A floor panel has a rectangular and oblong shape, and includes a substrate and a top layer provided on the substrate and forming a decorative side of the floor panel. The top layer is composed of a print provided on a carrier sheet and a transparent thermoplastic layer situated above the print. The substrate has a thickness from 2 to 10 millimeter and forms at least half of the thickness of the floor panel. The substrate is a polyurethane-based substrate and the transparent thermoplastic layer is polyurethane-based. The floor panel has a length of more than 1.1 meters and has a plurality of reinforcing layers situated outside the center line of the substrate. A reinforcing layer may be provided in combination with the substrate and the top layer.
1. A floor panel comprising:
a substrate;
a top layer located above the substrate; and
a backing layer located below the substrate;
wherein the substrate includes a closed cell foamed PVC board having a density of more than 650 kilograms per cubic meter;
wherein the substrate has a thickness of 2 to 10 millimeters;
wherein the substrate forms at least half of the thickness of the floor panel;
wherein the top layer includes a back layer, a printed synthetic film located above the back layer, a transparent or translucent thermoplastic layer located above the printed synthetic film and a lacquer layer located above the transparent or translucent thermoplastic layer;
wherein the back layer includes PVC with plasticizers and fillers;
wherein the transparent or translucent thermoplastic layer includes PVC;
wherein the transparent or translucent thermoplastic layer has a thickness of 1 millimeter or less;
wherein the top layer has a thickness of 0.5 to 3 millimeters;
wherein the floor panel has a thickness of 0.5 to 15 millimeters;
wherein the floor panel is rectangular and oblong and includes a pair of long edges and a pair of short edges;
wherein the floor panel includes first mechanical coupling parts at the pair of long edges and second mechanical coupling parts at the pair of short edges;
wherein the first mechanical coupling parts are arranged for horizontal and vertical locking of two of such floor panels using a turning movement along the respective long edges;
wherein the first mechanical coupling parts include a tongue and a groove;
wherein the tongue and the groove are substantially responsible for the vertical locking;
wherein the tongue and the groove include locking parts substantially responsible for the horizontal locking;
wherein the first mechanical coupling parts are substantially realized in the substrate;
wherein the second mechanical coupling parts comprise a male coupling part and a female coupling part arranged for horizontal and vertical locking of two of such floor panels using a downward movement along the respective short edges;
wherein the downward movement is automatically created by the turning movement along the respective long edges;
wherein the second mechanical coupling parts are substantially realized in the substrate; and
wherein the floor panel has a length of more than 110 centimeters.
2. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the back layer is located above the center line determined by the tongue-in-groove coupling.
3. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel has a thickness of 7 to 10 millimeters.
4. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel will bend less than 25 centimeters per meter under its own weight.
5. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the backing layer includes a thermoplastic material layer.
6. The floor panel of claim 1 , wherein the floor panel will bend less than 10 centimeters per meter under its own weight.
7. A floor panel comprising:
a substrate; and
a top layer located above the substrate;
wherein the substrate is single layered and includes PVC material having a density of more than 650 kilograms per cubic meter;
wherein the substrate has a thickness of 2 to 10 millimeters;
wherein the substrate forms at least half of the thickness of the floor panel;
wherein the top layer includes a printed synthetic film, a transparent or translucent thermoplastic layer located above the printed synthetic film and a lacquer layer located above the transparent or translucent thermoplastic layer;
wherein the transparent or translucent thermoplastic layer includes PVC material and a percentage of plasticizer of 5 to 75 percent by weight;
wherein the transparent or translucent thermoplastic layer has a thickness of 1 millimeter or less;
wherein the PVC material of the substrate is harder than the PVC material of the transparent or translucent thermoplastic layer;
wherein the floor panel is free of intermediate layers between the printed synthetic film and the substrate;
wherein the floor panel is rectangular and oblong and includes a pair of long edges and a pair of short edges;
wherein the floor panel includes first mechanical coupling parts at the pair of long edges and second mechanical coupling parts at the pair of short edges;
wherein the first mechanical coupling parts are arranged for horizontal and vertical locking of two of such floor panels using a turning movement along the respective long edges;
wherein the first mechanical coupling parts include a tongue and a groove;
wherein the tongue and the groove are substantially responsible for the vertical locking;
wherein the tongue and the groove include locking parts substantially responsible for the horizontal locking;
wherein the first mechanical coupling parts are substantially realized in the substrate;
wherein the second mechanical coupling parts comprise a male coupling part and a female coupling part arranged for horizontal and vertical locking of two of such floor panels using a downward movement along the respective short edges;
wherein the downward movement is automatically created by the turning movement along the respective long edges;
wherein the second mechanical coupling parts are substantially realized in the substrate; and
wherein the floor panel has a length of more than 110 centimeters.
