Cladding Panel and Cladding System Therewith

Abstract

A cladding system includes i) a panel having generally parallel front and back faces defining a thickness, two lateral sides, top and bottom edges, and first and second slits extending along at least a portion of the length of the panel from the back face thereof and having respective first and second openings that are substantially parallel to the bottom edge, wherein the first slit is oriented within the thickness towards the top edge and the second slit is oriented towards the bottom edge. The top and bottom edges are configured for complementary connection. The system further including at least one V-shaped mounting clip that is adapted to be removably receivable in the first and second planar slits from one of the two lateral sides, for attaching the panel to a wall.

Description

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to cladding panels and systems.

BACKGROUND

Cladding systems for buildings exist that aim at reproducing the look of real stones or bricks while being less expensive to produce and both easier and less expensive to mount.

Known such cladding systems are, however, provided with a mounting system that is often complicated and costly to manufacture and/or difficult to mount, sometimes requiring a backing system for pre-mounting to the receiving wall.

Also, it has been found that some existing cladding systems that aim at reproducing the look of real stones or bricks either require to be further sealed after installation or yield openings or cracks that are bound to cause water infiltration.

SUMMARY

According to illustrative embodiments, there is provided a cladding panel comprising:

• substantially parallel front and back faces, defining a thickness of the panel;
• two lateral sides, defining a length of the panel;
• top and bottom edges; the top and bottom edges being configured for complementary connection; and
• first and second slits extending along at least a portion of the length of the panel from the back face thereof and having respective first and second openings that are substantially parallel to the bottom edge; the first slit being oriented within the thickness towards the top edge and the second slit being oriented towards the bottom edge;
• whereby, in operation, the first and second slits being configured for removably receiving together a V-shaped mounting clip from one of the two lateral sides, for attaching the panel to a wall.

According to other illustrative embodiments, there is provided a cladding system comprising:

• at least one cladding panel, each having generally parallel front and back faces defining a thickness of the at least one cladding panel, two lateral sides, defining a length of the at least one cladding panel, and top and bottom edges; the top and bottom edges being configured for complementary connection; the at least one cladding panel including first and second slits extending along at least a portion of the length of the at least one cladding panel from the back face thereof and having respective first and second openings that are substantially parallel to the bottom edge; the first slit being oriented within the thickness towards the top edge and the second slit being oriented towards the bottom edge; and
• at least one V-shaped mounting clip that is adapted to be removably receivable in the first and second slits from one of the two lateral sides of the at least one cladding panel, for attaching the at least one cladding panel to a wall.

According to further illustrative embodiments, there is provided a method for manufacturing a cladding panel, the method comprising:

• providing a panel having generally parallel front and back faces defining a thickness, two lateral sides, and top and bottom edges; and
• cutting first and second slits therein, each along at least a portion of the length of the panel from the back face thereof so that the first slit is oriented within the thickness towards the top edge and the second slit is oriented towards the bottom edge.

According to yet another illustrative embodiment, there is provided a panel comprising:

• a decorative side;
• a back side opposite the decorative side; both the decorative and back sides extending in a first direction between opposite lateral sides and extending in a second direction between upper and lower sides; and
• upper and lower parallel grooves in the back side extending from at least one of the two lateral sides for receiving corresponding portions of a mounting bracket; the upper groove having a portion extending from the back side substantially towards one of the upper and lower sides and the lower groove having a portion extending from the back side substantially towards another one of the upper and lower sides.

Other objects, advantages and features of the cladding system and panel, and of a manufacturing method therefore will become more apparent upon reading the following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the appended drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wall partially covered by a cladding system, including cladding panels, both according to first illustrative embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the wall from FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are side elevation close up views showing respectively a mounting clip and a starter strip, both according to illustrative embodiments and part of the cladding system from FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of a cladding panel according to a second illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a back elevation view of a cladding panel from FIG. 1, illustrating the mounting of a clip thereto;

FIG. 6 is a back perspective view of part of the wall from FIG. 1, showing the positioning of the starter strip and a clip mounted to one of the panel;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are respectively front perspective and side elevation views of the mounting clip from FIGS. 1, 2 and 6;

FIG. 8 is a front perspective of the starter strip from FIGS. 1 and 6;

