Floor panels with edge connectors

1. A floor covering, said floor covering comprising a plurality of hard floor panels,

said floor panels each comprising a laminate including an upper side, a lower side, a top layer on the upper side, and a wood-based core material; and at least two opposite lateral sides defining respective side edges including upper side edges adjacent the upper side, said upper side edges comprising said wood based core material, said core material being exposed along said upper side edges;

said floor panels at least at said side edges each being provided with coupling parts substantially in the form of a tongue and a groove, said tongue being formed of said core material, said groove being bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip, said floor panels being mutually coupled without glue by means of said coupling parts;

said coupling parts being provided with integrated mechanical locking elements at the tongue and groove which contact each other when the panels are coupled by the tongue of one panel being received in the groove of the other panel, with the upper side edges adjoining each other, to prevent the drifting apart of two coupled floor panels in a direction perpendicular to the related edges and parallel to the underside of the coupled floor panels;

wherein at least at the location of said upper side edges of two of such coupled floor panels a sealing material other than glue is provided, said sealing material being separate from the top layer;

said sealing material providing a watertight sealing between the coupled panels at the upper side edges concerned; and

said locking elements including locking surfaces engaging each other when the panels are coupled without glue with the tongue received in the groove and retaining the upper side edges of the coupled floor panels together in adjoining relationship at the location of said sealing material, so that when the panels are coupled the integrity of said sealing is maintained to avoid ingress of moisture from above the coupled panels and exposure of said core material to such moisture and so that the coupled panels may be uncoupled without damage to the panels.

2. The floor covering of claim 1 , wherein said sealing material is a strip.

3. The floor covering of claim 2 , wherein said strip is provided at the panels previously to coupling.

4. The floor covering of claim 2 , wherein said strip is configured as a thin layer extending in a vertical direction between the respective coupled floor panels.

5. The floor covering of claim 1 , wherein said sealing material is a covering, in the form of a coating.

6. The floor covering of claim 1 , wherein said top layer comprises at least one resin-based layer, and wherein said sealing material at least at said opposite upper side edges adjoins said at least one resin based layer.

7. The floor covering of claim 1 , wherein said core material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of MDF and HDF.

8. The floor covering of claim 6 , wherein said core material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of MDF and HDF.

9. The floor covering of claim 1 , wherein said side edges are impregnated with a surface densifying agent selected from the group consisting of pore-sealing agents, lacquers, resins, oils and paraffin.

10. A floor panel, for forming a floor covering,

said floor panel comprising a laminate including an upper side, a lower side, a top layer and a wood-based core material, and at least two opposite lateral sides defining side edges having respective upper side edges adjacent the upper side, said upper side edges comprising said wood based core material, said core material being exposed along said upper side edges;

said floor panel at least at said side edges being provided with coupling parts substantially in the form of a tongue and a groove, said tongue being formed of said core material, said groove being bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip, said coupling parts being configured so as to enable two of such floor panels to be coupled to each other;

said coupling parts being provided with integrated mechanical locking elements at the tongue and groove comprising locking surfaces which contact each other when two of such panels are coupled without glue by the tongue of one panel being received in the groove of the other panel, with the upper side edges adjoining each other, to prevent the drifting apart of two coupled floor panels in a direction perpendicular to the related edges and parallel to the underside of the coupled floor panels;

wherein at least at the location of one of said upper side edges a sealing material other than glue is provided, said sealing material being separate from the top layer and enabling separation of coupled panels without damage to the panel side edges;

said sealing material, upon coupling of two ones of said panel by said coupling parts and with the locking surfaces contacting each other without the presence of glue, preventing ingress of moisture between said upper side edges from above the panels and exposure of said core material along said upper side edges to such moisture.

11. The floor panel of claim 10 , wherein said sealing material is a strip provided at an upper side edge of the panel.

12. The floor panel of claim 11 , wherein said strip is configured as a thin layer, which, seen in a cross sectional view, extends in a vertical direction along said upper side edge.

13. The floor panel of claim 12 , wherein said top layer comprises at least one resin-based layer, and said sealing strip adjoins said at least one resin based layer.

14. The floor panel of claim 10 , wherein said core material is selected from the group consisting of MDF and HDF.

15. The floor panel of claim 14 , wherein said side edges are impregnated with a surface densifying agent selected from the group consisting of pore-sealing agents, lacquers, resins, oils and paraffin.

16. A floor panel, for forming a floor covering,

said floor panel comprising an upper side, a lower side, and at least two opposite lateral sides defining side edges including upper side edges adjacent the upper side;

said floor panel at least at said side edges being provided with coupling parts substantially in the form of a tongue and a groove, said groove being bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip;

said coupling parts being provided with integrated locking elements including locking surfaces at the tongue and groove, which locking surfaces contact each other when the panels are coupled by the tongue of one panel being received in the groove of the other panel, with the upper side edges adjoining each other, to prevent the drifting apart of two coupled floor panels in a direction perpendicular to the related edges and parallel to the underside of the coupled floor panels;

said coupling parts, integrated locking elements, and locking surfaces configured so as to enable two of such floor panels to be coupled to each other without glue by the tongue being received in the groove with the locking surfaces in contact with each other and the upper side edges adjoining each other, thereby providing a mechanical coupling whereby the panels are locked without glue in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the coupled floor panels, as well as in a direction parallel to the underside of the panels and perpendicular to the coupled panel edges and so that the coupled panels may be uncoupled without damage to the panels;

wherein said floor panel at said lateral sides but not on the top layer is impregnated with an impregnation material comprising a surface densifying agent selected from the group consisting of pore-sealing agents, lacquers, resins, oils and paraffin.

