FACTORY-APPLIED END GASKET FOR LAP SIDING

Abstract

An integrated end joint sealing system that is incorporated on the ends of pieces of siding, including, but not limited to, lap siding. Gasket material is factory-applied to one or both ends of a piece of siding. The gasket material may comprise a compressible, water-resistant or water-impermeable material, such as foam, rubber or the like, and may be sprayed or brushed on as a liquid, or affixed or attached to the ends as a solid material. It may be applied in a factory process pre-painting or pre-priming, during the painting process, or after the painting process. When the ends of respective pieces of siding are joined during installation, typically as butt ends to form an end-to-end linear butt joint, the gasket material seals the butt joint against air and/or water penetration.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Siding for residential and light commercial structures and buildings often are provided in the form of engineered wood or wood-based composite panels (typically from 4-8 feet along the sides) or planks (typically from 4-8 feet in length). Examples of engineered wood or wood-based composites include oriented strand board (OSB), wafer board, flake board, particle board as well as medium or density fiberboard (MDF or HDF). These wood-based composites are typically formed from a wood material combined with a thermosetting adhesive to bind the wood substrate together. In some processes, the adhesive is combined with other additives to impart additional properties to the wood composites. Additives can include fire retardants, fungicides/mildewcides, insecticides and water repellents. These ingredients can also be added separately from the adhesive, for example when this is more compatible with the manufacturing process. A significant advantage of strand, fiber and particle-based wood composites is that they have many of the properties of plywood and dimension lumber but can be made from a variety of lower grade wood species, smaller trees and waste from other wood product processing, and can be formed into panels in lengths and widths independent of size of the harvested timber.

One class of alternative products are multilayer oriented wood strand board products, particularly those with a targeted layer-to-layer oriented strand pattern, such as OSB. These oriented strand, multilayer composite wood panel products are composed of several layers of thin wood strands, which are wood particles having a length which is several times greater than their width. These strands are created from debarked round logs by placing the edge of a cutting knife parallel to a length of the log and then slicing thin strands from the log. The result is a strand in which the fiber elements are substantially parallel to the strand length. These strands can then be oriented on the mat-forming line with the strands of the face layers predominantly oriented in a parallel to machine direction orientation and strands in the core layer oriented, generally, perpendicular to the face layers (e.g., cross-machine) direction.

In one common commercial process these layers are bonded together using natural or synthetic adhesive resins under heat and pressure to make the finished product. Oriented, multilayer wood strand boards of the above-described type can be produced with mechanical and physical properties comparable to those of commercial softwood plywood and are used interchangeably, such as for wall and roof sheathing. In certain applications and types of construction, these panels (and other construction materials) may be required by building codes to meet certain durability requirements, such as fire, wind and water resistance.

Oriented, multilayer wood strand boards of the above-described type, and examples of processes for pressing and production thereof, are described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,164,511, 4,364,984, 5,435,976, 5,470,631, 5,525,394, 5,718,786, 6,461,743, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/747,930, all of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by specific reference for all purposes.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a gasket applied in a factory production process to one or more ends of a piece of siding, including, but not limited to, lap siding.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In various exemplary embodiments, the present invention comprises an integrated end joint sealing system that is incorporated on the ends of pieces of siding, including, but not limited to, lap siding. Gasket material is factory-applied to one or both ends of a piece of lap siding. The gasket material may be sprayed or brushed on as a liquid, or affixed or attached to the ends as a solid. It may be applied in a factory process pre-painting (or pre-priming), during the painting process, or after the painting process.

The gasket material may comprise a compressible, water-resistant or water-impermeable material, such as foam, rubber or the like. When the ends of respective pieces of siding are joined, typically as butt ends to form an end-to-end linear butt joint, the respective gaskets come into contact, leaving a suitable spacing between the ends of the siding themselves. The gasket material is compressible enough to allow for slight linear expansion of the siding panels at their ends. The gasket material also seals the joint against air and water penetration, thereby eliminating the time and expense for installation of flashing behind the joints during or after installation of the siding on a building or structure.

