Patent Application
20160340915
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to concrete products and more particularly to methods for creating a mosaic within a surface of a concrete product.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known in the building and construction trade, concrete is extensively utilized as a building material for industrial, commercial and residential applications. Due to its durability, water resistance, and cost economy, concrete has gained widespread use. With this widespread use, the public is currently demanding variations in color, surface texture and overall appearance of concrete so that the concrete possesses improved aesthetics similar to more conventional and costly surfaces such as stone, mosaic, and terrazzo.
In order to meet this demand, the concrete trade has developed various coloring and surface finishing techniques to enhance the aesthetics of concrete. Examples of such finishing techniques include salt finish, multiple broom finish, form press finish (e.g. stamped concrete), and exposed aggregate finish.
In addition to the extensive use of concrete in building and construction, the use of mosaics in flooring, walls, and other decorative structures and elements has also become significantly widespread. Such products typically include a picture or decorative design. The design is generally constructed by completing several steps. First, with regard to flooring, for example, the flooring surface must be prepared, which may include leveling the surface. Secondly, an adhesive, such as mortar or a tile adhesive, is spread upon the surface. After the adhesive is in place, small individual colored mosaic pieces, such as stone or tile, are set into the surface. Once the adhesive is substantially dried, a grouting product is then set between the mosaic pieces to create a uniform surface and further secure the mosaic pieces to the surface. The resultant product is frequently very beautiful and may be very ornate and detailed. However, due to the extensive amount of time and several additional steps that such a product requires in comparison to other flooring products, mosaic flooring are usually quite expensive. Further, construction of mosaics in walls and other decorative structures and elements may also be quite laborious and expensive.
Although concrete and mosaic products have advanced significantly over recent years to meet the demands of customers and innovative builders, there is no current concrete product for use in flooring, walls, or other decorative structures and elements that makes the creation of mosaics more affordable or efficient than the basic process described above.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an improved process of creating mosaic products that is more cost and time efficient, particularly for creating a mosaic upon a vertical surface. Various aspects of the present invention are directed toward addressing this particular need, as will be discussed in more detail below.
According to various aspects of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming an aesthetic surface on a concrete structure. When construction is complete, the aesthetic surface includes a mosaic design including a plurality of aesthetic elements, such as tiles, aggregate or the like, embedded within the hardened concrete structure. The method of forming the aesthetic surface includes affixing the aesthetic elements to the concrete form in the arrangement corresponding to the mosaic design prior to using the form during construction of the concrete structure. The concrete is then poured into the form and allowed to harden, after which, the forms are stripped from the concrete, thereby exposing the embedded aesthetic elements within the concrete structure.
According to one embodiment, the method of forming the aesthetic surface includes providing a plurality of aesthetic elements and a concrete form, and adhering the aesthetic elements directly to the concrete form with a water soluble adhesive. The method further includes pouring concrete into the form, and removing the form from the concrete.
The method may additionally include the step of vibrating the concrete poured in the form to release water from the concrete for dissolving the water soluble adhesive.
The method may further include trowelling a surface of the concrete and sponging the concrete to expose the aesthetic elements.
The method may additionally include the step of allowing the concrete to harden. The step of removing the forms from the concrete may be performed within 48 hours of completing the pouring step. The step of removing the forms may also be performed within 18 hours of completing the pouring step. In other embodiments, the step of removing the forms may be performed more than 48 hours after completing the pouring step.
The method may additionally include the step of exposing the aesthetic elements. The aesthetic elements may include aggregates and/or tiles. The aesthetic elements may be adhered to the concrete form in a random arrangement. Alternatively, the aesthetic elements may be adhered to the concrete form in an arrangement corresponding to a prescribed design.
The present invention is best understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:
Common reference numerals are used throughout the drawings and detailed description to indicate like elements.
The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and sequences of steps for constructing and operating the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments and that they are also intended to be encompassed within the scope of the invention.
Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only, and not for purposes of limiting the same,
Several techniques have been previously developed for imparting a mosaic design into a concrete structure. Exemplary of such previously developed techniques are the methods described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/294,434 and 13/783,052, both of which are owned by Lithocrete, Inc. (the owner of the present application), and the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. The aforementioned United States patent applications describe a method wherein a plurality of tiles comprising a mosaic design is transferred to a concrete structure through the use of a transfer template, which is separate from the concrete form members and is typically fabricated from a mesh material. In particular, the mosaic tiles are affixed to the transfer template in an arrangement corresponding to mosaic design. The template is then attached to the concrete forms before the concrete is poured. In some cases the template remains in the concrete after the concrete hardens, while in other cases, the template is removed concurrently or shortly after removal of the forms from the concrete.
Although the use of the transfer template is effective for transferring the mosaic pattern to the concrete structure, various aspects of the present invention are directed toward improving the previously developed methods by eliminating the need for the transfer template. In particular, several embodiments of the present invention allow the mosaic tiles to be coupled directly to the concrete form, and thus, the transfer template is not needed in such instances.
Referring now specifically to
The mosaic 10 shown in the concrete structure depicted in
Referring now to
When the tiles 14 are adhered to the transfer form 16, an artist may create the mosaic arrangement during the process of placing the tiles 14 on the form member 16. Alternatively, the mosaic 10 may be printed or traced on the form 16 to serve as a guide for placing the tiles thereon. As yet another alternative, the concrete form 16 may include a plurality of recesses or cavities formed therein, wherein each tile 14 may be placed within respective ones of the recesses or cavities so as to simplify arrangement of the tiles 14 on the form 16.
