BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.
FIG. 1 is a side view of a masonry structure constructed from blocks and spacers in accordance with one possible embodiment, prior to the optional application of grout to the structure between the blocks.
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of one of the blocks of FIG. 1.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 1 showing the spacer, adhesive and region where grout is applied.
FIG. 3 is an illustration of a second embodiment of a masonry structure constructed with hexagonal blocks, and spacers between blocks.
FIG. 3A is a perspective view of one of the blocks of FIG. 3.
FIG. 4 is a illustration of the finished masonry structure of FIG. 3 after application of grout.
FIG. 5 is one embodiment of a spacer kit with two different sizes of spacers.
FIG. 6 is a second embodiment of a spacer kit.
FIG. 7 is an illustration of kit for forming a masonry structure in the form of an exterior wall comprising a multitude of blocks, a spacer kit, a container of construction glue and grout. The grout and glue may include additional applicators. The kit may also contain inter-tier spacers in the form of long strips of material such as strips of fiber cement board.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the masonry structure of FIG. 1 after laying of the first three tiers of the structure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF REPRESENTATIVE PREFERRED AND ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS
Kits for construction of masonry structures such as walls from blocks such as brick are disclosed. The kits feature a plurality of individual spacers which are placed between adjacent blocks in a tier and between adjacent tiers. Various embodiments of the kits will be described in detail in conjunction with FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, and the manner of using the kits and constructing the masonry structure will be described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-4 and 8.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing the face 8 of a masonry structure 10, in this example in the form of a non-structural (e.g., decorative) wall constructed from blocks 12 such as standard bricks and spacers 16 in accordance with one possible embodiment, prior to the optional application of grout to the structure between the blocks 12 to cover up the spacers 16. The lowermost tier (Tier 1) is set upon a foundation 14, e.g., footing, cement slab, or other structure. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of one of the blocks 12 of FIG. 1. The block is rectangular in form and includes two end faces 12A, side faces 12B, and a bottom face 12C and top face opposite the bottom face. The block has a length L, width W and height H. The invention is suitable for use with a variety of types and shapes of blocks and the illustrated block is offered by way of example only and not limitation.
As is shown in FIG. 1, in between the adjacent blocks 12 and adjacent to the end faces 12A of the block, there is placed a vertical spacer 16. Each vertical spacer 16 is a thin, substantially solid, rectangular body having a depth or width Ws and height Hs and with opposed, typically parallel or substantially parallel faces 16A and 16B (see FIG. 5), one facing the end face 12A of one block and the other facing the end face 12A of the block on the other side of the spacer 16. The spacers 16 are placed between adjacent blocks and facilitate the completed structure 10 having a uniform spacing of the blocks 12 of the structure 10. The spacers 16 also make the task of assembling a brick structure much easier and quicker than the prior art approach of bricks and mortar.
The spacers are sized such that the height Hs of the spacer is slightly less than or equal to the height H of the block. The width Ws of the spacer is preferably slightly less than or equal to the width W of the block. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 1 showing the width Ws of the spacer being slightly less than the width of the block, so as to provide a region 24 where grout can be applied to cover the spacer 16 when the structure 10 is finished.
When assembling the masonry structure, an optional adhesive such as construction glue is applied between the spacers and adjacent bricks. The adhesive is shown in FIG. 2 at 22. The adhesive may take the form or a thin layer of glue or it may be sufficiently thick or paste-like that it adds width to the spacing between the adjacent bricks. Additionally, the bottom surface of the first tier of blocks may be glued to the foundation or footing 14 or otherwise secured to surrounding structure. In one embodiment, the kit further includes a container of adhesive (such as construction glue, “Liquid Nail”, PL Premium™ or the like, e.g., paste-type glues) for adhering the spacers to the masonry blocks. When the structure is assembled, the spacers are adhered to adjacent blocks within a given tier of the structure. The adhesive provides additional strength to the structure. Also, in one further embodiment, a spacer layer (such as a length of fiber cement board) is positioned between tiers of block and the inter-tier spacer layer may be glued to the layer of blocks above and below it. The use of adhesive gives the structure strength and may be desirable in some applications of the kit. However, in other applications, the use of adhesive may not be required, such as for example in the situation where the user wants to install a temporary or short-term structure and be able to take it down easily and reuse the materials for another structure, or in an application where the masonry structure is exposed to heat (e.g. fireplace) and the glue presents a potential fire risk. In still another optional configuration, the masonry structure is assembled with a caulking instead of an adhesive applied to the faces of the spacers adjacent to the masonry blocks, which provides some limited structural support but also permits the structure to be dismantled easily.
