GB2223250A - Cladding e.g. for fascias; gutters - Google Patents

Abstract

Shingles 4 for cladding a surface e.g. an existing fascia 8 have means 12 on the rear surface for interlocking with a complementary means 10 secured to the surface 8. The means may be snap-action fasteners or hooks. The upper edges of the shingles may have barbs 32 for engaging a recess 34 in the next shingle. The barbs 32 can be frangible to provide width adjustment. Brackets for gutters may be adjustably mounted on the shingle by a peg 48 and slot arrangement. <IMAGE>

Description

CLADDING APPARATUS This invention relates to cladding apparatus.

With buildings such for example as houses, offices and factories, parts of the buildings such for example as soffit boards and fascias are constantly exposed to the effects of the weather and, as a result, they constantly need repainting and they have a tendency to rot. The present invention is based on the realisation that this problem could be avoided by providing appropriate cladding apparatus. The present invention is also based on the further realisation that the cladding apparatus can also be used for cladding other objects, for example for cladding the inside and the outside of other parts of buildings.

Accordingly, this invention provides cladding apparatus comprising a plurality of cladding members, and fixing means for fixing the cladding members to an object to be clad, the fixing means comprising at least first and second interlocking members, and the first and second interlocking members being such that the or each first interlocking member is for securing to the object to be clad, and the or each second interlocking member extends from a rear face of each one of the cladding members.

The precise size and shape of the cladding members may be variedindependence upon the particular objects to be clad. Thus, for example, the cladding members may be tiles, planks or laths.

The precise material from which the cladding members are made can also be varied in dependence upon the precise purpose for which the cladding members are to be used. Thus, for example, the cladding members may be made from a plastics material such for example as polyvinyl chloride, an acrylic material or bakelite.

Alternatively, the cladding members may be made from a metal. Perrous or non-ferrous metals may be employed.

Thus, for example, the metal may be copper or aluminium.

As indicated above, the object to be clad may be an external part of a building. Usually, the building will be a house, an office or a factory. Other buildings may however be clad if desired. The cladding of the external parts of the buildings may give a weather protection facility and/or an aesthetic facility. The use of the cladding members can thus save repainting and rotting of existing parts of the buildings. The use of the cladding members can also give a pleasing decorative effect, for example to modernise old buildings or make them look more pleasant. By way of example, it is mentioned that the external part of the building that may be clad may be a fascia, a soffit, a dormer, a gable or a wall.

Other parts of building can also be clad if desired.

Alternatively, the object to be clad may be an internal part of a building. Any desired and appropriate internal part of a building may be clad. Thus, for example, a wall of a bathroom may be clad with the cladding members.

Preferably, the second interlocking member is formed as an integral part of each one of the cladding members.

In a first embodiment of the invention, the cladding apparatus is one in which the first interlocking member is a male member, and in which the second interlocking member is a female member.

Preferably, the male member is rounded in cross section, and the female member has a complementary concave shape.

The male member may be in the form of an elongate bar. Alternatively, the male member may be in the form of a plurality of separate studs.

The second interlocking member may be in the form of separate clips. Preferably, there are three separate clips on each one of the cladding members.

In a second embodiment of the invention, the cladding apparatus is one in which the first interlocking member is in the form of a clip, and in which the second interlocking member is a male member which is received in the clip.

Preferably, the fixing means includes third and fourth interlocking members, the third and fourth interlocking members being such that the or each third interlocking member is for securing to the object to be clad, and the or each fourth interlocking member extends from a rear face of each one of the cladding members.

The use of double fixing means formed on the one hand by the first and the second interlocking members and on the other hand by the third and fourth interlocking members may provide a more secure fixing of the cladding members to the object to be clad than the use of just single fixing means in the form of the first and the second interlocking members only. Irrespective of whatever type of fixing means is employed, the fixing means should be such that the cladding members will not be dislodged in high winds, or under the weight of rain water in guttering which may be attached to the cladding members.

Preferably, the or each fourth interlocking member is formed as an integral part of each one of the cladding members.

The third and the fourth interlocking members may be complementary hook members. The hook members may be right angle members in cross section.

Alternatively, the or each third interlocking member may be a receptacle, the or each fourth interlocking member then being a barb for being received in the receptacle.

The or each fourth interlocking member may have a plurality of the bars, whereby unwanted barbs can be cut off to enable the cladding member to be of a desired width. Preferably, there are three of the barbs.

The third and fourth interlocking members may be of the same construction as the first and the second interlocking members. Generally, the various interlocking members can be employed in any desired combination. Also, reverse arrangements may be employed so that where male members have been referred to above, these may be female members, and where female members have been referred to above, these may be male members.

Advantageously, a channel may be provided on an outer face of at least soine of the cladding members.

Where the cladding members are to be used for outside cladding, then brackets for guttering or drainpipes may have a complementary part that may be received in the channels on the outer faces of the cladding members. This provides an easy and convenient way of fixing the guttering or pipes in position Where guttering has to have a required fall in order to ensure that the rain water runs away, the channels may be provided with obturator means for controlling the degree with with the complementary parts on the brackets slide in the channels. Thus, the required fall of the guttering can easily be achieved.

