stair nose  150  due to adhesive  130  gripping directly to core  52  without the intervening padding  54 . Adhesive  152  between bottom surface  102  and tread  12  functionally and structurally replaces padding  54 . Adhesive  152  fills gap  160  in the corner to structurally support stair nose  156 . The bottom end of stair nose  156  is cut so that nose  16  of tread  12  contacts bottom surface  102  between the two folds. Planks  100  forming the rest of the floor adjacent to stair nose  156  are formed with padding  54 , but still match properly due to being manufactured together at the same factory with the planks used to form the stair nose. 
       FIGS. 4 a -4 c    show an alternative groove profile for converting plank  100  into a stair nose.  FIG. 4 a    shows a plan view,  FIG. 4 b    shows a cross-sectional view, and  FIG. 4 c    shows plank  100  folded into stair nose  192 . Grooves  180  are formed with all square cuts and no diagonal surfaces, which can make manufacturing easier due to the use of blades with perpendicular angles. Grooves  180  include a deep cut  182  to form a flexible portion  184  and a shallow cut  186  to form a shelf  188 . Flexible portion  184  is a thin portion of plank  100  with a uniform thickness across a significant width, similar to flexible portion  120  above. Deep cut  182  and shallow cut  186  can be formed using a single saw blade with an appropriate profile shape or using two or more separate saw blades. Deep cut  182  forms a corner  190  opposite shelf  188 . 
     Flexible portion  184  is similar to flexible portion  120  in groove  110 , and is formed with a thickness of about ⅔ mm. Some core  52  remains in some embodiments. The width of flexible portion  184  is two to three times greater than the width of flexible portion  120  because the square cut in  FIGS. 4 a  and 4 b    will have to cover a large physical distance when plank  100  is folded across groove  180 . Shelf  188  is formed about 1.6 mm deep and 3.2 mm wide. The dimensions of groove  180  can be adjusted as necessary to allow plank  100  to fold properly across the groove. 
       FIG. 4 c    shows plank  100  folded across grooves  180  to form a stair nose molding  192 . The dimensions of groove  180  are selected so that corner  190  sits on shelf  188  when plank  100  is folded to a 90-degree angle. Groove  180  is filled with adhesive prior to folding, which fills the gap remaining in deep cut  182  after folding. Shallow cut  186  is filled with the plank material from corner  190 . Groove  180  provides easier manufacturing due to a simpler cut profile and creates a broader radius for the 90-degree bend, which means flooring planks that do not bend as easily can be used. The larger radius bends of grooves  180  may also be a desirable aesthetic choice for some people. 
       FIGS. 5 a -5 e    illustrate saw blades usable to cut grooves  110 . One way to cut groove  110  is to take three normal table saws and shape their teeth to form the three different groove regions, i.e., horizontal surface  112  and the two diagonal surfaces  116 .  FIG. 5 a    shows a normal circular saw blade  200  that can be used. Teeth  202  on blade  200  can be shaped as necessary. Buying a blade  200  with as large of teeth  202  as possible will provide the greatest flexibility in shaping the teeth to the desired profile. 
       FIG. 5 b    shows three saw blades with their teeth cut to make the profile of groove  110 . Middle blade  200   a  has rectangular teeth  202   a , shaped to the desired width of horizontal surface  112 , e.g., 3.2 mm. Outer blades  200   b  and  200   c  are shaped to have teeth  202   b  and  202   c  with 45-degree outer surfaces to correspond to the desired cuts for diagonal surfaces  116 . Outer blades  200   b  and  200   c  may be made from the exact same circular saw blades as middle blade  200   a , or a lower diameter blade may be used. Teeth  202  can be shaped using sanding, grinding, or another suitable process. 
     With blades  200   a - 200   c  ground down to the desired shapes, the three blades are combined to operate as a single blade on a table saw.  FIG. 5 c    illustrates the combined blade  210 . Outer blades  200   b  and  200   c  are rotated slightly toward or away from the viewer so that teeth  202  of the outer blades are interleaved between the teeth of middle blade  200   a . That rotation allows teeth  202   b  and  202   c  of outer blades  200   b  and  200   c  to extend toward each other into the cut profile of middle blade  200   a  between teeth  202   a . The angled edges of teeth  202   b  and  202   c  are usually longer than angled surfaces  116  of the resultant grooves  110 . 
