The present invention relates to a cove former for creating a cove at the wall-floor interface of a room prior to installing the floor lining and in particular to a former for use in creating a corner cove at the junction of two differently angled wall sections.

This invention is particularly concerned with flooring commonly installed in commercial buildings, such as hospitals, factories, kitchens and so forth. It has been common practice for sometime to install in such buildings a floor lining that not only covers the floor but also a lower portion of the surrounding walls. A capping strip is usually fitted to the wall and arranged to overlie the edge of the lining so as to provide a neat finish. To avoid the ingress of dirt and debris at the interface between the wall and the floor and particularly in corners, a cove is fitted to the interface prior to installing the floor lining. In corners where two adjacent walls meet the floor, the cove formers are mitred by bevelling the adjoining ends at a 45-degree angle so that the cove former continues around corners. Typically the cove formers are arcuate so that the floor lining in the vicinity of the interface is curved.

The flooring installed in those buildings is subject to extremely heavy wear due to the nature of the activities undertaken in those buildings and personnel showing a lack of care for its longevity. For instance, heavy containers, trolleys and hospital beds are likely to be slid or wheeled over the flooring by people that lack basic skills and or consideration, and though the flooring is made from particularly hardwearing material, damage is inevitable.

The longevity of the flooring is not solely dependent on the activities undertaken and the personnel operating in those buildings, but also the personnel charged with installing the floor lining. After all, if the lining is poorly installed its longevity will be compromised at the outset. Though there are many floor fitters that are highly skilled and capable of installing floor lining to a very high standard, there are others that lack the required skill, time or patience and consequently intricate features such as the installation of cove formers in corners can be poor.

It is common for floor lining around internal and external corners to exhibit the first signs of damage primarily because the coving is weakest in those areas. The coving around external corners in particular can be damaged because it is likely to be struck for example by trolleys and hospital beds as mentioned above, but also because the spatial relationship of the walls provide a lack of support for the mitred cove formers. The damage is manifested by the mitred joint becoming misaligned which might cause the corner to deform and the seams formed in the floor lining in and around the corner can split thus revealing a passage for the ingress of dirt and debris.

Furthermore, many of those buildings will be subject to stringent regulations thus requiring the flooring to be cleaned on a regular basis, particularly where the health and hygiene of the public are concerned. Though the exterior of the floor lining is usually waterproof the underside may not be. As such, any minor damage to the seams of the floor lining may be exacerbated by the frequent cleaning with water and high strength detergents. Furthermore, the collection of debris and dirt in small openings is difficult to remove even by the most diligent of cleaners and is likely to contribute to the growth of bacteria.

It is a principal aim of the present invention to provide a former that overcomes the above problems relating to damage by serving better to support the lining in those corners.

It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a former that is quick and easy to install and whose efficacy is not heavily reliant on the skill of the fitter or specialist tools such as mitre blocks and so forth.

It is yet a further aim of the present invention to provide a former that produces a very similar corner cove every time, such that all corner coves in the room are identical regardless of the condition of the wall therebehind.

According to the invention there is provided a corner cove former for creating a corner between lengths of coving material running along the wall-floor interface of two adjacent differently angled walls, the cove former comprising: - a rigid first portion having an upper section that matches the profile of one wall and a lower section that defines the desired cove shape, the upper and lower sections defining a first surface to which one length of coving material is connected;

- a rigid second portion having an upper section that matches the profile of the other wall and a lower section that defines the desired cove shape, the upper and lower sections defining a second surface to which the other length of coving material is connected;

- a floor engaging part defined by the lower ends of the first and second portions; and

- wall engaging means, defined by the upper sections of the first and second portions, which fit in or around the apex of the corner formed between the walls, wherein the first and second surfaces are arranged such that the angle between them corresponds to the angle between the two walls and the first and second portions have a common edge which defines the apex of the corner cove.

Preferably the lengths of coving material are flexible. More preferably a flexible floor covering is laid over the flooring and partly up the walls to define the lengths of coving material that overlie the first and second surfaces of the cove corner former.

Preferably the first and second upper sections are generally planar so that when the floor cove corner former is fitted to the walls and floor the upper sections lie in a plain generally parallel to the surfaces of the walls and do not project significantly far therefrom. Most preferably the generally planar first and second upper sections have rear surfaces that define the wall engaging means and which may be provided with an adhesive layer or other means by which the floor cove corner former can be secured to the walls.

Advantageously the first and second lower sections extend forward of the first and second upper sections so that the floor engaging part bears against the floor in front of the first and second upper sections. The first and second lower sections may take any shape though preferably the shape is selected so that dirt -A-

and debris do not collect in the finished coving. For this reason the coving is generally actuate such that a seamless transition is created between the wall and the floor. Most preferably the radius of curvature of the lower sections is in the range of 2 to 4 cm. The floor cove corner former will likely be used with elongate cove formers extending along the floor-wall interfaces between the cove corner formers. In view of this, the radius of curvature of each lower section is preferably selected to correspond with the radius of curvature of the elongate cover formers.

