Patent Application
20060260230
The present invention relates generally to architectural detailings and, more particularly, to spacers for spacing an architectural detailing from another object.
An architectural detailing can transform a standard doorway into a grand archway and a fireplace mantle into a room's centerpiece. Finishing touches such as moldings and cornices are widely used in the homebuilding industry as a way to increase the aesthetic and economic value of a home. To obtain market share and to establish a reputation, builders are seeking out variations on classic architectural detailings.
In the recent past, architectural detailings were typically formed from stone/concrete or wood. With a number of advancements made within the foam industry, many builders are now utilizing pre-coated foam architectural detailings. One reason for their popularity is that they have a similar look and feel to precast, natural stone products, or wood, at the same time providing a significant reduction in raw material and installation costs. The foam architectural detailings are also being used to accommodate climates adverse to wood and to offset rising wood costs.
In a typical construction, a mesh is applied to a foam core, then it is coated and topped with a stone like or other finish to create a product that is strong and aesthetically pleasing. The resulting product may be one-tenth the weight of precast stone. Further, the resultant product is easier and costs less money to install. It can be made in any shape and size. The manufacturing time is considerably less as well, and the cost is around 40 percent less for the installation of a foam product versus a precast product.
The foam core is easily formed into any shape, allowing designers wide latitude in designing the shape of the architectural detailing. The design aspects for coated foam products are infinite and have become extremely popular with architects and interior designers alike. The foam is dimensionally stable, resistant to expansion, contraction, warping, rotting and twisting. Additionally the foam is not a nutrient source for insects, which is important in humid and termite-prone climates.
Although previously developed faux architectural detailings are effective, they are not without their problems. It has been discovered that a significant amount of time and labor is used in sealing the ends of the faux architectural detailings to an adjacent object, such as another faux architectural detailing, wall, ceiling, etc. Moreover, it has been found that consistently obtaining the correct spacing between the end of the faux architectural detailing and the adjacent object has been problematic. Further, there is a large void between the end of the faux architectural detailing and the object, the void necessary to allow for expansion. This void is hard to seal since there is no backing for a sealant to rest against during application. Therefore, either the entire void must be filled with the sealant material, or strips of backing material or other suitable material stuffed into the void to provide backing for the sealant. This is a laborious process as first the correct spacing must be measured and set, and then the void custom filled with the backing material. Therefore, there exists a need for a method and/or apparatus for facilitating the setting of the correct spacing between an end of an architectural detailing and an object, and/or providing backing material for the sealant that will be applied in the void to seal the architectural detailing to the object.
One embodiment of a spacer formed in accordance with the present invention for attachment to an end of an architectural detailing to space the architectural detailing from an object is disclosed. The spacer includes a block of material having a thickness defined by a distance separating a first planar wall of the block from a second planar wall of the block. The first and second planar walls are oriented substantially parallel to one another, the block having a sealant backing surface oriented substantially perpendicular to and extending between the first and second planar walls. The block is adapted to be attached to an end of an architectural detailing to space the architectural detailing from another object by the thickness of the block.
An embodiment of architectural detailing assembly formed in accordance with the present invention is disclosed. The architectural detailing assembly includes an architectural detailing having a length terminating in an end surface and an appearance surface adapted to be viewed by a user once installed upon a building structure. The appearance surface has a predetermined profile. The architectural detailing assembly also includes a spacer having a first planar wall adapted to be selectively coupled to the end surface of the architectural detailing and a second planar wall oriented substantially parallel with the first planar wall and separated from the first planar wall by a thickness. The spacer includes a sealant backing surface oriented substantially perpendicular to and extending between the first and second planar walls. The sealant backing surface is shaped to substantially have the predetermined profile.
One embodiment of a method of forming an architectural detailing assembly in accordance with the present invention is disclosed. The method includes extruding a first core having a predetermined profile and covering at least one surface of the first core with a finish material to enlarge the predetermined profile of the first core to a selected profile. The method also includes extruding a second core having the predetermined profile and a length and cutting the second core substantially perpendicular to its length to form one or more spacers having the predetermined profile.
Another embodiment of a method of forming an architectural detailing assembly in accordance with the present invention is disclosed. The method includes attaching an architectural detailing to a structure, the architectural detailing having a core which has a predetermined profile and a covering applied to at least a portion of an outer surface of the first core which enlarges the predetermined profile to a preselected profile. The method also includes coupling a spacer having substantially the predetermined profile to an end surface of the architectural detailing and placing a sealant upon the spacer and architectural detailing to seal the architectural detailing to the spacer.
The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
One embodiment of an architectural detailing assembly 10 formed in accordance with the present invention is depicted in
Inasmuch as the architectural detailings 12 and 14 are identical to one another in the illustrated embodiment, this detailed description, for the sake of brevity, will describe only one of the architectural detailings in detail, with those skilled in the art appreciating that the description of the one architectural detailing applies equally well to the other architectural detailing.
Preferably, each of the architectural detailings 12 and 14 includes a lightweight core 18, preferably made from an extrudable material, such as a Type I or Type II expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam. Preferably, the core 18 is coated with a coating material 20, suitably formed from a single material or a plurality of materials, such as a plurality of materials applied in a plurality of layers or a mixture of materials applied in a single layer as is well known in the art. The core 18 may be painted or factory finished with the coating material 20, such as an acrylic, in different textures and colors. Preferably, the coating 20 is pre-applied prior to installation, such as applied by the manufacturer. The coating 20 may be applied in a liquid form and then allowed to cure into a solid. The coating 20 provides a pleasing finish to the architectural detailings 12 and 14, protects the lightweight core 18, repels moisture, etc.