     Combined blade  210  has the appropriate profile to cut groove  110  due to being cut to the proper dimensions. However, the individual blades  200  will eventually need to be sharpened. Keeping the proper saw blade profile after sharpening can be a challenge. The profile of combined blade  210  can be adjusted by adding shims or washers  212  between the individual blades  200   a - 200   c  as shown in  FIG. 5 d   . Moving outer blades  200   b  and  200   c  in the X direction on the illustrated axis adjusts the height in the Y direction where the tops of the outer blades meet middle blade  200   a . Because the cut angle is 45 degrees, the distance of movement in the X direction will result in an equal distance being added to or removed from vertical surfaces  114  in grooves  110 . Shims  212  allow adjustment of the profile of combined blade  210  to make sure that groove  110  is properly dimensioned. 
     As an alternative,  FIG. 5 e    shows a blade  220  that is a single blade with each individual tooth  222  manufactured in the profile for grooves  110 . Having a single blade  220  means that the profile can no longer be adjusted using shims  212 , but also means that sharpening teeth  222  into the profile of groove  110  is easier. Grooves  110  can also be cut using a router bit with the appropriate profile for cutting grooves  110 . However, using a router bit has the downside of being difficult to sharpen without permanently changing the profile shape. 
       FIGS. 6 a  and 6 b    illustrate a similar concept for saw blades used to form grooves  180 . Two rectangular blades  200   d  and  200   e  can be combined as shown in  FIG. 6 a   . Blade  200   d  has a larger diameter for deep cut  182  and blade  200   e  has a smaller diameter for shallow cut  186 . Again, blades  200   d  and  200   e  can be made from the same input blades, with blade  200   e  simply having more of each tooth removed to reduce the overall diameter and width. Depending on the width of deep cut  182 , two or more saw blades may be combined to form the deep cut while a third makes shallow cut  186 .  FIG. 6 b    shows a single blade  230  with each tooth having the profile of groove  180 . 
     To create grooves using the above blades, the blades are installed into a table saw and planks  100  are run across the table saw. The cutting process begins by optionally heating up planks  100 . A stack or pallet of planks can be placed in a heated area or container prior to having grooves cut. A bread proofing box can be used for instance. Heating planks  100  prior to cutting grooves makes clearcoat layers  58  more flexible, thus helping reduce the likelihood that the clearcoat layers will chip during the sawing process. Planks  100  are heated to 98 degrees Fahrenheit (° F.) in one embodiment. 
       FIG. 7 a    shows a table saw  240  with a pair of blades  220   a  and  220   b  disposed on a single axle to cut grooves  110   a  and  110   b , respectively. Blades  220   a  and  220   b  are set at a level where the blades cut to the desired depth into plank  100 , i.e., the peak of the blades is 7 and ⅓ mm over the top surface of table saw  240  to create grooves  110  that leave flexible portion  120  with a thickness of ⅔ of a millimeter for 8 mm thick planks. A plank  100  is run across blades  220  using guide  242  to ensure that grooves  110  are positioned properly. 
       FIGS. 7 b  and 7 c    show another embodiment where two separate table saws  250   a  and  250   b  are used to cut grooves  110  one at a time. Cutting one groove at a time with two table saws  250  is a smoother and less error-prone process than doing both grooves at once. Guide  252  keeps planks  100  aligned properly relative to blades  220 . The process of doing two cuts serially can be automated by using motorized rollers  256  to feed a plank  100  into the table saw setup, move the planks from table saw  250   a  to table saw  250   b , and then drop the plank onto table  260  to await further processing. A second guide  252  can be used on the other side of planks  100  to keep the planks aligned throughout the automated process. Wheels  262  are disposed over blades  220  to keep planks  100  down on the table surface while being cut. Any type of power feeder could be used to move a plank  100  through one or two table saws. A special machine could be made to automatically cut two grooves into plank  100  instead of using two off the shelf table saws. 