FIG. 9A is a front perspective of a starter strip according to a second illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 9B is a side elevation close up view similar to FIG. 3B, showing the mounting of a cladding panel from FIG. 1 onto the starter strip from FIG. 9A;

FIG. 10 is a perspective close-up view of a cladding panel from FIG. 1, with a mounting clip mounted thereto in an upside-down position for shipping and storing purposes; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a panel from FIG. 1 on a saw bench, showing the making of the slits for receiving the mounting clip from FIG. 7A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, similar features in the drawings have been given similar reference numerals, and in order not to weigh down the figures, some elements are not referred to in some figures if they were already identified in a precedent figure. Herein, it shall further be noted that, for avoiding unnecessary details obscuring the invention, only device structures and/or processing steps closely relevant to schemes according to the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings while omitting other details less relevant to the invention.

The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one”, but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more”, “at least one”, and “one or more than one”. Similarly, the word “another” may mean at least a second or more.

As used in this specification and claim(s), the words “comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and any form of including, such as “include” and “includes”) or “container” (and any form of container, such as “contain” and “contains”), are inclusive or openended and do not exclude additional, un-recited elements.

A cladding system 10 according to an illustrative embodiment will now be described with reference first to FIGS. 1-3B and 5.

The cladding system 10 comprises a plurality of cladding panels 12 and windowsill panels 14 that are secured to a wall 15 using clips 16, the panels 12 and 14 and the clips being configured for complementary attachment without the use of tools.

The wall 15 can be any type of wall, providing support portions to attach the clip 16 using fasteners (not shown) as will be described hereinbelow in more detail.

Also, as will become more apparent upon reading the following description, the panels 12 and windowsills 14 can be of any sizes and/or be cut, for example on site, to form rows that are adapted to fit any length and height of wall 15.

With reference more specifically to FIGS. 2-3B and 5, each panel 12 has generally parallel front and back faces 18 and 20 defining a thickness ‘t’, two lateral sides 22, and top and bottom edges 24 and 26 that are configured for complementary tongue and groove connection.

More specifically, the top edge 24 includes a generally V-shaped protrusion 28 that extends along the full length of the panel 12. The bottom edge 26 includes a generally V-shaped groove 30 that is configured to complementary receive the protrusion 28 when two panels are both aligned and superimposed.

Accordingly, the tongue and groove configuration of the top and bottom edges allows sealingly closing the gap between two superimposed panels 12.

According to another embodiment, the tongue and groove configuration of the top and bottom edge is reversed.

A panel according to a further embodiment (not shown) is configured with another complementary arrangement on its top and bottom edges, such as the well-known shiplap and tongue-in-groove configurations.

According to the first illustrative embodiment, the panel 12 is made of concrete and results, for example, from a moulding process. According to another illustrative embodiment, the panel is made of another material. For example, natural stones can be attached, for example during a molding process, to a concrete backing.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the front face 18 of the panel 12 has a brick-like finish. However, a panel according to an illustrative embodiment is not limited to such a finish. For example, FIG. 4 shows a panel 29 according to a second illustrative embodiment, which differs from the panel 12 by its front face 31 having a fieldstone finish.

According to the first illustrative embodiment, the panel 12 has a natural ‘uncolored’ finish. According to another illustrative embodiment, the panel, or at least part thereof is colored.

Turning now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the panel 12 further includes top and bottom planar slits or grooves 32 and 34, each extending along the full length of the panel 12 from the back thereof and being generally perpendicular to the lateral sides 22. More specifically, the top planar slit 32 is slanted within the thickness of the panel 12 towards the top edge 24, and the bottom planar slit 34 is slanted towards the bottom edge 26 The top and bottom slits 32 and 34 together define together a V-shape.

Together, the first and second planar slits 32-34 are configured for removably receiving together V-shaped mounting clips 16 from one of the two lateral sides 22 of the panel, for attaching the panel 22 to the wall 15 using fasteners (not shown).