17. The floor panel of claim 16 , wherein the complete surfaces of at least said side edges, including the complete surfaces of the tongue and groove coupling parts at said side edges, are impregnated with said impregnation material.

18. The floor panel of claim 16 , wherein the floor panel is rectangular and includes two pairs of opposite lateral sides with side edges, wherein all four side edges are impregnated with said impregnation material.

19. The floor panel of claim 16 , wherein said locking elements comprise an upward-directed portion at the tongue and a downward-directed portion at the upper lip; and wherein said upward-directed portion at the tongue and said downward-directed portion at the upper lip are configured so as to enable two of such panels at the concerned edges to be coupled to each other as a result of a relative turning movement of the panels along the related edges, resulting in the upward-directed portion at the tongue of one panel being brought behind said downward-directed portion at the upper lip of the other panel.

20. The floor covering of claim 4 , wherein said sealing material is located solely at the location of said upper side edges and above said tongue of each floor panel.

21. The floor covering of claim 8 , wherein said sealing material is located solely at the location of said upper side edges and above said tongue of each floor panel.

22. The floor panel of claim 10 , wherein said sealing material is located solely at the location of said one of said upper side edges above the tongue of said coupling parts.

23. A floor panel, for forming a floor covering,

said floor panel comprising an upper side, a lower side, and at least two opposite lateral sides defining side edges including upper side edges adjacent the upper side;

said floor panel at least at said side edges being provided with coupling parts substantially in the form of a tongue and a groove, said groove being bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip;

said coupling parts being provided with integrated locking elements including locking surfaces at the tongue and groove, which locking surfaces contact each other when the panels are coupled by the tongue of one panel being received in the groove of the other panel, with the upper side edges adjoining each other, to prevent the drifting apart of two coupled floor panels in a direction perpendicular to the related edges and parallel to the underside of the coupled floor panels;

said coupling parts, integrated locking elements, and locking surfaces configured so as to enable two of such floor panels to be coupled to each other without glue by the tongue being received in the groove with the locking surfaces in contact with each other and the upper side edges adjoining each other, thereby providing a mechanical coupling whereby the panels are locked without glue in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the coupled floor panels, as well as in a direction parallel to the underside of the panels and perpendicular to the coupled panel edges so that coupled panels may be uncoupled without damage to the panels;

wherein said floor panel at one or more of its side edges which include said coupling parts and locking elements is treated with a surface densifying agent.

24. The floor panel of claim 23 , wherein the floor panel comprises a laminate having a core and wherein the basic material of the core and the coupling parts and locking elements comprises a ground product which, by means of a binding agent or by means of a melting together, constitutes a unitary composite.

25. The floor panel of claim 23 , wherein the panel comprises a laminate having a core comprising HDF and wherein said coupling parts and locking elements are made in one piece from said core.

26. The floor panel of claim 23 , wherein the panel comprises a laminate having a core comprising MDF, and in that said coupling parts and locking elements are made in one piece from said core.

27. The floor panel of claim 25 or 26 , wherein said surface densifying agent is an impregnation agent.

28. The floor panel of claim 27 , wherein said surface densifying agent is selected from lacquers and resins.

29. The floor panel of claim 27 , wherein said surface densifying agent is selected from pore-sealing agents, oils and paraffines.

30. The floor panel of claim 25 or 26 , wherein the treatment is performed over the complete surface of a respective side edge that is treated.

31. The floor panel of claim 25 or 26 , wherein the treatment is performed over only a well-defined portion of a respective side edge that is treated.

32. The floor panel of claim 25 or 26 , wherein the floor panel is rectangular and elongated, such that it has a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides; and wherein said treatment is performed only in respect to the pair of short sides.

33. The floor panel of claim 23 , wherein the locking elements comprise a recess or upstanding portion at said lower lip and a protrusion at the lower side of said tongue.

34. The floor panel of claim 33 , wherein the lower lip extends beyond the upper lip, and said locking surfaces are located in the portion of the lower lip that is located beyond said upper lip.

35. The floor panel of claim 25 or 26 , wherein the floor panel comprises a laminate having a core, the core having upper and lower sides; an imprinted decorative layer impregnated with resin at the upper side of the core; and a backing layer on the lower side of the core.

36. The floor panel of claim 23 , wherein the floor panel is of the type selected from parquet or prefabricated parquet.

37. The floor panel of claim 23 , having a thickness of 0.5 to 1.5 cm.