       FIGS. 8 a -8 c    illustrates a station  270  used to glue and fold planks  100  after grooves  110  are formed. Station  270  is double-sided so that two planks can be folded and glued at the same time by two different workers standing on opposite sides of the table. Station  270  includes a table  271  with a large flat working surface  272  to support a plank  100 . Alignment pegs  274  are used to align plank  100  parallel to heating slots  276  with the grooves directly over the slots. Plank  100  is set on surface  272  with grooves  110  oriented upward as shown in  FIG. 8 b   , and then slid back against pegs  274 . Two pegs  274  are used to keep the plank  100  grooves parallel to and directly over slots  276 . In other embodiments, more pegs, a flat guide surface, or any other suitable mechanism could be used to keep planks  100  positioned properly on surface  272 . A worker could also just align grooves  110  over slots  276  by sight without an alignment mechanism. 
     A heating element  280  is disposed under slots  276 . Any type of heating element is usable, e.g., a gas burner or a resistive electric heater. The heating element can be as simple as a food warmer lamp. Slots  276  are positioned directly under grooves  110  with a portion  282  of table  271  limits heat being directly applied to the portion of plank  100  between the grooves. Applying heat specifically to grooves  110  and limiting the application of heat to other areas of planks  100  helps the planks fold at the grooves without bending or being misshapen in other areas. The thinner areas of plank  100  at grooves  110  heat up more quickly than the areas remaining at full thickness, so heating just the grooves is relatively easy. A target temperature of 125° F. is sufficient for folding planks  100  and will keep the planks under most manufacturers&#39; recommended maximum temperature. 
     Next, adhesive  130  is disposed into grooves  110 . Adhesive  130  is a two-part adhesive in one embodiment. The two-part adhesive involves first spraying an activator into grooves  110  and then dispensing in a bead of glue. Cyanoacrylate (CA) glue is one suitable adhesive. Once the CA glue is applied onto the activator in grooves  110 , the worker has about 10 seconds to fold plank  100  into the desired shape for stair nose  150  before the glue becomes too hard to work. 
     Another embodiment uses a single-stage hot urethane or polyurethane (PUR) adhesive. The PUR adhesive is dispensed into grooves  110  at a high enough temperature, typically 230° F., that a separate heating element  280  is not required. Using a PUR adhesive to heat the area around grooves  110  provides sufficient heat without needing heating elements  280  and keeps heat localized to the grooves without requiring slots  276 . Adhesive  130  can be dispensed from a bottle, fed in from a large tank using a hose and nozzle, or applied using any other suitable mechanism. 
     Once adhesive  130  is disposed in grooves  110 , plank  100  is folded up into two 90-degree angles and placed between table  271  and clamp bar  292  as shown in  FIG. 8 c   . Clamp bar  292  runs parallel to the edge of table  271  and is attached to the table by a plurality of flat swing arms  294  that form parallelograms. The top surfaces of swing arms  294  are perpendicular to the inner surfaces of clamp bar  292  and table  271  so that together the three surfaces hold plank  100  folded into two 90-degree angles. 
     One of the swing arms  294  has a switch  296  extending out past clamp bar  292  that a worker can press with his or her hip to move the clamp bar away from table  271  and allow insertion of a folded-up plank  100 . Clamp bar  292  is spring loaded with spring  297  so that when the worker stops pressing on switch  296  the clamp bar compresses plank  100  between the clamp bar and table  271  to hold the 90-degree folds without additional input from the worker. In other embodiments, springs  297  are used at both ends of clamp bar  292 .  FIG. 8 c    shows the spring compression of clamp bar  292  holding the 90-degree angles while the glue dries so that the worker can grab another plank  100  and get heat and glue applied while the first plank&#39;s adhesive dries. 
     The folding of plank  100  will squeeze some adhesive  130  out to form a visible bead inside stair nose  150 . For two-part adhesives, an addition spray of activator can be applied after folding to ensure that the bead hardens. The activator helps adhesive  130  get a better grip on the inside of the folds and reduces the amount that the wet adhesive runs on the inner surfaces of stair nose  150 . 20-30 seconds of drying is typically sufficient for adhesive  130 , and then the completed stair nose  150  can be stacked for packaging and shipment to the customer. 
     In some embodiments, heating, applying adhesive, folding, and holding while the adhesive dries can all be automated. A robot can apply adhesive before running a plank  100  through a folding machine, such as one that might be used for roll forming sheet metal into channel beams. The entire process from loading a plank  100 , cutting grooves  110  or  180 , to gluing the folds in place can be automated by connecting robots in an assembly line. Robots can be configured to take a pile of new planks  100  and convert the planks into a stack of stair nosings  150  without human intervention. 
