The invention relates to the field of finish plates and methods of producing thereof. The invention is a textile-decorated moisture -resistant finish plate and a method of producing thereof. The finish plate of the invention is used as a floor or a wall plate in interior and exterior design.

Background of the invention

Best-known similar solutions from the prior art are ceramic interior finish plates; however, their size, shape and design is limited. Prior art also has several solutions that use fabric for making reinforced materials or decorated surface finishes.

Patent application No. JPH0525291 discloses a method for attaching carbon fibre material to a hydraulic inorganic material to make fibre-reinforced hydraulic inorganic material. This solution is used in automobile and aviation industries and is not a suitable material for interior or exterior finish in construction.

Patent application No. CA1141640 discloses a plate component for use in construction, where a gypsum panel is reinforced with fabric or a web and glass fibres, whereas the gypsum is faced with fabric.

Patent application No. DEI 02007012651 discloses a fabric that is applied to a composite material, whereas a pattern is printed or painted straight onto it. Composite materials are used in construction and as a protective layer.

A drawback of the solutions known in prior art is faster ageing in moist conditions and under sunlight; in addition, the sizes and the selection of designs are limited.

Summary of the invention

The present invention describes a textile-decorated moisture-resistant finish plate and a method of producing thereof. The finish plate consists of a rigid composite layer with a gel coat; on top of it, there is a decorative surface, which is a textile impregnated with resin to make it moisture-resistant; the rigid composite layer with a gel coating consists of stone rubble glued to the gel coating with resin and a reinforced cement mix layer poured onto the rubble. The method of producing a finish plate begins with creating a mould, followed by making the composite layer with a gel coating and a decorative surface, and lastly, laminating and cutting. Textile-decorated moisture-resistant finish plate is a rigid plate with a decorative textile surface, which allows selecting a requested pattern for a decorative surface.

Textile decorated moisture resistant finish plate is used as a covering material for walls and floors indoors and outdoors. The advantages of this invention include a wider selection of decorative surfaces and measurements equalling the height of a room. Due to its greater bending strength, the decorated moisture resistant finish plates can be installed more readily; in addition, one of the embodiments of the invention offers finish plates with bent edges that will not leave joints in the corners.

Textile decorated moisture resistant finish plates are also used as windowsills, decorative coverings for furniture, such as a table covering placed on the upper surface of a table, or as a covering for any other interior design element; in addition, these offer a possibility of producing various interior design elements.

List of figures

The preferred embodiments of the invention are described by referring to the attached figures, which depict the following:

FIG 1: cross-section of the finish plate from the side. Detailed description of the invention

Textile decorated moisture resistant finish plate consists of a rigid composite layer with a gel coating (1) and a decorative surface (2). Decorative surface (2) is a textile (3) impregnated with a resin to make it moisture resistant, whereas the rigid composite layer (1) with a gel coating consists of stone rubble (4) glued to the gel coating with resin and of a layer of cement mixture, containing reinforcement (5), which is poured on the rubble as depicted on FIG 1. The decorative surface (2) of the finish plate is covered with a UV-radiation resistant varnish. The composite layer (1) is covered with a protective resin coat, which is white or any other colour and prevents water staining of the decorative surface (2).

Producing a textile decorated moisture resistant finish plate consists of the following stages: pouring a mould, making a composite layer (2) with a gel coating and a decorative surface (2), laminating and cutting.

For making a mould, a plate and sideboards made from timber, metal, plastic or rubber are used. According to one embodiment of the invention, a particleboard plate is used as a bottom of the mould, and in one embodiment of the invention, the surface of the mould is sculptured or roughened in the case of a metal or timber plate, improving the adherence of the next layer. In a more preferred embodiment of the invention, a metal plate is used as a bottom of the mould. Timber or metal sideboards are attached around the plate, keeping the mixture on the plate and preventing it from spilling over the surface of the mould. The sideboards are in 100 mm increments in their length and sides, which enable using a large selection of sideboards; for example, in order to produce an interior finish plate with measurements of 3000 x 250 mm, sideboards in measurements 3100 x 350 mm are used. Sideboards are made based on the requested measurements of the finish plate. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, sideboards have four sides, welded to each other to enable attaching these to the bottom of the mould all at once and to removing those all at once. An advantage of metal materials is that these are easier to clean and metal sideboards do not buckle. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mould has a metal plate and metal sideboards, which are rigidly connected with a weld. According to an embodiment of the invention, heating elements are placed inside the mould.