In one exemplary embodiment, the gasket material on an end has a thickness of at least 3/32″. Accordingly, when placed together, the spacing between the ends of the siding is 3/16″ when the two gaskets are touching. This is equivalent to the 3/16″ space or gap in a typical siding installation between siding piece ends, being filled with the compressible gasket material.

In several embodiments, the gasket or sealing material may comprise a variety of components, including, but not limited to, rubber, silicone, polyurethane foam, urethane foam, and/or thermoplastic coatings (e.g., acrylics, polyvinyl acetates, polyvinyl esters, and the like). The same materials, or a combination of materials, may be applied to the respective ends. Thus, for example, the same material can be applied to both ends. Alternatively, one material can be applied to the first end of a piece of siding, and another material can be applied to the second end of the piece of siding, thereby allowing different materials to be used on the same joint.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows a front view of end gaskets on respective ends of two pieces of siding being brought together for installation.

FIG. 1B shows a top view of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A shows a front view of a single end gaskets on an end of one of the two pieces of siding being brought together for installation.

FIG. 2B shows a top view of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of two offset end gaskets of equal thickness on respective ends of two pieces of siding being brought together for installation.

FIG. 4 shows a top view of two offset end gaskets of different thickness on respective ends of two pieces of siding being brought together for installation.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of two end gasket seal elements positioned on one end and configured to receive an end gasket on the other end of two pieces of siding being brought together for installation.

FIG. 6 shows a top view of two offset end gaskets of equal thickness on respective ends of two pieces of siding being brought together for installation, with interlocking ribs or teeth along their mutual contact face.

FIG. 7 shows a top view of two pairs of end gasket seal elements positioned on one end and configured to receive corresponding end gaskets on the other end of two pieces of siding being brought together for installation.

FIG. 8 shows a top view of FIG. 7 with gasket material between the seal elements.

FIG. 9 shows a top view of FIG. 7 with an additional center end gasket on the other end positioned to fit in the center space between the two pairs of end gasket seal elements.

FIG. 10 shows a top view of two flexible blades extending at an angle towards the back face of the two pieces of siding.

FIG. 11 shows a top view of two flexible blades extending at an angle towards the front face of the two pieces of siding.

FIG. 12 shows a top view of a single flexible blade on one end extending at an angle towards the front face of the two pieces of siding.

FIG. 13 shows a top view of a linear curved (in cross-section) gasket elements or ribs or beads configured to interlock when brought together for installation.

FIG. 14 shows a top view of a plurality of linear curved (in cross-section) gasket elements or ribs or beads configured to interlock when brought together for installation.

FIG. 15 shows a front view of a segment of four rows of lap siding with end gaskets being installed on a wall where each successive top row overlays the upper part of the next lower row.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

In various exemplary embodiments, the present invention comprises an integrated end joint sealing system that is incorporated on the ends of pieces of siding, including, but not limited to, lap siding. Gasket material is factory-applied to one or both ends of a piece of siding 2 as an integrated gasket or gasket seal 10. The gasket material may be sprayed or brushed on as a liquid, or affixed or attached to the ends as a solid material. It may be applied in a factory process pre-painting (or pre-priming), during the painting process, or after the painting process.

The gasket material 10 may comprise a compressible, water-resistant or water-impermeable material, such as foam, rubber or the like. In several embodiments, the gasket material may comprise ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber or foam (EPDM). When the ends of respective pieces of siding 2, 4 are joined, typically as butt ends to form an end-to-end linear butt joint 20, as seen in FIG. 1, the respective gaskets 10, 12 come into contact, thereby leaving a suitable spacing between the physical ends of the siding panels or pieces themselves. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment where a gasket 10 is located only on one end.

The gasket material 10 is compressible enough to allow for slight linear expansion of the siding panels 2 which is effected at their ends. The gasket material also seals the joint 20 against air penetration and water penetration, thereby eliminating the time and expense for installation of flashing behind the joints 20 during or after installation of the siding on a building or structure.

