TITLE: Decorative inlays

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to decorative inlays, particularly, but not exclusively to decorative inlays for wooden furniture and ornaments.

Many furniture and ornaments are decorated with contrasting decorative inlays, veneers or inserts. For example, Georgian period antique wooden tables are often decorated with contrasting decorative wooden veneers. Furthermore, antique statues and figurines are often decorated with precious stones.

Whilst the above decorative finishes are known, decorative rocks such as marble, granite and slate are rarely used as decorative inlays in wood furniture because of the difference of hardness between the rock and wood. This is more apparent during the finishing process i.e. sanding the rock inlays after being inserted into a wooden surface. The wooden surface would preferentially wear because it is much softer than the rock inlay.

It is an object of the invention to provide a method of providing a decorative effect inlay in a substrate, particularly but not exclusively a wooden substrate, that aims to alleviate the abovementioned drawbacks.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing a decorative inlay in a substrate comprising the steps of

providing at least one channel or groove in the substrate, and filling the at least one channel or groove with a composite comprising a crushed rock and/or crushed ceramic material mixed with a binding agent.

Preferably the step of providing the at least one channel or groove in the substrate is carving or routering a design or pattern in the substrate. The step of providing the at least one channel or groove in the substrate may comprise milling a design or pattern in the substrate. Alternatively, the step of providing the at least one channel or groove in the substrate may comprise machining a design or pattern in the substrate.

Preferably the substrate is wood.

Preferably the crushed rock and/or a ceramic material is in a powdered form. A colourant may be added to the composite prior to placing it in the inlay.

Preferably the crushed rock is a metamorphic rock. More preferably, the metamorphic rock is a slate.

Preferably the binding agent is an adhesive. More preferably, the adhesive is one or a selection of the following materials: polyvinylacetate (PVA), polymeric adhesive, polymeric resin or a two-part polymeric resin/adhesive, especially being PVA.

Preferably the at least one channel or groove is coated with a sealant prior to filling to prevent ingress of foreign matter into the substrate.

It is preferable to provide excess composite when filling the inlay to allow for shrinkage.

Preferably the method of providing a decorative inlay in a substrate further comprises the steps of allowing the composite to set within the inlay and finishing the composite.

Preferably the method of finishing the composite comprises the steps of removing excess composite so that it does not stand proud of the substrate, and/or sealing the composite with a sealant to prevent ingress of foreign matter into the inlay.

Preferably the sealant is a varnish or lacquer. The excess composite may be removed by machining or scoring the inlay. Further composite may be added to the inlay after removal of excess.

The wooden substrate may be a piece of furniture or an ornament.

According to- a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate having a decorative inlay, the inlay comprising at least one channel or groove, the least one channel or groove being filled with a composite comprising a crushed rock and/or a ceramic material mixed with a binding agent.

The substrate is preferably wooden. The wooden substrate may be furniture or an ornament. To this end, a third aspect of the present invention provides a piece of furniture comprising a decorative inlay as hereinbefore described and a fourth aspect of the present invention provides an ornament comprising a decorative inlay as hereinbefore described.

It has surprisingly been found that a colourant may be added to a crushed rock and/or crushed ceramic material to provide a coloured decorative coating. To this end, a fifth aspect of the present invention provides a decorative coating consisting essentially of a colourant mixed with a crushed rock and/or crushed ceramic material and, optionally, a binding agent.

A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a method of colouring crushed rock and/or crushed ceramic material comprising mixing a colourant with the crushed rock and/or crushed ceramic material.

Preferably, the crushed rock is slate, preferably being in powdered form. A binding agent is preferably mixed with the crushed rock and/or ceramic material and the colourant. The binding agent is preferably selected from the group consisting of polyvinylacetate (PVA), polymeric adhesive, polymeric resin and/or a two-part polymeric resin/adhesive, especially being PVA.

The colourant is preferably water-based, more preferably being a concentrated water-based colourant.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a cross sectional view of a substrate according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a cross sectional view of a substrate with a composite inlay according to the present invention; and

Figure 3 shows a plan view of a substrate with the composite inlay according to the present invention.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a cross sectional view of a wooden substrate 10 having a channel or groove 12 machined into a surface 16 of the substrate 10. As shown in Figure 3, the channels or grooves are patterns or designs machined or carved into the surface 16 of the substrate 10, such as a table.

Referring to Figure 2, the channel or groove 12 is filled with a composite 14 comprising a powdered slate and a PVA binder. The channel or groove 12 is generally over-filled with the composite 14 because the composite 14 will shrink as it dries and sets. Water may be added at intervals in order to provide the right consistency. Once dried, the composite 14 slightly protrudes above the surface 16 of the wooden substrate 10. The protrusion 18 is then sanded down so that the

composite 14 is substantially flush with the surface 16 of the substrate 10. Air may be blown across the substrate during sanding to clear excess dust. Once finished, the composite 14 resembles natural slate.

Optionally, a colourant is added to composite 14 to provide a further coloured decorative effect. In this respect, it has been found that the slate can be effectively coloured by adding a water-based colourant to the mixture. Since the wooden substrate 10 is porous, it is preferable for the channel or groove 12 to be lined with a sealant (not shown) to prevent ingress of foreign matter into the grains of the wood. In particular, the sealant prevents the colourant from penetrating and staining the grains of the wooden substrate 10.

Once the composite 14 is finished, a further sealant may be applied to the composite 14 to prevent the composite 14 from being stained. The further sealant may be a varnish or a lacquer.

The advantage of using the composite 14 comprising powdered slate with the PVA binder is that it resembles natural slate without the drawbacks of using a solid piece of slate which is difficult to mould due to its laminate structure. The combination of the powdered slate and the PVA reduces its hardness, therefore making the composite 14 easier to work. Furthermore, during the finishing process (i.e. during sanding of the composite 14 when inset into the wooden substrate 10) the wooden substrate 10 is less susceptible to wear because the composite 14 is much softer than solid slate.