Columbia Insurance Company

Shaw Industries Group, Inc.

Shawn Liao

Anthony Drevet

Philippe Erramuzpe

Felix Herrera

Jing Ouyang

An improved decorative article that may be used as a decorative flooring panel. The decorative article comprises a laminated structure having a core layer and a top layer. The core layer includes separate upper and lower sections with different compressibility resistances, such that the upper section of the core layer exhibits a lower compressibility resistance than the compressibility resistance of the lower section. In some embodiments, for example, the upper and lower sections of the core layer may be foamed layers having different porosities and densities. In some disclosed embodiments, the top layer above the core layer may comprise a coating, a wear layer, and a décor layer. According to some embodiments, a plurality of holes may extend through the top layer, or through only a portion of the top layer, to further improve acoustic performance of the decorative article.

Acoustic decorative article with multilayered porosity base

The disclosed panels generally comprise a protective layer composed of a paper impregnated with a melamine resin. The protective layer may be incorporated into a panel comprising a rigid composite core, such as a plastic composite core or a mineral composite core. Disclosed are also methods for manufacturing the panels.

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Taichung, Taiwan

Shawn Liao