     In addition to stair nosing, other types of molding can be formed by cutting and folding luxury vinyl plank flooring. Any type of molding can be formed, and each has the advantage of matching the surrounding flooring due to being formed from one of the same planks that was used for the flooring. 
       FIGS. 9 a -9 d    show one example where a T molding is made from an LVP flooring plank.  FIG. 9 a    shows an LVP strip  300 . LVP strip  300  is formed by cutting plank  100  into strips with the desired length and width for forming a molding. The width W in  FIG. 9 a    should be selected greater than the final desired width of the molding in order to accommodate the manufacturing process. In one embodiment, the additional width of strip  300  is between ½ inch and 1 inch. 
     To form strip  300  into a T molding, the strip is cut or shaved down to the profile shown in  FIG. 9 b   . Middle portion  302  stays at the full thickness of plank  100  and operates as the vertical portion of the T molding. Middle portion  302  can be sized as desired for the particular T molding being manufactured. In one embodiment, middle portion  302  has a width suitable for insertion into a metal track that holds the T molding in place. Middle portion  302  can be given sloped side surfaces to apply pressure against track walls as the T molding is inserted. 
     Platforms  304  surround middle portion  302  on both sides and have bottom surface  102  shaved down to about 20-25% of the total plank  100  thickness, i.e., about 75-80% of the plank material is removed within the footprints of platforms  304 . In one embodiment, a thickness of platforms  304  is about 1 mm and a width of each platform  304  is between ¼ and ½ inch. Platforms  304  will be the portion of the T molding that sits on the surrounding flooring, while middle  302  will be the portion of the T molding that sits between the surrounding flooring. 
     Flaps  306  have bottom surface  102  of strip  300  shaved down to between ½ mm and ⅔ mm thickness. The exact thicknesses of flaps  306  and platforms  304  are not critical, but the flaps should be thin enough to be folded under the platforms as shown in  FIG. 9 c   . Platforms  304  should be thick enough to allow flaps  306  to be folded under without the platforms being bent. 
     Platforms  304  and flaps  306  can be cut or shaved down using a single saw with a profile matching the desired shape, as done above for grooves  110  and  180 . One platform  304  and flap  306  could be cut followed by the platform and flap on the other side of middle  302 . Heat can be applied as with grooves  110  and  180  to reduce the likelihood of damaging the clearcoat layers. In another embodiment, a custom planer blade is designed to cut platforms  304  and flaps  306 . Any suitable tool or machine can be used to cut a plank  100  into the shape of  FIG. 9 b   . A plank  100  can be cut into a plurality of T-shapes shown in  FIG. 9 b    in a single step rather than first cutting down to strips  300 . 
     Once plank  100  is cut into the shape shown in  FIG. 9 b   , flaps  306  are folded under platforms  304  as shown in  FIG. 9 c    and glued. Heat can be applied prior to or during folding flaps  306  to reduce the likelihood of image layer  56  and clearcoat layers  58  cracking. A CA, PUR, or other adhesive is used to fix flaps  306  to the undersides of platforms  304 . The width of flaps  306  should be long enough to allow adhesive to sufficiently adhere the flaps to platforms  304  but short enough so that the flaps do not overlap middle  302  when folded under. 
     Strip  300  with flaps  306  folded under as shown in  FIG. 9 c    is usable as a T molding  310 .  FIG. 9 d    shows T molding  310  in use. Platform  304  and flap  306  on one side of middle  302  sit on flooring  312  and the other platform and flap sit on flooring  314 . Middle portion  302  extends down between flooring  312  and flooring  314 . T molding  310  can be used anywhere two floorings meet. Flooring  312  might be made of planks  100  while flooring  314  is a tile floor, or the floorings could be two different patterns of LVP planks. T molding  310  can also be used where different areas of the same LVP pattern meet, e.g., if two adjacent rooms were independently covered in the same style of LVP and a molding is needed to cover up a seam between the two. 
     Whatever the case, T molding  310  covers up the seam where flooring  312  meets flooring  314 . A seamless look by snapping connectors  60  together is difficult to get since the two flooring sides are laid independently. Flooring  312  and  314  are laid with about an inch of space between them, then the gap is covered with T molding  310 . T molding  310  can optionally be glued down or snapped into a track in the gap between floorings  312  and  314 . Because T molding  310  is formed from one of the same planks that are used to make one or both of floorings  312  and  314 , the T molding matches the flooring almost perfectly. 
