Patent Application
20140234567
Not Applicable
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to roofing and siding shakes, and more particularly to a shake panel which allows for speedy and convenient installation of multiple shakes on a surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wooden shingles, commonly known as either “wood shakes” or “wood shingles,” have traditionally been used for roofing and siding applications around the world. A roof or exterior wall surface fabricated from properly installed shakes provides long lasting weather protection to a building, as well as a rustic aesthetic. However, traditional wood shakes are considerably more difficult to install than many other modern weatherproofing systems. Specifically, traditional wood shake installation involves the fastening of individual wood shakes to a surface in overlapping rows or “courses,” typically via nails driven through each shake at an upper end thereof. Each shake must be carefully selected for the proper width to assure a proper keyway space on adjacent overlapping courses. As used herein, a “keyway space” is the gap created on each side of abutting shakes in a course. Once a course is complete, the next course is applied on top of the last, with a typical exposure length of approximately 10 inches for a 24-inch long shake and approximately 7.5 inches for an 18-inch long shake. However, exposure can range from 4 inches to as much as 16 inches.
According to certain building codes, the keyway spaces in the sides of adjacent shakes must be offset by at least a certain distance (for example, 1.5 inches in certain building codes) from those of the courses above and below. Thus, selecting the proper width of a shake to be applied in a course is often difficult, and can in some instances be subject to trial and error. For example an installer may be required to inspect multiple random width shakes to find the shake that is the desired width. If a shake that is too narrow or too wide is applied to a course, the keyway space on one side of the shake may be too close to an adjacent keyway space of an adjacent course.
Desirably, wood shakes are produced to exhibit a vertical grain cut for stability, combined with the maximum possible width to reduce the number of shakes per unit of roof area. Thus, wood shakes have traditionally been produced from relatively large trees. Over the past several years, old growth Western Red Cedar trees have been popular for use in the production of wood shakes. However, as these old growth trees have become protected for environmental reasons, younger and smaller trees have been used for wood shake production. The result has been a reduction, over the past several years, of the average width of wood shakes typically produced. For example, many wood shakes produced approximately 20 years ago exhibited an average width of approximately 7 to 8 inches. Today, many newly-produced wood shakes exhibit an average width closer to 4.5 to 5 inches. This decrease in the average width of wood shakes results in an increase in the average number of shakes per unit area installed. For example, instead of wood shake roofs including approximately 180 shakes per 100 square feet of roof area, it is now common for a wood shake roof to include approximately 280 shakes per 100 square feet of roof area.
In instances in which wood shake roofs are installed having an increased number of shakes per unit area of roof, a corresponding increase in the time and labor required to install the roof and properly offset the keyway space occurs. Furthermore, when wood shake roofs are installed having an increased number of shakes per unit area of roof, a significant increase also occurs in the number of wood shakes that are installed improperly, for example, with keyways too narrow and leaks eminent. The effect is a decrease in the overall market for wood shakes due to the increase in installation labor cost and an increase in the level of skill and care required to properly install wood shakes.
In a typical wood shake roof or exterior wall surface installation, in addition to the shakes themselves, a layer of felt is applied between each horizontal course of shakes, thereby creating a felt interweave between adjacent courses of shakes. Many modern building codes require adjacent pieces of felt to overlap by a minimum distance, such as for example 4 inches. In traditional roofing, asphalt saturated felt paper is used. However, synthetic felt products are now available that replace the historic asphalt saturated felt paper traditionally used in roofing. These synthetic felt products are considerably more durable and require less energy and petroleum additives to manufacture and are available with certain fire resistant qualities to reduce the overall flammability of the roof system.
In light of the above, there is a need in the art for a device which allows more speedy and convenient installation of wood shakes in overlapping courses along a surface, and with proper installation of felt beneath.
The present general inventive concept provides a shake panel which combines synthetic felt underlayment with enhanced wood shake manufacturing and assembly techniques to significantly reduce the installation time associated with fabricating a shake surface, as compared to the traditional process of selecting the proper width of shakes and separately installing the required felt interweave. In addition to substantial labor savings associated with in increase speed of installation, the pre-assembled panel system significantly reduces the likelihood of certain critical errors such as overlapping keyway spaces, improper placement of the interweave and improper exposure, all of which substantially reduce the service life of wood shake and shingle roofs. According to several features of the present general inventive concept, the shake panel may comprise a flexible underlayment layer having a leading edge, an opposite a trailing edge, an upper edge, and an opposite lower edge. A plurality of shakes may be provided along the underlayment layer, each shake having an upper portion affixed to the underlayment layer and a lower portion extending toward the underlayment layer lower edge. Each shake may extend side-by-side along an adjacent shake to define a keyway space therebetween.
According to several features of the present general inventive concept, in certain embodiments, each shake lower portion may overlie the underlayment layer lower edge, and each shake may have a lower end extending beyond the underlayment layer lower edge. Each shake lower end may terminate at a distance from the underlayment lower edge equal to that of an adjacent shake of the shake panel. In certain embodiments, each of the shakes may be of an equal length to one another. The shakes may extend in side-by-side relationship from the underlayment layer leading edge along the underlayment layer lower edge.