Alternatively the lower sections may comprise two or three planar faces where the angle between adjoining faces is 30 degrees. However it is envisaged that the cleanliness of coving resulting from lower sections of such a profile may be difficult to maintain. Most preferably first and second lower sections are similarly shaped so that the resulting coving around two walls appears to be continuous and manufacturing is less complex.

Advantageously the first and second lower sections have rear surfaces that lie in a plane perpendicular to the planar upper sections defining the wall engaging means and which rear surfaces define the floor engaging part. Where the first and second lower sections are arcuate, they may include a planar portion at their free ends, which planar portion extends tangentially from the arcuate portion in a plane perpendicular to planar upper sections.

Generally the external angle between two wall surfaces is likely to be substantially 90 ^Q in the case of an internal corner and 270 ^Q in the case of an external corner though in some buildings differently angled walls may exist. In one embodiment the angle between the first and second surfaces is substantially 90 ^Q so that the floor cove corner former may be mounted in an internal corner but in a second embodiment the angle between the first and second surfaces is substantially 270 ^Q so that the cove corner former may be mounted around an external corner.

Preferably the first and second portions of the cove corner former are formed from thin sheet material having a substantially uniform thickness of about 1 mm so that when mounted to the wall the upper sections do not project far therefrom. If the cove corner former is made from sections much thicker the first and second sections would project too far from the wall and their outline would be visible through the floor covering material. Preferably a capping strip is mounted to the wall to conceal the edge of the floor covering material and also the upper end of the cove corner former, but if the material from which the cove corner former is made is too thick the capping strip would not be effective.

However, sometimes it is desirable to manufacture the cove corner formers from thick material to provide increased rigidity and strength. So as to reduce the visibility of the outline of the upper sections through the coving material, the thickness of at least one of the upper sections may narrow around the peripheral edge of the cove corner former to define a tapered region. The size of the tapered region may vary depending on the size and thickness of the cove corner former and it may also have a linear or arcuate taper. Preferably the tapered region is formed on the first and second surfaces of the upper sections and most preferably the rear surfaces defining the wall engaging means are substantially flat. The interface between tapered and non-tapered parts of the upper sections may be rounded or non-rounded.

The cove corner former may be made from various materials using various techniques. For instance the cove corner former could be made from a rigid plastics material using a technique such as vacuum forming or other moulding processes. Alternatively the cove corner former could be made from metal and formed by a suitable process such as stamping. The rigidity of the material is very important as it must provide adequate support for the lining in the corner and also sufficient strength so that the corner can withstand impact such as from trolleys. Advantageously the chosen material must be harder than the floor covering material such that the floor covering material can be presented to the former and cut to size without damaging the former. Preferably the material is not so hard that it cannot be cut by appropriate tools so that the former can be resized to fit in obscure places, if necessary.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of covering a floor with coving material, comprising the steps of: - mounting a former as described above to a corner of the floor, such that the floor engaging part engages the floor and the wall engaging means bear against the wall; and

- laying the covering material over the floor and partway up surrounding walls to conceal the cove corner former.

Preferably the method also includes the step of securing the former in position and most preferably adhering the former to one of the floor and walls though alternatively the former may be secured in position by screws or like fasteners.

Advantageously the method also includes the step of mounting an elongate cove former in the floor-wall interface adjacent to the corner cove former. The elongate cove former preferably has a cross sectional shape that corresponds with the shape of the lower sections to which it abuts.

In order that it may be better understood, but by way of example only, two embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail, with reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a cove corner former according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the cove corner former shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a side view of the cove corner former shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a wall and floor defining an internal corner to which the cove corner former shown in Figures 1 to 3 is mounted;

Figure 5 is a front perspective view of a cove corner former according to a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 6 is a side view of the cove corner former shown in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a front perspective view of a cove corner former according to a third embodiment of the invention;

Figure 8 is a rear perspective view of the cove corner former shown in Figure 7; Figure 9 is a side view of a the cove corner former shown in Figures 7 and 8;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a wall and floor defining an external corner to which the cove corner former shown in Figures 7 to 9 is mounted;

Figure 11 is a front perspective view of a cove corner former according to a fourth embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 12 is a side view of the cove corner former shown in Figure 11.

Referring initially to Figures 1 to 3, there is shown a first embodiment of the cove corner former 10, which is formed by two segments 1 1 ,12. Each segment 1 1 ,12 is formed from a thin sheet, typically 1 mm thick, having opposed front and rear surfaces 13,14, upper and lower edges 15,16 and inside and outside edges 17,18. The upper portion of each segment is rectangular and planar whereas the lower portion is tapered and curved so as to project forward of the upper portion. The lower portion 21 has a radius of curvature of approximately 4cm and curves through approximately 90 ^Q such that the rear surface adjacent the lower edge lies in a plane substantially perpendicular to the upper portion 20 and defines a base portion. The taper is such that the inner edge 17 that runs alongside the lower portion 21 curves towards the outer edge 18 so that the lower portion 21 narrows towards the lower edge 16.

