GB2096665A - Edging tile - Google Patents

Abstract

The tile (5) has a contoured formation (7, 8) at one edge adapted to merge with a floor tile (F) when mounted on said tile's upper surface (Fig. 2) and, on its opposite edge contoured formations (9, 10) adapted to merge with a floor tile (F) when butted up to its edge (Fig. 4). The cove tile may be utilized to finish a tiled floor either by mounting on or butting up to the edge of the surface simply by inverting the tile, dependent upon its mode of use. Similarly invertible inside and outside corner pieces for use with the tiles (5) are also described. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tile systems The invention relates to cove or edging tiles and to tiling systems incorporating such tiles.

Cove tiles are utilised at the edges of tiled floors or the like to provide a vertical upstand around the tiled area and provide a neat and attractive finish to the tiled area. Hitherto however it has generally been necessary to provide two forms of cove tile dependent upon whether the cove tiles are to be placed on the upper surface of or butted up to the edges of the floor tiles, It has also been necessary to produce four alternative corner pieces to cater with internal and external corners both for surface mounted and butted up arrangements. The need to produce these alternative cove tiles and corner pieces increases production costs and causes stocking problems due to the need to maintain stocks of different quantities of various components.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate this disadvantage.

The invention provides a cove tile one edge of which is provided with contoured formations adapted to merge with a floor tile when mounted on the upper surface thereof and the opposite edge of which is provided with contoured formations adapted to merge with a floor tile when butted up to the edge thereof, whereby the cove tile may be used to finish a tiled surface either by mounting on or butting up to the edge of the surface by inverting the tile dependent on the mode of use desired.

Preferably the rear surface of thestile at each of said edges, one of which surfaces will form the exposed upper edge of the tile in either position of use, is of convex profile whereby to form a smooth convexly curved junction between the upper edge of the tile and the adjacent wall or like surface in both positions of use.

The formations at the opposite edges of the tile are preferably such as to produce a smooth convexly and/or concavely curved junction between the tile and the upper surface of an adjacent floor tile in either position of use.

Preferably the formations at the opposite edges of the tile project from the general plane of the tile to an extent sufficient to provide a recess behind the tile when fitted in position, the recess serving to accommodate a layer of tile adhesive or cement mortar.

The tile will generally be of elongate rectangular form the formations being provided at the opposite longitudinal edges of the tile which form the upper and lower edges when the tile is in its position of use.

The tile may advantageously be used in association with corner pieces adapted to form a smoothly curved junction between runs of cove tile at corners. Preferably the corner pieces are provided with formations at their opposite ends so arranged that one corner piece may be used to form an inside corner when mounted on the associated floor tiles or an outside corner when inverted and butted up to the floor tiles, and a further corner piece being provided with similar formations whereby to form an outside corner when mounted on the surface of the floor tiles or an inside corner when inverted and butted up to the floor tiles.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective illustration of a cove tile and two alternative corner pieces in one position of use; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through the cove tile on the line Il-Il in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the tile and corner pieces in alternative positions of use; and Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section through the tile on the line IV--IV in Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 1 , there is shown a cove tile 5 in a disposition suitable for mounting on the upper surface of an associated floor tile or tiles. The main body portion 6 of the tile is flat and the lower longitudinal edge is provided with an outwardly directed formation 7 having a convexly curved outer surface 8. The rear face of the tile at its lower edge region is convexly curved as viewed from the rear and the lower region of the tile may thus be seated on the upper surface of an adjacent floor tile indicated at F in Fig. 2 so that the front face of the cove tile forms a smoothly curved connecting surface between the cove and floor tiles.

The formation at the upper longitudinal edge of the tile projects from the plane of the body portion 6 in the opposite direction from the formation at the lower edge and is convexly curved on its front face 9 and concavely curved on its rear face 10. The surfaces 9 and 10 are connected by a vertical edge 11 which abuts against the adjacent wall or the like indicated at W in Fig. 2, the curved surface 9 of the front face of the tile forming a smooth convexly curved junction between the tile and the wall.

Fig. 1 also shows alternative forms of corner piece for use in association with the cove tile, the corner piece 1 5 being used to form an inside corner and the corner piece 16 an outside corner.

For this purpose the corner piece 1 5 comprises two side portions 1 6 and 1 7 having cross-sections corresponding to those of the cove tile, the side portions being tapered to a point at their lower ends and splayed at their upper ends where they are connected by a head portion 1 8. The front and rear surfaces of the corner pieces are concavely curved as viewed in Fig. 1 and the corner piece may thus be placed on the surface of an associated floor tile or tiles to form a join between runs of cove tiles extending at right angles to one another, the concave front surface of the corner piece forming a smoothly curved junction between the adjacent cove tiles and between the corner piece and the floor tiles.

The corner piece 20 is of similar form save that the side portions 21 and 22 are tapered to a point at their upper ends and splayed at their lower ends where they are connected by a foot portion 23.

