RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention claims priority from Australian provisional patent application no. 2020903022 filed on 24 August 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a system and method of treating a timber product, and in particular, to a system and method of treating a surface of a timber product to provide a glowing effect of the product when exposed to a predetermined light condition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Timber products, such as floor boards, wall panels and the like, have specific application in building construction. Such products provide a natural wood finish that is aesthetically pleasing and which conveys the natural properties of wood, namely strength and durability.

Timber products can take on a variety of different appearances, depending on the type of wood used and the manner in which the wood is cut. Most timber products seek to highlight the wood grain that extends through the product, providing different patterns, each of which are unique to that particular product.

There exist a variety of stains and preparations for enhancing the grain that exists in timber products. Such stains seek to change the colour of the product such that the grain becomes enhanced to further highlight the unique patterns present in the wood. Typically, the stain or varnish is applied to the surface of timber product and may include additional materials to provide a durable coating that seals the stained surface.

Most timber treatment systems are directed towards enhancing the natural look of the product. At night, or in the absence of appropriate lighting, the grain within the timber product surface will not be visible and the product surface will be largely indiscernible from other surfaces. In many situations, such as bars and nightclubs, as well as other commercial and residential situations, there is a desire to provide floor and/or wall surfaces that emit light or provide some visual effect to enhance the environment. In many situations, lighting is arranged to highlight wall or floor surfaces to generate a mood setting. However, whilst such lighting may be effective at night, the lighting may not be applicable during the day and may be clearly visible, thereby greatly detracting from the aesthetics of the environment in daylight.

In recent times, fluorescent dyes have been proposed to apply to a timber product surface so as to cause the grain within the timber product to glow under certain lighting conditions. One such system for achieving this is disclosed in US Patent No. 9,579,817 in the name of Mongalo Robleto et al. In this system, the surface of the timber product is chemically treated to reduce the contrast between the features of the wood grain after which the surface is stained with a fluorescent dye or pigment so as to assume a fluorescent appearance in the absence of visible light. Whilst such a process may cause the surface of the timber product to glow under appropriate conditions, the process also significantly alters the appearance of the timber product in normal light, thereby taking away the natural look of the timber product. As such, the process has limited application to environments that are accessed in daylight, due to the unnatural and unsightly appearance of the timber products.

Thus, there is a need to provide a system and method for treating a wood product that does not significantly alter the appearance of the product such that it retains the natural wood grain appearance in daylight and natural visible lighting conditions, but which is capable of providing a glowing effect in the absence of visible light.

The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION

The invention according to one or more aspects is as defined in the independent claims. Some optional and/or preferred features of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of treating a timber product to enhance a grain of the product in the absence of visible light without adversely affecting the grain in visible light comprising: preparing a surface of the timber product; removing a portion of the timber product from the surface thereof to create voids within the timber product; applying a material to the surface of the timber product to capture at least a portion of the material within the voids; drying the timber product; and finishing the timber product for use.

In one embodiment, the step of preparing the surface of the timber product comprises sanding the surface of the timber product to expose the grain present therein.

The step of removing a portion of the timber product may comprise applying an abrading material to the surface of the timber product to remove soft wood present in the grain. The abrading material may be a wire brush and the wire brush may be applied to the surface of the timber product to remove at least some of the sapwood from the grain of the timber product to form the voids in the surface of the timber product.

The material applied to the surface of the timber product may comprise a mixture of photoluminescent pigment powder and a natural oil or water based finish or stain, or a beeswax. Approximately 50g of photoluminescent pigment powder may be mixed with 100 ml of natural oil or water based finish or stain, or a beeswax.

In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a timber product comprising a surface having a plurality of voids formed therein, each void being at least partially filled with an enhancement material that emits a glow in the absence of visible light.

The enhancement material may comprises a photoluminescent pigment powder applied in a paste form.

The surface and the at least partially filled voids may be coated with at least one layer of a finishing solution.

The finishing solution may be a natural or water based oil or varnish.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of preferred embodiments, in which: Fig. 1 is a now chart depicting a method of treating a timber product in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention.

Whilst the system of the present invention will be described below in relation to its application to timber flooring products, it will be appreciated that the system and method of the present invention may be applied to a variety of different timber products, including wall panels and the like. Similarly, the system and method of the present invention will also be described below in relation to its application to European or American oak timber, which is in no way limiting to the application of the present invention.

European oak and American oak are commonly used timbers in construction and in particular, in flooring and furniture. These timbers vary in colour and tone but typically exhibit a wavy grain pattern that enhances the aesthetic appeal of the wood when used in flooring and the like.