The two segments 1 1 ,12 are interconnected (or integral depending on the method of formation) along the entire length of their inner edges 17 and arranged such that the angle between the front surfaces 13 of the upper sections 20 is substantially 90 ^Q . The taper of each lower section 21 and the forward projection of each lower section 21 have corresponding curvatures to enable the two segments 1 1 ,12 to co-operate.

Referring now to Figure 4, the former is to be mounted in a corner defined by two adjacent interior walls 31 ,32 and a floor 33 of a building. The faces of the walls 31 ,32 are angled approximately 90 ^Q apart and may be finished with a dry lining or plaster whereas the flooring has been prepared to receive a floor lining 35. The former 10 is presented in the corner 30 such that the rear surfaces 14 of the upper portions 20 bear against the walls 31 ,32 and the base portion bears against the floor 33. The former 10 is secured in position by adhesive, though nails, screws or other fasters could instead or additionally be used. Elongate cove formers 34 are mounted along the interface between the wall 31 and the floor 33 and the interface between the wall 32 and the floor 33. Each elongate cove former 34 has a radius of curvature equal to that of the forward projecting lower portions 21 and has an end face that abuts the outer edge 18 adjacent the lower sections 21 of the segments 1 1 ,12. A lining 35 is then laid over the floor 33 and partway up the walls 31 ,32 and the portion of the lining overlying the elongate cove formers 34 and the corner cove former 10 adopts a smooth shape having a uniform curvature. A capping strip 36 is mounted along the wall to conceal the edge of the lining 35 and the upper edge 15 of the corner cove former 10.

Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, there is shown a second embodiment of a cove corner former for an internal corner. This cove corner former is very similar to the cove corner former discussed above so like features are given like reference numerals. This cove corner former differs from the cove corner former discussed above since the thickness of the upper portion narrows towards the upper edges 15 and outside edges 18 to define peripheral tapering regions 19. The peripheral tapering regions 19 taper with a linear profile, though it may be a rounded or otherwise shaped profile. In these figures the interface between the tapered region and the non-tapered region of the upper portion is defined by an abrupt edge, but the interface may instead be rounded to define a smooth edge. The width of each tapering region is substantially one third the width of the upper portion 20,21 of each segment 1 1 ,12.

A third embodiment of a cove corner former for external corners is shown in Figures 5 to 8, though features of that embodiment that are common to the first and second embodiments are given like reference numerals. Much like the cove corner former 10 of the first embodiment, cove corner former 40 comprises two segments 41 ,42 formed from sheet material and each having opposed front and rear surfaces 43,44, upper and lower edges 45,46 and inside and outside edges 47,48. Each segment has an upper portion 49 which is generally planar and rectangular, and a lower portion 50 which is curved so as to project forward of the upper portion 49. The radius of curvature of the lower portion 50 is approximately 4cm over 90 ^Q . The lower portion 50 tapers outwardly such that the inner edge 47 curves away from the outer edge 48 and the lower edge 46 is significantly longer than the upper edge 45.

The two segments 41 ,42 are interconnected along the entire length of their inner edges 47 and arranged such that the angle between the front surfaces 43 of the upper sections 49 is substantially 270 ^Q . The taper and the forward projection of each lower portion have corresponding curvatures to form a smooth seam defined by the inner edges 47. The lower edges 46 extend perpendicular to each other and the rear surfaces 44 adjacent those edges define a base portion 51 that is generally planar and lies perpendicular to the upper portions 49 of segments 41 ,42. The base portion 51 provides a surface on which the former 40 can rest in use.

Referring now to Figure 8, the former 40 in use is mounted around a corner 60 defined between two interior walls 61 ,62 and a floor 33 such that the rear surfaces 44 of the upper portions 49 bear against the faces of the walls 61 ,62 and the base portion 51 rests against the floor 33. The outside edges 48 extend generally vertically and the lower portions 50 of which abut against an end face of an adjacent elongate cove 34. Floor lining 35 is then laid over the floor 33 and partway up the walls 61 ,62, as shown partially in Figure 8. The underside of the floor lining 35 is adhered to the front face 43 of the cove corner former 40, the elongate former 34 and the walls 61 ,62. A capping strip 36 extends along the wall 61 to conceal the edge of the floor lining 35 and the upper edge 45 of the cove corner former 40.

A fourth embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 1 1 and 12, though features of that embodiment that are common to previous embodiments are given like reference numerals. This invention is very similar to the third embodiment in that it is for use on an external corner and also similar to the second embodiment insofar as it includes tapered regions 19 extending around the upper edges 45 and outside edges 48 of the upper portions 49. Since these are very similar to those shown in the second embodiment nothing more will be said about these here.