Patented Dec. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES 2,054,132 BUILDING MATERIAL Charles A. Upson, Lockport, N. Y., asslgnor to The Upson Company, Lockport, Y., a corpo- I ration of New York Application August a, 1930, Serial No. 473,194

Renewed March 27, 1933 6 Claims.

An object of the invention is the provision of a simple, relatively inexpensive and generally satisfactory material of this nature.

Another object of the invention is the provision of material which will furnish a satisfactory 10 linoleum receiving foundation even when the flooring beneath the material is rough and somewhat irregular.

Still another object is the provision of a material which can be laid quickly on the flooring,

15 which has special provision for imbedding nail heads so that they will not show through the linoleum, and on which the linoleum can be laid rapidly and easily.

A further object of the invention is the provi- 20 sion of a material which, when used under linoleum and the likeywill be relatively quiet and will tend to deaden the sound of footsteps rather than to increase the sound thereof.

A still further object is the provision of mate- 25 rial having special waterproofing features, and particularly of one so designed that the moisture of the cement used in laying the linoleum will not materially permeate the body of the material or cause swelling or uneven expansion 30 thereof.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in 35 the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a. diagrammatic vertical section through a floor illustrating the building material of the present invention laid on the flooring and 40 linoleum laid on the building material;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through building material constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a similar section throughbuilding 5 material constructed in accordance with another form of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a similar section through material made in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention, and

50 Fig. 5 is a similar section illustrating still another embodiment of the invention.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is illustrated in 55 a more or less diagrammatical manner a floor having J'oists II and flooring 12, on which is laid the building material of the present invention indicated generally by the numeral l3. This material 13 is preferably nailed to the flooring I2, and as will appear hereafter, the top surface 5 of the building material I3 is relatively soft so that the heads of the nails may be driven into the soft material and imbedded therein so that they will not show through the linoleum. The. linoleum or the like-is indicated at H, and is cemented to the building material l3 after the latter is nailed in place on the floor. When the building material I3 is constructed in accordance with the present invention, the flooring l2 need not be perfectly smooth or finished. but may be rela- 15 tively rough and uneven, since the-material l3 will bridge any slight irregularity in the flooring and will serve as a satisfactory foundation for the linoleum l4.

The construction of the buildingmaterial I3 is shown in detail in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive. It comprises primarily a body which is relatively thick and rigid so as to bridge any irregularities or cracks in the flooring l2 and so that the upper surface of the material will remain smooth in-spite of irregularities in the flooring. This body may be conveniently made of paperboard, composition board, or the like, and may comprise a single solid layer of paperboard asindicated at 20 in Figs. 3 to 5 inclusive, or it may be of laminated construction, the laminations being shown at 20a, 20b, 20c, and 2011 in Fig. 2. Other materials in addition to paperboard might be employed, but whatever material is used, it is desirable thatit be capable of being penetrated by nails, so that the material may be nailed to the flooring l2. In use it is found that the body 20 may be constructed satisfactorily of a. form of wallboard, whether solid or laminated, easily obtainable on the open market. 1

An upper or top layer of material is placed over the body 20. This'upper layer preferably should have three characteristics. First, it should provide a satisfactory surface to which cement,

will adhere, so that the linoleum or the like may quickly absorbed in the upper layer of the underlay, which will cause the cement to set rapidly so that the linoleum will be ready for use in a relatively short time. Various materials having these three desirable characteristics may be employed for the top layer of the building material, and among such materials I prefer to employ either a layer of felt, as indicated at 22 in Figs. 2, 4, and 5, or a layer of textile fabric as indicated at 23 in Fig. 3. The term felt as used in this application is intended in its broadest sense, and includes wool felt or other hair felt, as well as paper felt and similar materials somewhat analogous to blotting paper. When textile fabric 23 is used, it may conveniently comprise one or more layers of burlap or similar material.

As above mentioned, the upper layer 22 or 23 is absorbent so that it absorbs the moisture of the cement or adhesive used in affixing the linoleum. It is very desirable to prevent such absorbed moisture from penetrating the body 20 to any material extent, in order that such moisture will not cause swelling or buckling of the underlay. To this end, there is preferably provided a layer 25 of moisture impervious material between the upper layer 22 or 23 and the body 20. This waterproofing or liquid impervious layer 25 may conveniently be a layer of asphaltum, which not only provides the desired waterproofing feature but which also serves as an adhesive uniting the top layer 22 or 23 to the body 20. In some instances, as when cheapness is an important consideration, it may be desired to omit the liquid impervious layer 25, and if this is done. any suitable form of adhesive may be used at 25 to secure the top layer 22 or 23 to the body 20.

In most instances, and especially on the ground floor and elsewhere where dampness may be present beneath the floor, it is desirable to waterproof the underside of the building material so that dampness will not enter this material from beneath. To this end, the under surface of the body 20 may be coated with a coating 26 of waterproofing material such as asphaltum or the like, as indicated in Fig. 3. Such an external coating is satisfactory in many cases, but in many other instances it is desired to avoid the stickiness which would result from such an external coating. This stickiness may be: avoided by afiixing a sheet of paper 21 beneath the layer 26 of asphaltum or other waterproofing agent, as indicated in Fig. 2. The construction shown in Fig. 2 may thus be said to comprise a body having a sheet of paper adjacent its lower surface and a coating of waterproofing material on one side of the sheet of paper.

