AU2018100815A4 - Coating application device, method of coating and coated article - Google Patents

Abstract

>stract ::oating application device, suitable for applying a textured coating layer to a building product, the coating plication device comprising a base, a handle connected to the upper surface of the base, a textured plicator releasably connected to the base, and a pair of guides each attached to a respective side edge of base; a method of using the coating applicator to apply a textured coating layer to a building product, ierein each of the pair of guides sits adjacent a respective side edge of the building product for preventing eral movement of the textured applicator as it is moved along the length of the surface of the building >duct; and a coated building product. 166 110 160 166 _ 180

Description

invention [0001] The present invention relates to coating application devices, their method of use and the coated articles produced and in particular to hand operated coating applicator devices for producing a coated article having a timber look decorative finish.

[0002] The invention has been developed primarily for use as a coating application device for use in applying a textured coating layer to blank plank like elements to create a coated building product having a timber-look decorative finish and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use.

Background of the invention [0003] Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.

[0004] Coating application devices such as rollers, applicator pads and brushes are known for applying decorative and protective coatings to longitudinal substrates such as decking and other building products. The normal aim of applying a coating using these means is to provide as even a coating as possible, with no visibly distinguishable texture or marks.

[0005] It’s difficult to apply a coating that mimics a natural variable material such as timber grain, unless there is a texture in the substrate surface.

[0006] Patterned rollers are known, to apply repeating patterns to a substrate, where the repeat distance is dependent on the diameter of the roller, and each substrate coated with such a roller will have an identical pattern, only offset by a distance up to the circumference of the roller.

[0007] Other problems with most existing forms of coating applicators is trying to achieve an even quantity of the coating along the length of application, preventing run off or build up of

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-2excess coating at the sides and ends of the longitudinal building elements, and avoiding overlap or contamination of adjacent building members.

[0008] Digital printing technology can accurately apply sophisticated patterns and textures to a substrate, but only in a manufacturing environment, as yet it cannot apply coatings to a substrate such as a building material on a construction site, during installation.

[0009] It is desirable to provide a coating applicator, a method of using the coating applicator to apply a decorative finish to provide a timber look coated building product.

Object of the invention [0010] It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.

[0011] It is an object of the invention in its preferred form to provide a coating application device and a method of using the coating application device to apply a decorative finish to provide a timber look coated building product.

Summary of the invention [0012] According to one aspect there is provided a coating application device, suitable for use in applying a textured coating layer to a longitudinal building product, the device comprising: a base, the base comprising a generally flat lower surface, an upper surface and a pair of opposing side edges; a handle rigidly connected to the base; a textured applicator material releasably connected to the base; a pair of guides, each guide comprising: a first face, a second face, a thickness, and a lower edge, where each guide is connected to a respective one of the pair of opposing side edges of the base; and wherein, in use, when the coating applicator material is loaded with coating, and positioned on a building product such that each of the pair of guides extends at its lower edge to sit adjacent a respective side edge of the longitudinal building product, the guides operate to prevent lateral movement of the textured applicator as it is moved along the surface of the building product to apply a textured coating layer, the guides also being sized and shaped to laterally constrain the textured applicator material and pooled coating material during the application process.

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-3[0013] Preferably, the applicator material is natural sheepskin with a varied texture or a suitable synthetic equivalent.

[0014] Desirably, the coating application device is designed to be applied to an end of a building material and pulled to apply the coating. In this manner the base has a leading front edge and rear trailing edge. The guides are sized such that in use, allowing for compression of the applicator material, the guides extend into gaps, channels or recesses between adjacent longitudinal building elements, which may be decking or walling planks, so as to guide the applicator and retain the applicator material and any coating that pools ahead of the device as it is drawn along each plank or set of planks.

[0015] Where the building elements are interconnected with blind channel members, the lower edge of the guides are sized to sit within the channel members. If those channel members have fixing screws in the base of the channel, the guides are sized such that the lower edges sit above the channel base and do not foul the screws so that the application strokes are even.

[0016] In other embodiments where permanent or removable channel elements are provided without any obstructing fixings, the lower edge of the guides can be configured to run in contact with the base of the channel.