       FIGS. 10 a -10 e    illustrate forming an end molding from plank  100 . A strip  300  is again cut from plank  100 , and then cut into the profile shown in  FIG. 10 a   . Middle portion  302  again remains at the full thickness of planks  100 . One side of middle portion  302  has a platform  304  and a flap  306  as with T molding  310 . 
     The opposite side of middle  302  has a groove  180  formed to allow that side to fold down at 90 degrees, like the folds done with stair nosing  150 .  FIG. 10 b    shows flap  306  folded under platform  304  and glued. Groove  180  is also folded down 90 degrees and glued as when forming stair nosing to complete an end molding  320 . To use end molding  320 , platform  304  and flap  306  are set on flooring as with T molding  310 , and the 90-degree angle on the opposite side extends downward to the underlying floor. 
     Groove  110  can be used as well as groove  180 . Groove  180  is non-symmetrical and can have shelf  188  disposed toward or away from middle  302 .  FIGS. 10 a -10 b    form end molding  324  with shelf  188  oriented away from middle  302 , while  FIG. 10 c    shows groove  180  cut into strip  300  with shelf  188  oriented toward the middle.  FIG. 10 c    also shows an optional extension  322  on the opposite side of groove  180  from middle  302 . Extension  322  creates vertical lift when folded down as shown with end molding  324  in  FIG. 10   d.    
     The vertical lift of extension  322  allows top surface  104  to stay horizontal when flooring  325  is made from the same thickness of planks  100  as end molding  324 . Extension  322  sits between two parallel surfaces, i.e., floor  326  and shelf  188 , which helps strengthen end molding  324  from gap  330  being crushed by a person stepping on the end molding. Gap  330  can also be filled with an adhesive or something solid like a strip of plastic, wood, or metal to further strengthen end molding  324 . An additional cut could be made into middle  302  to create a structure sized to be used with a metal track nailed down to the floor. 
     End molding  320 , with shelf  188  oriented away from middle  302 , could also be made with an extension  322  to lift the grooved side of the end molding. End moldings  320  and  324  are commonly used where LVP flooring ends and a totally different type of flooring is used, e.g., carpet. End moldings  320  and  324  match flooring  325  due to being made from the same planks  100  that the flooring is made from. 
     The above disclosed methods and devices are described with reference to luxury vinyl plank flooring but apply equally to other types of plank flooring that are sufficiently flexible. For instance, while the illustrated embodiment is made from a luxury vinyl plank (LVP), other type of flooring planks are used in other embodiments. Stone plastic composite (SPC), wood plastic composite (WPC), and engineered vinyl plank (EVP) flooring is a non-exhaustive list of other similar types of flooring that can be used in the above-described method to form molding out of flooring planks. 
     While two specific groove designs are disclosed, i.e., groove  110  and groove  180 , other groove profiles can be used to allow a floor plank to be bent and used as a molding. Stair noses can be made using any number and angle of folds, e.g., three 60-degree angles could be used instead of two 90-degree angles to create a pointed nose. The total of all fold angles does not necessarily need to equal 180 degrees. 
       FIGS. 11 a -11 g    illustrate an embodiment where a stair nose is made from a flooring plank such that the resulting stair nose is larger than the stair tread being covered. The stair nose is cut to the size of the stair tread prior to installation.  FIG. 11 a    shows a plank  400 . Plank  400  is similar to plank  50  but formed with a larger length and width than a typical luxury vinyl floor plank. 
     Because the stair tread being formed with plank  400  will be used on a step with another vertical riser at the back of the step, plank  400  will not have another plank connected as shown in  FIGS. 3 g  and 3 h    above. Therefore, plank  400  is formed without connectors  60  in most embodiments to save the manufacturing work of forming the connectors. Plank  400  is also formed without padding  54  because the padding is not necessary to match the thickness of an adjacent plank. Adhesive used to stick the plank to a stair tread will provide sufficient padding. Forming plank  400  without padding also strengthens the glued corner joints as described above. 
