Variable texture floor coverings
View Patent ↗A floor covering has an exposed surface with substantially the same gloss level and at least two portions having different tactile surface characteristics. The difference in the tactile surface characteristics between the two portions is at least an average RPc of 4. The floor covering includes a substrate and a high performance coating overlying the substrate. The high performance coating comprises texture particles, which may be organic polymer particles. The floor covering is made by forming a high performance coating including the texture particles on a substrate, at least partially curing the high performance coating, and then while controlling the temperature of the high performance coating below the melting point temperature or softening point temperature of the texture particles and above the temperature at which the texture particles deform under the applied mechanical embossing pressure, subjecting the first and second portions to different mechanical embossing conditions.
1. A floor covering comprising a coating having an exposed surface, the coating including texture particles, the texture particles being reshaped such that the exposed surface has a first portion having a first tactile surface characteristic and a second portion having a second tactile surface characteristic, a difference in the first and second tactile surface characteristics of the first and second portions being at least an average RPc of 4, the first and second portions having substantially the same gloss level.
2. The floor covering of claim 1 , wherein the difference in the first and second tactile surface characteristics of the first and second portions is an average RPc of less than 75.
3. The floor covering of claim 1 , wherein the floor covering comprises a substrate and the coating overlies the substrate, the coating being a high performance coating and comprising organic polymer texture particles.
4. The floor covering of claim 3 , wherein the organic polymer texture particles are selected from the group consisting of nylon particles, man-made wax particles, natural wax particles, polyolefin particles, polyetheretherketone particles, ethylene and chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer particles, polyester particles, urea-formaldehyde polymer particles, polyacrylate particles, polycarbonate particles, polyvinylchloride particles, polyimide particles and combinations thereof.
5. The floor covering of claim 1 , wherein the exposed surface has a third portion having a third tactile surface characteristic, wherein a difference in the second and third tactile surface characteristics of the second and third portions is an average RPc of at least 4, and a difference in the first and third tactile surface characteristics of the first and third portions is an average RPc of at least 8.
6. The floor covering of claim 5 , wherein the first, second and third portions have substantially the same gloss level.
7. The floor covering of claim 5 , wherein a difference in the gloss level at 60° across the floor covering is no greater than about 3.