FR2716784A1 - Kitchen or bathroom work-surface with built-in recesses - Google Patents

Abstract

The work-surface is made with a supporting layer (1) of the appropriate dimensions, to which panels are attached corresp. to the positions of the recesses, and moulding the recesses from coloured and loaded polyester resin in one piece with the work-surface. After the work-surface has been fitted to the supporting layer it is sealed with a back edge (9) and equipped with a front anti-spill edge (10) made from the same resin material, which can be loaded with stone powder and chemical colourants to simulate marble.

Description

 The present invention relates to a material with its technique of use for manufacturing custom kitchen worktops with incorporated sink vessels, as well as custom bathroom worktops with incorporated basins.

Previous techniques
1) These plens of work are usually made of chipboard coated with an earthenware with sink embedded above - process which does not guarantee the sealing of the plan (porosity of the joints). It follows cleaning difficulties around the sink since it is protruding - fouling of the falence joints which blacken.

 2) They are also made of chipboard coated with a laminate that does not resist heat and whose fittings are unsightly and not waterproof.

 3) Another synthetic resin material is sold in the form of standard size plates which must be cut, connected and glued to a support. Sinks are available for built-in.

Its manufacturers offer a very limited range of colors; the fittings and joints are always visible, especially for imitation marble (broken veining). The sinks are standard in size and shape with limited colors. Its cost price is expensive.

 This technique (according to the invention) overcomes these drawbacks. With this invention, the worktops are poured with polyester resin tinted as a whole on a support cut to measure, according to the shape and size of the kitchen or the bathroom - which eliminates cuts and connections visible.

 The addition of aniline shades or rock powder makes it possible to offer a complete chromatic range, including matching existing earthenware to the worktop.

 The sinks and bathroom basins (saucers or soap dishes) are poured separately, in a choice of colors and connected from below the plans. The connection is made with the same material with the same mixture, which guarantees an invisible connection.

 A cleaning angle on which a wall tile can be placed is connected to the back of the plans, which guarantees the watertightness of the worktop-wall connection.

 An anti-overflow bead is connected on the front to avoid soiling the furniture.

 According to the particular embodiments, the first operation consists in cutting the support of the material in this case the work plan at the final dimension.

 An accompanying drawing illustrates the preparation of the plan before pouring the resin in FIG. 1.

 The support (1) is preferably made of marine chipboard, and will have a thickness of 32 mm maximum and 30 mm minimum. It will be placed on trestles (5) and a leveling as perfect as possible will be made for a good distribution of the resin during casting.

 All around the support (1) will be screwed (ll) wooden sticks (4) respecting a projection of at least 8 mm (dimension corresponding to the thickness of the resin coating). The support must form a watertight bowl into which liquid resin will be poured.

 To guarantee watertightness, a silicone seal can be inserted between the rods (4) and the support (1) and screwed. At the final locations of the hob and the sink tanks, chipboard (2) will be screwed to the dimensions of the recesses.

These added plates (2) will serve as savings for the locations intended to be notched after casting.

 The next step is to pour the resin. The material used is polyester resin which will be polymerized with a cobalt accelerator and a hardener (this material is widely used in bodywork).

 The resin will then be tinted according to the chosen color with aniline or paint shades that offer a full chromatic range. The resin can also be loaded (without exceeding twenty percent of the volume used) with rock powders (kaolin, talc, pulverized pumice, sienna, sommier earth, marble powder). The mixtures of colors, fillers and their dosages remain at the discretion of each.

 After being accelerated and added hardener according to the dose prescribed by the supplier, the resin is poured onto the support prepared according to Figure 1.

 The resin being fluid, the distribution is done automatically by checking that the thickness of the casting corresponds to a thickness of 7 to 8 mm everywhere.

 The imitations of marble (if necessary) are made by juxtaposition of resin tinted differently from the casting. It can also be used gel coat (very thick polyester resin) which can be dyed at will.

The mottling is done by streaks which are stretched using a fine brush, in the casting.

 The final effect is left to the appreciation of each one who can stand out with a style or a special presentation of colors.

 The contributions of mottling tend to merge into the mass and fall to the bottom; it is good to monitor the whole until hardening which must be done at a temperature of 18 degrees, in thirty minutes.

 The rods (4) in Figure 1 are then removed as well as the chipboard (2).

 The mounting holes for the hob and sink vessels are cut using a jigsaw. For the installation of the sink tanks, a rebate (7) will be made in the support (1) in Figure 1 without damaging the resin. Operation done after turning the plan over, by a router.