After the first tier of bricks has been assembled as described, an inter-tier spacing layer 18 is applied over the top of the bricks in the first tier, either with or without the application of an adhesive or caulking between the inter-tier spacing layer and the top of the bricks in the first tier. In one embodiment, the inter-tier spacing layer 18 takes the form of additional spacers 16. The spacers in the inter-tier layer may be of the same material as the spacers used for vertical spacing. The spacers for the inter-tier layer 18 may have the same dimensions or they may have the same width but a longer length.
In one variation, the interspacing layer may take the form of an elongate strip 20 of rigid, substantially flat and planar material which has a width slightly less than the width of the bricks 12 but a length substantially greater than the length of the bricks. For example, with a wall eight feet long, the inter-tier spacing layer may consist of an eight-foot strip of substantially solid, rigid, planar material. The interspacing layer or strip 20 is also preferably fiber cement material. After completing the first tier, the inter-tier spacing layer is set on the top of the first tier (again, optionally with glue or other adhesive or caulking) and the process is repeated for second and successive tiers.
After the second and successive tiers are constructed as just described, the structure can be either left as is or alternatively the regions between the blocks filled with a grout such as mortar so as to cover up the spacers 16/20 and simulate the appearance of a traditional block and mortar structure. In one exemplary embodiment, the worker obtains a suitable grout such as Type S Mortar Mix, fills the mortar into a cake decorator type mortar dispenser equipped with a nozzle, and then applies the mortar to the area between bricks, both inter-tier and intra-tier. Other types of tools for dispensing mortar can be used including caulking gun type dispensers, tubes, or using a spatula or other type of spreading device.
FIG. 3 is an illustration of a second embodiment of a masonry structure in the form of a floor structure constructed with hexagonal blocks 12, and spacers 16 between blocks. The structure of FIG. 3 may be a floor type structure such as an inside or outside patio or other brick floor. The worker places the blocks on a suitable foundation, and optionally glues the spacer 16 to the faces 12A of the blocks, the adhesive indicated at 22 in FIG. 3. Adjacent blocks are laid and spacers are placed between each block. The spacers are constructed with a height and length that is substantially the same as that of the face 12A of the block (FIG. 3A), with perhaps the height of the spacer slightly less than that of the block so as to provide room for application of grout over the spacer 16. After application of grout 26 the structure appears as shown in FIG. 4, with evenly spaced blocks 12.
FIG. 5 is one embodiment of a spacer kit 30. The kit in this example consists of spacers of two different sizes, one size (16) to match the end face of the blocks and one size (16′) sized to match one of the other faces of the blocks. Obviously, a kit could be provided which includes a third size of spacer, for example where the blocks are vertically arranged in a structure such that spacers are needed between all three sides of the block. The spacers 16 and 16′ have the same height Hs but have different lengths (Ws1 and Ws2). The number of the spacers 16 and 16′ in the kits of course will vary and be determined by the size of the blocks, the size of the structures and the configuration and arrangement of the blocks in the structure. One kit for one project may require for example at least N=50 spacers of one size, M=100 of another size. The spacers 16 and/or 16′ could be used for the inter-tier spacing layer.