     Plank  400  is a plank formed specifically for making a stair nose, with specific characteristics that are adapted to that purpose, i.e., greater size, no padding  54 , and no connectors  60 . Plank  400  is still formed with the same core  52 , image layer  56 , and clearcoat  58  as other floor planks  50  which are used on the surrounding floors to ensure that the look and feel of the stair noses matches the floors. 
     In  FIG. 11 b   , grooves  110  are formed along the length of plank  400  as described above. Grooves  110  are formed with a uniform cross-section along the entire length of the plank  400  as described above and are spaced out and positioned similarly. The specific positions of grooves  110  can be adjusted as needed to make a different size stair nose. Square grooves like grooves  180 , or any other suitable shape of grooves, are used in other embodiments. 
       FIGS. 11 c  and 11 d    show plank  400  folded and glued into a stair nose  420 . Short edges  108  and long edges  106  are flat rather than having connectors  60 . Adhesive  130  is disposed into grooves  110  prior to folding to hold the fold at approximately a 90-degree angle. 
       FIG. 11 e    shows a set of stairs  430 . Each tread  12  has a length L and a width W that is less than the comparable dimensions of stair nose  420 . Therefore, stair nose  420  can be cut down to the length and width of tread  12  and then a single piece of molding can be used to entirely finish each tread. There is no need to connect multiple stair noses together to cover the length of a tread  12  or to connect additional pieces of flooring to fill width of the tread. 
       FIG. 11 f    shows two cuts  436  and  438  that can be made to stair nose  420  to give the stair nose the same length L and width W as tread  12 . Cut  436  is parallel to long edges  106  to reduce the width of stair nose  420  down to width W of tread  12 . Cut  438  is parallel to short edge  108  to reduce the length of stair nose  420  down to length L. Cuts  436  and  438  can be performed using a table saw, circular saw, jig saw, hand saw, laser cutting tool, water jet, or any other suitable cutting mechanism. In other embodiments, stair nose  420  is manufactured to length L and width W, so no cuts are necessary to have a plank the same size as a stair step. 
       FIG. 11 g    shows stair noses  420  being installed on stairs  430 . Installation typically proceeds from bottom of the stairs to the top. Stair nose  420   a  is installed on tread  12   a  using adhesive  152 . Back edge  106   a  of nose  420   a  is oriented toward the next higher riser  14 . 
     The length and width of the installed stair nose  420  may intentionally be formed to not exactly match the length and width of a stair nose  12   a  for a variety of reasons. As one example, the width of stair nose  420  may be a millimeter or two short to ensure a proper fit on all steps considering potential variances in the exact width between steps. A small gap will therefore be left between riser  14  and edge  106   a . A riser cover  440   a  is installed over riser  14  with adhesive  152  and covers up any small gap between nose  420   a  and the riser. Riser cover  440   a  is formed from the same material as stair noses  420  to match the aesthetics of the surrounding floor and stairs. In other embodiments, riser covers  440  that visually contrast with stair noses  420  are used. 
     Stair nose  420   b  is installed on the next tread  12   b . Edge  106   b  of stair nose  420   b  can touch riser cover  440   a  or a gap may be left. In other embodiments, riser cover  440   a  is shorter than riser  14 , and edge  106   b  may be directly over or behind the riser cover. Edge  106   b  touches riser  14  in some embodiments. Each stair nose  420  fully covers a tread  12  without needing additional floor panels to fill up a gap between the edge  106   a  and riser  14 . 
     For longer steps, two or more stair noses  420  can still be used to fully cover a tread  12 , but each nose  420  would typically still be wide enough to reach from nose  16  to the next riser  14 . In such cases, connectors  60  can be formed on shorter edges  108 . Connectors  60  would be cut off at the ends of each stair tread  12  but would be used internally to connect multiple stair noses  420  to reach the desired length. Connector  60  is cut off or never formed on longer edges  106 . Connector  60  can be formed on top edge  106   a  only so that stair noses  420  can be linked up with surrounding flooring at the top of stairs  430 . 
     Using stair noses  420  that are made over-sized for the tread being covered and then cutting the stair noses to size prior to installation simplifies installation and improves aesthetics by reducing the number of seams between panels and the total number of panels that must be placed. Any of the above or below embodiments can be formed from an oversized piece of flooring and then cut to the desired size. 