 An annexed drawing illustrates the rebate (7) in a sectional view of the plan in FIG. 2. The dimension of the rebate in the support (1) must be a little larger than the external dimension of the tank to be embedded and must not start the resin (6).

 The surface of the resin is then cleaned with a powerful solvent (acetone) to remove the cobalt which is found on the surface after polymerization and which remains sticky.

 This optional operation avoids clogging of abrasives during sanding.

 The sanding is then done with a belt sander, orbital sander or disc sander with an 80 grit abrasive.

 The manufacture of sink tanks, sinks, basins, soap dishes, saucer, begins with the development of molds.

 Figure 3 shows in section a sink mold ready to be poured.

 The first operation consists in pouring a block of plaster to be molded (very fine special plaster). Once dry, it is shaped and sculpted until the desired shape is obtained. Gn can also use containers of similar shape and capacity (bucket, basin, bowl) which are filled with plaster. After demolding, we will sand its surface.

 The form (12) is then inverted on a panel (13) much larger and fixed securely thereon. A mold release agent (beeswax) is applied to it and a layer of plaster to be molded is evenly distributed over a thickness of one centimeter. The plaster sarcophagus corresponding to the sink.

 On top of this sarcophagus, which must once again be waxed, polyester resin (gel coat type) is coated mixed with fiberglass to form a solid shell. Once this shell (14 hardened, it is removed from the mold and the plaster sarcophagus is removed, which gives a plaster tank.

 Positioning studs (15) are placed. On the plaster mold is fixed the drain flange (16) at its final location and ventilation and filling holes (17) are drilled on the surface of the shell (14).

 A release agent (beeswax, carnauba wax, spray silicone or teflon spray) is applied both to the mold (12), and to the resin shell (14).

 The shell (14) is securely fixed and screwed (18) on the support panel d3). A silicone seal (19 is inserted between the two.

 The mold is ready to receive the resin through the tap holes (17).

 For industrial manufacturing, we would use companies specializing in this type of mold.

 The poured sink tank must be removed from the mold quickly; as soon as the resin hardens a little. The polymerization of the resin causes the product to shrink. If the tank cannot retract, it will split.

 The tanks are then cleaned with acetone and sanded with an orbital sander or grinder; a very flexible plate will allow to sand the angles.

 The anti-overflow beads and the cleaning angles are poured separately into wooden molds, the profile of which has been routed. Fig 4 shows the cleaning angle mold (20) and the angle (9).

 FIG. 5 represents the mold with anti-overflow beads (21) and the bead (10).

 Figure 6 shows the work plan in section, finished.

 The sink tanks (8) are then glued to the work surface after turning it over, in the rebates (7) -figure 2- provided for this purpose.

 We have taken care to keep tinted resin without hardener during casting to achieve a completely invisible joint.

 Resin will be poured to fill the rebate (7) to form a support reinforcement for the tank (8).

 The cleaning angles (9) will be glued (with preserved resin) to the back and will allow the wall tiles (22) to be placed on them.

 The anti-overflow beads will be glued to the front and held in place by small presses until the glue (resin) dries.

 The, angle fittings, beads and tanks will be made with an orbital sander.

 Polishing with the same machine and appropriate abrasives will finish the plan. You can mount a gloss with polishing paste and cotton.

 A swathed wooden molding (23) will hide the edge of the support (1).

Claims (9)

 1) Process for manufacturing kitchen worktops with incorporated sinks and saucers, as well as bathroom tops with incorporated basins and soap dishes, characterized in that a support (1) is made to the dimensions of the plan wanted. There are plates (2) attached corresponding to the elements to be embedded, it is poured in one piece on the support (1) with tinted and charged polyester resin.  2) A method of manufacturing work plans according to claim 1 characterized in that the savings (2) are re-cut to provide a rebate (7).  3) Method according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that the added elements (tanks, basins, soap dishes) are connected below the plane and come to be embedded in the rebate (7).  4) Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an angle iron (9) is reported at the rear of the work surface in the same casting material and bonded with the same resin.  5) Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an anti-overflow bead (10) is reported at the front of the work surface in the same casting material and bonded with the same resin.  6) Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the resin is loaded with rock powder and chemical colors to imitate marble.  7) Work plan according to the method described in one of the preceding claims characterized in that it consists of a support plate (1), a resin layer (6) in one piece without connection and reported items.  8) Worktop according to claim 7 characterized in that the added elements are sinks or saucers, or basins or soap dishes connected from below the resin and coming to be embedded in a rebate (7).  9) Worktop according to claims 7 and 8 characterized in that the added elements are angles at the rear of the worktop and anti-overflow beads at the front.- Ges elements being of the same resin and glued by an identical resin.