According to several features of the present general inventive concept, in certain embodiments, the underlayment layer trailing edge may extend beyond the plurality of shakes to define a first overlapping portion configured to underlie an underlayment layer leading edge of an adjacent shake panel. The underlayment layer upper edge may extend beyond the plurality of shakes to define a second overlapping portion configured to underlie an underlayment layer lower edge of an overlapping shake panel. In certain embodiments, the shakes of the shake panel may includes shakes having a first width, shakes having a second width, and shakes having a third width. The shakes may be arranged along the underlayment layer lower edge in a predetermined pattern. For example, the predetermined pattern may correspond to the pattern “B-B-A-C-B-A-B-C,” where “A” represents a shake having the first width, “B” represents a shake having the second width, and “C” represents a shake having the third width. In certain embodiments, the first width may be approximately 3.5 inches, the second width may be approximately 4.5 inches, and the third width may be approximately 5.5 inches. However, it is not the intent of the applicant to limit the scope of the present general inventive concept to any specific width of shakes or the number of different widths comprising the panel layout. Different combinations of sizes may be used to vary the desired look of the completed roof or wall. In some instances the panel may be comprised of shakes of a single width with only the starter shake being of variable with to accomplish a very uniform and refined pattern on the roof. Conversely, some panels may be comprised of many different widths with the butt ends, and thus the exposures, staggered to achieve the most rustic appearance.
The present general inventive concept also provides a method for forming a shake surface. According to several features of the present general inventive concept, in certain embodiments, the method may comprise the operation of providing a plurality of underlayment layers, each layer having a leading edge, an opposite trailing edge, an upper edge, and an opposite lower edge, each layer further having a plurality of shakes secured thereto, each shake having an upper portion affixed to its corresponding layer and a lower portion extending toward the lower edge of its corresponding layer, wherein each shake of each layer extends side-by-side along an adjacent shake to define a keyway space therebetween. The method may further include the operation of securing a first of the layers to the surface with the first layer leading edge adjacent a leading edge of the surface and the first layer lower edge adjacent a lower edge of the surface, and securing a second of the layers to the surface with the second layer leading edge overlaying the first layer trailing edge adjacent a trailing edge of the shakes of the first layer. The shakes of at least the first and second layers may cooperate to form a first course of shakes extending along the lower edges of the first and second layers.
In certain embodiments, the method may further comprise the operation of securing a third of the layers to the surface with the third layer lower edge overlaying the first layer upper edge, whereby the shakes of at least the third layer cooperate to form a second course of shakes extending along the lower edge of the third layer. The method may further comprise securing a first starter shake to the surface with a leading edge of the first starter shake adjacent a leading edge of the surface, wherein the third layer is secured to the surface with a leading edge of the third layer adjacent a trailing edge of the first starter shake, whereby the first starter shake may cooperate with the shakes of at least the third layer to form a second course of shakes extending along the lower edge of the third layer. In certain embodiments, the first starter shake may be selected to have a width along the lower edges of the layers sufficient to horizontally offset the shakes of the second course from the shakes of the first course such that interfaces between the shakes of the second course do not directly overlie interfaces between the shakes of the first course. The method may further include securing a second starter shake to the surface with a leading edge of the second starter shake adjacent a leading edge of the surface. Additionally, the starter shake can be incorporated into the body of the panel, eliminating the individual starter shakes, but rather creating a panel (A) and a panel (B) to achieve the same result
In certain embodiments, the method may further comprise the operation of securing a fourth of the layers to the surface with the fourth layer lower edge overlaying the third layer upper edge, whereby the second starter shake may cooperate with the shakes of at least the fourth layer to form a third course of shakes extending along the lower edge of the fourth layer. The second starter shake may have a width along the lower edges of the layers different from the width of the first starter shake. The second starter shake may, in certain embodiments, be selected to have a width along the lower edges of the layers sufficient to horizontally offset the shakes of the third course from the shakes of the second course such that interfaces between the shakes of the third course do not directly overlie interfaces between the shakes of the second course. In some embodiments, the method may further include the operation of securing an upper portion of each of the shakes to its corresponding layer with a lower portion of each shake overlying and extending beyond the lower edge of its corresponding layer, with each shake extending side-by-side along an adjacent shake to define a keyway space therebetween.