Another form of waterproofing the under side of the building material, which is preferred under some circumstances, is illustrated in Fig. 4, where there is employed what might be termed a duplex liner, comprising two sheets 30 and 3| of paper affixed to each other by a layer 32 of asphaltum or other waterproofing agent. This composite liner comprising the two paper sheets 30 and 3| and the waterproofing agent 32 is secured to the under side of the body 20 by a layer 33 of any suitable adhesive or cement. Ordinarily this cement 33 need not be of a waterproofing character, but when the material is to be used in excessively damp places so that a very high degree of waterproofing is desired, then the layer 33, like the layer 32, may be of asphaltum or other suitable waterproofing agent.

There are times when material somewhat harder and firmer than that illustrated in Figs. 2. 3.

ened layer 35 is preferably of asphaltum er other waterproofing material in order to prevent moisture from entering the layer 35. The body 20 is secured to the layer 35 by any suitable adhesive 36, which also may be of a waterproofing character if a very high degree of water resistance is needed in special circumstances.

In use, the building material of the present invention, in whichever embodiment it is constructed, is 'laid easily and rapidly on the fiooring I 2 whether this flooring be new or old, rough or smooth. The material is affixed to the floor by nailing it thereto, the nails being driven home so that the heads are imbedded to some extent in the top layer 22 or 23, in order that the heads may not show through the linoleum. Then a layer M of linoleum or the like is laid over the building material and cemented thereto. The building material provides an ideal surface for the laying of the linoleum, bridging any cracks or unevenness in the flooring I2 and furnishing a perfectly smooth surface which is well adapted to receive and adhere to the cement used in laying the linoleum. The moisture of the cement is quickly absorbed in the upper layer 22 or 23 of the building material so that this cement sets rapidly and the floor is ready for use with a minimum of delay. The waterproofing layer 25 causing it to swell or buckle. The upper layer 22 or 23, being relatively soft, materially deadens the noise which would otherwise be caused by walking on the linoleum, and also this upper layer 22 or 23, because of its softness and slight resilience, is free to move slightly relative to the body 20 if the linoleum expands or contracts at a different rate from the body 20. Hence the linoleum will not pull loose from the underlay but remains firmly cemented thereto in spite of differences in the rate of expansion or contraction.

In one form of underlay which has been found to be satisfactory, the body 20 is made of commercial wallboard or composition board {1; inch thick, more or less, and the layer of felt 22 is approximately 3 inch thick. As thelayers of adhesive and the paper on the bottom are relatively thin, the entire underlay is approximately inch thick. These dimensions are given merely as an example of one satisfactory construction, and are not to be construed in a limiting sense. a

In some instances, as for example when the flooring is particularly uneven, it may be desirable to employ a layer of felt or other soft material on the bottom of the material as well as on the top. Thus a layer of felt may be substituted for the layer 21 of paper, or may be placed beneath the layer 21. The felt or other soft material in this position compensates to some extent for the unevenness of the fioor so that the underlay lies more smoothly and evenly on a rough floor. Such a construction also gives added heat insulating value, and may be useful in cold climates.

While certain embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive idea may be carried out in a number of ways. This application is therefore not to be limited to the precise details disclosed, but is intended to cover all variations and modifications'thereof falling within the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A building material comprising a body of fiberboard, a sheet of paper adjacent one side of said body, a coating of waterproofing material on one side of said sheet of paper, a layer of relatively soft absorbent material adjacent the opposite side of said body from said sheet of paper, and a layer of liquid impervious material between said body and said soft absorbent material, so that moisture absorbedby the latter will not permeate said body.

2. A building material for use on fioors as an underlay for linoleum and the like, said material comprising a relatively thick and rigid body, a layer of relatively soft absorbent material on the upper side of said body, and a layer of liquid impervious material between said body and said soft absorbent material, so that linoleum and the like may be cemented to said soft absorbent material by a cement containing moisture and so that such moisture when absorbed by said absorbent material will not materially permeate said body.

3. A building material for use on floors as an underlay for linoleum and the like, said material comprising a relatively thick and rigid body, a layer of textile fabric on the upper side of said body, and a layer of liquid impervious material between said body and said fabric, so that linoleum and the like may be cemented to said fabric by a cement containing moisture and so that such moisture when absorbed by said fabric will not materialy permeate said body.

4. A building material for use on floors as an underlay for linoleum and the like, said material comprising a relatively thick and rigid body, a layer of felt on the upper side of said body, and a layer of liquid impervious material between said body and said felt, so that linoleum and the like may be cemented to said felt by a cement containing moisture and so that such moisture when absorbed by said felt will not materially permeate said body.

5. A building material for use on floors as an underlay for linoleum and the like, said material comprising a relatively thick and rigid body, a sheet of paper on the under side of said body, a coating of waterproofing material on one side of said sheet of paper, and a layer of relatively soft fibrous material on the upper side of said body serving as a surface to which linoleum and the like may be cemented.

6. A building material for use on floors as an underlay for linoleum and the like, said material comprising a relatively stiff and rigid body of fiberboard, a layer of relatively soft and absorbent felt paper on one side of said fiber board and adapted to form the upper surface of said material when laid on floors so that linoleum and the like may rest upon and be secured to said felt paper, and a layer of waterproofing material on the opposite side of said board from said felt paper.

CHARLES A. UPSON.