Patent Application
20230340785
The invention relates to drywall and more specifically to the installation of drywall boards to construct a room.
In the construction of buildings, drywall boards are commonly used to build interior walls and corners. The edges of drywall boards are often tapered such that where two drywall boards abut, a cove or depression is formed. The cove is first filled with joint compound and then tape is pressed into the joint compound along the full length of the cove. More joint compound is then placed over the tape before the first sanding of the resulting joint is performed. Iterations of joint compound application and sanding are performed as needed.
The area where two boards abut at a corner is often more difficult to finish than where two boards abut along a flat portion of a wall or ceiling. At an inner (less than 180 degrees) corner, taping, joint compound application and sanding are more cumbersome. The joint application and sanding process is usually performed several times, even by an experienced and highly skilled drywall finisher, before the corner joint takes on the appearance of a cleanly, integrally formed corner area with no visually perceptible joint areas. The finishing process is especially time consuming and highly dependent upon the skill of the drywall finisher. As will be appreciated, this adds to the overall cost of constructing any structure where drywall is used and increases the time needed for drywall finishing.
The above finishing process can be particularly troublesome for home remodelling applications undertaken by “do-it-yourself” persons who do not have extensive experience in working with drywall finishing and have not acquired the necessary skill to finish inner and outer corner areas of a structure in a manner that produces clean, well-finished corner areas free from visual imperfections. Whereas the portions of adjacent drywall boards having tapered edges that meet along a flat wall or ceiling can usually be finished adequately by even a “do-it-yourself” person, the inner and outer corner areas are usually difficult and time consuming for such persons to finish.
When installing drywall to construct walls and ceilings in a room, the installer secures a first board to the wall studs or ceiling joists. In a typical room containing four walls and a ceiling, a first board might be secured to one wall and then adjoining boards are abutted thereto until one wall is spanned with drywall boards. A similar process occurs for the other walls. Finally, ceiling boards are secured to the joists to construct the drywall ceiling. In some circumstances, installers may start with the ceiling and then proceed to the walls. Or, the installation of wall and ceiling boards may alternate. The installation proceeds on an ad hoc basis.
During this process, the installer cuts boards to various sizes to fill in spaces as the procedure continues. Seams are created somewhat haphazardly where boards abut that then have to be treated with drywall compound and tape. In particular, a drywall worker applies drywall compound (sometimes referred to as “mud”) to the seams. This is followed by an application of drywall tape. After the drywall compound dries, the compound is sanded. Then, more compound is applied and further sanding occurs. This cycle is repeated until the seams are hidden underneath compound and the compound is feathered out so that no build up can be seen.
The installer often has to move a ladder or scaffolding from seam to seam to accomplish this task, which is quite laborious. Tools and equipment also need to be transported to each seam. The arduous task of applying drywall tape and compound is thus made harder by the need to move tools around the room to access each drywall seam.
There is therefore a need to improve this method of drywall installation to reduce the time required to install the drywall and the skill and difficulty required to finish the drywall. In addition, it would be advantageous to reduce the amount of scrap drywall at job sites that is marked for disposal, which consequently would reduce the tremendous amount of drywall waste that ends up annually at landfills.
Described herein is a method of installing drywall in a room containing a first wall framing, an opposite second wall framing and a ceiling framing. The framing can be made of wood or metal studs or joists, for example.
A first drywall apparatus is provided having a first wall panel hingeably connected to a first ceiling panel via a first hinge. Likewise, a second drywall apparatus is provided having a second wall panel hingeably connected to a second ceiling panel via a second hinge. The first wall panel is secured to the first wall framing and the first ceiling panel to the ceiling framing. The second wall panel is secured to the second wall framing and the second ceiling panel to the ceiling framing, such that an edge of the first drywall apparatus perpendicular to the first hinge and an edge of the second drywall apparatus perpendicular to the second hinge lie within a nominal planar box of thickness two inches, which is defined below.
Other drywall boards are installed so that seams lie within respective planar boxes. Each seam runs from the floor, up the wall, across the ceiling and down the opposite wall.
Drywall compound is applied to the seams. In addition, according to the principles of the present invention, drywall tape, such as paper or fiberglass mesh, may be applied to the seams in a continuous ribbon, which is to say, without the need to cut the drywall tape into more than one piece. After more drywall compound is added and allowed to dry, sanding of the compound occurs. This process is repeated until the compound is suitably feathered so as to hide any buildup thereof.