       FIGS. 12 a -12 h    show an embodiment where stair noses are made from thinner and cheaper vinyl flooring.  FIG. 12 a    shows a panel of vinyl flooring  450 . Vinyl flooring  450  is significantly thinner and more flexible than the luxury plank flooring used above. Vinyl flooring  450  is typically installed by gluing a plurality of pieces of the vinyl flooring onto the floor directly abutting each other. There is no latching system as luxury vinyl planks typically have. The term vinyl may refer to PVC or another vinyl-based or vinyl-like material. 
     Vinyl flooring  450  is an economical option, but value would still be added by having stair nosing that matched the surrounding flooring. However, due to vinyl flooring  450  being thin and flexible, performing the above-described groove cutting, folding, and gluing will not make a satisfactory stair nose when performed on the vinyl flooring by itself. 
       FIG. 12 b    shows a backing  452  that can be attached to vinyl flooring  450  to provide enough thickness and strength to form a stair nose. Backing  452  is formed from PVC or vinyl similarly to vinyl flooring  450 . Backing  452  is thick enough to allow grooves  110  or  180  to be formed when combined with the thickness of vinyl flooring  450 . An adhesive  454  is applied to one surface of backing  452  using a spray can, a spray nozzle as part of an automated system, a brush, or another suitable means. 
       FIG. 12 c    shows backing  452  attached onto vinyl flooring  450 . The surface of backing  452  to which adhesive  454  was applied is oriented toward vinyl flooring  450 . In one embodiment, adhesive  454  is a type of adhesive or PVC cement that eats or melts the vinyl material of flooring  450  and backing  452  and then resolidifies to essentially weld the two pieces together. Any suitable adhesive is used in other embodiments. Backing  452  has a smaller width than vinyl flooring  450  so that only the portion of the vinyl flooring that will be grooved and folded has backing  452 . 
       FIG. 12 d    shows a cross-section of vinyl flooring  450  with backing  452  attached. Vinyl flooring  450  typically has a vinyl substrate  460 , an image layer, and clearcoat layer  462  applied over the image layer, similar to image layer  56  and clearcoat layer  58  above. In other embodiments, vinyl flooring is used that is just a vinyl substrate with a visual pattern embedded in or painted onto the vinyl material. 
     In  FIG. 12 e   , beveled grooves  110   a  and  110   b  are formed as described above. Square grooves  180  or any other suitable groove profile is formed in other embodiments. Grooves  110  extend along the entire length of vinyl flooring  450  and backing  452 . Grooves  110  are formed extending completely through backing  452  and into vinyl flooring  450  to a depth that is just to the image layer without extending through to clearcoat layer  462 . A portion of vinyl substrate  460  remains at the bottoms of grooves  110  in other embodiments. Grooves  110  can also be formed only in backing  452  and not extending into vinyl flooring  450  in embodiments with especially thin vinyl flooring or other types of thin flooring.  FIG. 12 f    shows vinyl flooring  450  and backing  452  from the bottom with grooves  110 . 
     The portion of vinyl flooring  450  that has backing  452  attached is folded around grooves  110  and glued as described above to form a stair nose  470  in  FIG. 12 g   . Stair nose  470  is attached to tread  12  by adhesive  152  or another suitable adhesive. A size of backing  462  is selected so that edge  472  running parallel to nose  16  does not contact tread  12  or nose  16 . Therefore, vinyl flooring  450  of stair nose  470  lies flat on tread  12  like the next piece of flooring  450   a  that is not part of a stair nose. In some embodiments, backing  452  is cut short enough that edge  472  is coplanar with the underlying vertical section of the backing. Because only flooring  450  without backing  452  is placed on tread  12 , the thickness and feel of the stair nose matches the rest of the surrounding vinyl flooring. 
     An edge of backing  452  does not necessarily need to align perfectly with an edge of vinyl flooring  450 .  FIG. 12 h    shows an embodiment where edge  474  opposite edge  472  is located inward from edge  106   b  of flooring  450 . The portion of vinyl flooring  450  under tread  12  is not going to need to support significant weight during normal usage, so having the edge of the vinyl flooring floating without backing  452  is not going to be structurally problematic. In other embodiments, backing  452  is split into a separate piece per groove  110 , such that each corner  480   a  and  480   b  has a separate piece of backing material. 
     While one or more embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in detail, the skilled artisan will appreciate that modifications and adaptations to those embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.