The obturator means thus acts as a depth fixing means for the complementary parts of the brackets in the channels.

The cladding members can be made in any desired colour or combination of colours.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of part of first cladding apparatus in accordance with the invention; Figures 2 and 3 are side views of parts of second cladding apparatus in accordance with the invention; Figure 4 is a side view of part of third cladding apparatus in accordance with the invention; Figure 5 is a side view of part of fourth cladding apparatus in accordance with the invention; iigui- 6 ShGN ri iodiiication to the cladding apparatus for the purpose Oi' fixing a gutter; Figure 7 illustrates in r,lore detail how the gutter is secured in position;; Figure 8 also shows in more detail how the gutter is fixed in position.

Figure 9 is a side view of fifth cladding apparatus; and Figure 10 is a side view of sixth cladding apparatus.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown cladding apparatus 2 comprising a cladding member 4 and fixing means 6 for fixing the cladding member 4 to a fascia board 8.

The fixing means 6 comprises first and second interlocking members 10, 12 respectively. The first interlocking member 10 is a male member which is rounded in cross section. The first interlocking member 10 is in the form of a rail which can be held in position by screws 14. The second interlocking member is a female member in the form of a clip. The second elongate member 12 has a complementary concave shape to the rounded cross sectional shape of the first interlocking member 10. Thus the second interlocking member 12 is able to clip over the top of the first interlocking member 10.With the second interlocking member 12 being in the form of a clip, there are preferably three separate clips extending from a rear face 16 of the cladding member 4. The clips are integrally moulded with the cladding member 4 so that they form an integral part of the cladding member 4.

The fixing means 6 also comprises third and fourth interlocking members 18,20 respectively. As shown, the third and fourth interlocking members 18,20 are each complementary hook members which are right angle members in cross section. The third interlocking member 18 can be in the form of a rail or a bar which is secured to the fascia board 8 by screws (not shown).

The fourth interlocking member 20 extends from the rear face 16 of the cladding member 4 and the fourth interlocking member 20 is formed as an integral part of the cladding member 4.

The cladding member 4 can be assembled by first of all locating the fourth interlocking member 20 in an upward motion with the third interlocking member 18, and then pivotting the cladding member 4 in a clockwise manner so that the second interlocking member 12 clips over the first interlocking member 10. The initial upward movement of the cladding member 4 to locate the third and the fourth interlocking members 18,20 is employed so that the cladding member 4 does not have to be raised above the height of the fascia board 8 and thus possibly strike an overhanging gable of a roof of a building which could then stop the third and the fourth interlocking members 18,20 engaging with each other.

The cladding member 4 is provided with an upper section 22 which is curved as shown and which thus rests against the top of the fascia board 18 and is pleasant to look at.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, there is shown a different type of fixing means 6. More specifically, the fixing means 6 comprises first and second interlocking members 10,12. The first interlocking member 10 is in the form of a clip which has a pair of arms 24, with each arm 24 supporting a ball 26. The second interlocking member 12 is in the form of another ball 28 which then presses between the two balls 26 as shown in Figure 3 so that the first and the second interlocking members 10,12 are stuck together by a clip action.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the third and fourth interlocking members 18,20 are constructed to be the same as the first and the second interlocking members 10,12.

Similar parts have been given the same reference numerals for ease of comparison and understanding.

Referring now to Figure 4, there is shown further fixing means 6. In Figure 4, the fixing means 6 comprises first and second interlocking members 10,12 which are basically the same as those shown in Figure 1. However, in Figure 4, different third and fourth interlocking members 18,20 are employed. In Figure 4, the third interlocking member 18 has a receptacle 30, and the fourth interlocking member 20 has three barbs 32. Depending upon the desired width of the cladding member 4, one or two of the barbs 32 can be cut off and the remaining uppermost barb can then be forced into the receptacle 30. Thus the third and the fourth interlocking members 18,20 again operate by a clipping action.

Figure 4 also illustrates how the bottom of the cladding member 4 may be provided with a groove 34 for receiving a barb 32 on an adjacent lower cladding member 4.

This provides an easy interlocking method for interlocking the cladding members 4.

Referring now to Figure 5, it will be seen that the fixing means 6 employed is such that only first and second interlocking members 10,12 are used. The illustrated first and second interlocking members 10,12 are the same as the third and fourth interlocking members 18,20 shown in Figure 1. In Figure 5, the securing of the cladding member 4 in position is strengthened and made more secure by the use of the groove 34 and the engagement of a barb 32 or other male member 36 forming the top part of a lower cladding member 4.

Figures 6, 7 and 8 illustrate how a front face 38 of the cladding member 4 may be provided with a groove 40 for receiving a complementary part 42 on a bracket 44.

The part 42 can then be slid in the groove 40 to locate the bracket 44 in position. Rain water guttering can then be secured in the bracket 44, for example using the clip parts 46 of the bracket 44. In a similar manner, pipes such as drain pipes can be secured in position.