Starting from a plane in two dimensions, one can imagine giving the plane a thickness h in a direction perpendicular to the two dimensions, resulting in what will be herein referred to as a planar box of thickness h, which is shown in
For greater certainty, consider an example using a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, R3, with axes x, y and z. The x-y plane consists of the set of points {(x, y, z)∈R3|z=0}. This plane extends along the positive and negative x direction without bound, and along the positive and negative y direction without bound. The set of points {(x, y, z)∈R3 10≤z≤h} is an example of a planar box of thickness h. Yet another way of saying the same thing is that a planar box of thickness h is a box having a first dimension, a second dimension and a third dimension that are mutually perpendicular, such that the first dimension has a length that increases without bound in both directions, the second dimension has a width that increases without bound in both directions and the third dimension has a thickness equal to h. This nominal box is a theoretical construct used herein to specify the location of certain drywall seams, as will be explained below.
With reference to
The method includes providing a first drywall apparatus 16 having a first wall panel 18 hingeably connected to a first ceiling panel 20 via a first hinge 22, as shown is side view in
Alternatively, the hinge 22 can be formed by removing a thin wedge on the side of the drywall opposite the front face, again being careful not to pierce the drywall paper thereon. The drywall paper along the thin wedge becomes the hinge 22. Two panels 18, 20 are disposed on either side of the hinge 22 and can rotate about the hinge 22 to form a corner of the room 8.
With reference to
In one embodiment, an inside corner is formed where a wall meets the ceiling. In such case, one panel becomes the first wall panel 18 and the second panel on the other side of the hinge 22 becomes the first ceiling panel 20.
With reference to
Opposite the first wall framing 10 is the opposite second wall framing 12. There, a second drywall apparatus 24, having a second wall panel 26 hingeably connected to a second ceiling panel 28 via a second hinge 30, is mounted with drywall screws, for example, according the principles of the present invention.
Reference will now be made to
The first wall panel 18 is secured to the first wall framing 10 to form part of the wall of the room. The first ceiling panel 20 is secured to the first ceiling framing 14 to form part of the ceiling of the room. The first hinge 22, oriented horizontally, becomes the corner, where the wall meets the ceiling.
Opposite the first wall framing 10 is the opposite second wall framing 12. There, the second drywall apparatus 24, having the second wall panel 26 hingeably connected to the second ceiling panel 28 via the second hinge 30, is mounted with drywall screws, for example, according the principles of the present invention.
In particular, the second wall panel 26 is secured to the second wall framing 12 and the second ceiling panel 28 to the ceiling framing 14 such that an edge 32 of the first drywall apparatus 16 perpendicular to the first hinge 22 and an edge 34 of the second drywall apparatus 24 perpendicular to the second hinge 30 lie within a nominal planar box 36 of a thickness less than or equal to two inches. This is illustrated in a top view in
Various sizes for the first drywall apparatus 16 and second drywall apparatus 24 are possible. For example, in conformity with North American standards where wall studs are 16 inches apart on centre, in one embodiment, the wall panel is a multiple of 16 inches wide, such as 48 inches wide. Its height can range from about the full height of the wall or smaller. The ceiling panel can be 48 inches wide and 16 inches from the hinge to the opposite end. The 16-inch length is the same as the length of the corner offset 31. If the corner offset were 12 inches or 24 inches, so too would the length of the ceiling panel be as measured from the hinge to the opposite end. That is, preferably, the length of the ceiling panel, from the hinge to the opposite side, is the same as the corner offset, leaving a square gap to be filled in by the three-way corner.
Seams are formed by abutting one drywall board to another. With reference to
In a similar fashion, a second seam 50 is formed by abutting a fourth drywall apparatus 52 to the second drywall apparatus 24. The fourth drywall apparatus 52 has a fourth wall panel 54 hingeably connected to a fourth ceiling panel 56 via a fourth hinge 58. The fourth wall panel 54 is secured to the second wall framing 12 and the fourth ceiling panel 56 is secured to the ceiling framing 14. This second seam 50 has a part 68 formed between the second wall panel 26 and the fourth wall panel 54, and a part 72 formed between the second ceiling panel 28 and the fourth ceiling panel 56.
