Processes for preparing decorative surface coverings

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A DECORATIVE SURFACE COVERING HAVING A CONTINUOUS SOLID SURFACE WHICH COMPRISES APPLYING A LIQUID VINYL CHLORIDE POLYMER COMPOSITION COATING TO THE SURFACE OF A RELEASE PAPER, DEPOSITING ON THE LIQUID COATING DECORATIVE GRANULES OF VINYL COMPOSITION HAVING A THICKNESS GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAID LIQUID COATING TO COVER ABOUT 10 TO ABOUT 90% OF THE COATING, HEATING TO PARTIALLY FUSE THE COATING, APPLYING A FOAMABLE VINYL COMPOSITION CONTAINING A BLOWING AGENT TO THE SURFACE OF A BACKING WEB, HEATING THE FOAMABLE COMPOSITION TO PARTIALLY FUSE THE COMPOSITON WITHOUT DECOMPOSING THE BLOWING AGENT, LAMINATING THE SURFACE OF THE PARTIALLY FUSED FOAMED COMPOSITION TO THE SURFACE OF THE PARTIALLY FUSED COATING CONTAINING THE GRANULES AND THEREAFTER HEATING TO FUSE THE COMPOSITIONS AND DECOMPOSE THE BLOWING AGENT TO CONVERT THE FOAMABLE COMPOSITION TO A CELLULOSE FOAM LAYER, STRIPPING THE RELEASE PAPER FROM THE COMPOSITE LAMINATE AND THEN COOLING THE PRODUCT THUS FORMED.