In one exemplary embodiment, the gasket material (e.g., EPDM) on an end has a thickness of at least 3/32″. Accordingly, when placed together, the spacing between the ends of the siding is 3/16″ (i.e., the sum of the thickness of each gasket) when the two gaskets are touching. This is equivalent to a 3/16″ space or gap in a typical siding installation between siding piece ends, which then must be filled or covered in some way after installation, such as by caulking or flashing or similar means. With the present invention, this gap is already filled with the compressible gasket material as a result of the installation process, thereby reducing subsequent cost and labor.

In several embodiments, the gasket or sealing material may comprise a variety of components, including, but not limited to, rubber, EPDM, silicone, polyurethane foam, urethane foam, and/or thermoplastic coatings (e.g., acrylics, polyvinyl acetates, polyvinyl esters, and the like). The same materials, or a combination of materials, may be applied to the respective ends. Thus, for example, the same material can be applied to both ends. Alternatively, one material can be applied to the first end of a piece of siding, and another material can be applied to the second end of the piece of siding, thereby allowing different materials to be used on the same joint.

As seen in FIG. 2, a gasket 10 is only located on one end of each piece of siding, and is matched with a corresponding “no-gasket” end of the adjacent piece of siding. The gasket 10 fills the joint between the two ends. In some embodiments of this single-gasket embodiment, the gasket is thicker than in the two-gasket embodiment, so that proper spacing is maintained between the pieces of siding, as discussed above.

A gasket (or gasket seal) may extend for some or all of the entire height of the end, and for some or all of the thickness of the end (i.e., the thickness of the siding piece). FIG. 1 shows the gaskets in rectilinear form (in cross-section) where each extends across the entire thickness of the end. FIG. 3 shows each end gasket 30, 32 in rectilinear form (in cross-section), where each extends across a portion of the thickness of the respective ends. The two gaskets 30, 32 may combine to match the thickness of the ends. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the two gaskets are of equal thickness, while in FIG. 4, one gasket 42 is larger than the other gasket 40 (i.e., the gaskets are of differing thickness). In either case, the split gasket arrangement helps to ensure a proper air and/or water seal if one of the gaskets may be damaged or missing from one of the ends. In such a case, the remaining gasket on the other end, if undamaged and present, can seal the joint.

As seen in FIG. 6, the mutual contact face of the two split gaskets 30, 32 may have interlocking or matching ribs or teeth 60a, 60b along one or both faces, preferably both. This helps ensure any air and/or water penetration or pathway along this interface.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of two end gasket seal elements 50a, b positioned on one end and configured to receive an end gasket 52 on the other end of two pieces of siding being brought together for installation. Either or both of mutual contact faces between 50a and 52 and 52 and 50b, may have interlocking or matching ribs or teeth, as seen in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 shows a variation of FIG. 5, with a pair of two end gasket seal elements (70a,b and 70c,d) positioned to receive corresponding end gasket elements 72a and 72b, as described above. FIG. 8 shows a variation of FIG. 7, with additional gasket material 80 between the seal elements (70a,b and 70c,d). Additional gasket material can be similarly added along the respect end surfaces between the elements on either or both siding piece end. FIG. 9 shows a further variation of FIG. 7, with an additional center end gasket 90 on the other end positioned to fit in the center space between the two pairs of end gasket seal elements. Some or all of the mutual contact faces between the gasket elements in all of these cases may have interlocking or matching ribs or teeth, as seen in FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 shows a top view of two flexible blades 100 extending at an angle from an end attached to the siding to a free end towards the back face of the two pieces of siding. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11, the two blades may extend (“point towards”) towards the front face. And FIG. 12 shows an embodiment with a single blade pointing towards the front face. Two blades may also point towards opposite faces. A blade or blades pointing towards the front face, which is the exterior face exposed to the wind and weather, will have the wind or air pressure moving into the joint pushing the top (free end) of the blade against the end of the adjacent piece of siding or the opposing blade, thereby strengthening the sealing effect.