For clarity so as to not clutter the figure,
A cross section marked as A-A in
A cross section marked as B-B in
With reference to
In a similar fashion, and with reference to
With reference to
Thus, in application, the drywall tape runs continuously along a series of seams that are all within a planar box, from the floor/baseboard, up along the wall, across the ceiling and down the opposite wall.
As shown in
The distance between the first seam 48 (and the associated first planar box containing it) and the nearest wall can vary. In one embodiment based on North American standard sizing for drywall widths and stud framing, the first planar box can lie 16 inches from a wall parallel thereto, as measured from the center of the thickness of the planar box. Parallel to and spaced apart from the first seam will lie another seam contained in another associated planar box, and so on. In particular, this other planar box can lie 48 inches from the first planar box. Additional planar boxes could also lie 48 inches apart. Starting from the opposite wall, this spacing is repeated, moving from the walls towards the center of the room. It may be necessary to have an exceptional spacing between the two planar boxes near the center of the room to account for the board that fills the space that remains. Board 82 of
Planar boxes may also be disposed perpendicular to each other. Thus, in a room containing four walls, one group of at least three seams can run up a first wall, across the ceiling and down a second, opposite wall, while another group of at least three seams can run up a third wall (perpendicular to the first wall), across the ceiling and down a fourth, opposite wall (perpendicular to the second wall). Any two planar boxes can either be parallel to each other or perpendicular to each other. In
In
In step 85, a third drywall apparatus is provided having a third wall panel hingeably connected to a third ceiling panel via a third hinge, and in step 86, a fourth drywall apparatus is provided having a fourth wall panel hingeably connected to a fourth ceiling panel via a fourth hinge. In step 87, the third wall panel is secured to the first wall framing and the third ceiling panel is secured to the ceiling framing such that the third drywall apparatus abuts the edge of the first drywall apparatus to thereby form a first seam therebetween. In step 88, the fourth wall panel is secured to the second wall framing and the fourth ceiling panel is secured to the ceiling framing such that the fourth drywall apparatus abuts the edge of the second drywall apparatus to thereby form a second seam therebetween. The first seam and the second seam lie within the nominal planar box.
In step 89, drywall compound is added to the first seam and the second seam. And in step 90, the first seam and the second seam are taped with one continuous ribbon. In step 91, more drywall compound is added and feathered, followed by sanding in step 92. The last two steps are repeated as necessary to achieve a finished look.
It will be appreciated that the number of planar boxes associated with a room can vary. Consider a small room where only four drywall apparatuses, with corner offsets, and one central ceiling board is required. In such a configuration only four planar boxes arise. Small rooms and large panels and boards tend to decrease the number of pertinent planar boxes that arise in a room.
Several advantages are associated with the drywall apparatus and the method of orientating the boards and panels described in the foregoing that are consistent with the principles of the present invention. It will be appreciated that by ensuring the seams run up one wall, across the ceiling and down the opposite wall within one planar box, it is possible to mud, tape and sand along approximately one plane with the concomitant savings in time and effort. In particular, in conventional applications, seams along walls and ceilings are somewhat haphazardly formed necessitating that workers move in an ad hoc fashion from seam to seam as they cut drywall tape from board to board and apply drywall compound. According to the principles of the present invention, because a group of seams is confined to a planar box, installers can move more efficiently when applying tape, mudding and sanding.
Moreover, assuming the thickness of the planar box is not greater than the width of the drywall tape used, it is not necessary to cut the drywall tape when applying the tape along the seams within the planar box. Instead, a continuous ribbon of drywall tape can be used on the set of seams within the planar box. This saves time and effort. As the width of drywall tape can vary, so too can the thickness of the nominal planar box that should be used. In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the planar box can be less than two inches corresponding to the fact that conventional drywall tape in North America is often two inches wide. Other thicknesses as appropriate may also be used.
The foregoing advantages also ensue if the planar “box” has a thickness of zero, in which case we have a plane. This idealized planar “box” implies that all seams within a group lie exactly on one plane. In practice, due to slight framing imperfections, small variation in board lengths, etc., it is impossible to achieve this idealization. The non-zero thickness of the planar box adds some leeway, including to account for these imperfections.
In a different embodiment of the present invention, it is not necessary to use a drywall apparatus that has panels connected by a hinge. Instead, regular drywall boards can be used to construct walls and ceilings according to the principles of the present invention.
