GB2126939A

GB2126939A - A trimming guide for wall coverings

Info

Publication number: GB2126939A
Application number: GB08225849A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Stuart Coleman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-09-10
Filing date: 1982-09-10
Publication date: 1984-04-04

Abstract

A trimming guide for use in hanging wall coverings such as wall paper, fabrics, synthetic plastic coverings and the like, consists of a blade (1) having a tapered guide edge (2), the ends (8) of which are preferably rounded. The blade (1) has a second side (3) to which a handle (6) is fastened, the interconnecting sides or ends (4, 5) being preferably inclined toward the second side (3) which is shorter than the guide edge (2). The handle (16) may be detachably or permanently secured to the blade (1) and to facilitate cleaning and to reduce staining or corrosion the blade (1) which is preferably of mild or stainless steel may be given a protective coating. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A trimming guide for wall coverings The invention concerns a guide used in trimming the cut edge of lengths of wall paper or any other wall coverings during hanging.

A particular difficulty when hanging any type of wall coverings which have to be adhered to a surface, such as wall paper, fabrics, polyvinyl coverings and wood chip materials, is to obtain a clean straight edge where the covering is trimmed off, for example against a skirting or cornice or in the angle of two adjoining surfaces. The customary use of a knife or scissors alone tends to produce an inaccurate and uneven result and the present invention seeks to overcome this problem.

According to the invention, a trimming guide comprises a rigid generally rectangular metal blade having a first side which is tapered outwardly towards its edge to form a guide edge and a second side opposite and parallel to said first side, to which a handle is connected.

The two sides of the blade are joined by further sides or ends of the blade and the second side, to which the handle is attached, is preferably but not necessarily shorter than the first, guide edge, in which event the interconnecting sides are inclined accordingly to give the blade the appearance of a truncated triangle.

The metal blade is made for example from mild steel, which may be hardened, or it may be made from stainless steel. Other metals could be used, such as brass or aluminium, generally harder metals are to be preferred since softer metal blades tend to be less satisfactory in prolonged use. Equally the handle may be wood, plastics or rubber and may be fixed to the blade in a detachable or a permanent manner. If desired, the blade may be provided with a coating which reduces friction and contamination, such as polytetrafluoroethylene.

The guide edge of the first side is preferably straight but where desired it can be made with a differently shaped contour for use in particular situations where a straight blade is impractical.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of an example and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a trimming guide in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is an end view of the guide and Figures 3 and 4 are enlarged views of the area indicated respectively by the circles 'A' and 'B'.

As shown by the drawings the trimming guide consists of a blade 1 having a first side or edge 2 and a second side or edge 3 joined by further sides or ends 4 and 5. The first side is tapered to form a guide edge 2 which is, however, not knife edged, to avoid slitting the material to which it is applied in use. The second side or edge 3 is parallel to the guide edge and is somewhat shorter in this embodiment, so that the two sides 4 and 5 taper from the first side to the second side as shown.

A handle 6 is secured to the second side 3, for example by screws 7 whereby the parts can be separated, or the connectoin may be permanent such as by riveting. The blade 1 is preferably of mild steel, the guide edge 2 being ground and honed to the required taper but is important that this edge is rounded and not sharpened so as not to cut the material to be trimmed. The handle 6 is preferably of wood, although it can equally be of plastics or rubber and if desired the blade 1 may be made of stainless steel. To facilitate cleaning and to reduce soiling, the blade may be given a coating of a friction reducing substance, such as polytetrafluoroethylene.

With regard to the size of the trimming guide, in a preferred embodiment of this tool as illustrated in the drawings, the blade 1 has a guide edge 2 which is some 280 mm in length and a second side or back edge 3 which is in the region of 185 mm long, the chord or depth of the blade between the guide edge 2 and the second edge 3 is some 128 mm so that the ends 4 and 5 taper towards the second side or back 3 of the blade at an angle of about 720 to the guide edge 2, the corners 8 being rounded as shown in Figure 3.

The handle 6 is shaped to provide a comfortable hand grip and has a slot in one edge into which th side 3 is inserted, the handle and the blades having holes that come into alignment on assembly to receive the screws or other fastening means 7.

While in the described example the corner angle between the guide edge 1 and the adjacent ends 4 and 5 is stated to be in the region of 720, this angle may be varied to meet the requirements of particular blade shapes. Thus a variety of blades with different profiles and of different blade length with respect to the size of the handle may be adopted and the blades may be adapted to be used with a common interchangeable handle or each may have its own handle to which it is secured.

In use, the wall covering is applied with the necessary adhesive to the chosen surface in an appropriate manner and the guide edge 2 of the trimmer is placed firmly on the line along which it is desired to cut. This holds the material in place and a cutting blade is then drawn along the chosen line against the guide edge, the trimming guide being moved along the line of cut as the cutting is performed.

The inclination of the ends 4 and 5, together with the rounded corners 8 enable accurate cutting of the wall covering, even into tight angles and facilitate an accurate and even cut of the material, regardless of the type of material being used. Extensive tests have demonstrated that the trimming guide of this invention is equally effective on wall papers of all kinds, fabric coverings such as hessian and other coverings. In all cases the cut edge is neat and is accurately located on the chosen line.

The blade 1 of the described embodiment, which may be replaceable in the event of damage, is approximately 1.5 mm in thickness, the width of the tapered guide edge being some 4 mm: the corners 8 are shaped to provide a radius of 6 mm located some 8 mm from the guide edge 2 and some 10 mm from the adjoining end 4 and 5.

The given dimensions are by way of example, so that for individual needs the relative measurements of the blade can be substantially varied. Consequently, depending on the size and shape of the individual blade the dimensions of the corners 8 will also differ from the indicated values.

In every case, the shape and size of the blade can be adapted to meet any desired circumstance while still enabling an accurate result to be reliably attained.

Claims

1. A trimming guide comprising a rigid metal blade having a first side which is tapered outwardly to provide a guide edge and a second side opposite and parallel to said guide edge, to which a handle is connected.

2. A guide according to claim 1 wherein the metal blade is rectangular.

3. A guide according to claim I or claim 2, wherein the length of the first side is longer than that of the second side and the sides of the blade between the first and second sides are inclined inwardly towards the second side.

4. A guide according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the corners at each end of the first side or guide edge are rounded.

5. A guide according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the handle is releasably connected to the blade.

6. A guide according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the blade is'made of stainless steel.

7. A guide according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the blade is coated with a protective material.

8. A trimming guide substantially as -, hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.