Wood grain is formed during growth of a tree. Wood grows in concentric layers around a trunk or limb. At the centre of a trunk or limb is the pith which is typically softer and of a different colour to the surrounding heartwood. The heartwood generally comprises dead cells that support the tree but no longer provide any other function. The heartwood is typically of a richer and darker colour. The sapwood extends about the heartwood and is made up of living cells which carry water, minerals and plant sugars between the roots and the leaves of the tree. The sapwood is generally lighter in colour and is softer than the heartwood and after several seasons the older sapwood will convert to heartwood, with the sap present therein drying up such that mineral compounds, called extractives, form on the cell walls. The extractives turn the heartwood darker than the sapwood and also act to make the wood more stable and durable. Beyond the sapwood and closer to the surface of the trunk, is the cambium, which comprises a thin layer of living cells. It is these cells which create the wood as they grow, growing rapidly at the beginning of each growing season and becoming dormant in the cooler periods. This cycle of growth creates the distinctive growth rings in wood. It is the cells that form the grain structure within the wood. There are generally two types of wood cells created, the long and narrow cells that align with the longitudinal axis of the trunk or limb, and the smaller ray cells that align in rays extending out from the pith and which are arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the wood.

The timber is typically cut to expose the natural grain present therein. If the timber is cut in a direction perpendicular to the grain and growth rings, the end grain of the product is revealed. By cutting the timber in a direction that is parallel to the direction of the grain but tangential to the growth rings, the plain or flat grain of the timber is exposed. If the timber is cut in a direction that is parallel to the direction of the grain and through the radius of the growth rings, the quarter grain or radial grain of the timber is exposed. Irrespective of the type of grain that is exposed in the timber product, the grain provides a unique and aesthetically appearance to the product.

The present invention is directed towards not only utilising the natural grain of the wood in visible light conditions, but to also enhance the visibility of the grain of the wood in non- visible lighting conditions. This is achieved by treating the wood product such that in non- visible lighting conditions the grain of the wood will glow.

The wood product is treated in accordance with the method 20 as depicted in Fig. 1.

In step 22, the timber product is surface treated to expose the grain. This comprises fine sanding the surface of the timber product to expose the wood grain.

In step 24, the exposed wood surface is further treated to remove the soft wood particles from the grain. Typically this is achieved by wire brushing the timber product such that sapwood is removed from the wood surface. This causes the timber product to have regions of removed wood material, or voids, in the grain.

In step 26 the enhancement material is applied to the surface of the timber product to fill the voids, namely the regions of the wood where the softer sapwood material was removed. The enhancement material comprises a photoluminescent pigment powder that is mixed with a natural oil or water based finish or stain, or a beeswax. In a preferred form, 50g of the photoluminescent pigment powder is mixed with 100 ml of the natural oil/water based finish or stain, or bees wax. This will result in a material having a paste-like consistency which can be rubbed into the surface of the wood so as to fill the regions of removed wood material. Due to the presence of the stain or bees wax, the wood surface can then be buffed to securely entrap the powder material into the wood surface.

In step 28, the timber product with the enhancement material applied thereto is allowed to dry. The drying process may take between 2 - 7 days and may be performed at room temperature or in a drying oven to ensure that the timber product is stable and that the powder material has set within the wood grain.

Following drying, the timber product is then finished in step 30, by applying multiple coatings of a water based or natural oil finish or varnish. The timber product may then be allowed to dry before being suitable for use.

The method 30 described above provides a natural looking and clear wood grain finish that maintains the natural look of the timber product in visible light. However, due to the photoluminescent pigment powder embedded within the grain of the wood material, when the product is charged, either through exposure to daylight or a UV light application, the grain in the timber product will emit a glow in the absence of visible light. In this regard, when the timber products are employed in a flooring situation, the floor will emit a glow quality in the dark, providing a particularly aesthetically pleasing effect.

Such an arrangement provides a flooring with multiple appearances, whereby in the daylight the flooring resembles a typical timber floor and in the night or evening, the grain of the timber floor emits a glowing effect. It will be appreciated that the colour of the glow will depend upon the type of photoluminescent pigment powder used. In this regard, multiple coloured photoluminescent pigment powders may be used or only single colours, depending upon the desired effect to be achieved.

The system and method of the present invention does not require bleaching or otherwise altering the natural colour of the timber product. As the powder is captured within the structure of the grain of the wood by removing soft wood particles and replacing them with the powdered material, the natural look of the wood is maintained in natural light.

Throughout the specification and claims the word “comprise” and its derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. That is, the word “comprise” and its derivatives will be taken to indicate the inclusion of not only the listed components, steps or features that it directly references, but also other components, steps or features not specifically listed, unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.