Reed International, Ltd.

John P Tomlinson

Rodger George Canning

Rodney John Briston

David R Thompson

Foam plastics sheet material, such as a wallcovering, has a pronounced decorative relief finish and comprises a substrate web with a foam coating some at least of which is blistered. The blistering is achieved by having two foamable coatings on the web, the lower of which is sacrificed to produce the blistering in the upper. In one method the lower coating is foamed, the upper coating is then applied in its pre-foamed state, and then heated so that the lower coating is sacrificed and the upper coating is foamed and blistered. In another method both coatings are applied in their unfoamed state with the lower coating having a lower foaming temperature than that of the upper coating. Both coatings are then heated together. The lower coating foams and is then sacrificed. The upper coating foams and blisters.

Foam plastics sheet materials

Foam plastics sheet material, such as a wallcovering, has graduated color toning. The material comprises a substrate web having a pigmented base coat and a foam coat in which the pigment has migrated to the surface of the foam coat in varying degrees, or, in some areas, not at all. The foam coat can have at least two thicknesses or can be applied to a pre-embossed substrate web.

A process for the manufacture of a differentially expanded sheet material comprises applying an organic solvent to the surface of an expandable thermoplastic sheet containing a blowing agent and allowing the treated sheet to at least partially dry before a composition containing a metallic powder and a kicker for the blowing agent is applied to selected areas of the treated surface. The sheet is then uniformly heated to a temperature at which the blowing agent in contact with the kicker decomposes but below that at which it decomposes in the absence of the kicker, so that the areas of the sheet in contact with the kicker expand to a greater extent than the uncontacted areas.

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Darwen, United Kingdom

John P Tomlinson