FIG. 6 is a second embodiment of a spacer kit. This embodiment uses N spacers 16 for vertical spacing (intra-tier), and a plurality (M) of lengths of strips of spacer material for inter-tier spacing layers 18 and 20 (FIG. 1). For example, for a wall of the type shown in FIG. 1 with 30 linear feet and 6 tiers in the wall, there may be 150 linear feet of spacing material for the inter-tier spacing layers, in the form of 19 eight-foot long sections (M=19), each section having a depth slightly less than the width of the brick so as to provide a recessed look and provide room for optional grout. The kit may come with say N=200 spacers for vertical spacing between bricks in the wall. The number N will of course vary with the dimensions of the blocks used in the wall.
The spacers 16 and the inter-tier spacing layer material may be made from various materials, such as hard plastics, but it has been discovered that fiber cement materials such as boards used for siding and other construction applications are quite suitable and preferred for use in making such spacers, both in indoor and outdoor environments. As one example, boards of fiber cement products (e.g., siding) may be cut (e.g., sawed, sliced, or scored and snapped) into spacers 16 and inter-tier spacers for the kits of this invention.
In one possible embodiment, a hardware store, catalog retailer, or building supply store selling the kits of this invention may sell to the user up a batch of say 100 spacers with the number of spacers estimated to be sufficient for the job, and make up such kit at the time of purchase by retrieving the spacers from a general inventory or stock of pre-cut spacers. Alternatively, the seller could cut up a source of spacer material (such as several fiber cement boards) into spacers and supply them to the customer directly at the time of purchase.
As noted, spacers between tiers of bricks may take the form of a length of fiber cement board (FIG. 1 at 20) or multiple boards depending on the length of the structure. In one embodiment, the width of the board is slightly less than the width of the blocks so as to allow for grout to be applied over the inter-tier spacer layer and have a finished look with recessed grout. The kit may be sold with a hand tool with a sharp carbide tip adapted for scoring a length of fiber cement material and permitting the board be snapped in two, thereby giving the proper length to the inter-tier spacer layer. In other but less preferred embodiments, the inter-tier spacer could consist of individual spacers laid end-to-end covering the top row of blocks of the lower tier, as indicated in FIG. 1 at 18. Glue can optionally be provided to the inter-tier spacer layer to help lock the upper and lower tiers together.
In possible embodiment, a spacer kit is sold or furnished separately for use with a plurality of masonry blocks for constructing a masonry structure. The spacer kit comprises a multitude of individual spacers 16, each comprising a substantially flat, thin, substantially solid, rectangular body with opposed faces; and wherein the dimensions of the opposed faces 16A and 16B of the spacers (FIG. 5) are selected so as to be approximately the same as or slightly less than the dimensions of at least one face of a masonry block (e.g., face 12A of FIG. 1A) to be used with the spacer. In preferred embodiments the spacers are formed of a fiber cement material.
Examples of suitable fiber cement materials for construction of spacers and inter-tier spacing include construction boards available from James Hardie Building Products, including HARDIBOARD™, HARDIPLANK™, and HARDIBACKER™ cement board, as well as similar products from Cemplank, CertainTeed, MaxiTile, Nichiha and others. The presence of a stucco, simulated wood siding, or other texture on the surface of the fiber cement material is not particularly important and the spacers can be used with such finishes. The presence of other types of textures or even decorative features in the face of the board is possible. Preferably the spacers have opposed pairs of faces which, in an overall sense, are substantially parallel to each other, ignoring texture or other features which may be incidentally present.
The thickness of the spacer is not particularly critical and the spacers may have a thickness of say between ¼ and ¾ inches, such as for example the thickness of standard fiber-cement siding boards or stock from which the spacers are made, such as 5/16 inch. The advantage of fiber-cement materials such as those used in exterior siding is that they can are believed to be able to withstand the compression loads placed on them in a masonry structure without significant distortion over time.
In yet another aspect, a method of making spacers for a masonry structure is provided comprising the steps of providing a board of fiber cement material, and cutting the board of fiber cement material into a multitude of spacers 16, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5 or 6. The spacers 16 have a thickness which is the same as the thickness of the board of fiber cement material.