[0017] In other embodiments configured for use with conventional decking planks, the applicator is configured such that the lower edge of the guides sits within the gap adjacent each building element without fouling the supporting structure, such as bearers, below.

[0018] In other embodiments configured for use with conventional decking or cladding planks, the coating application device is configured such that the lower edge of the guides sits within recesses or channels formed into the face of adjacent building elements, such as for providing an expressed joint appearance, or a recessed mortar joint appearance. Similarly, where a wider longitudinal building element seeks to mimic multiple plank type building elements and includes simulated joint lines.

[0019] Preferably, the guides are configured such that the depth of the guide below the surface to be coated decreases toward the trailing edge, to enable the applicator device to be tilted backwards in use, such that the leading edge of the applicator base with coating material is raised

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-4from the surface to be coated. At the start of an application run this enables the device to be tilted backwards and pressure applied to ensure the start end is coated, after which the base is bought parallel to the surface to continue the coating run. Similarly, at the end of the run, the same action of tilting back the base, enables the textured applicator material to “pick up excess coating still remaining in a pool ahead of the device.

[0020] According to another aspect, there is provided a method of using a coating application device of the first aspect for applying a textured coating layer to a building product, comprising the steps of:

a) immersing the textured applicator into a coating reservoir to load the applicator with coating material and removing any excess coating material;

b) positioning the base with coating applicator on a building product such that: each of the pair of guides is adjacent a respective side edge of the building product; and the textured applicator is in contact with the face of the building product, such that the trailing edge of the textured applicator is positioned over one end of the building product and tilting the base by applying sufficient pressure on the handle to tilt the base and bring the first portion of the guide parallel to the building product surface;

c) applying pressure to the handle to move the base a user determined distance along the face of the building product; releasing the pressure on the handle to release the tilt of the base and thereby bringing the base parallel with the building product surface; applying sufficient lateral pressure to the handle of the coating applicator to move the applicator pad across the surface of the building product, while simultaneously applying sufficient downwards pressure on the handle of the coating applicator to create and maintain a puddle of coating in front of the leading edge of the textured applicator, the textured applicator thereby leaving a textured coating layer which has an uneven thickness of coating across the face of the building product, but a substantially linear coating profile along the length of the face of the building product; and allowing the coating to dry, and

d) optionally repeating to recoat the face of the building product with additional layers of decorative coating.

[0021] Preferably, as the application device nears the end of the building product, the base is titled again to raise the leading edge of the base and allow the applicator pad to re-absorb any excess coating pooled in front.

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-5[0022] When coating long building elements, it may be desirable to create an artificial but joint as would be present in most applications using real timber. This can be achieved by masking a region beyond the desired join line. Preferably this is long enough to allow the applicator to be freely drawn over the masked region so that the pattern is generally constant up to the join line. After it has dried adequately, the masking can be removed and the coated end region then masked up to the end of the coating and the process repeated so that a new pattern is produced from or up to the join line, thereby replicating two abutting timber elements.

[0023] According to one embodiment, there is provided a coated building product comprising at least one coating layer.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the invention, the coating material is a translucent stain.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the invention, the coated building product provdes a timber look decorative finish.

Brief description of the drawings [0026] A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0027] Figure 1 is a top view of a coating application device according to one embodiment of the invention;

[0028] Figure 2 is a side view of a coating application device according to one embodiment of the invention;

[0029] Figure 3 is a front view of the coating application device shown in Figures 1 and 2;

[0030] Figure 4 is a front view of the applicator of Figure 3 shown in use with a non timber decking system that utilises channel shaped interconnectors such as the HardieDeck™ system described in WO2013050130;

[0031] Figure 4 is a series of side views of a method of coating a building product, in which:

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-6(a) shows the textured applicator partially immersed in coating material in a coating reservoir, (b) shows the coating applicator tilted in a first position to bring a first coating portion into contact with major face of the building product, in order to ensure the end portion of the major face is coated with the coating material, (c) shows the applicator being tilted to bring the second coating portion of the textured applicator into contact with the major face of the building product, sufficient pressure being applied to create a puddle of coating material immediately in front ofthe leading edge of the coating surface, and the direction of movement of the coating applicator to form a decorative coating on the building substrate, and (d) shows the coating applicator being tilted backwards again to raise the leading edge and allow the textured applicator to reabsorb the puddle of coating material as the coating applicator is moved across the end ofthe building material, or reaches a desired end point ofthe coating application.