While the slits 32 and 34 are shown as extending along the full length of the panel 12, they can be made so that they begin from one or both lateral sides 22 of the panel 12 and end at the same or different distance from the respective sides 22. For example, a panel according to a further illustrative embodiment (not shown) may include a pair of slits that extends laterally from one of its lateral sides to a distance that is less than the length of the panel, so that the slits are not visible on the other lateral side. Such a panel can be used to form, with a panel 12, the corner of a wall (not shown) wherein the slits are not visible.

With reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B, each clip 16 includes a panel-mounting portion 36 and a wall-mounting portion 38. The panel-mounting portion 36 is generally V-shaped so as to be complementary received in both the top and bottom slits 32 and 34 when inserted therein from one of the lateral sides 22 of the panel 12.

More specifically, the wall-mounting portion 38 is in the form of a tongue having first and second longitudinal ends 40 and 42 and including a fastener or nail receiving hole 44 near the first longitudinal 40 end thereof.

The panel-mounting portion 36 includes a planar portion 46 extending from the second longitudinal end 42 of wall-mounting portion 38 so as to define an obtuse angle therewith, and two tabs 48, extending generally perpendicularly from the first planar portion 46 on respective lateral sides of the wall-mounting portion 38. Reinforcement portions 50-51 are provided i) on both the tongue 38 and planar portion 46 therebetween, and ii) on both the tabs 48 and planar portion 46 therebetween. According to another embodiment, such reinforcement portions are omitted.

According to the first illustrative embodiment, the clip 16 is a one-piece galvanized steel body, which results from a molding process or from metal cutting. According to another embodiment, the clips 16 can be made of stainless steel or from another metal, or alloy, or of a composite or polymeric material.

The clip 16 is adapted to the corresponding receiving portions 32-34 on the panel 12 and, as such, both the clip 16 and clip receiving portions 32-34 may be different than illustrated.

For example, any one of the angles between i) the planar portion 46 and the wall-mounting portion 38, and ii) the planar portion 46 and the tabs 48, may be different than illustrated.

According to still another illustrative embodiment (not shown), the panel-mounting portion 36 and the receiving portions 32-34 on the panel 12 may have another configuration than the illustrated V-shaped portions, including, without limitations, C-shaped portions or other regular or irregular portions (not shown).

Also, the wall-mounting portion 38 of the clip 16 may be differently configured than illustrated and/or may include a plurality of fastener-receiving holes 44. The clip 16 may also include more than one wall-mounting portion 38.

FIG. 11 illustrates a method for making the slits 32 and 34 using a saw bench 47, whereby two consecutive passes (see arrow 51) of the panel 12 is made therein with the angle of the blade 37 being adjusted, before each pass, to 45° and then 135° or vice versa. According to another embodiment, the panel 12 is moved through two saw benchs or one with two blades 37, each adjusted to the one of the two above-mentioned angles. The thickness of the blade 37 is such as to yield slits 32-34 being slightly thicker than the tabs 48 and planar portion 46 of the clip 16, for snugly, but smooth, sliding of the planar portion 46 and tabs 48 in the slits 32 and 34.

Another method than the one illustrated in FIG. 11 can alternatively be used to make the slits 32 and 34, depending for example on the configuration thereof.

With references to FIGS. 1, 3B and 8, the cladding system 10 further comprises a starter strip 52 that is configured for complementary receiving the bottom edge 26 of the panel 12.

More specifically, the starter strip 52 is made of a metal, such as galvanized steel and stainless steel, and includes a generally flat wall-mounting portion 54 that includes first fastener-receiving holes 56, and a ground contacting portion 58, which extends perpendicularly from the wall-mounting portion 54 therealong. The ground contacting portion 58 includes second fastener-receiving holes 60 and a generally V-shaped fold portion 62 that extends along the full length of the strip 52 and that is shaped to be complementary received within the V-shaped groove 30 of the panel 12. According to another illustrated embodiment (not shown), the fold portion 62 is replaced by protrusion configured to be received with the V-shaped groove 30.

Further features and characteristics of the cladding system 10 will become apparent upon reading the following description of the installation thereof, with references more specifically to FIGS. 1, 2, 3A-3B and 6.

The starter strip 52 is first position on the ground or on a receiving surface adjacent the wall 15 and is secured to both the ground and wall 15 using the first and second fastener-receiving holes 56 and 60 and fasteners (not shown) adapted for the type of ground and wall. Of course, the starter strip 52 is first leveled prior to its attachment.

