Carpet edge molding

[57] ABSTRACT

A carpet edge molding including a vertical flange forming a decorative skirting member, a horizontal flange part of which is adapted to be nailed underneath a carpet fastening strip and held thereby, and a flexible flap extending downwardly from the lower part of the skirting member and forming a recess with the horizontal flange for receiving the cut edge of a carpet.

Claims, 1 Drawing Figure

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Patented May 23, 1972

3,663,986

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3,663,986

CARPET EDGE MOLDING

The present invention relates to a carpet edging device for fitting around the edges of a fitted carpet at the base of a wall. In addition to concealing the cut edges of a carpet, the device 5 of the present invention also provides a decorative exposed skirting member.

In fitting carpets against a wall, one known procedure is firstly to nail a fastening strip or so-called “smooth edge,” along the sides of the floor near to the wall. This fastening strip 10 is a strip of plywood or the like having sharp prongs or tacks protruding from its upper surface and angled towards the wall. The edges of the carpet are fixed in place by being pulled over the strip to engage with the prongs, which are then hammered down. When fixed, the carpet edges are trimmed. 15

It often happens that the processes of hammering down the prongs and trimming the carpet with a knife damages the lower portion of the wall. The present invention provides an edging device including a skirting member which, in addition to having an exposed decorative surface, also protects the 20 base of the wall during hammering and trimming operations. The term “decorative” is used in this context in a broad sense as meaning an exposed surface of pleasing appearance, but does not necessarily mean that the skirting member is provided with any special decoration. 25

In accordance with the present invention, a carpet edging device for use with fitted carpets comprises an angled moulding of plastics material having a normally vertical flange forming an exposed decorative skirting member and a normally horizontal flange for fitting under a carpet, said horizontal 30 flange including a flat section adapted to fit under a carpet fastening strip and penetrable by nails holding said strip, said moulding including a flexible flap extending from the lower part of the skirting member towards said flat section whereby the flap and the inner part of the horizontal flange define a 35 recess for receiving the edge of a carpet.

It will be understood that the term “moulding” is used herein to mean a more or less decorative strip, rather than an article which has been moulded.

Preferably, the horizontal flange of the moulding includes a 40 longitudinally extending recess or rebate for locating the fastening strip.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, which shows a cross section through a moulding in accordance with 45 the invention, together with the associated parts of the wall, floor and carpet, and the fastening strip.

Referring to the drawing, the floor and wall of a room are indicated at 1, 2 respectively. Prior to the fitting of a carpet, an angled moulding 3 is placed in position as shown. Moulding 50 3 is a continuous, integral extrusion of suitable plastics material such as polyvinyl chloride, having the cross section shown in the drawing. This cross section includes a vertical flange the main, upper part of which provides an exposed decorative skirting member 4, and a substantially horizontally flange 5. 55 Flange 5 has a longitudinally extending recess or rebate defined by a flat section 7 in contact with the floor and a step 8, for locating a fastening strip 10.

As indicated, the moulding 3 is secured in place by locating the fastening strip 10 along the flat section 7, and nailing this 60 strip onto the floor by means of nails 11 which also pass through the flat section 7. Clearly, the plastics material must be such as to be penetrable by the nails 11.

The moulding 3 is made in such a way that when unstressed the outermost extremities of the external surfaces of the verti- 65 cal and horizontal flanges, i.e. the flat section 7 and the other edge 13 of the skirting member and the two surfaces adjacent the corner 12, between them define an angle greater than a right angle. The resiliency of the moulding is such that when secured in place as shown, the comer 12 can be pressed against the junction the wall and floor, thus holding the skirting member 4 firmly against the wall.

With the moulding secured as described, the carpet 15 is iut^d ?^d8^es PuMed over the protruding prongs or tacks 16 of the fastening strip 10. When the carpet is correctly laid the prongs or tacks are hammered down, and the carpet edges trimmed so as to extend over the strip by the small amount indicated. The edge of the carpet is then inserted under a flexible flap 18 which extends downwardly from the lower part of the skirting member towards the flat section 7. The cut carpet edge is thus concealed within the recess defined by the flap and the inner portion of the horizontal flange 5. It may be noted that the inner edge of flap 18 has a slight curvature so that the outer surface of the flap blends with the outer surface of the skirting member.

The flap 18 may be flexible merely by virtue of its thinness. However, in the preferred form of the invention, an outer portion 18α of the flap, although formed integrally with the remainder of the moulding, is of a softer material than the remainder. This softer material may be a synthetic rubber or poly-vinyl chloride with a large amount of plasticizer.

The moulding described thus provides a neat finish to the edge of the carpet, concealing the cut edge, and also provides a decorative skirting member which both provides an attractive appearance for the lower edge of the wall and protects the wall from being damaged during hammering and during cutting of the carpet edge.

If a thicker carpet is to be accommodated, the same moulding can be used by setting back the corner 12 from the wall, thus causing the distance between the edge offlap 18 and the carpet fastening strip to open wider, due to the greater angle between vertical flange 4 and flat section 7. For this purpose, the moulding is preferably formed so that in the unstressed condition the outer extremities of the flanges, i.e. the flat section 7 and the outer edge 13 of the skirting member 4, define at the corner 12 an angle much greater than 90°, say about 120°. In this connection, it may be noted that the terms “vertical” and “horizontal,” as applied to the flanges of the moulding, are intended to be approximate terms, particularly as regards the unstressed condition of the moulding.