[0032] Figure 5 shows a schematic top view of a coated building product in which (a) shows a schematic of a textured decorative coating provided by the coating application device and (b) a cross sectional side view of a building product having a textured decorative coating applied by the coating applicator and the method of using the coating application device, the view also includes an expanded portion showing a close up schematic ofthe variable coating thickness achieved across the width of a coated building product.

Preferred embodiment ofthe invention [0033] Referring to the drawings, there is provided a coating application device, also referred to generally as a coating applicator and a method of using the coating applicator to apply a decorative finish to provide a timber iook on a coated building product. As shown in Figure 1, there is a top view of coating applicator 100 comprising base 110, formed from a durable material suitable for contact with liquid coating compositions. Suitable materials would include timber, chemically resistant plastics and metals such as aluminium or steel. Base 110 is a generally rectangular block in shape and comprises a lower surface 120, an upper surface 130 and a pair of opposing side edges 140. Handle 150 is rigidly connected, in the illustrated example, to upper surface 130 of base 110. It is important that handle 150 is rigidly connected to base 110 because the action of coating applicator 100 is directed by various directions of pressure applied to handle 150. If the connection was not rigid, any pressure applied to handle 150 may not translate into controllable movement of base 110 and the attached textured applicator 150. Handle 150 may

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-7also be formed from timber, metal or plastics and may be coated or surface treated to enhance durability. Preferably the handle is attached at a fixed angle convenient for use or a suitably angled handle is provided to achieve the same result.

[0034] Textured applicator material 160 is releasably connected to the base 110 by fixings 166. The connection may be achieved by any suitable means, such as Velcro™ connectors, elasticated strips, or ties attached at or adjacent edge positions on textured applicator 160. Ties as fixings 166, for example, can be tied together, or tied to the handle, and the like such that textured applicator 166 won’t move during use, but can be removed for cleaning or replacement. Alternatively, there may be eyelets formed near an edge of textured applicator 160, which can be releasably attached to complementary lockable pins on upper surface 130 of base 100.

[0035] Preferably, the textured applicator material is a natural sheepskin pad. Sheepskin should be interpreted as a section of the hide of a lamb or sheep that has the fleece still intact. The length of the fleece fibres may vary, prefereably, the fleece fibres are sufficiently long to provide a natural curl or twist pattern in the fleece. Other materials such as natural sponge, synthetic sponge, synthetic sheepskin, are suitable for providing varying texture results in an applied coating. Natural sheepskin has the advantage of providing a non-repeatable pattern on adjacent building product elements in a constructed section, such as a deck. Natural sheepskin has also been found to provide a desireable texture in applied decorative coating 195 that approximates a generally linear grained natural timber. The natural variation in the fleece fibres provides an uneven, coating thickness across the width of major face 192 of building product 194. The uneven nature of the coating thickness results in a textured coating, and the texture providing a decorative effect, such as a timber look. The preferred decorative coating material to achieve such a timber look finish is a tinted clear stain. Such a coating material, being at least partially transparent, will provide an additive effect to the texture of multiple applied coating layers, adding to the complexity and un-reproducibility of adjacent coated building product units.

[0036] As best shown in Figure 2, the side view of coating applicator 100 shows a pair of guides 170, each guide comprising: first face 171, second face 172, thickness 173 therebetween, lower edge 174 comprising a first tapered lower edge portion 175 and second lower edge portion 176, and at least one connection point 177. In the illustrated embodiment each guide 170 is connected via a screw or other suitable connection means 180 to a respective one of the pair of opposing side edges 140 of base 110.

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-8[0037] Reviewing all the Figures including Figures 2 to 5 it can be seen that the primary purpose of first surface 171 of each guide 170 is to laterally contain the textured applicator material 160 and coating liquid within the width of the major face 192 of building product 194 while in use to apply a decorative coating to a building product while preventing spillage or overcoating onto adjacent building member.

