The invention relates to the fitting of caφets and in particular to the prevention of soiling at the perimeter of a fitted caφet. While the invention is applicable to the fitting of any caφet in any room of a domestic or multi-puφose building it is seen to particularly good advantage in the case of caφets of lighter colours especially on floors composed of wooden floorboards.

It is necessary to allow a draught of air under wooden floor boards. The air invades the room through the gap present between the floor and the wall skirting board. When the caφet is close fitted the passage of air is restricted but not avoided. As a consequence of the air movement dust particles present in the air are filtered by the edge of the caφet and leave a visible dirt mark along the edge. Regular vacuum cleaning around the edge of the caφet draws more air from under the edge of the caφet and accordingly increases the amount of dust filtered into the caφet. It is impossible to clean a caφet soiled in this way, and dependant on the draught and colour of the caφet can be spoiled in a short time. It is an object of this invention to provide an object to solve this problem, and a method of installing the object.

According to the invention in one aspect there is provided a gasket for the puφose described, the gasket being of general L-shape as seen in section and comprising a base limb to be superimposed on the floor and a vertical limb extending to at least the height of the caφet, the gasket being formed of flexible material.

It is an important feature of this invention that the gasket be formed of flexible material. This makes it easy to bend or fold the gasket in such a way that it can match the perimeter contours of the room caused for example, by uneven skirting board joints, curved bays, etc. (If the gasket were made of a rigid material it would not be possible to

apply the gasket effectively to such areas). Preferably the gasket is formed of a sheet material such as polyethylene, having a pre-creased bend so that the gasket can be provided in roll form, and opened up will form an 'L' shaped. The vertical limb of the gasket would be applied to the skirting board, the foot or horizontal limb opened against the floor. If the polyethylene is of a low gauge then electrostatic force would be sufficient to locate the gasket against the underiying surfaces or a narrow strip of weak peel-off adhesive applied to the gasket during manufacture would suffice. The gasket is applied to the skirting board before any caφet fixing devices.

Preferably the base limb is adapted to be secured to the underlying floor when gripper fixing strips are present or adhesive is to be applied. For this latter puφose the base limb is perforated so that when adhesive is applied over the base limb (by way of trowel, spray, or adhesive tape), sufficient floor area is available through the base limb to the adhesive to allow the required bond between caφet or caφet gripper and the floor. It is an especial advantage of the invention that where the caφet has a foam backing, and is fixed with adhesive, the edge of the caφet can be uplifted from the floor along with the polyethylene which considerably reduces damage normally associated with contact adhesive installations.

The gasket of the invention provides a high degree of protection to skirting board finishes from the abrasive backing of the caφet, and the scraping action of bolster chisels, when used.

Preferably the gasket is made of an opaque material.

The height of the vertical is preferably equal to or greater than that of the caφet, typically about 20 cm. Where the height is greater than that of the caφet there will be no opportunity for dust particles to be filtered by the caφet at its edge.

In another aspect the invention provides a method of sealing the clearance between the junction of a wall and floor of a room against the ingress of dust, the method comprising applying the vertical limb of a gasket of L-shape as seen in section against the wall and the base limb of the gasket to the floor, the gasket being made of flexible material.

In order that the invention may be well understood it will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a caφeted room incoφorating a gasket of the invention; and

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a caφeted room incoφorating a gasket of the invention.

A skirting board B is typically present along the lower edge of the walls W of a room. A caφet C which may have a foam backing U is edge fitted onto a gripper fixing strip R such that the edge of the caφet is close to the skirting board B. According to the invention a gasket G is present between the board B and the caφet C and between the caφet and the gripper fixing strip present on the underlying floor F (which may be made up of floorboards).

The gasket comprises a tape or length of polyethylene or like flexible sheet material which has been bent into L-shape as seen in cross section. The gasket has a vertical limb 10 and a horizontal base limb 11, the latter having perforations 12. As shown in Figure 1 , the base has been applied on the top of the strip R and adhered thereto by adhesive. The free edge of the caφet C is then urged, e.g. chiselled into the gully between the gripper and the skirting board B. The vertical limb 10 has been contacted with the board B and is then trimmed to the height of the caφet C, so that it is not visible.

Any dust which would usually be drawn up through the floor into the caφet along its perimeter is held back by the gasket G.

The gasket G may be applied in a number of ways. The vertical limb may first be placed on the board (to which it will adhere by electrostatic forces or weak peel off adhesive), the gripping strip then being applied to cover the base limb and being secured by adhesive or pins. The caφet is fitted and excess vertical limb is cut away. In another method, where foam backed caφet is to be installed, the gasket would be supplied with a weak adhesive on the underside of a perforated base limb and positioned flat on the floor. The caφet is then trimmed to the skirting board and the edge of the caφet is then lifted back to allow the uplifting of the vertical limb of the gasket. Adhesive is sprayed on and through the base perforations, and the caφet passed down into the adhesive; the vertical limb of the gasket is then trimmed.

It is simple to fit the gasket in place to function as a dust shield. The presence of the gasket helps prevent damage to the foam backing of a caφet when it is necessary to lift the caφet up. The invention is particularly effective when the caφet is of a light colour since it prevents the presence of a black mark along the edge.