Patent Application
20130097950
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fabricated thin brick sheets for use as wall or floor coverings and a process for manufacturing such sheets. The invention is a veneer, one layer of which comprises of an array of glued or adhesive applied thin bricks.
2. The Prior Art
Thin brick has long been a highly desired backing material for walls and floors, for interior and exterior, and the like. It is attractive, durable, waterproof, and fireproof. Thin bricks are available in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, colors, patterns, textures, and surface finishes. They are uniquely suited to a variety of applications ranging from decorative accents in the homes to complete commercial exterior finishes.
Thin brick per se is relatively inexpensive, being made essentially from clay minerals fired at high temperature. Not so its installation. The conventional construction of a thin brick wall, for example, begins with the installation of metal lath over a vapor barrier secured sheathing. Next, a scratch coat of mortar is applied to the lath followed by an accurately leveled mortar bed for the thin brick. Should the scratch coat be uneven, a separate, additional leveling layer of mortar may be required. When using adhesive brick are set one by one then grouted using mortar applied between thin brick. Individual thin bricks must be cut using special equipment and tools to fit them to spaces requiring less than a full thin brick or to fit them around fixtures and the like.
Thin brick setting is a skilled occupation, commanding high wages. The level of skill required, and the time-consuming nature of conventional thin brick installation render the process very expensive. Unfortunately, due to the high cost of thin brick installation, some builders have attempted installation shortcuts in a misguided effort to save money. Improper installation techniques frequently result in expensive repairs for the homeowner or general contractor.
Given this situation, it is not surprising to find a number of proposed solutions to the problem in the prior art. The concept of a prefabricated thin brick sheet which would not require any thin brick setting at the installation site has long been considered. However, the thin brick sheets previously described have all proved unsatisfactory for reasons such as insufficient strength, excessive weight, complexity of installation, and high labor cost. And none have met with commercial success to any significant extent.
Thus, it will be appreciated that the prefabricated thin brick sheets known in the art prior to this disclosure all relied on a core part, commonly of steel, plastic, foam, or a relatively thick backing layer to impart some measure of structural strength and rigidity to the sheets. These cores substantially increase the thickness of the sheets, and this in turn necessitates special mounting hardware for installation.
The present invention comprises a thin, lightweight thin brick sheet which greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of installing thin brick walls, floors, and the like. The invention further comprises a method of making such a sheet and or installation.
The thin brick sheets of the invention include a plurality of thin bricks pre-assembled and mounted on a fiber enforced sheet. The spaces between the thin bricks are filled with grout to seal these spaces against moisture, etc. The term “grout” should be understood to include both the conventional thin, cementitious mortar used for filling joints in masonry as well as chemicals that solidify, such as polyurethanes, room temperature vulcanizing silicones, other elastomers, plastics, and the like. The sheets normally feature a regular pattern of substantially rectangular thin bricks in a side-by-side, laterally spaced rectangular array; however, a wide variety of thin brick shapes and trim pieces are contemplated.
The thin bricks of the invention are preferably thinner and lighter than common bricks. Thus, the thin bricks will generally be greater than 0.125 inch thick, and less then 3 inches. The light weight of the thin bricks makes it possible for relatively large sheets of such thin bricks to be assembled and handled with comparative ease. The fiber enforced sheet may be made of a variety of materials. The sheets themselves will normally be flexible, but it is important that they be substantially non-stretchable. This quality is important because the backing and backing sheets on each thin brick sheet co-act to render the sheet rigid enough to be readily handled and worked.
Working of the thin brick sheets for example, may include cutting or drilling with tools such as razor knifes, table saws, and the like. After the thin bricks are adhered the sheets can then be cut between bricks using just a razor knife. This enables such working to be carried out with very little breaking, chipping, or other damage to the thin brick elements.
Applying thin brick sheets over exterior require cementitious adhesive sealing all seams and applying a roll on water barrier following all building codes. When applying thin brick sheets over interior, a thinset, mastic or equivalent will be required.
It will be apparent that the sheets be strong, substantially non-stretchable, substantially water-resistant, chemically stable, and capable of being bonded to the thin bricks as well as to plaster, wood, cement, block, drywall sheets [gypsum board; sheetrock], etc. with conventional construction adhesives. As mentioned above, woven fiberglass fabric is an especially preferred component of the backing sheets; however, other fabrics or reinforcing agents considered suitable include polyester, graphite, aramid, or carbon fibers, or any combination thereof. Especially preferred is a fiberglass combination.
Synthetic adhesives suitable for impregnating the backing sheets include unsaturated fiberglass, phenolic, epoxy, and silicone adhesives.
In general, the adhesives should possess the same general characteristics as the backing sheets. The cured adhesive should be strong, substantially non-stretchable, substantially impervious to moisture, function as an adhesive to bond the back surfaces of the thin bricks to the sheet, and be capable of being bonded to common wall surfaces and the like with conventional construction adhesives such as thin set or mastic and the like.
The invention will best be understood by referring to the drawings.
Alternatively, the sheets of the present invention may be manufactured individually in multiple sizes. Thin bricks are placed face down or face up within the confines of a frame designed to hold the loose thin bricks in a rectangular array. Gaps are left between the edges of adjacent thin bricks to permit the subsequent insertion of grout as is well known in the art.
Reinforcing fabric for the backing layer is then placed over the exposed rear surfaces of the thin brick elements in the array. A adhesive is then applied to the fabric first or brick first, saturating it and extending through it to contact the thin bricks or sheets. As the adhesive cures it bonds the backing layer to the thin bricks. This process may be accelerated by the application of heat to raise the temperature of the adhesive/catalyst mixture thereby increasing its cure rate.
When the adhesive of the backing layer has substantially cured, the backing layer with the thin brick elements bonded to it is inverted, exposing the front face of the thin brick elements. Grout or mortar other suitable or alike material is applied to the spaces between the thin bricks.
In use, the thin brick sheets are mounted to conventional floor or wall surfaces using construction adhesives of the type previously mentioned.
While one specific embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein, it should be understood that this disclosure is made by way of illustration rather than limitation. Numerous changes may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly with reference to the dimensions, materials and configuration disclosed herein. Changes of this nature would not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.
