Abstract:
A molding for positioning along a corner formed by an intersection of a wall and a floating floor, or between adjacent edges of a floating floor. The molding includes a generally planar floating floor engaging surface and a wall engaging surface. A pad is positioned along the floating-floor engaging face, and resiliently creates a substantially moisture-tight seal so as to prevent moisture from contacting the corner when the molding is in an installed position along the corner.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention is a molding for use with floating floors, for example, for positioning along the corner formed between a wall and a floating floor.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Floating floors are well-known in the art. In general, a floating floor provides a unique feel and sound as compared to a secured floor, which often is a very hard material, such as a concrete subfloor, or wood applied to a subfloor. A floating floor, such as a laminate floor, is installed to float above the subfloor by the use of an underlayment between the subfloor and the floating floor.  
           [0003]    Of course, the floating floor will have some bend, give and flexibility. The edges of the floating floor should come as close as possible to the wall; however, exact precision is rarely possible. Additionally, expansion gaps are necessary to allow for expansion of the flooring material. Thus, moldings are used to cover the edge of the floating floor.  
           [0004]    Notwithstanding their aesthetic and decorative beauty, floating floors often present maintenance problems. Moisture seeping between the subfloor and floating floor could cause extensive damage, especially to composite floating floors, such as those made of a compressed core of wood fibers, known in the industry as medium density fiberboard (MDF) and high density fiberboard (HDF).  
           [0005]    The moldings of the prior art provide an aesthetic, finished look by hiding the expansion gap that exists between the floating floor and a wall. However, because a floating floor requires a gap for expansion space of approximately ¼″, and floats on a sound deadening or impact-alleviating underlayment, permitting flexibility of the floating floor, a water tight fit between the molding of the prior art and the floating floor could not be maintained.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The invention is a molding for positioning along the corner formed a first surface, such as a wall, and a floating floor. The molding has a generally planar floating floor engaging surface, and a wall engaging surface, and is made of the same material as the floating floor including an identical or complementary color and pattern. An elastomeric, compressed open-cell, or closed-cell foam pad is positioned on the lower edge of the molding along the floating-floor engaging face, and the pad resiliently creates a substantially moisture-tight seal so as to prevent moisture from the core of the floating floor, the underlayment, or into the gap between the floating floor and wall.  
           [0007]    Optionally, the molding may include an adhesive positioned on the pad and configured to engage the floating floor when the molding is in the installed position. It may also include apertures in the wall engaging surface to allow a connector to pass therethrough, the connector fastening the molding to the corner when the molding is in the installed position.  
           [0008]    The molding may a generally quarter-round cross-section at planes transverse to the longitudinal axis. An intermediate surface may connect the wall-engaging surface and the floating-floor engaging surface. Generally, the intermediate surface is angled so that the wall, floating floor, and intermediate surface form a generally triangular shape in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis.  
           [0009]    The molding may have a face positioned to face outwardly from the corner. The face may be curved or flat, depending on one&#39;s individual tastes. The cross section of the molding, at planes transverse to the longitudinal axis, may be generally uniform. The molding may be formed of MDF or HDF to which is adhered a surface layer or a thermosetting resin and a decor sheet. The resin is preferably a melamine resin, though other resins are suitable. Optionally, hard metal or ceramic particles, such as aluminum oxide or silicon dioxide, etc. may be imbedded in the decor or overlay it so as to provide abrasion resistance.  
           [0010]    The invention further comprises a method of preventing moisture from seeping into a gap between a floating floor and a molding. The method includes the steps of installing a molding into contact with the floating floor; the molding has a pad positioned to contact the floating floor. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the molding according to the principles of the present invention.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the molding, according to the principles of the present invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, showing an underside view.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a molding, shown installed in a corner between a wall and a floating floor.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a molding shown installed in a corner between a wall and a floating floor, wherein the wall includes a wall base.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a saddle-type molding, according to the principles of the invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the molding shown in FIG. 5, shown in an installed condition.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 7 is a plan view of the molding shown in an installed condition.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the invention. The molding  10  has a floating-floor engaging face  12  and a second face  14 , shown as a wall-engaging face  14 . The wall-engaging face  14  may have apertures  22  extending therethrough to allow an installer to connect to the wall.  
         [0020]    In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a pad  18  is coupled to the floating-floor engaging face  12  of molding  10 . In a preferred embodiment, no adhesive is necessary to keep the pad  18  in contact with the floating floor  10 . The pad  18  can be effective as a water tight seal due to the resilient nature of the pad or the pad may be compressed when engaging the floating floor  26 . No other structure or material is necessary to ensure the water tight seal. However, an adhesive  19  may be on a surface of the pad  18 . An intermediate surface  16  extends between the floor-engaging surface  12  and the wall-engaging surface  14 . The face  20  of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is generally planar or flat.  
         [0021]    In FIG. 2, the face  20  is shown as a quarter-round or curved surface. In either any embodiment of the invention, cross-sections transverse to the longitudinal axis of the molding are generally uniform; however, varying cross-sections may also be possible.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 shows the underside of the molding  10 . Pad  18  may be kept in a water tight relationship with the floating floor  26  solely due to its resilient nature and would be facilitated by a slight compression of pad  18  when in its installed position. An adhesive  19  may be applied to the pad  18  in order to keep the pad  18  engaged with the floating floor. In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive  19  is a preformed layer covered by a removable protective film  21 . In order to install the molding, the protective film  21  is removed, exposing the adhesive  19 ; then, the molding  10  is positioned and installed, as will be shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.  