As can be better seen in FIG. 3B, the V-shaped fold portion 62 of the starter strip 52 is so distanced relative to the wall-mounting portion 54 to yield a conventional air gap 64 between the panel 12 and the wall surface 15. A starter strip according to another illustrative embodiment (not shown) is configured to yield a greater or lesser air gap than illustrated.

A first row of panels 12 is then mounted onto the strip 52 so that the groove 30 of each panel 12 is complementary registered with the V-shaped fold portion 62 of the strip 52 so as to complementary receive the portion 62 therein.

As described hereinabove, the panels 12′ on both lateral sides 66 of the wall 15 and any other panels 12 can be cut either or both laterally and longitudinally prior to their installation, to adapt to the geometry of the wall.

Further rows of panels 12 are then added by abutting the top and bottom edges 24 and 26 of superimposed panels 12 by aligning their respective tongue 28 and groove 30.

Prior to mounting each panel 12 in such a way, one or more clip 16 is inserted in their slits 32 and 34 from the lateral side thereof. The clips 16 are then secured to the wall 15 using fasteners before adding another row of panel 12, which will then hide the clips 16, and more specifically the wall-mounting portion38 thereof.

A person skilled in the art will now appreciate that each clip 16 can be moved and positioned at any place along the width of the panel 12 prior to its attachment to the wall 15.

Windowsill panels 14 or other differently configured panels that are provided with slits 32 and 34 may also be additionally mounted to the wall 15 for aesthetic or functional purposes. With regards to the windowsill panels 14, one or more clips 16 are mounted thereto upside down, considering the smaller height of these panels 14, and this prior to attaching a panel 12 thereunder. This allows access to the wall-mounting portion 38 of the clip 16 for its attachment to the wall 15.

With reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B, a starter strip 68 according to a second illustrative embodiment will now be described. Since the strip 68 is similar to the strip 52, only the differences therebetween will now be described for concision purposes.

Compared to the strip 52, the strip 68 is not provided with a V-shaped fold but is instead provided with a bent portion 70 at the edge 72 of the ground-contacting portion 74. The bent portion 70 defines a hook that lock the position of a panel 12 relative to the wall 15 when such panel 12 is mounted to the strip 68 so that the bent portion 70 is complementary positioned in the V-shaped groove 30 of the panel 32.FIG. 10 shows a clip 16 mounted upside-down in the slits 32-34 of a panel 12, i.e. that the wall-mounting portion 38 extends downwardly from the panel-mounting portion 36, which is opposite its mounting orientation. According to such a mounting arrangement of the clip 16 on the panel 12, the wall-mounting portion 38 does not extend beyond the top edge 24 of the panel and lays flat against the back face 20 of the panel 12. This allows laying a plurality of panels 12 on top of each other, without damaging clip(s) 16 mounted thereon in such a manner, for example during shipping or storage.

It is to be noted that many modifications could be made to the cladding system 10 and cladding panels 12, 14 and 29 described hereinabove and illustrated in the appended drawings. For example:

• other connection means than the illustrated tongue and groove arrangement can be used to interconnect the panels. Interconnection means can also be used on the lateral sides of the panels. According to other illustrative embodiment, the top and bottom edges of the panels are flat;
• while the strips 32 and 34 are illustrated as extending along the full length of the panels 12 and 14, they can also be provided along a limited portion of the panels 12 and 14;
• the starter strip 52 and 68 may be made of different sizes than illustrated; wherein a plurality of shorter strips 52 and 68 can be used together to form a suitably sized starter strip;
• the panels 12, 14 and 29 are not limited to being made of concrete. According to another embodiment (not shown), the panel is in the form of a well-known stone veneer wall panel, to which the clip-receiving slits are added.

Although cladding panels and system therewith, and a method for manufacturing a cladding panel, have been described hereinabove by way of illustrated embodiments thereof, they can be modified. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that the scope of the claims should not be limited by the illustrative embodiments but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

Claims

1. A cladding panel comprising: substantially parallel front and back faces, defining a thickness of the panel;two lateral sides, defining a length of the panel;top and bottom edges; the top and bottom edges being configured for complementary connection; andfirst and second slits extending along at least a portion of the length of the panel from the back face thereof and having respective first and second openings that are substantially parallel to the bottom edge; the first slit being oriented within the thickness towards the top edge and the second slit being oriented towards the bottom edge; whereby, in operation, the first and second slits being configured for removably receiving together a V-shaped mounting clip from one of the two lateral sides, for attaching the panel to a wall.

