Subfloor component and method of manufacturing same
View Patent ↗A subfloor component comprises an insulating rigid foam panel having first and second opposing faces and a plurality of intersecting grooves to define, in cross-section, a plurality of pedestals having at least one wall extending into the panel from the first face toward the second face; a film of substantially moisture-impervious material attached to the first face of the panel and that conforms to the tops and walls of the pedestals and to the bottoms of the grooves; and a hardboard layer on the second face of the panel.
1. A subfloor component comprising:
an insulating rigid foam panel having first and second opposing faces and a plurality of intersecting grooves to define, in cross-section, a plurality of pedestals having at least one wall extending into the panel from the first face toward the second face;
a film of substantially moisture-impervious material attached to the first face of the panel and that conforms to the tops and walls of the pedestals and to the bottoms of the grooves; and
a hardboard layer on the second face of the panel.
2. The subfloor component of claim 1 , wherein the film is fused to the panel.
3. The subfloor component of claim 1 , wherein the film comprises material selected from the group comprising plastic or polymer.
4. The subfloor component of claim 3 , wherein the plastic or polymer is selected from the group consisting of: high-impact polystyrene, polyethylene, and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene).
5. The subfloor component of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of pedestals has a single wall.
6. The subfloor component of claim 5 , wherein the pedestals are shaped as circles or ellipses.
7. The subfloor component of claim 1 , wherein the panel comprises expanded polystyrene (EPS).
8. The subfloor component of claim 1 , wherein the hardboard layer and the panel are attached to each other with glue.
9. The subfloor component of claim 1 , wherein the intersecting grooves are rectangular.
10. The subfloor component of claim 1 , wherein the pedestals are shaped as at least one of circles, ellipses, rectangles, diamonds, squares, and hexagons.
11. The subfloor component of claim 1 , wherein the hardboard layer comprises material selected from the group consisting of: OSB (oriented strand board), plywood, fiber cement board, cement board, metal sheeting, and magnesium oxide board.
12. The subfloor component of claim 1 , wherein the subfloor component is shaped to connect to another subfloor component.
13. The subfloor component of claim 12 , wherein the hardboard layer comprises a tongue/groove configuration for connecting to another hardboard layer of another subfloor component.
14. The subfloor component of claim 1 , wherein the pedestals are generally uniformly distributed across the first surface of the panel.
15. The subfloor component of claim 1 , wherein the hardboard layer includes a groove that is open along a side-facing surface of the hardboard layer, further comprising: a connector dimensioned to insert into the groove.
16. The subfloor component of claim 15 , wherein the connector comprises:
a central body; and
tongues extending outwards from the central body, wherein each tongue is dimensioned to be inserted into a respective groove in a hardboard layer of a subfloor component.