This invention relates to the installation of windows or other building members and, more particularly, relates to a flashing for directing water and preventing leakage of the water at a window or other portal.
During a typical installation of a window in a building, a rough opening is first prepared in a wall of the building for receiving the window. The rough opening is defined by two jambs that extend vertically from a head at the top of the rough opening to a sill at the bottom of the opening. A weather resistant barrier material, such as a thin sheet of waterproof paper or plastic can be disposed over the outer surface of the wall, and the barrier material is cut at the rough opening and folded into the opening. The barrier material forms a moisture barrier extending over the outer surface, but due to the cuts in the barrier material does not normally provide a waterproof barrier on the inner surfaces of the rough opening. In particular, the barrier typically defines openings at the intersection of the jambs and the sill. A sill flashing is often installed across the sill. The sill flashing extends outward from the sill onto a portion of the outer surface of the wall and upward from the sill onto a portion of each jamb. Thus, the sill flashing, which is formed of a flexible sheet of material, is cut and bent to correspond to the sill, jambs, and outer wall surface. Typically, two cuts are made in the sill flashing, each cut extending from a respective corner of the sill and the jambs through the portion of the sill flashing that is disposed on the outer surface of the wall. Similarly, flashing can be installed on each of the jambs and the head of the rough opening before the window is secured in the opening.
The window can be structured to prevent rain or other water contacting the outer surface of the window from flowing to the sill of the rough opening. However, in some cases, the window can leak water to the sill. Water flowing to the sill of the rough opening can sometimes penetrate both the barrier material and the flashing, e.g., through the cuts that are made in the barrier material and the flashing during installation. Thus, the water can flow into the wall, i.e., between the inner and outer surfaces of the wall, causing damage to the wall.
Thus, there exists a need for a device and method for use in a window or other portal installation for preventing the flow of water to the rough opening in the wall and to the inside of the wall. The device should be compatible with conventional windows and other portals and installation methods. Preferably, the device should be relatively easy to install and economical to manufacture.
The present invention provides a corner flashing and method for use in installing a portal, such as a window, in an opening in a wall. The flashing defines channels for directing water out of the wall to an outer or inner surface of the wall, thereby restricting the passage of water into the wall around the portal.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the wall is defined by a sill and jambs extending therefrom. The flashing includes a base member with first and second portions. The second portion is disposed at an angle relative to the first portion, such as a right angle, so that an outer surface of the first portion can be disposed against the sill of the opening and an outer surface of the second portion can be disposed against one of the jambs of the opening. The flashing also includes a front face plate that extends generally perpendicularly from the first and second portions of the base member. The first and second portions of the base member define the channels for directing water toward and through the front face plate. For example, the channels can be tapered to define an increased depth at the front face plate. Inner surfaces of the first and second portions of the base member can also have ridges between the channels for defining a surface substantially parallel to the outer surfaces and structured to support the window or other portal. The outer surfaces of the portions opposite the channels can be substantially planar. According to one aspect of the invention, the flashing, which can be made of plastic, is a unitary member. Further, the flashing can be a universal device that is structured to be selectively installed in either of two corners of the opening, i.e., with the outer surface of the first portion of the base member disposed toward either the sill or one of the jambs of the opening.
The present invention also provides an assembly in an opening of a wall, such as a window assembly, a shower door assembly, other portal assembly, or the like. The assembly includes a wall defining first and second opposite surfaces and an opening therethrough having a sill and jambs with corners at the intersections of the jambs and the sill. Flashings are disposed at the corners of the wall opening, with the channels of the flashings disposed in the base members of the flashings. In some cases, a window is disposed in the wall opening with corners of the window being received by the flashings so that the inner surfaces of the first and second portions of the base member of each flashing are disposed toward the window. Alternatively, a shower door or other portal can be disposed in the wall opening. In either case, the channels of the first portion of each flashing are structured to direct water toward the first surface of the wall and through the front face plate, i.e., typically out of the wall opening such as to the outside surface of an exterior wall in the case of a window assembly or to the inside surface of a wall of a shower stall. The flashings can be substantially similar so that each flashing is configured to be disposed at either of the wall corners.
In addition, a third flashing can be disposed between the first portions of the first and second flashings. The third flashing can include a base member that is disposed between the first portions of the first and second flashings with an outer surface of the base member disposed toward the sill of the opening. A front face plate of the third flashing extends from the base member of the third flashing in a plane generally perpendicular to the base member of the third flashing and generally parallel to the outer surface of the wall, i.e., generally parallel to and between the front face plates of the first and second flashings at the corners of the opening. A plurality of channels are disposed in the inner surface of the base member of the third flashing opposite the outer surface of the base member of the third flashing. The channels in the inner surface are structured to direct water out of the wall and through the front face plate of the third member, e.g., to an inside or outside surface of the wall. Thus, the third flashing can prevent water from contacting the sill of the opening between the first and second flashings. A membrane or other sealing material can be disposed over an interface that is defined between the base members of the first and third flashings and between the base members of the second and third flashings to prevent water from flowing through the interfaces.