The cutting step may be performed with a saw. However, slicing the board into pieces to using a shearing press or tool designed for this purpose to form the spacers is considered preferred to sawing since it does not create the dust that cutting fiber cement material with a saw does. Still further methods of cutting the fiber cement board are possible, such as using water jet or laser energy. In one possible configuration the board comprises a sheet of fiber cement material and sheet of fiber cement material is sheared in both widthwise and lengthwise manners to thereby form the multitude of spacers. For example, the sheet can be sheared into four inch strips and the four inch strips sliced into individual spacers of say 2 inches by 4 inches.
FIG. 7 is an illustration of a kit for constructing a masonry wall consisting of a load of bricks 12 on a pallet 28, a container of clue 22, a container of grout 26, a box of spacers 30 and a plurality of lengths of inter-tier spacing material in the form of elongate strips 32 of fiber cement material. The kit may optionally include applicators (not shown) for applying the grout and/or glue. The kit may optionally include a hand tool for scoring the strips 32 to length. The wall is to be constructed adjacent to a structure 100 having a cement wall 102 and siding 104, a foundation consisting of gravel 106 and a cement footing 108.
The worker places the first tier of bricks 12 on top of the footing 108 and spaces the bricks in the first tier with spacers and optionally glue as shown in FIG. 1 and separates adjacent tiers with a layers of inter-tier spacing in the form of elongate strips 32 (FIG. 8) or with spacers 16 laid end to end. The result after three tiers is shown in FIG. 1 in elevational view and FIG. 8 in a cross-section. Thus, it will be appreciated that a masonry wall is disclosed having a face, comprising: a plurality of tiers of masonry blocks, each tier comprising a multitude of masonry blocks 12, wherein the masonry blocks in the tier are separated from each other by intra-tier spacers each comprising a substantially flat, thin, substantially solid, rectangular body and with opposed faces, and wherein the tiers of the masonry structure are separated between each other-by an inter-tier spacer layer as shown in FIGS. 1 and 8. The inter-tier spacer layer can be formed of a fiber cement material, such as a length of fiber cement board 32. The thickness of the inter-tier spacer layer need not be the same as the thickness of the vertical spacers 16.
In one configuration an adhesive is applied between the intra-tier spacers and adjacent masonry blocks in each of the tiers and between the inter-tier spacer layer and blocks of adjacent tiers. The spacers 16 may be formed from various materials, such as fiber cement and plastic materials.
As noted, in one configuration the structure further includes a grout applied to the face so as to cover the intra-tier spacers between adjacent masonry blocks in a tier and cover the inter-tier spacer layer between adjacent tiers to thereby simulate the face of a traditional brick and mortar wall. The grout is considered optional. If neither grout nor adhesive is used, the entire structure can be dismantled quickly and in a non-destructive manner, something which is not possible with traditional brick and mortar structures.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that in yet another aspect, a method of constructing a masonry structure is described from a plurality of masonry blocks 12 and a kit 30 comprising a multitude of spacers 16 is disclosed, comprising the steps of:
(a) placing masonry blocks 12 in a first tier and separating adjacent blocks from each other in the first tier with a spacer 16 comprising a thin, substantially solid, rectangular body having opposed substantially parallel faces,
(b) applying an inter-tier spacer layer 18/20/32 over the first tier, the inter-tier spacer layer comprising a layer of a substantial solid rigid material and with opposed substantially parallel faces; and
(c) repeating steps (a), and (b) for successive tiers of the masonry structure.
In one embodiment, the method may include applying an adhesive between the spacers and the block within the tiers and between the inter-tier spacer layer of blocks in the tiers above and below. In one embodiment, the spacers and the inter-tier spacer layer are formed from a fiber cement material. In some embodiments, the method may further include a step of applying a grout (e.g., mortar) to the face of the structure so as to cover the spacers between adjacent masonry blocks in a tier and to cover the inter-tier spacer layer between adjacent tiers to thereby simulate the face of a traditional brick and mortar wall.
While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations thereof as being present in the disclosure. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations as are within their true spirit and scope.
Patent Application
20070283650