In particular, and with reference to
The method of installing drywall in the room 100 involves forming the ceiling 102 and at least one pair of opposite walls 104A and 104B comprising securing drywall boards 108 to framing 110 to create non-corner drywall seams. The non-corner seams in the room 100 can be partitioned into groups, each group containing at least three non-corner seams consisting of a wall seam 112, an opposite wall seam 114 and at least one ceiling seam 116 between the wall seam 112 and opposite wall seam 114.
It will be appreciated that the seams 112, 114 and 116 form parts of an “upside down U”: the wall seam 112 and opposite wall seam 114 lie on the vertical legs of the upside-down U, and the ceiling seam 116 lies on the horizontal section of the upside-down U with the ceiling seam 116 lying between the wall seam 112 and the opposite wall seam 114.
With reference to
Take, for example, the group associated with planar box 118. As can be seen from
Another group of seams is associated with planar box 119, which is perpendicular to planar box 118. This other group has two ceiling seams and, provided the same number of wall boards are in play, the same number of wall seams as lie in the planar box 118.
This last qualification about the number of wall boards deserves further explanation. In many applications, walls are not uniform, but rather are interrupted by windows, doors and the like. Ceilings, too, may possess “obstacles” such as a skylight. Nevertheless, according to the principles of the present invention, it is advantageous to orient as many seams as possible so that they form groups of at least three seams, each group associated with a respective planar box.
The non-corner seams are produced in the room so that the seams can be partitioned into a plurality of groups. Each group contains three non-corner seams consisting of a wall seam, an opposite wall seam and a ceiling seam tending to span the two wall seams. In addition, each group is associated with a respective nominal planar box of appropriate thickness, such as one and one-half inches. The three non-corner seams contained in each group lie within the associated nominal planar box. It should be understood that because of the leeway made available by the thickness of the planar box, the three non-corner seams need not be coplanar, although they can be.
In a preferred embodiment, in the construction of a room, all groups of at least three seams—a first seam running up one wall, an opposite seam running up an opposite wall and the at least one seam therebetween—lie within a respective planar box to facilitate the treatment of as many seams as possible.
It will be appreciated that by ensuring the seams run up one wall, across the ceiling and down the opposite wall within one planar box, it is possible to mud, tape and sand along approximately one plane. Because by design the thickness of the planar box is no larger than the width of the drywall tape used for taping the seams, it is not necessary to cut the tape to span all of the at least three non-corner seams. Because seams are substantially aligned within their groups, the process of installing and finishing drywall to form a room is simplified.
In
The method includes the step 160 of securing drywall boards to framing to create non-corner drywall seams. Non-corner seams arise when two drywall boards that are not perpendicular to each other are abutted along edges. For example, where two boards affixed to a flat ceiling meet along two of their edges, a non-corner seam results that is horizontal.
The drywall boards are secured so that the non-corner seams in the room can be partitioned into groups, each group containing at least three non-corner seams consisting of a wall seam, an opposite wall seam and at least one ceiling seam between the wall seam and the opposite wall seam. Each group is associated with a respective nominal planar box wherein the at least three non-corner seams contained in each group lie within the respective nominal planar box associated therewith.
In step 162, drywall compound is added to the at least three seams of each group. In step 164, the at least three seams of each group are taped with a continuous ribbon of drywall tape. After the drywall compound dries, in step 166, the drywall compound is sanded. Steps 162 to 166 are repeated if necessary to achieve a clean, flat look with the goal of making the seams substantially imperceptible.
With reference to
In step 213, other drywall boards, such as drywall board 226, are abutted to the first edge 214, the second edge 218 and the ceiling edges 222 to form seams 228 between the other drywall boards and the first drywall board 212, the second drywall board 216 and the ceiling drywall boards 220, wherein the seams 228 lie within the nominal planar box 224.
In step 215, drywall compound is added to the seams 228 and in step 217, the at least three seams of each group are taped with a continuous ribbon of drywall tape.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a number of variations may be made in the disclosed embodiments, all without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the appended claims. For example, although reference has been made to the installation of drywall boards to construct four walls in a room, it should be understood that the principles of the instant invention can be applied when this number is less than four either because the room only has three or fewer walls, or because the room has some walls constructed out of other material like metal, glass, screen, cloth, etc.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CA2021/000040 | 5/3/2021 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63019785 | May 2020 | US |