FIG. 13 shows a top view of several curved gasket elements or ribs or beads configured to interlock or match when brought together for installation. FIG. 14 shows a plurality of similar elements/ribs/beads. The gasket elements extend the height of the end, but are curved or rounded in cross section.

FIG. 15 shows a front view of a segment of siding planks or panels 200 being installed on a wall. Rows are affixed to the wall from lowest to highest. For lap siding, each higher row overlaps the tops of the adjacent row below it. As each row is formed, generally from one end of the structure or wall to the other, each new siding piece is placed end-to-end with the preceding adjacent piece in the row, positioned so that the end gasket or gaskets form a seal in the end-to-end joint 220.

Thus, it should be understood that the embodiments and examples described herein have been chosen and described in order to best illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited for particular uses contemplated. Even though specific embodiments of this invention have been described, they are not to be taken as exhaustive. There are several variations that will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A siding end-joint sealing system, comprising: a plurality of pieces of siding, each piece with a front side, a back side, a first end, a second end, a top edge, a bottom edge, a length, a height, and a thickness, and a factory-applied first gasket seal integrated with the first end, extending for the height of the respective piece of siding and at least some or all of the thickness, and a factory-applied second gasket seal integrated with the second end, extending for the height of the respective piece of siding and at least some or all of the thickness;wherein the plurality of pieces of siding are configured to be installed in a series of rows, each row comprising several pieces of siding affixed on a structural wall, panel or framing end-to-end, such that the first end of one piece of siding forms a joint with the second end of an adjacent piece of siding, and the respective first gasket seal and second gasket seal in the joint are in contact with each other;wherein, after installation of the pieces of siding, the respective first gasket seal and second gasket seal provide an air penetration barrier in the joint.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the joint is a butt joint.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first gasket seal extends across all of the thickness of the respective piece of siding, and the second gasket seal extends across all of the thickness of the respective piece of siding.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first gasket seal extends across a first distance of the thickness of the respective piece of siding, and the second gasket seal extends across a second distance of the thickness of the respective piece of siding.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first distance and second distance are equal.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the first distance and second distance together are equal to the thickness of the respective pieces of siding

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second gasket seals are rectilinear in cross-section.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first gasket seal comprises a first pair of seal elements with a space therebetween, configured to receive the second gasket seal in said space when the joint is formed.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first gasket seal comprises a first pair of seal elements with a first space therebetween, and a second pair of elements with a second space therebetween; and the second gasket seal comprises a first rectilinear element and a second rectilinear element;wherein the first pair of seal elements are configured to receive the first rectilinear element in said first space, and the second pair of seal elements are configured to receive the second rectilinear element in the second space therebetween, when the joint is formed.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second gasket seals each comprise a flexible blade extending at an angle away from their respective first and second ends.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the flexible blades extend at an angle towards the front side of the respective pieces of siding.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the flexible blades extend at an angle towards the back side of the respective pieces of siding.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second gasket seals each has a thickness of 3/32″.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the gasket seals are compressible.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the gasket seals are made of the same material.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein, after installation of the pieces of siding, the respective first gasket seal and second gasket seal provide a water or moisture penetration barrier in the joint.

17. A siding product with factory-installed air seals, comprising a piece of siding with a front side, a back side, a first end, a second end, a top edge, a bottom edge, a length, a height, and a thicknessa factory-applied first gasket seal integrated with the first end, extending for the height of the respective piece of siding and at least some or all of the thickness;wherein the first end is configured to form a joint end-to-end with an adjacent piece of siding, with the first gasket seal forming an air penetration barrier in the joint.

18. The siding product of claim 17, further comprising a factory-applied second gasket seal integrated with the second end, extending for the height of the respective piece of siding and at least some or all of the thickness; wherein the second gasket seal on said adjacent piece of siding is in contact with the first gasket seal when the joint is formed, the first gasket seal and adjacent second gasket seal together forming an air penetration barrier in the joint.

19. The siding product of claim 18, wherein the first gasket seal and adjacent second gasket seal together form a water or moisture penetration barrier in the joint.