         [0023]    The floating floor  26  may have pliability; thus, it is necessary that the pad  18  be resilient, deformable, and remain in contact with the floating floor engaging surface  12  and the floating floor  25 . Suitable materials for pad  18  include natural and synthetic rubber, compressed open-cell foamed plastic, closed cell foamed plastics, elastomeric polymer materials, hollow core polymeric materials, and similar materials.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram showing the molding  10  in an installed condition. The floating floor  26  rests on underlayment  28  which are placed on the subfloor  24 , thereby creating a space  25  between the floating floor  26  and the subfloor  24 . The floating floor  26  may be formed of interlocking panels, or any other known floating-floor material. As shown, an expansion gap  30  may exist between the wall  32  and the edge of the floating floor  26 . This gap  30  would allow moisture to seep beneath the floating floor  26 . Moisture would allow bacterial growth that could harm the underlayment  28 , damage the floating floor  26 , harm an MDF or HDF core layer, or otherwise cause damage to the wall  32  or subfloor  24 . Hence, a relatively water-resistant and water tight molding  10  is needed.  
         [0025]    When weight is applied to the floating floor  26  near the wall  32 , the floating floor  26  will naturally deform downward toward the subfloor  24 . Consequently, the floating floor  26  may tend to deform away from the molding  10 . However, an adhesive  19  and pad  18  on the floor-engaging surface  12  will assist in preventing moisture from passing under the molding  10  in the event weight tends to pull the floating floor  26  away from the molding  10 . Alternatively, a compressed foam pad  18  will expand and contract with the downward and upward movement of the floor, thus maintaining a seal that prevents moisture from passing under the molding  10 . When no load is applied to the floating floor  26 , however, a front edge of the molding  10  will remain in contact with the floating floor  26  thereby preventing the formation of a gap between the floor-engaging surface  12  and the floating floor  26 .  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 4 shows that the molding  10  may also be used in cooperation with wall base  33 . In this embodiment, the wall-engaging face  14  abuts the wall base  33  instead of the wall  32 .  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 5 shows an alternate embodiment of the molding  10 , also known as a saddle-type molding. While the embodiment is different in its overall function, parts having similar structure have been given identical reference numbers. The saddle molding  10  in FIG. 5 is for use in preventing moisture from seeping between two relatively coplanar surfaces, such as adjacent, but separate, panels of a floor, for example. The molding  10  has a first floating floor engaging surface  12  and a second floor engaging surface  13 . Each of these has a pad  18  adhered to thereto. A longitudinally extending flange  17  is formed between the first  12  and second  13  floor engaging surfaces. An adhesive  19  may be applied to a face of at least one pad  18  in order to maintain contact between the pad  18  and the floating floor  24 . A hollow  23  may extend through the pad  18  in order to improve the resilience and flexibility of the pad  18 .  
         [0028]    The design as shown in FIG. 5 may also be used as an end molding or carpet reducer. Frequently, an end molding is placed in an expansion space. The expansion space may be filled with a sealant, thereby eliminating or reducing the need for a pad  18 .  
         [0029]    The invention may also be incorporated into carpet reducers, hard surface reducers, T-moldings and stair nosings that are not flush moldings, and therefore do not require foam beneath the portions of the moldings that overlap and press against the floating floor. These embodiments of the invention use a pressure fit from snapping the moldings  10  into their hidden metal tracks with sufficient tightness in order to ensure a secure fit. The stair nosing, for example, is screwed to the subfloor  24  and creates enough pressure to maintain a tight fit against the floating floor.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 6 shows the embodiment of FIG. 5 in an installed condition over adjacent edges of a floating floor  26 . The floating floor  26  is separated from the subfloor  24  by an underlayment  28 . Of course, the molding  10  may be positioned over edges of differing types of flooring, such as tile, carpet, wood, or the like. As shown, edges of the floating floor  24  are separated by a gap  30 . As shown the molding  10  fits over the gap  30  so that the flange  17  fits within the gap  30 .  
         [0031]    As shown in FIG. 7, the molding  10  of any embodiment may be used with inside corners  46  or outside corners  47 ; additionally, a straight-type joint  48 , or even an angled joint (not shown) between the moldings  10  may also be constructed. Moreover, the molding  10  of the present invention may be incorporated into carpet stops, door casings, door stops, or door jambs, or any application where a relatively water-tight, yet aesthetically pleasing, edging or molding is desired. When the method is used in conjunction with either type of corner  46 ,  47  or joint  48 , a sealant, such as a silicone, or equivalent, sealant, should be placed around the cut edges to seal the same before the corners are joined. Additionally, silicone, or an equivalent, sealant may also be applied beneath and behind undercut door casings and door jambs when the flooring is being installed.  
         [0032]    It is to be understood that the moldings of the invention are not limited to the shapes illustrated in the appended drawings; they may be of any shape known to one skilled in the art.  
         [0033]    Moreover, the floating floors, as used in the present invention, are not limited to a laminate or a core of MDF or HDF, but may be used with floating floors of any construction, for example, wood veneer on a base of plywood; solid plastic panels, composite plastic, and foamed plastic panels; laminate and plywood panels, composite laminate, MDF or HDF and metal panels, wood and plastic panels, etc.  
         [0034]    While the embodiments herein have been described in detail, the descriptions have been for illustrative purposes only, and have not been intended to limit the scope of the invention. The invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.