Patent Grant
9279247
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the application of stucco or plaster in homes or other buildings and specifically to the stop system used between the edge of the stucco or plaster surface and the adjoining frame for windows and doors or where stucco or plaster meets any material dissimilar from the stucco or plaster.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Stucco and/or plaster are typically used for both interior and exterior surfaces in home or commercial building construction. Stucco or plaster is routinely applied to a galvanized wire mesh over felt paper which has been attached to underlying plywood or other sheathing material. (See
The plastic stop often used for this purpose is presented in
This method of stucco installation has often resulted in leaking problems between the stucco or plaster surface and the adjacent jamb, thereby causing significant additional repair costs and frustration to both home owners and construction companies. In addition, the extra time and materials necessary for installation of the backer rod and finishing caulk layer can add considerably to the costs and duration of the construction. The L-Bead eliminates the need for installation of a backer rod—saving considerable time and money—and significantly cuts down on the potential for leaks around windows and doors.
The present invention, L-Bead system, provides a system for quick, efficient and lower cost installation of stucco and or plaster which cuts down on the potential for leaks around windows and doors. The L-Bead is used as a stop between the edge of the stucco or plaster surface and the adjacent jamb or window/door frame. Proper installation of existing plaster stop requires a ¼ inch gap between the stop and the jamb, mandating the installation of a backer rod and supplemental caulking. The L-Bead system eliminates this need by adding an extra plastic strip or “lip” along the edge of existing plaster stop which abuts directly to the jamb, thereby simplifying a smooth finish and minimizing the potential for leaks.
The L-Bead system significantly reduces the time and costs necessary to install smooth finishes where stucco or plaster meets window or door frames or jamb. In ordinary house of building construction, exterior and interior surfaces are often made of stucco or plaster. The method of installation of these materials is generally consistent in the construction business and usually involves the installation of a felt layer over the backing wall (plywood or similar material), a galvanized wire (or lathe) layer, and both scratch and finish coats of stucco or plaster. (See
Leaking and other problems often occur where the stucco or plaster finish aligns with other design constructs of the home or building, such as windows or doors. Stop strips which contain and form the outer boundaries of the stucco or plaster surfaces where they meet window or door jambs have been developed to improve the seal and finishes of these adjacencies. In particular, the use of standard plaster stop strips as shown in
However, for traditional plaster stop to be properly installed and finished, the worker typically installs the plaster stop ¼ inch from the edge of the door or window jamb. The resulting gap must be filled with a backing rod and properly caulked for the correct finish. Installation of this backing rod and additional caulking costs time and money, particularly where the architectural design calls for numerous windows, doors or other interruptions in stucco or plaster surfaces. In addition, this manner of construction has unfortunately resulted in frequent leaking problems around windows and doors.
The inventor has come up with a system which eliminates the need for installation of a backing rod by manufacturing an additional strip of plastic which is bound to the existing plaster stop and abuts directly against the jamb or other surface. The L-Bead system significantly modifies both the existing plaster stop unit itself and the ease of installation.
Plaster stop strips routinely consist of a thin, 2-inch wide strip 7 of plastic which is perforated throughout its length and which contains an edge strip 8 of plastic approximately ½ inch high running along one side of the strip 7. The top ¼ inch of this additional plastic strip 8 is then bent back over the wide, perforated portion strip 7 forming a “lip” which runs along the entire length of the stop. See
Because traditional plaster stop must be installed ¼ inch from the jamb for it to perform properly, there remains a ¼ inch gap running the entire length of the adjacency between the stucco and the door or window jamb. In typical construction, this gap is filled with a backing rod and requires considerable caulking which often leads to leaking or other problems. The L-Bead system eliminates this last step and will greatly improve construction techniques for reducing leaks in windows or doors.
The L-Bead system alters traditional plaster stop by adding a separate backing strip 9 to the existing plaster stop. The additional length of plastic stripping 9 is attached to the outside of the lip and runs along the entire length of the stop 2. (See
The L-Bead system is a system for use as a plaster or stucco stop where the plaster or stucco meets a separate surface such as window or door frames or jamb. Typical plaster stop in the stucco masonry industry consists of a perforated strip running parallel to the jamb with a plastic edge acting to contain the applied plaster or stucco surface. Traditional plaster stop is routinely installed approximately ¼ inch away from the jamb in order to account for differences in the raised height of the jamb or other surface. The resulting gap or space requires the installation of a backer rod between the plaster stop and the edge of the jamb. This requires additional construction costs and can cause considerable potential for leaks.
