Patent ID: 8631622

Claim:
A flooring system, comprising: a plurality of tongue-and-groove floorboards having click systems that interlock the floorboards together to form the flooring system, wherein each of the floorboards comprises: a first longitudinal side defining a tongue, a second longitudinal side defining a groove, first and second butt sides, and first and second major faces, wherein the first and second longitudinal sides and the first and second butt sides extend all the way between the first and second major faces, wherein the first and second longitudinal sides at least partially define the click system, wherein the longitudinal tongue of each one of the floorboards has a shape that interlocks with the longitudinal groove of an adjacent and abreast one of the floorboards to secure the floorboards together in the flooring system, and wherein the longitudinal tongue and the longitudinal groove of the adjacent and abreast interlocked floorboards include at least one pair of facing contact surfaces that are in contact with each other; and at least one protective film strip covering both of or interposed between the pair of facing contact surfaces of the tongue-and-groove click system floorboards such that there is no direct contact between the pair of facing contact surfaces, wherein the film strip of each of the floorboards is made of a polymer material and includes an adhesive coating on a back side thereof, wherein the film strip has a moisture transmissivity defined by a moisture absorption rate of about 0.01 to about 1.5 such that the film strip substantially blocks moisture transfer through the film-strip-covered contact surfaces of the click system surfaces to reduce moisture-related distortion of the adjacent and abreast interlocked floorboards, and wherein the film strip has a coefficient of friction of about 0.01 to about 0.5 such that when the film-strip-covered contact surfaces of the adjacent and abreast interlocked floorboards slide against each other they are non-squeaking.