The front and rear surfaces of the corner piece are convexly curved as viewed in Fig. 1 and the corner piece may therefore be mounted on the surface of floor tiles between the adjacent runs of cove tiles at an outside corner to form a smoothly curved junction between the adjacent cove tiles and between the corner piece and the floor tiles.

Referring now to Fig. 2, this illustrates the same components in alternative positions of use. All three of the components are inverted relative to the positions shown in Fig. 1 and the corner pieces are interchanged so that the corner piece 1 5 is shown at the right hand side of Fig. 2 and the corner piece 20 at the left hand side.

In the position shown in Fig. 2 the edge formation 7 of the cove tile 5 is uppermost and the outer surface, which was the rear face of the lower edge in the Fig. 1 position, is convexly curved and forms a smoothly-curved junction between the outer face of the tile and the adjacent wall surface indicated at W in Fig. 4. At the lower edge of the tile the vertical face 11 is directed outwardly and the curved face 10, which formed the rear surface of the upper edge in the Fig. 1 position, forms the outer surface of the lower edge in the Fig. 2 position. In this position the cove tile may be butted up to the edge of an associated floor tile or tiles indicated at F in Fig. 4 and the surface 10 forms a smoothly curved junction between the cove tile and the adjacent floor tile or tiles.The outer surface of the upper edge also forms a smoothly curved junction between the upper edge of the tile and the adjacent wall so that a generally continuous smooth surface is created from wall to floor.

In its inverted position the corner piece 20 has its tapered region at its lower end and may be butted up to the edges of adjacent runs of cove tiles to form an internal corner in butted relation to the edges of the associated tiles, the foot portion 23 constituting a head portion and the concave face 24 forming a smoothly curved junction between the adjacent runs of cove tiles and the associated floor tiles.Likewise the corner piece 1 5 in its inverted position has its tapered portion at its upper end and the head 1 8 forms a base so that the corner piece may be butted up to the exposed edges of adjacent runs of cove tiles at an external corner in butted relation to the associated floor tiles with the outer convex surface 1 9 forming a smoothly curved junction between the adjacent runs of cove tiles and merging into the associated floor tiles.

It will be noted that in both positions of use a clearance space 25 (Figs. 2 and 4) is formed between the rear surface of the cove tiles and corner pieces and the adjacent wall surfaces. This space 25 forms a recess for the accommodation of adhesive or cement mortar and is dimensioned to permit fixing of the tiles either by adhesive or by cement/sand techniques.

By virtue of the arrangement described a single cove tile may be used for butting or surface mounted fixing simply by inverting the tile, both modes of use presenting smooth continuous lines of junction between the cove tile and associated floor tiles and between the cove tile and the wall or the like. Moreover only two corner pieces are required each of which serves as an inside corner in one mode of use and an outside corner in the other.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For example the shapes of the various formations may be altered to produce different finished effects and the faces of the tile while in most instances being plain may in some cases be provided with formations serving on the exposed face as a means of decoration and on the rear face to assist in keying into the adhesive or cement mortar by means of which the tile is fixed in place. Such formations may also serve as spacers serving to maintain separation between the tiles during production and when stacked for storage or transport. In a further modification the tapered edge of the tile which is lowermost when the tile is mounted on the upper surface of the associated floor tiles may be rounded to minimise breakage and facilitate manufacture.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims (8)

1. A cove tile one edge of which is provided with contoured formations adapted to merge with a floor tile when mounted on the upper surface thereof and the opposite edge of which is provided with contoured formations adapted to merge with a floor tile when butted up to the edge thereof, whereby the cove tile may be used to finish a tiled surface either by mounting on or butting up to the edge of the surface by inverting the tile dependent on the mode of use desired.

2. A cove tile as claimed in claim 1, in which the rear surface of the tile at each of said edges, one of which surfaces will form the exposed upper edge of the tile in either position of use, is of convex profile whereby to form a smooth convexly curved junction between the upper edge of the tile and the adjacent wall or like surface in both positions of use.

3. A cove tile as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the formations at the opposite edges of the tile are such as to produce a smooth concavely and/or convexly curved junction between the tile and the upper surface of an adjacent floor tile in either position of use.

4. A cove tile as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the formations at the opposite edges of the tile project from the general plane of the tile to an extent sufficient to provide a recess behind the tile when fitted in position, the recess serving to accommodate a layer of tile adhesive or cement mortar.

5. A cove tile as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the tile is generally of elongate rectangular form the formations being provided at the opposite longitudinal edges of the tile which form the upper and lower edges when the tile is in its position of use.

6. Corner pieces for use with a cove tile as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, said corner pieces being provided with formations at their opposite ends so arranged that one corner piece may be used to form an inside corner when mounted on the associated floor tiles or an outside corner when inverted and butted up to the floor tiles, and a further corner piece being provided with similar formations whereby to form an outside corner when mounted on the surface of the floor tiles or an inside corner when inverted and butted up to the floor tiles.

7. A cove tile substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A corener piece for use with cove tiles, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1 or Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.