8. The floor panel of claim 7 , wherein the PVC material of the substrate is hard PVC material.
9. The floor panel of claim 7 , wherein the PVC material of the substrate has a density of more than 750 kilograms per cubic meter.
10. The floor panel of claim 7 , wherein the top layer includes an annealed or relaxed thermoplastic layer.
11. The floor panel of claim 7 , wherein the transparent or translucent thermoplastic layer has a Shore A hardness situated between 50 and 100.
12. The floor panel of claim 7 , wherein the floor panel comprises a backing layer located below the substrate.
13. The floor panel of claim 7 , wherein the floor panel has a thickness of 5 to 15 millimeters.
14. The floor panel of claim 7 , wherein the floor panel will bend less than 25 centimeters per meter under its own weight.
15. The floor panel of claim 7 , wherein the floor panel will bend less than 10 centimeters under its own weight.
16. A floor panel comprising:
a substrate; and
a top layer located above the substrate;
wherein the substrate includes polyethylene or polypropylene material having a density of more than 450 kilograms per cubic meter;
wherein the substrate has a thickness of 2 to 10 millimeters;
wherein the substrate forms at least half of the thickness of the floor panel;
wherein the top layer includes a digital print and a transparent or translucent layer located above the digital print;
wherein the digital print is applied directly on the substrate;
wherein the floor panel is rectangular and oblong and includes a pair of long edges and a pair of short edges;
wherein the floor panel includes first mechanical coupling parts at the pair of long edges and second mechanical coupling parts at the pair of short edges;
wherein the first mechanical coupling parts are arranged for horizontal and vertical locking of two of such floor panels using a turning movement along the respective long edges;
wherein the first mechanical coupling parts include a tongue and a groove;
wherein the tongue and the groove are substantially responsible for the vertical locking;
wherein the tongue and the groove include locking parts substantially responsible for the horizontal locking;
wherein the first mechanical coupling parts are substantially realized in the substrate;
wherein the second mechanical coupling parts comprise a male coupling part and a female coupling part arranged for horizontal and vertical locking of two of such floor panels using a downward movement along the respective short edges;
wherein the downward movement is automatically created by the turning movement along the respective long edges;
wherein the second mechanical coupling parts are substantially realized in the substrate;
wherein the floor panel is provided with chamfers at the pair of long edges;
wherein the chamfers extend to below the global level of the digital print and through the transparent or translucent layer and the digital print into the substrate; and
wherein the chamfers form a V-groove in a coupled condition of two of such floor panels.
17. The floor panel of claim 16 , wherein the chamfers are provided with a separate decorative layer.
18. The floor panel of claim 17 , wherein the separate decorative layer includes a lacquer layer.
19. The floor panel of claim 16 , wherein the polyethylene or polypropylene material has a density of more than 650 kilograms per cubic meter.
20. The floor panel of claim 16 , wherein the substrate is a single layer.
21. The floor panel of claim 16 , wherein the transparent or translucent layer has a thickness of 1 millimeter or less.
22. The floor panel of claim 16 , wherein the transparent or translucent layer is a thermoplastic layer.
23. The floor panel of claim 16 , wherein the digital print includes pigment-based inks.
24. The floor panel of claim 16 , wherein the digital print shows a wood pattern.
25. The floor panel of claim 16 , wherein the floor panel comprises a backing layer located below the substrate.
26. The floor panel of claim 16 , wherein the floor panel has a thickness of 5 to 15 millimeters.
27. The floor panel of claim 16 , wherein the floor panel has a length of more than 110 centimeters.
28. The floor panel of claim 16 , wherein the floor panel will bend less than 10 centimeters per meter under its own weight.