Stain-resistant earthen articles, grout and floor and wall surfaces composed thereof

Claim 2

A stain- and wear-resistant wall or floor surface comprising: a plurality of composite earthen-plastic articles having improved stain-resistance and strength; said articles comprising a porous earthen body having a synthetic plastic polymerized in situ therein and being further impregnated with a penetrating solution comprising a drying oil or a semi-drying oil; said polymerized synthetic plastic being substantially uniformly distributed throughout said earthen body; said drying oil or semi-drying oil also being substantially uniformly distributed throughout said earthen body; whereby said articles have a substantially uniform composition throughout the thickness thereof with the pores substantially filled with said plastic and oil to provide said stain-resistance; said articles being assembled in said wall or floor surface imbedded in a layer of stain-resistant grout surrounding the edges of said articles and holding them in position in said surface; whereby a wall or floor surface is provided having improved breaking strength and stain-resistance.

Claim 3

The surface of claim 1 wherein the drying oil is selected from the group consisting of soybean, linseed, tall, perilla, oitica, cottonseed, corn, sunflower, and dehydrated castor oil, or mixtures thereof.

Claim 4

A surface of claim 1 wherein the articles are less than about " thick and have a breaking strength in excess of the ANSI specification.

Claim 5

The surface of claim 5 wherein the polymer is derived from a monomer selected from the group consisting of methyl methacrylate, vinyl chloride, acrylonitrile, vinyl acetate, and styrene, or mixtures thereof.

Claim 6

The surface of claim 4 wherein the polymer is polyvinyl acetate.

Claim 7

The surface of claim 1 wherein the articles have a body of earthenware.

Claim 8

The surface of claim 6 wherein said earthenware body is fired clay base brick.

Claim 9

The surface of claim 6 wherein said earthenware body is unfired non-clay brick.

Claim 10

The surface of claim 8 wherein the brick comprises gypsum.

Claim 11

The surface of claim 8 wherein the brick comprises pumice and a cementitious binder therefor.

Claim 12

The surface of claim 8 wherein the brick comprises coral or turquoise.

Claim 13

The surface of claim 8 wherein the earthen body comprises Portland cement.

Claim 14

The surface of claim 8 wherein the non-clay brick is impregnated before said in situ polymerization with a pre-polymer comprising about 5 to about 10% bentonite.

Claim 15

A stain and wear-resistant wall or floor surface of claim 1 wherein said grout is obtained from a mastic comprising: up to about 80% sand or silica; up to about 30% or more stain-resistant plastic binder, and a minor amount of a surface active agent which enhances contact between said sand or silica and said binder and which imparts added stain-resistance to the grout obtained from said mastic on setting thereof; said percentages being by weight of the total mastic composition.

Claim 16

A surface of claim 14 wherein said mastic also comprises a lubricant for said sand or silica and a plasticizer for said binder.

Claim 17

A surface of claim 14 in which the binder in the mastic is a vinyl homopolymer.

Claim 18

A surface of claim 14 in which the binder in said mastic is polyvinyl acetate.

Claim 19

A stain- and wear-resistant wall or floor surface comprising; a plurality of earthen-plastic articles having improved stain-resistance and strength; said articles comprising a porous earthen body having a synthetic plastic polymerized in situ therein and being further impregnated with a penetrating solution comprising a drying oil or a semi-drying oil; said plastic and oil being uniformly distributed throughout the volume of said articles to impart strength and stain-resistance thereto; said articles being assembled in said surface imbedded in a layer of stain resistant grout surrounding the edges of said articles and holding them in position in said surface; said grout having been obtained by setting and hardening of a mastic composition comprising: up to about 80% sand or silica; up to about 30% or more stain-resistant plastic binder; and a minor amount of surface active agent which enhances contact between said sand or silica and said mastic binder and which imparts added stain-resistance to the grout obtained from said mastic on setting thereof; said percentages being by weight of the total mastic composition.

Claim 20

A stain- and wear-resistant wall or floor surface comprising; a plurality of earthen-plastic articles having improved stain-resistance and strength; said articles comprising a porous earthen body having a synthetic plastic polymerized in situ therein and being further impregnated with a penetrating solution comprising a drying oil or a semi-drying oil; said plastic and oil being uniformly distributed throughout the volume of said articles to impart strength and stain-resistance thereto; said articles being assembled in said surface imbedded in a layer of stain resistant grout surrounding the edges of said articles and holding them in position in said surface; said grout having been obtained by setting and hardening of a mastic composition comprising: up to about 80% sand or silica; up to about 30% or more stain-resistant plastic binder; and a minor amount of surface active agent which enhances contact between said sand or silica and said mastic binder and which imparts added stain-resistance to the grout obtained from said mastic on setting thereof; said percentages being by weight of the total mastic composition.

Claim 21

A surface of claim 18 wherein said mastic also comprises a lubricant for said sand or silica and a plasticizer for said mastic binder.

Claim 22

A surface of claim 18 in which the binder in the mastic is a vinyl homopolymer.

Claim 23

A surface of claim 18 in which the binder in said mastic is polyvinyl acetate.

Claim 24

A surface of claim 18 wherein the surface active agent is non-ionic, the lubricant is polymethylsiloxane and the plasticizer is a polyoxyethylene aryl ether.

Claim 25

A surface of claim 18 in which the surface active agent is octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol and is present in an amount of up to about 0.5% or more; the lubricant is polydimethylsiloxane in an amount up to about 0.9%; and the plasticizer is present in an amount up to about 0.5% or more.

Claim 26

A surface of claim 18 in which the mastic comprised about 65-70% sand; about 30-32% vinyl acetate homopolymer emulsion; about 0.5% octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol; about 0.5% polyoxyethylene aryl ether; about 0.5% polydimethylsiloxane; and about 1% ethylene glycol.