The L-Bead system provides a stop system which eliminates the need for the installation of a backer rod and thereby reduces the potential for leaks. The L-Bead system adds an additional plastic strip to the back and along the length of the stop. The L-Bead is installed flush against the jamb, eliminating the need for a backer rod, and requiring only a small amount of caulking over the area for a finished job. This new system will save time and money and will significantly reduce the potential for leaks in these areas.
L-Bead eliminates the need for backing rods around windows, doors or any other place where stucco or plaster meets a different surface. Given that a typical house design includes numerous windows, doors, garages, or other architectural interruptions in stucco surfaces, the elimination of backer rods and simplified construction associated with the L-Bead system will save millions of dollars in construction costs and will greatly improve such finishes against leaking or other problems.
Turning now to
The stop bead 102 has a base panel 107 having a front face over which plaster or stucco material 4, 5 is applied after the stop bead 102 is mounted adjacent to the jamb. The base panel 107 preferably has perforations formed therein. A stop bead wall 108 is formed on the base panel 107 and extends outwardly above the front face of the base panel 107. The stop bead wall 108 has a first side having an engaging surface 119 for engaging plaster or stucco material 4, 5 after the stop bead 102 has been mounted adjacent to the jamb, and the stop bead wall 108 has a second side having a jamb facing surface 121 that faces the second surface of the jamb when the stop bead 102 is mounted adjacent to the jamb.
A spacing member 109 is formed on the stop bead 102 and extends outwardly away from the jamb facing surface 121 of the stop bead wall 108. The spacing member 109 preferably comprises a strip of flexible (and also preferably resilient) material (e.g., a plastic or a polymer, such as flexible vinyl (preferably a flexible exterior grade vinyl; or a metal)), and may be formed on the stop bead wall 108 by co-extruding the spacing member 109 with the remainder (which comprises a material that is compatible for co-extrusion with the material used for the spacing member 109, such as a rigid exterior grade vinyl which is compatible with a flexible exterior grade vinyl if a flexible exterior grade vinyl is used for the spacing member 109, or a rigid metal if a flexible metal compatible to the rigid metal is used for the spacing member 109) of the stop bead 102, such that the entire stop bead 102, including the spacing member 109, is extruded as one piece. Preferably, as shown in
The stop bead 102 preferably is two inches wide and about ¾ inches high (at the stop bead wall 108), and the width of the spacing member 109 (the distance between the stop bead wall 108 and the jamb when the stop bead 102 is mounted adjacent to the jamb) preferably is ¼ inch to the ½ inch and more preferably ⅜ inch. Also, the distance from the top of the spacing member 109 to the top of the stop bead wall 108 preferably is ¼ inch.
Typically, window units are vinyl or vinyl clad, or aluminum or aluminum clad, and likely to expand and contract due to changes in the weather. Further, door units often have some expansion and contraction due to changes in the weather. Because the spacing member 109 is flexible and preferably resilient, it permits movement of the jamb due to expansion or contraction of the window unit or door unit. Accordingly, if the jamb moves outwardly toward the stop bead 102 due to expansion of the window unit or the door unit it forms a part of, the jamb compresses the resilient, flexible spacing member 109 toward the stop bead wall 108, thereby accommodating for the expansion. The concave wall 125 helps facilitate the compression of the spacing member 109.
The spacing member 109 forms the leading edge 117 of the first side end portion 113 of the stop bead 102, and the leading edge 117 has a jamb engaging surface 131 that engages the second surface of the jamb when the stop bead 102 is mounted adjacent to the jamb. When the stop bead 102 is mounted adjacent to the jamb, with the jamb engaging surface 131 abutting against the second surface of the jamb, the stop bead wall 108 is spaced a uniform, predetermined distance from the second surface of the jamb. Further, the spacing member 102, in conjunction with the jamb and the jamb facing surface of the stop bead wall 108, form a caulk receiving area 133 above the spacing member 109 and between the second surface of the jamb and the jamb facing surface of the stop bead wall 108 for receiving caulk 6 to seal between the stop bead 102 and the jamb.