Referring now to
Referring now to
According to one embodiment, the exposed surfaces 24 of the tiles 14 are temporarily adhered to the transfer form 16 in an arrangement that is a “reverse image” configuration, such that when the tiles 14 are embedded to the vertical surface 12 of the concrete structure, the tiles 14 appear in the correct configuration. However, as noted above, the tiles 14 may also be arranged in a random fashion on the vertical surface 12.
An adhesive 28 may be disposed between the tiles 14 and the transfer form 16 to temporarily adhere the tiles 14 to the transfer form 16. The adhesive 28 is preferably a water soluble adhesive 28 to facilitate separation of the transfer form 16 from the tiles 14 after the concrete hardens and the tiles 14 are embedded within the concrete structure.
In one particular implementation, the adhesive 28 is disposed on the transfer form 16 prior to placing the tiles 14 on the form 16 in the mosaic arrangement, i.e., the tiles 14 are arranged to a define a prescribed pattern or shape, or alternatively, the tiles 14 are arranged in a random configuration. In this regard, it may be easier to apply the adhesive 28 to the transfer form 16, rather than applying the adhesive 28 to each tile 14 individually. After the adhesive 28 is completely disposed on the transfer form 16, the tiles 14 are then placed on the thereon.
According to another implementation, the adhesive 28 is applied to the exposed surface 24 of the tiles 14 before the tiles 14 are placed on the transfer form 16. Applying the adhesive 28 to each individual tile 14 may result in a more efficient use of the adhesive 28 (i.e., less adhesive 28 may be used), although it may be more time consuming. After the adhesive 28 has been placed on the tiles 14, the tiles 14 may be placed upon the form 16, with the adhesive 28 being disposed between the exposed surface 24 of the tiles 14 and the form 16.
The form 16 and the tiles 14 placed thereon are connected to the remaining form members to dispose the tiles 14 within the pour cavity 22. The transfer form 16 is arranged with the embedded surfaces 26 of the tiles 14 facing into the cavity 22 and the exposed surfaces 24 of the tiles 14 facing out of the cavity 22 (i.e., toward the adjacent form member).
The concrete 32 is poured into the pour cavity 22 and is allowed to settle and set-up/harden. During at least a portion of the hardening process, the transfer form 16 remains in place. It is contemplated that the tiles 14 may become partially or completely embedded within the concrete 32 when the concrete 32 is poured into the cavity 22. However, as discussed in more detail below, a finishing process may be performed to remove a portion of the concrete 32 and thereby uncover the exposed surfaces 24.
After the concrete 32 has been poured, the form 18, including the transfer form member 16, is removed from the concrete structure and the tiles 14. According to one implementation, the form 18 is removed while the concrete is in a semi-plastic state. The transfer form 16 may be configured to peel away from the tiles 14 when the form 18 is removed from the concrete structure.
When a water soluble adhesive is used, the concrete may be vibrated to cause the moisture from the concrete to release and travel along the interface of the form 16 and the tiles 14 thereby deactivating/dissolving the water-based adhesive 28 adhering the tiles 14 to the form 16. Other methods known in the art of dissolving or otherwise rendering the adhesive 28 inoperable may also be used, such as spraying water or applying another agent onto the transfer form 16. After the adhesive 28 has been dissolved, the transfer form 16 may be separated from the tiles 14, leaving the tiles 14 embedded within the concrete 32. Once the adhesive 28 is deactivated, the form 16 may be easily pulled/stripped from the concrete structure.
An optional finishing step may be performed to the concrete structure and the tiles 14 after the form 18 has been removed. For instance, a float may be passed over the tiles 14 and concrete before the concrete sets up, so as to create a more uniform surface. The concrete structure may be sandblasted, acid washed, brushed, sponged, or power washed to remove the top layer of concrete 32, which may further uncover the tiles 14 to more prominently display the mosaic 10, as well as to expose the concrete fines to produce a more aesthetic appearance. In addition, a surface retarder may be applied to the form 18 or concrete directly to more prominently display the mosaic 10.
The foregoing generally describes the steps of forming the aesthetic surface on the concrete structure. However, there are slight modifications to the process depending on whether the wall is “short” or “tall.” According to one embodiment, a short wall is a wall up to eight (8) feet, while a tall wall can range anywhere from four (4) feet to twenty (20) feet, and in some cases higher. For shorter walls, the concrete form 18 may be stripped from the concrete structure on the same day that the concrete is poured. In this regard, the concrete form 18 may be stripped within 24 hours after the concrete is poured. It is also contemplated that the concrete form 18 may be stripped within 18 hours or even 12 hours of pouring the concrete.
After the concrete form 18 is stripped, the aesthetic surface may be floated or trowelled and the tiles/aggregates 14 may be exposed. The concrete surface 12 may be sponged to expose the tiles/aggregates 14. The concrete structure may then continue to harden.
With regard to taller walls, the concrete form 18 may be stripped a day after the concrete is poured into the form 18, in particular, more than 24 hours after the concrete is poured. After the form 18 is stripped, the concrete structure may be washed with a surface retarder to expose the aggregates 14. The concrete structure may then continue to harden.
The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope of the invention disclosed herein, including various ways of creating different textures, colors, patterns, utilizing various types of mosaic pieces, etc. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.