[0038] The angle of textured applicator 160 to major face 192 of building product 194 can be changed by rotating handle 150 toward and/or away from the surface to be coated to change the tilt of base 110 and attached textured applicator 160 relative to major face 192 of building product 194. By rotating handle 150 in one direction as shown in Figure 5(d), base 110 is tilted relative to the surface of the building product, such that first lower edge portion 175 may be brought substantially parallel to major face 192 of building product 194 to apply pressure at the trailing edge and so start the end of a plank as shown, or tilted even more when the plank starts adjacent a vertical surface such as a wall. By rotating handle 150 in the opposite direction as shown in Figure 5(c), base 110 is tilted in the opposite direction and back into parallel contact with the surface 192.

[0039] In use, as shown in Figure 5(a), textured applicator 170 is loaded with paint by at least partially immersing in coating reservoir 196, removing any excess so that coating material will not drip onto major face 192 of building product 194. Ideally, an appropriately configured coating tray is provided that has a deep reservoir into which the head of the applicator device can be immersed, and a raised rectangular pad sized to match the base in width, against which the base can be compressed to remove excess coating liquied. The next step involves positioning the device such that the device sits astride the major face 192 of building product 194 such that at least one portion of coating surface 165 of textured applicator 160 is in contact with a portion of major face 192. Each of the pair of guides 170 sits adjacent a respective side edge 140 of building product 194 to prevent lateral movement of the textured applicator 160 as it is moved across major face 192 of building product 194 to apply decorative coating 195.

[0040] In a decking application, such as described in James Hardie patent application WO2013050130, where a peripheral edge member in the form of an edge restraining component with a central channel is used in the constructed building array, thickness 173 of at least a portion of lower edge 174 of each guide 170 may comfortably sit within a respective channel 200 of a peripheral edge member 201.

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-9[0041] As shown in the series of Figures 5(a) to 5(d), a method of using coating applicator 100, for applying a textured timber-look decorative coating to a major face 192 of building product 194 , is shown schematically, comprising the steps of:

(a) at least partially immersing the textured applicator 160 into a coating reservoir 196 to load the textured applicator 160 with coating material; removing any excess coating material from coating surface 165 of textured applicator 160;

(b) positioning the coating applicator 100 on major face 192 of building product 196 such that: first surface 171 of each of the pair of guides 170 is adjacent a respective side edge 198 of building product 194; and at least coating portion of coating surface 165 of textured applicator 160 is in contact with major face 192 of the building product 194, such that the trailing edge 162 of the textured applicator 160 is positioned over one end of the building product while at the same time tilting the base 110 by applying sufficient pressure on the handle 150 to bring the first lower edge portion 175 of lower edge 174 of each of the pair of guides 170 parallel to the major face 192 of building product 194, for ensuring that major face 192 of building product 194 is coated to its end;

(c) altering the pressure on handle 150 to modify the tilt of the base to bring the base substantially parallel with the major face 192 of building product 194 during which a pool of coating liquid will be created at the leading edge which is retained by the guides and is then fed through the applicator and distributed as the textured applicator moves forward along most of the remaining coating length thereby leaving a textured coating layer which has an uneven thickness of coating across the face of the building product, but a substantially linear coating profile along the length of the face of the building product; and toward the end of the of the coating length, optionally tipping the handle back again to release pressure on the front portion of the applicator material so that it can effectively suck up any excess amount of coating still pooling ahead of the device to prevent excess coating being caught at the end or running over an end edge.

[0042] As shown schematically in Figure 6, after application of at least one layer of textured coating 195 by textured applicator 160, building product 194 is produced to provide a decorative finish such as a tinted clear stain with a timber look texture or pattern simulating a substantially linear grained timber. The stain is preferably translucent, thereby allowing for additive intensity of colouration when multiple layers of coating material 190 are applied. The application of second and subsequent coatings acts to even out any matrix variability in building product 194, such as

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-10variable surface porosity. Other textured applicator materials and coating composition combinations will provide alternative results, but all will provide a decorative finish uneven across the width of building product 194, but consistent along the length of the building material.