Preferably, bond-breaking tape 135 is fixed to the outer surface of wall 123 by laying it onto the outer surface of the wall 123 as the stop bead 102 exits the extruder. The bond-breaking tape 135 hinders formation of a bond between the caulk 6 and the bond-breaking tape 135. Accordingly, the caulk 6 positioned in the caulk receiving area 133 bonds only with the jamb and the jamb facing surface of the stop bead wall 108, thereby creating a double-sided joint (e.g., caulk 6 connected to the jamb and the jamb facing surface of the stop bead wall 108), rather than a triple-sided joint (e.g., caulk 6 connected to the jamb, the jamb facing surface of the stop bead wall 108, and the spacing member 109), to seal between the stop bead 102 and the jamb.
In addition to providing means for spacing the stop bead wall 108 a uniform and predetermined distance from the second surface of the jamb when the stop bead 102 is mounted adjacent to the jamb, and to creating a caulk receiving area 133 in conjunction with the jamb and the jamb facing surface 121 of the stop bead wall 108 when the stop bead 102 is mounted adjacent to the jamb, the spacing member 109 provides means for accommodating movement of the jamb due to expansion or contraction of the window unit or door unit, of which the jamb is a part, due to changes in the weather.
To assist in containing the plaster or stucco material 4, 5, the stop bead wall 108 has a flange 137 formed in its upper end portion, having a first portion that extends laterally away from the stop bead wall 108 and over the base panel 107 and a second portion extending from the first portion downwardly toward the base panel 107.
My invention also includes a wall having (1) a jamb formed therein, the jamb being part of a frame that frames an opening in the wall, and the jamb having a first surface facing the opening in the wall and a second surface facing away from the opening in the wall, and (2) a stop bead 102 mounted on the wall, with the spacing member 109 abutting against the second surface of the jamb, caulk 6 positioned in the caulk receiving area 133 and contacting the stop bead 102 and the jamb to form a seal between the stop bead 102 and the jamb, and a plaster or stucco material applied to the wall and separated from the jamb by the stop bead 102. Preferably, the stop bead 102 is provided with bond-breaking tape 135 mounted on the wall 123 of the spacing member 109.
In use, the inventive stop bead 102 is mounted adjacent to the jamb such that the spacing member 109 abuts against the second surface of the jamb to create a straight and uniform gap between the jamb facing surface of the stop bead wall 108 and the jamb, thereby, uniformly spacing the stop bead wall 108 from the second surface of the jamb and forming the caulk receiving area 133 for receiving caulk 6 to seal between the stop bead 102 and the jamb. To seal against leaks between the stop bead 102 and the jamb, caulk 6 is applied to and extends between the stop bead 102 and the jamb in the caulk receiving area 133 to form a seal between the stop bead 102 and the jamb. Plaster or stucco material 4, 5 is applied to the wall and kept separated from the jamb by the stop bead wall 108.
The invention provides uniform spacing of a stop bead wall from the second surface of the jamb, since the stop bead wall 108 of the stop bead 102 is spaced a uniform, predetermined distance (the width of the spacing member 109) from the jamb. The stop bead 102 separates the jamb from the plaster or stucco material being applied to the wall by blocking access to the jamb with its stop bead wall 108. The stop bead 102 also provides for sealing against leaks between the stop bead 102 and the jamb by permitting simply caulking to obtain a seal between the stop bead 102 and the jamb.
For illustrative purposes, the specification set out above uses the inventive stop bead in conjunction with a jamb of a window unit or door unit. However, the inventive stop bead may be used to separate plaster or stucco material from any material dissimilar from the plaster or stucco material, such as where plaster or stucco is to be separated from soffits, capping, or siding. As used herein, a jamb is part of a frame that frames an opening in a wall. Further, as used herein, a jamb includes a structure, such as soffits, capping, or siding, which is to be separated from plaster or stucco material with a stop bead.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/152,046. This application also is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/981,421, which is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/259,499, which is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/952,920. U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/152,046, 11/259,499, 09/952,920, and 11/981,421 are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3782680 | Hopkins | Jan 1974 | A |
| 4663883 | Hilliard et al. | May 1987 | A |
| 5791116 | Skintzis | Aug 1998 | A |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20140245677 A1 | Sep 2014 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12152046 | May 2008 | US |
| Child | 14275757 | US |