2. The cladding panel of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second slits extends along the full length of the panel.

3. The cladding panel of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second slits extends from at least one of the two lateral sides and ends at a distance from the at least one of the two lateral sides.

4. The cladding panel of claim 1, wherein the complementary connection is a tongue and groove connection.

5. The cladding panel of claim 1, wherein the front face has a fieldstone or a brick-like finish.

6. A cladding system comprising: at least one cladding panel, each having generally parallel front and back faces defining a thickness of the at least one cladding panel, two lateral sides, defining a length of the at least one cladding panel, and top and bottom edges; the top and bottom edges being configured for complementary connection; the at least one cladding panel including first and second slits extending along at least a portion of the length of the at least one cladding panel from the back face thereof and having respective first and second openings that are substantially parallel to the bottom edge; the first slit being oriented within the thickness towards the top edge and the second slit being oriented towards the bottom edge; andat least one V-shaped mounting clip that is adapted to be removably receivable in the first and second slits from one of the two lateral sides of the at least one cladding panel, for attaching the at least one cladding panel to a wall.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, further comprising at least one windowsill panel, each having generally parallel front and back faces defining a thickness of the at least one windowsill panel, two lateral sides, defining length of the at least one windowsill panel, top and bottom edges, and third and fourth slits extending along at least a portion of the length of the at least one windowsill panel from the back face thereof and having respective third and fourth openings that are substantially parallel to the bottom edge of the at least one windowsill; the third slit being oriented within the thickness of the at least one windowsill panel towards the top edge thereof and the fourth slit being oriented towards the bottom edge of the at least one windowsill panel; wherein the at least one V-shaped mounting clip is further adapted to be removably receivable in the third and fourth slits from one of the two lateral sides of the at least one windowsill panel, for attaching the at least one windowsill panel to the wall.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the complementary connection is a tongue and groove connection.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the front face of the at least one cladding panel has a fieldstone or a brick-like finish.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the first and second slits extends along the full length of the panel.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the first and second slits extends from at least one of the two lateral sides and ends at a distance from the at least one of the two lateral sides.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one V-shaped mounting clip includes a wall-mounting portion and a substantially V-shaped panel-mounting portion extending from the wall-mounting portion.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the wall-mounting portion includes at least one tongue having a fastener-receiving hole therein.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the substantially V-shaped panel-mounting portion includes a planar portion extending from the wall mounting portion so as to define an obtuse angle therewith, and two tabs, each extending from the planar portion on a respective lateral side of the panel-mounting portion so as to define a V-shape with the planar portion.

15. The system as recited in claim 6, further comprising at least one starter strip that is configured for both mounting to the wall and for complementary receiving the bottom edge of the at least one cladding panel.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the at least one starter strip includes a substantially flat wall-mounting portion, including first fastener-receiving holes, and a ground contacting portion that extends from the wall-mounting portion substantially perpendicularly therefrom; the ground-contacting portion being configured for said complementary receiving the bottom edge of the at least one cladding panel and including second fastener-receiving holes.

17. A method for manufacturing a cladding panel comprising: providing a panel having generally parallel front and back faces defining a thickness, two lateral sides, and top and bottom edges; andcutting first and second slits therein, each along at least a portion of the length of the panel from the back face thereof so that the first slit is oriented within the thickness towards the top edge and the second slit is oriented towards the bottom edge.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein providing the panel includes molding the panel in concrete.

19. A panel comprising: a decorative side;a back side opposite the decorative side; both the decorative and back sides extending in a first direction between opposite lateral sides and extending in a second direction between upper and lower sides; andupper and lower parallel grooves in the back side extending from at least one of the two lateral sides for receiving corresponding portions of a mounting bracket; the upper groove having a portion extending from the back side substantially towards one of the upper and lower sides and the lower groove having a portion extending from the back side substantially towards another one of the upper and lower sides.