The illustrated architectural detailing 12 is an elongate member having a length and a cross-sectional profile that is substantially constant along the length of the architectural detailing 12. The architectural detailing 12 includes the core 18 and coating 20 as mentioned above. The architectural detailing 12 includes a planar riser wall 30 and a planar top wall 32 oriented perpendicular to one another, such as to permit the architectural detailing 12 to be placed along the intersection of two perpendicular planar surfaces, such as at the intersection of a wall and a ceiling. Connecting the riser and top walls 30 and 32 is an appearance surface 28 having a predetermined shape. The appearance surface 28 is adapted to be viewed by a user once the architectural detailing 12 is coupled to a building structure, and as such, often includes one or more non-linear or curved portions 34 to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The appearance surface 28 is preferably completely covered in the coating material 20 to provide an aesthetically and texturally pleasing surface.
The architectural detailing 12 terminates in an end surface 22 preferably located perpendicularly to the length of the architectural detailing 12, although other angles are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, one suitable example being orientating the end surface 22 at a 45 degree angle to the length of the architectural detailing 12 such that two architectural detailings can meet and abut at a 90 degree corner. Turning to
Turning to
The first and second planar surfaces 38 and 40 each include a perimeter defined by, as shown for the second planar surface, a riser edge 42 and a top edge 44, each located perpendicular to one another, with a sealant backing edge 45 extending between the riser edge 42 and the top edge 44. The riser edge 42, top edge 44, and the sealant backing edge 45 are all the end edges of their respective walls or surface, i.e. the riser wall 46, top wall 48, and sealant backing surface 50 respectively. Since the first and second planar surfaces 38 and 40 are identical to one another, their perimeters are also identical. Therefore, only the perimeter of the second planar surface 40 will be specifically described herein for the sake of brevity.
Of note, the second planar surface 40 is nearly identical, but not exactly identical, in shape to the end surface 22 of the architectural detailing 12. Moreover, the surface area of the second planar surface 40 is less than the surface area of the end surface 22 such that when the spacer 16 is coupled to the architectural detailing 12, the perimeter of the second planar surface 40 does not match perfectly with the perimeter of the end surface 22 and has at least one edge that is offset inward from a corresponding edge of the end surface 22. The difference in perimeters permits the sealant backing surface 50 of the spacer 16 to be offset inward relative to the appearance surface 28 to provide a step downward where the end surface 22 abuts the first planar surface 38, the step being from the appearance surface 28 down to the sealant backing surface 50. This difference in height is later filled in with a sealant compound 64 as will be described in more detail below. In the illustrated embodiment, the surface area of the second planar surface 40 is greater than about 70% of the surface area of the end surface 22, but less than 100% of the surface area of the end surface 22. In other embodiments, the surface area of the second planar surface 40 is greater than about 80% or 90% of the surface area of the end surface 22, but les than 100% of the surface area of the end surface 22.
Of note, the second planar surface 40 of the illustrated embodiment has a shape in one embodiment that is identical to the end surface 22 of the architectural detailing 12 prior to application of the coating 20, i.e. the end surface of the core 18 prior to application of the coating 20 is identical in shape to the second planar surface 40. The application of the coating 20 builds up and increases the perimeter size of the end surface 22, thereby creating the difference in perimeters of the second planar surface 40 and the end surface 22. In the illustrated embodiment, the core 18 and the spacer 16 are formed from the same material. Thus, the spacer 16 is made from a lightweight, extrudable material, such as a Type I or Type II expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam material, which is flexible and able to absorb thermal contractions and expansions in the length of the architectural detailings 12 and 14.
In one embodiment, the spacer 16 is made by cutting a core 18 prior to application of the coating 20 or a second core having the same shape as the core 18. This way, the spacer 16 has the same cross-sectional shape as the core 18 of the architectural detailings 12 and 14. For instance, in one embodiment of the present invention, an architectural detailing 12 is formed by extruding a core 18 having the desired shape and length, while simultaneously coating the appearance surface 28 with the coating 20 during extrusion. A second core is then extruded having the same shape as the first core 18. The coating material is not applied to the second core. The second core is then cut transversely to the length of the core at selected intervals to make spacers 16 of a selected thickness. Preferably, the thickness of the spacers 16 is one inch or less, however it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that spacers 16 having a thickness greater than one inch are within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Still referring to
The bottom of the channel 62 is defined by the sealant backing surface 50 and the sides of the channel 62 are defined by the portions of the end surfaces 22 extending above the sealant backing surface 50. In the illustrated embodiment, the depth of the channel 62 is equal to the thickness of the coating 20 applied to the core 18, since the spacer 16 has an identical cross-sectional shape relative to the cross-sectional shape of the core 18. Thus, the offset or depth of the channel 62 varies according to the thickness of the coating 20 applied. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art, that although the spacer 16 is illustrated and described as having an identical cross-sectional shape to that of the core 18 of the architectural detailings 12 and 14, the spacer 16 may have cross-sectional shapes which are not identical to the cross-sectional shape of the architectural detailings 12 and 14. However, it is preferred that the perimeter of the spacer 16 not extended outward of the perimeter of the end surface 22.
Turning to
Although the above illustrated and described architectural detailing assembly is described as using a spacer for separating a first architectural detailing from a second architectural detail, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the spacer may be used to selectively space an architectural detailing from any object, which may include a second architectural detail, or may be any other object, such as a wall, floor, ceiling, etc.
Further, although a single spacer is illustrated and described as being disposed between adjacent architectural detailings, it is noted that if a wider channel is desired between adjacent architectural detailings, a plurality of spacers may be disposed between the adjacent architectural detailings.
While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