These and additional features of the present general inventive concept will become more clearly understood from the following detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
According to several features of the present general inventive concept, a shake panel is provided which combines synthetic felt underlayment with enhanced wood shake manufacturing and assembly techniques to significantly reduce the installation time associated with fabricating a shake surface, as compared to the traditional process of selecting the proper width of shakes and separately installing the required felt interweave. As illustrated in the attached
A plurality of shakes 22 are provided and secured to the underlayment 12 in a side-by-side parallel configuration along the lower edge 20 of the underlayment 12 to define at least a partial course 30 (for simplicity, hereinafter referred to as a “course”) of shakes 22 having respective keyway spaces 24 therebetween. Each shake 22 defines an upper end 26 which is fastened to the underlayment 12 by conventional means, such as for example by staples or other suitable mechanical fasteners, adhesives, or the like. Each shake further defines a lower end 28 which extends toward, and in the present embodiment beyond, the lower edge 20 of the underlayment 12. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the shakes 22 is of a substantially equal length, and each shake 22 is aligned in parallel relationship with an adjacent shake 22 such that the shakes 22 all extend a substantially equal length beyond the lower edge 20 of the underlayment 12. In other embodiments, the various shakes 22 may extend different lengths beyond the lower edge 20, such that a lower edge 32 of the course 30 of shakes 22 defines an irregular pattern.
In the illustrated embodiment, the course 30 of shakes 22 extends from the leading edge 14 of the underlayment 12 along the lower edge 20 of the underlayment 12 and terminates along a line which is offset inwardly from the trailing edge 16 of the underlayment 12. Stated differently, the trailing edge 16 of the underlayment 12 extends beyond a trailing edge 34 of the course 30 of shakes 22. Thus, a first overlap portion 36 of the underlayment 12 is defined between the trailing edge 16 of the underlayment 12 and the trailing edge 34 of the course 30 of shakes 22. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the various shakes 22 extends upwardly toward, but terminates inwardly from, the upper edge 18 of the underlayment 12. Thus, a second overlap portion 38 of the underlayment 12 is defined between the upper edge 18 of the underlayment 12 and the various upper ends 26 of the shakes 22.
As shown in
Referring to
In the embodiment of
With reference now to
Once the first course 42 of shakes is installed, a second course 48 of shakes is installed in overlying relationship to, and offset above, the first course 42 of shakes. The second course 48 of shakes is positioned such that a lower end 28 of each shake 22 in the second course 48 overlaps an upper end 26 of at least one shake in the first course 42. In one embodiment, the second course of shakes is begun by first securing a single starter shake 22i to the surface, the first starter shake 22i having a leading edge overlying the leading edges 46, 14 of the surface 40 and the starting shake panel 10a in the first course 42 of shakes. Thereafter, a second starter shake panel 10d is secured adjacent the first starter shake 22i, with the leading edge of the shake panel 10d adjacent a trailing edge of the first starter shake 22i such that an appropriately sized keyway gap 24 is formed therebetween. Thereafter, subsequent shake panels 10e-10f are secured to the surface adjacent to the second starter shake panel 10d, as discussed above, to form the second course 48 of shakes.
It will be recognized by one of skill in the art that inclusion of the starter shake 22i at the leading edge of the second course 48 of shakes serves to horizontally offset each of the shakes in the second course 48 of shakes in relation to the shakes of the first course 42 of shakes. To this end, in several embodiments, the width of the starter shake 22i is such that each of the various keyway spaces 24 of the first and second courses of shakes do not immediately overlie or underlie one another. In some embodiments, a variety of starter shakes 22i-22j are provided having varying widths, such that as each subsequent course of shakes is installed, a starter shake 22i, 22j may be used which has a width different from the starter shake used in the previous course of shakes, such that the keyway spaces 24 of each course of shakes do not immediately overlie the keyway spaces 24 of the previous course of shakes. For example, in the embodiment of
In one embodiment of the method of the present general inventive concept, a first course 42 of shakes may be installed (
From the foregoing description, it will be recognized that a shake panel is provided which allows a shake surface to be fabricated with significantly reduced time and effort as compared to the traditional process of selecting the proper width of shakes and separately installing the required felt interweave. For example,
It will be recognized that, by collating the sizes in a specific pattern and assembling the shakes in a panel with the required underlayment interweave, shake panels 10 of the type described above can be fabricated in 36-inch to 48-inch panels that automatically provide the proper offset in the keyway spaces 24 between shakes and significantly reduce the most tedious and technically critical part of installing a wood shakes for roofing or siding. For example, in a test installation conducted at Savannah Technical College using shake panels of the type described above, installation labor was reduced by 75% and the quality of the installation was improved as compared to traditional shake installation operations. Thus, it will be recognized that the present general inventive concept provides numerous advantages over the prior art, such as for example: 1. Eliminating the need to sort and select shakes of a certain width to “fit” the keyways, and reducing the potential for installation mistakes that may lead to leaks in the shake surface; 2. Allowing shakes to be laid in place in prearranged panels, thereby significantly reducing the time required to install the shakes; 3. Eliminating the need to roll out a layer of underlayment between installation of each course of shakes, and reducing the potential for such underlayment to be installed incorrectly; and 4. Allowing the use of smaller trees, which are more readily available, as a source of raw material and simultaneously reducing labor cost and material cost.
While the present invention has been illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments have been described in detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept.
This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/765,335, filed on Feb. 15, 2013, which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61765335 | Feb 2013 | US |
