Improvements in Floorings and in the Method of Laying the same.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Aug., 1899-Accepted, 23rd Sept., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Floorings and in the Method of Laying the same.
I, FRANZ GUDE, of Ragnit, East Prussia, German Empire, Builder, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention has reference to floorings of houses and other buildings and to the
method of laying the same.
Floorings as generally laid and which are constructed of planks nailed directly
upon the joists or beams of the buildings possess the great drawback that after the
flooring has been laid for some time seams or gaps of varying width show them-
selves between the boards. It has been sought to obviate this drawback by
seasoning the flooring material by storing it for it may be years, which storing
had to be carried out in open sheds in which the boards however were continually
exposed to the varying influences of the weather and differences of temperature.
But even if planks seasoned for years be employed for the flooring boards it is
not possible to lay them only when continuously dry weather prevails; they
must be laid as required by the progress of the building. Attempts have also
been made to artificially dry the boards in drying kilns. These arrangements
however can only be carried out by large steam works, and further the kiln
involves great expense and the boards are injured by checking and warping; and
lastly the dried material swells as soon as ever it is brought out of the kiln for
transport during rainy or damp weather. If the gaps or seams in ordinary floors
have to be mended, they must be filled in or luted, or it may be necessary to take
up the whole flooring. In consequence however, of the rigid nailing down of the
flooring boards it is very difficult to separate them from the joists without injury.
All these drawbacks are avoided by the present invention a characteristic
feature of which consists in so disposing or arranging the flooring boards that
they are capable of lateral movement or adjustment so that upon the appearance
of seams or gaps the boards may be at any time readily brought together.
The accompanying drawings represent a flooring constructed in accordance with
the present invention.
In these drawings Fig. 1 is a plan of a portion of the flooring, Fig. 2 is a
vertical section taken across the boards, Fig. 3 a vertical section taken along them,
and Fig. 4 shows on a larger scale the method of securing the flooring boards in
position.
Referring to these figures d are fillets running exactly parallel with each other
and nailed or otherwise firmly secured to the top of the joists or beams a, which
should also be quite parallel to each other. These fillets are so situated with
respect to each other that a space or groove is constituted between them for the
purpose explained later. This groove may for example be trapezium shaped in
cross section as shown.
Upon the under face of the flooring boards c plugs or blocks e are secured
each by a screw h preferably of wood driven down through the top face of the

page_text: board. These plugs or blocks e are of similar shape in cross section to that of
the space formed between the fillets d, so that the boards c can thus be moved
along in either direction, the plugs e running in their grooves. If the screws h
which hold the blocks e to the planks c be tightened up, it will be readily under-
stood that the blocks e will be wedged firmly in the grooves and thus give the
flooring boards a good hold. After the whole of the boards have been laid down
in the manner described they are firmly drawn together by a suitable tool and
then secured in position by means of their screws h. The entire flooring having
been thus laid, the skirting boards f are fixed, not as hitherto usual, to the floor-
ing, but to the wall by means of screws, in such manner that the boards may be
moved freely under the wainscot when necessary. If in the course of time seams
or chinks should appear between the boards, these can be remedied by the employ-
ment of stretching screws, which force the boards together again.
If it should be desired to automatically and permanently hold the boards
-together without formation of seams from shrinkage as above referred to, spiral
steel springs may be secured oppositely to some of the joists (see Fig. 2) to
draw the boards together. Pressure springs may however, be equally well em-
ployed if the walls of the buildings are strong to hold the boards together. In
order to close the seams between the skirting board and the flooring they may be
smeared with luting or wax so that when the boards are being cleaned no water
may get underneath. If spiral springs as shown in Fig. 2 have been used in
the laying or a floor these may readily be removed after the flooring has become
thoroughly dry, by taking up a board at each side of the room. These springs
may be again employed for other floors and the cost of the floorings is therefore
cheapened. When the flooring is found to have become completely dry, the
screws h may be screwed up more firmly especially if the boards were very new
when laid down and have shrunk. With this object, spaces g should be left at
the upper and lower sides of the plugs e.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The improved method of laying floorings which is characterized by the
arrangement of the flooring boards so that they are laterally adjustable with
reference to each other substantially as described, so that if seams or gaps should
occur between the boards these may be readily brought together again.
2. For the purpose specified in Claim 1 the employment of flooring boards
provided with wedge-like plugs or blocks and of grooves to receive said blocks
substantially as described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
3. The improved flooring as described and as illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
01
T
1000
J. O. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.