In making an alternative mould, sideboards are not used; instead, the mould is made non-planar, where the lower plane is for making the cement mix layer and the upper plane functions as a barrier, whereas the mould is an integral whole without sideboards.

After the sideboards are attached, the upper surface of the mould plate is processed with mould wax to prevent the composite layer (1) with a gel coating from sticking to the mould and to facilitate removal. The composite layer (1) provides the thickness and rigidity of the plate, and plates in various degrees of thickness can be produced depending on the amount of the composite. The composite layer (1) consists of self- smoothing floor levelling compound, stone rubble (4), fibre reinforcement (5) and a coating, which can be a gel coating, acrylic or polyester resin coating (6). The purpose of the stone rubble (4) is to improve adherence properties of the composite layer and gel coating, and fibre reinforcement provides the bending strength to the plate. In a more preferred embodiment, marble rubble is used; however, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, other abrasive materials are used with a grain size of preferably ~1 mm and more preferably -0.5 mm.

Gel coating, consisting of polyester or epoxy resins based on other resins, is poured first into the prepared mould to produce a composite layer (1) with a gel coating. The gel coating is used to create an approximately 1 mm layer of colour on the composite layer to avoid water stains showing on the decorative surface, because the added composite has a dark colour, and when that composite gets wet, it becomes even darker. The gel coating is impregnated with a resin, and as a result, the colour of the gel coating will glimmer through the textile, which is placed onto the composite layer and gel coat. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the gel coating is pigmented white; however, in alternative embodiments, the gel coating is pigmented with other colours, such as brown, yellow, red, blue or any other colour. Pigmenting the gel coating allows the preferred colour to glimmer through the decorative surface.

Gel coating is applied to the surface of the mould in one or two layers by a spray method. After the gel coating layer is applied, a layer of polyester resin (6) is sprayed on top of it, followed by rubble (4) that is sprinkled on it, which is preferably marble rubble. Stone rubble (4) will remain inside the composite layer (1). When applying a polyester layer (6), the gel coating layer is monitored because it should not become hardened; instead, the application of both layers - the gel coating and polyester resin (6) - is done using wet-on-wet method to guarantee good adherence. Once the polyester resin layer (6) with stone rubble (4) has hardened, a cement mixture is prepared according to the instructions of the manufacturer and poured into the mould onto the gel coat, which is covered with the polyester resin (6) and rubble (4); then, reinforcement (5), which is a fibre reinforcement web, is inserted into the mixture. The fibre reinforcement web consists of fine glass fibres, whereas the fibres form a web with openings of at least 1 mm. According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, iron reinforcement is used instead of a fibre reinforcement web, thus guaranteeing a better bending strength in load-bearing constructions. The mixture poured into the mould is self- smoothing and spreads between the stone rubble (4). In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the mould contains a vibration system, which shakes the mould so the composite spreads better. After the mixture hardens, sideboards and the composite layer (1) are removed from the mould, and the components of the mould are cleaned.

If defects are discovered on the surface of the gel coating when the composite layer (1) is removed from the mould, the defects are corrected by spraying a new gel coating layer. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the gel coating is softened by placing heating mats on the gel coat; under those, the gel coating softens, thereby ensuring better adherence to the next layer. If there are no defects, gel coating is polished to ensure adherence, upon the impregnation of the textile, between the decorative layer that is added next and the gel coat.

Decorative surface (2) consists of textile (3) that has been made moisture-resistant by impregnating it with acrylic resin, whereas the textile (3) has been decorated beforehand by using silk painting, dying textiles with vegetable dyes, batik or other methods. When printing on the textile (3), the textile (3) is stretched onto the composite layer (1), followed by the layer going through a printing process, which produces a decorated surface with a composite layer (1) in the desired design. Alternatively, textile (3) will be printed without the composite layer (1), whereas the textile (3) is stretched on a frame or other object. Dying is also conducted on a stretched textile (3).

Fillers are added to the resin that is used for impregnating the textile by the method of dispensing, thus improving the fire resistance of the resins and guaranteeing fire resistance, for example, in exterior wall panels. In addition, other chemical elements are added to the resins that cause reactions and enable creating various decorative surfaces.

