Tile with protected imitation grout line

A tile that may be used as a covering on a floor， wall， or other surface comprises a top section， a protective section， and a core layer， and an exposed portion formed along at least one of its sides and structured to represent an imitation but highly realistic looking grout line. In a preferred embodiment， the top section comprises a wear layer， a decorative layer and a polyvinyl chloride layer， and the core layer comprises a densified foam material. The protective section is disposed between the top section and the core layer， and preferably comprises both a protective layer and another decorative layer. The exposed portion structured to represent an imitation grout line is formed within the protective section and is resistant to staining. In some embodiments， the exposed portion is also formed across a middle section of the tile， and may further include an interconnecting mechanism to facilitate installation.

一种可作为地板、墙面或其他表面铺装材料的瓷砖，包含顶部结构、防护结构与芯层，以及沿其至少一侧形成的外露结构，该结构被设计为模拟视觉效果高度逼真的仿勾缝线条。在优选实施例中，顶部结构包含耐磨层、装饰层以及聚氯乙烯（polyvinyl chloride）层；芯层则采用致密泡沫材料制备。防护结构设置于顶部结构与芯层之间，优选同时包含防护层与另一装饰层。用于模拟仿勾缝线条的外露结构形成于防护结构内部，且具备抗污渍性能。在部分实施例中，该外露结构还可形成于瓷砖的中部区域，并且可进一步配备便于安装的连接机构。