[0043] When coating long building elements, it may be desirable to create an artificial butt joint as would be present in most applications using real timber. This can be achieved by masking a region beyond the desired join line. Preferably this is long enough to allow the applicator to be freely drawn over the masked region so that the pattern is generally constant up to the join line. After it has dried adequately, the masking can be removed and the coated end region then masked up to the end of the coating and the process repeated so that a new pattern is produced from or up to the join line, thereby replicating two abutting timber elements.

[0044] While the illustrated embodiment has guides with lower edges that taper toward the leading and trailing edges, it will be understood that this is not essential. For embodiments designed for use with open gaps as in conventional decking, or closed channels such as shown in Figure 4, the important requirements are that during use the lower edge of the guides extend sufficiently low within the channel or gaps to guide the device during operation and direct and retain the coating material as described, without fouling any underlying structural components. As such the edges could be arcuate, or straight or any suitable profile.

[0045] In other embodiments where a removable guide channel may be provided, it may be advantageous for the guides to have profiles that run against the base of the guide channel to assist in ensuring a designed maximum pressure during various stages of the application procedure and so reduce the amount of operator skill that may be required, or enable more consistent results.

[0046] It will be appreciated that the illustrated coating applicator, and method of using the coating applicator can be used to apply a decorative finish to a building product provide a coated building product with a timber look decorative coating.

[0047] Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

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Claims (10)

1. Claims

   1. A coating application device, suitable for use in applying a textured coating layer to a longitudinal building product, the device comprising: a base, the base comprising a lower surface, an upper surface and a pair of opposing side edges; a handle rigidly connected to the base; a textured applicator material releasably connected to the base; a pair of guides, each guide comprising: a first face, a second face, a thickness, and a lower edge, , where each guide is connected to a respective one of the pair of opposing side edges of the base; and wherein, in use, when the coating applicator material is loaded with coating, and positioned on a building product such that each of the pair of guides sits adjacent a respective side edge of the longitudinal building product, the guides operate to prevent lateral movement of the textured applicator as it is moved along the surface of the building product to apply a textured coating layer, the guides also being sized and shaped to laterally constrain the applicator material and pooled coating material during the application process.
2. 2. A coating application device according to claim 1, wherein the textured applicator is configured to apply a different texture on each use.
3. 3. A coating application device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the textured applicator is formed from sheepskin.
4. 4. A coating application device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pair of guides are tiltably connected to the base.
5. 5. A method of using a coating application device for applying a textured coating to a building product, comprising the steps of:

   (a) immersing the textured applicator into a coating reservoir to load the applicator with coating material;

   (b) removing any excess coating material;

   (c) positioning the coating applicator on a building product such that:

   each of the pair of guides is adjacent a respective side edge of the building product; and the textured applicator is in contact with the face of the building product, such that the trailing edge of the textured applicator is positioned over one end of the building product;

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   -12(d) tilting the base by applying sufficient pressure on the handle to tilt the base and bring the first portion of the guide parallel to the building product surface;

   (e) applying pressure to the handle to move the base a user determined distance along the face of the building product;

   (f) releasing the pressure on the handle to release the tilt of the base and thereby bringing the base parallel with the building product surface;

   (g) applying sufficient lateral pressure to the handle of the coating applicator to move the applicator pad across the surface of the building product, while simultaneously applying sufficient downwards pressure on the handle of the coating applicator to create and maintain a puddle of coating in front of the leading edge of the textured applicator, the textured applicator thereby leaving a textured coating layer which has an uneven thickness of coating across the face of the building product, but a substantially linear coating profile along the length of the face of the building product; and (h) allowing the coating to dry, and (i) optionally recoating the face of the building product.
6. 6. A coated building product comprising:

   at least one textured coating layer applied according to the method of claim 5, by the coating applicator according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
7. 7. A coated building product according to claim 6, wherein the applied textured coating layer is a translucent stain.
8. 8. A coated building product according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the applied textured coating layer provides a decorative finish.
9. 9. A coated building product according to claim 8, wherein the decorative finish is a timber look finish.
10. 10. A coating applicator substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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    160

    FIG. 1

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    161

    FIG. 2

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    FIG. 3

    FIG. 4

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    FIG. 5

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    FIG. 6