In order to make a decorative surface (2), the chosen textile (3) is impregnated with a resin, providing the textile (3) with moisture resistance and a protective layer. The impregnated decorative surface (2) is placed on the composite layer (1) and stretched onto it by using a staple gun. The decorative surface (2) is hand-laminated. After the textile (3) is stretched onto a composite layer (1), the first layer or resin is applied to the textile (3), thus impregnating the textile with resin and achieving adherence with a composite layer (1). As the first layer of resin is applied, air bubbles are laminated out of the surface. After the first layer hardens, second layer is applied; on the second layer, a film is placed, which is a polyethylene film, and in preferred embodiments, a polyester film or a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin film. The film is planar, or alternatively, various patterns are pressed into the film. Patterns or shapes are created into the film, which are copied on the decorative surface (2), where resin impregnates all spaces under the film, and when the film is removed, the pattern which is pressed into the film or made using any other method can be seen on the decorative surface. Film is used for obtaining a smooth surface and hardening the resin. When hand-laminating, resin is spread onto the textile underneath the film, and after the resin hardens, the film is removed, leaving a smooth and even resin surface as a final result. In order to make resin harden faster on the surface of the textile (3), heat-radiating devices are used, such as floor heating mats or heat radiation lamps and convectors placed on the resin layer, so the heat from the devices hardens the resin faster.

In an alternative embodiment, die casting method is used for producing the decorative surface (2); in this case, a film is placed on the textile (3) after the textile (3) is stretched onto the composite layer (1), and the textile (3) between the composite layer and film, as well as air layer therein, are sealed to be air-tight; then, air is removed with a vacuum pump; after air is removed, a pump is used to press resin into the space, the textile (3) is impregnated with resin, and film is removed after hardening. After impregnation with a resin, the textile (3) is covered with a layer of varnish, thus providing a protective layer against UV radiation and chemicals.

After polyethylene film is removed from the layer of resin, two coats for varnish are sprayed onto the decorative surface (2), whereas the first is a primer coat that consists of a mixture of acetone and varnish, and the second is a 100% varnish layer. After the varnish sets, the decorative surface (2) is polished to achieve a glassy surface. The layer of varnish protects the finish plate from weather and chemicals, as well as ensures a more solid, hard, and abrasion-resistant surface. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, an filler is added to the varnish, such as a special grainy material, which makes the surface of the varnish rougher and reduces smoothness. Decorative surface (2) is planar, or in alternative variants of the invention, non-planar, such as wavy or cracked. In an alternative variant of the invention, wool felt is used instead of textile (3).

An angle grinder with a diamond blade and a stationary pitsaw, power grinder with a control bus or abrasive waterjet cutting are used for cutting the finish plate. The advantage of abrasive waterjet cutting when compared to stationary pitsaw is a streamlined cut. In both cases, large finish plates are prepared in moulds, whereas the plates could be as high as a room, or 2400 x 1200 mm, for example; by using the selected cutting technology, the produced finish plates are cut into smaller finish plates if necessary.

While cutting, the cut edge is heated with a convector, for example, to heat the plastic decorative surface so it becomes soft. This method guarantees an edge that can be cut perfectly, that has no tears from the blade and the edge does not become substandard. When heating, the edge that is being cut softens and will remain smooth. In an alternative embodiment, the finish plate is cut immediately after the film is removed and before the resin hardens. When the film is removed, the resin/decorative surface (2) is soft, and when cutting it immediately, it does not tear pieces out of the edge. The cut edge of the finish plate has a 90-degree angle and is sharp; therefore, the edges are rounded by smoothing or polishing.

Interior finish plates with a bent surface are produced by taking advantage of the plasticity of the resin. For this purpose, the measurements of the requested bend of the finish plate are marked on the area that needs to be bent. After this, a cut is made into the composite layer to the depth of the reinforcement (5). In order to make the epoxy resin malleable, the area to be bent is heated for about 20 seconds with a convector; after heating it, one side of the plate is bent with a smooth and slow motion to the desired angle, and the plate is fixed for about 20 seconds until the epoxy resin hardens again. After this, the interior finish plate is placed to the desired spot on the base surface. According to an alternative method of the invention, a plate with bent edges is produced during the production of the composite layer (1) where the bent areas are prepared in the mould. A 3-dimensional (3D) appearance is given to the decorative surface of the plates, using the properties of resins for this purpose. A 3D appearnce could be a decorative surface that depicts sea waves or a decorative surface that resembles any other protruding shape.

Inner and outer corner solutions are applied to the plate on-site during the construction after the plates have been distributed by a plater. It is recommended that these plates are installed after whole plates are installed, or as a last stage before jointing. In addition, the finish plates can be used to make an entire bathroom according to provided measurements in a factory, which is assembled on-site after it is delivered. Finish plates are also used as modules for showers and baths, whereas module bathrooms are produced with floor and wall finish plates.