Armstrong Cork Company

George A Tudor

Donald E Schneider

Gary E Williams

The process for making a surface covering having an embossed wear surface, including embossed design portions which differ in elevation and shading, by depositing a liquid resinous base coating onto a backing, depositing a layer of resinous dryblend onto the liquid resinous coating while it is still wet, heating to sinter the dryblend and at least partially set the base coating, producing a design on the sintered layer by applying settable resinous ink to at least a portion thereof in sufficient amounts and viscosity to permit penetration of the ink into the dryblend layer to a depth of about 10 mils (0.254 mm) at the points of application, at least a portion of the design being formed by applying the ink in minute separate but closely spaced deposits, and heating the composite structure for final fusion to form a non-porous sheet wherein the design areas containing the closely spaced ink deposits may differ in shading and elevation in their ink-containing and non-ink-containing portions. These design areas may also differ in shading and elevation from the other ink-containing and non-ink-containing areas of the sheet. The resulting sheet may then be passed around a smooth (or textured) roll with the face of the sheet in contact therewith to provide any smoothing or texturing effect desired. Optionally, an overall resinous top coat may be applied.

Decorative multi-level embossed surface covering

The process for making a surface covering having an embossed wear surface, including embossed design portions which differ in elevation and shading, by depositing a liquid resinous base coating onto a backing, depositing a layer of resinous dryblend onto the liquid resinous coating while it is still wet, heating to sinter the dryblend and at least partially set the base coating, producing a design on the sintered layer by appling settable resinous ink to at least a portion thereof in sufficient amounts and viscosity to permit penetration of the ink into the dryblend layer to a depth of about 10 mils (0.254 mm) at the points of application, at least a portion of the design being formed by applying the ink in minute separate but closely spaced deposits, and heating the composite structure for final fusion to form a non-porous sheet wherein the design areas containing the closely spaced ink deposits may differ in shading and elevation in their ink-containing and non-ink-containing portions. These design areas may also differ in shading and elevation from the other ink-containing and non-ink-containing areas of the sheet. The resulting sheet may then be passed around a smooth (or textured) roll with the face of the sheet in contact therewith to provide any smoothing or texturing effect desired. Optionally, an overall resinous top coat may be applied.

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Lancaster, PA, United States of America

George A Tudor