A furring strip can be disposed at the lower jambs of the opening. A first portion of each furring strip can be positioned opposite each jamb from the second portion of one of the base members of the first and second flashings. A second portion of each furring strip, that is thicker than the first portion of the strip, can be disposed against the respective jamb above the respective flashing so that the furring defines a substantially planar surface directed away from the respective jamb. In some cases, such as where the assembly is a shower door assembly, the flashings and the furring strips can be covered with tile or other flooring or wall materials. The flashings can be formed of a material to which tile can be adhered, such as by mixing wood fibers in a polymer material to facilitate adherence thereto by grout or other tile adhesive.
In some embodiments of the flashing and the assembly, the channels of the corner flashings can be configured to direct the water in an angled direction relative to the front face plate. For example, each of the channels can be defined by sidewalls that are not perpendicular to the front face plate. In particular, the sidewall of each channel that is nearest the opposite portion of the base member can be disposed at an angle toward the front face plate and the opposite portion of the base member. More particularly, each channel can be tapered to define an increased width at the front face plate. In this way, when one of the portions of the base member is disposed vertically and the opposite portion is disposed horizontally, such as when one portion is disposed against the jamb of an opening in a wall and the opposite portion is disposed against the sill of the opening, the channels in the vertical portion will tend to drain water toward the front face plate and toward the opposite portion of the base member. That is, water in the channels of the portion disposed against the jamb will tend to flow toward and through the front face plate and thereby be drained out of the opening.
The first and second portions can also define an angled lead-in edge at the front face plate, e.g., to facilitate the entry of a window of other portal into the opening after the flashing has been disposed therein.
The configuration of the flashings of the present invention can correspond to the particular configuration of the opening and/or portal with which the flashings are to be used. For example, in the case of an inset opening, such as typically is formed in a wall for forming an inset window configuration, the flashings can correspond to the cross-sectional profile of the opening. In particular, corner and straight flashings of the present invention can define inner base members and outer base members that are joined by an intermediate face plate, and a front face plate can extend from the outer base member. The inner and outer base members are configured to be disposed against the inner and outer sill and/or jambs of the opening. Channels in the inner and outer base members can be structured to direct water outward through the front face plate, e.g., to an outer surface of the wall.
Additionally, the present invention provides a method of installing a window, shower door, or other portal in a wall opening. The method includes disposing first and second flashings at the corners of the wall opening and disposing a window, shower door, or other portal in the opening. The window or other portal has first and second corners that are received by the flashings so that the inner surfaces of the base member of each flashing are disposed toward the window or other portal. Channels in the first portion of each flashing are structured to direct water through the front face plate and toward a first surface of the wall, such as an outer surface of the wall in the case of a window assembly or an inner surface in the case of a shower door assembly. A laminar moisture barrier sheet can also be disposed against the outer surface of the wall, and each of the flashings can be disposed partially between the sheet and the wall and partially opposite the sheet from the wall.
The foregoing and other advantages and features of the invention, and the manner in which the same are accomplished, will become more readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred and exemplary embodiments, but which are not necessarily drawn to scale, wherein:
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
Referring to the drawings and, in particular, to
As shown in
The inner surfaces 24, 34 of the base member 12 define channels 26, 36 that extend to the front face plate 14 so that water received on the inner surfaces 24, 34 is directed by the channels 26, 36 through the front face plate 14. As shown in
The channels 26, 36 are separated by the ridges 28, 38 therebetween. The ridges 28, 38 of each portion 20, 30 of the base member 12 define a support surface, which can be substantially parallel to the outer surface 22, 32 of the respective portion of the base member 12. That is, the support surface formed by the ridges 28 of the first portion 20 can be substantially parallel to the outer surface 22 of the first portion 20, and the support surface formed by the ridges 38 of the second portion 30 can be substantially parallel to the outer surface 32 of the second portion 30. Thus, when the outer surfaces 22, 32 of the portions 20, 30 are disposed against the sill 54 and jamb 56 of the wall opening 50, the ridges 28, 38 define support surfaces that are parallel to the sill and jamb 54, 56, respectively. The ridges 28, 38 can be uniform or non-uniform in width, e.g., so that each ridge 28, 38 is increasingly narrower in a direction away from the channels 26, 36. Thus, the tops of the ridges 28, 38, which define the support surface, can be relatively small in area to minimize the likelihood of water resting on the ridges 28, 38. In addition, the height of each ridge 28, 38 relative to the respective outer surfaces 22, 32 can be nonuniform along the length of each ridge. For example, each ridge 28, 38 can define a decreased height nearest the front face plate 14.
As shown in
As is known in the art, the outer surface 58 of the wall 52 can be covered by a laminar sheet 40 of a moisture barrier material, and the sheet 40 can be folded into the opening 50 before the window 60 is installed. According to the present invention, the sheet 40 can be cut as indicated by reference numeral 42 in
Windows 60 having any of various configurations can be installed in the wall opening 50 according to the present invention. For example, as shown in
The frame 64, which can be formed of wood, wood composites, polymer coated wood, and the like, can be at least partially supported by the base members 12 of the flashings 10. For example, the sill member 66 of the frame 64 can be supported by the ridges 28 of the first portions 20 of the base members 12. The sill member 66 can also be disposed at an angle relative to the support surface defined by the ridges 28 so that water on the sill member 66 tends to drain outward toward the outer surface 58 of the wall 52. In any case, the channels 26 preferably are directed toward the outer surface 58 of the wall 52 and are not obstructed by the window 60 supported by the ridges 28 so that water received on the first portion 20 of the base member 12 of each flashing 10 is directed toward the outer surface 58 of the wall 52 by the channels 26. Thus, water is prevented from flowing onto the inner wall member 82, the framing members 86, or the outer wall member 84, e.g., through cuts in the barrier material sheet 40 at the corners of the wall opening 50.
Each flashing 10 can be formed with the channels 26 defined by only the first portion 20 of the base member 12, the second portion 30 of the base member 12 being devoid of the channels 36, i.e., so that the channels 26 are disposed under the window 60 when installed but not between the window 60 and the jambs 56 of the opening 50. Preferably, however, the channels 26, 36 are defined by both the first and second portions 20, 30 of the base member 12 of the flashing 10. Further, each flashing 10 is preferably formed as a universal device that can be disposed in either corner of the wall opening 50, i.e., with the first portion 20 of the base member 12 disposed adjacent the sill 54 of the wall opening 50 and the second portion 30 adjacent the jamb 56 of the opening 50, or with the first portion 20 adjacent the jamb 56 of the opening 50 and the second portion 30 adjacent the sill 54. Thus, the flashing 10 can be structured with a single configuration that can be used in either of the corners of the window assembly 80.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, each of the channels 26, 36 can be angled or tapered to direct water from the opening 50 in which the flashing is disposed. In this regard,
In addition, the first and second portions 20, 30 of the base member 12 also define an angled lead-in edge 13 at the front face plate 14, e.g., to facilitate the entry of the window 60 of other portal into the opening 50 after the flashing(s) 10a have been disposed therein. For example, the angled lead-in edge 13 can be defined by a surface that is disposed at about a 45° angle relative to both the front face plate 14 and the top surface of the ridges 28, 38.
The flashing 100 can be formed in various lengths, according to the size of the opening 50. Further, the flashing 100 can be readily cut or otherwise trimmed to size so that the flashing 100 extends between the corner flashings 10a. Each end of the flashing 100 typically defines an interface 130 with one of the corner flashings 10a, and the interfaces 130, can be covered or otherwise sealed with a sealant material 132. For example, as illustrated in
The window 60 or other portal can be disposed against the inner base member 202, i.e., against the ridges 224. The outer base member 210, as well as the intermediate face plate 208 and the outer face plate 216, can be covered with siding, shingles, stucco, bricks, tiles, or the like. Thus, any water that is disposed on the base members 202, 210, e.g., water that leaks through the bottom of the window 60 or water that flows through the siding or other materials on the outer base member 210, is directed toward the outer surface 58 of the wall 52 and out of the opening 50. As described above in connection with the flashings 10, the flashing 200 can be structured as a universal member, i.e., a member which can be configured in different orientations with either of the portions 204, 206, 212, 214 of the base members 202, 210 disposed against either a sill or a jamb.
The flashings of the present invention can be used in connection with the installation of various portals, such as windows, doors, doorways, and the like. In one particular embodiment of the present invention, the flashings are installed in an opening of a shower stall. In this regard,
The furring strips 260 can then be covered with tile or other flooring or wall surfacing materials. Tile or other surface materials are also typically disposed over sill 54 of the opening, i.e., over the straight flashing 100 and the portion 20 of the base member 12 of each corner flashing 10a that is disposed against the sill 54. For example, grout or other adhesive materials can be disposed between the tile and the flashings 10a, 100. It is appreciated that the grout or other adhesive may partially fill the channels 26, 126 but the channels 26, 126 can remain at least partially unobstructed. Further, even if some or all of the channels 26, 126 are obstructed by the grout, it is appreciated that the channels 26, 126 can continue to operate as draining devices by virtue of the permeability of the grout. That is, if grout in the channels 26, 126 absorbs water, the water can be directed into the inside 51a of the shower by the channels 26, 126. Alternatively, a layer of backing board can be provided over the flashings 100, 10a so that the backing board is disposed between the wall and the tiles or other floor or wall surfacing materials. The backing board can be a cement board, drywall, or the like. In any case, the floor and lower portions of the walls in a shower stall are typically lined with a waterproof membrane, and the waterproof membrane can be cut and folded at the opening 50, generally similar to the configuration of the moisture barrier sheet 40 described above in connection with
In some cases, the various flashings of the present invention can be formed of materials that are especially suited for the particular application for which the flashings are to be used. For example, if the flashings are to be used in an application in which grout and/or tiles are to be disposed directly against the flashings, such as in the shower assembly of
Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/753,135, filed Jan. 7, 2004, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10753135 | Jan 2004 | US |
Child | 11026820 | Dec 2004 | US |