With guttering, it is usually required that the guttering has a required fall in order to ensure that rain water will run away. The required fall is achieved by providing obturator means in the form of an adjuster peg 48 for fitting in holes 50 formed in the groove 40, or formed adjacent the groove 40. By placing the adjuster peg 48 in an appropriate hole 50,a depth to which the part 42 and therefore the entire bracket 44 can slide along the groove 40 can be precisely adjusted to give a required angle of inclination of the guttering.

Referring to Figure 9, there is shown cladding apparatus 2 comprising a cladding member 4. The cladding, member 4 may be in the form of a tile with a groove 52 provided in its rear surface as shown. This groove 52 may receive a male member 54 to form a mortise and tenon joint. The groove 52 is formed as an integral part of the moulded tile 4 and it extends across the rear side 56 of the tile 4 except for an overlap and trimming edge at each end of the tile 4.

A female locking clip 58 may therefore be manufactured separately from the tile. The locking clip 58 may be provided with the male member 54 which can be slid into the groove 52.

The cladding apparatus 2 shown in Figure 9 may be simply and easily manufactured. More precisely, the tile 4 may be manufactured with the groove 52.

The exact position of the groove 52 and the size of the groove 52 will be determined by the general size of the tile 4. The width and the depth of the tile 4 will be taken into consideration when tooling up for production.

The clip 58 will be separately manufactured from the tile 4. The clip 58 will then be fitted to the tile 4 to form a single unit. The fitting of the clip 58 to the tile 4 is easily effected by sliding the male member 54 into the groove 52. The tile (or other cladding member) 4 which is now fitted with the clip 58 can now be fitted on to the male locking bar previously fixed to the fascia, dormer, barge-board etc as described above. Thus the entire fitting operation is simple and easy.

Referring now to Figure 10,there is shown cladding apparatus 2 with a cladding member 4 in the form of a tile. The tile 4 may be formed as a snap lock tile which may be manufactured with a male locking bar 60 or other male locking member provided on the rear side 56 of the tile 4. The male locking bar 60 may be formed during molding of the tile 4.

A female locking clip 58 may be manufactured separately from the tile 4. The female locking clip 58 has a groove 62 for receiving the male locking bar 60.

An anchor rail 64 can be moulded to have a groove 66. The anchor rail 64 may be secured to a fascia board 68 or other appropriate surface such as a former surface, by means of nails or screws 70. The locking clip 58 can then be slid into position with the anchor rail 64 by sliding a male member 72 on the locking clip 58 into the groove 66 in the anchor rail 64, to form a mortise and tenon joint. Thereafter, the locking bar 60 can be pressed into the groove 62 to lock the tile 4 securely to the locking clip 58 and thus securely to the anchor rail 64 and the fascia board 68 or other appropriate surface.

If it is desired to give greater fixing security for the tile 4 or other cladding member shown in Figure 10,then a second set of fittings 58, 60,64 may be employed so that each tile 4 will be held in position by two sets of vertically spaced apart fittings, 58,60,64.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings have been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the fascia board 8 may be made of various materials including plastics material, fibre glass and metals. The fascia board 8 may be another object such for example as a soffit, a dormer, a gable, internal or external walls or other parts of a building. The illustrated cladding member 4 is in the form of a tile and the tile may be square or rectangular. Other shapes for the tiles may be employed. Also, cladding members other than tiles may be employed so that, for example, the cladding members may be in the form of planks or laths.

Fixing means other than those illustrated may be employed.

Where screws are employed, these are preferably non-ferrous screws to avoid rusting problems. Similarly, materials chosen for the cladding members should be such that they do not rust or corrode Fascia tiles may be manufactured with left or right hand overlapping edges. For lap-board tiles or cladding, a female under-edge may be moulded into the tiles. This may be in the form of a double drip edge.

The bottoms of fascia tiles may have various different finishes to suit job specifications so that, for example, the bottoms of the fascia tiles may have a right angle base with a double drip channel, or a flush finish drip channel. Corner fascia tiles may be provided and these may have either male or female sides. The corner fascia tiles may be right angled members. Gable apex tiles may be provided and these may be manufactured with two overlapping female edges. Lap board tiles may be produced to a lap board shape. The various fitting rails, fitting bars or press bars forming part of the fixing means may be manufactured in various desired lengths of, for example, 1.5 metres or 3 metres. It will be apparent from the drawings that various different types of fixing means employed are such as to allow the cladding members 4 easily to be fixed in position. The cladding members may be made in any desired thickness, for example of 3 mm or 5 mm.

When the cladding members are used to clad wood, it will be apparent that the fixing means 6 still walls the wood to breathe. This will help to stop the wood from rotting, as would be the case if the cladding members were to be held in position with adhesives which would effectively cover up the wood and would stop the wood breathing and thus could cause the wood to rot. The illustrated fixing means are also such that the cladding members can easily be removed so that they can be easily varied if a different decorative appearance is required. The cladding members can be produced to be very light so that they will not overload a structure.

Claims (17)

1. Cladding apparatus comprising a plurality of cladding members, and fixing means for fixing the cladding members to an object to be clad, the fixing means comprising at least first and second interlocking members, and the first and second interlocking members being such that the or each first interlocking member is for securing to the object to be clad, and the or each second interlocking member extends from a rear face of each one of the cladding members.

2. Cladding apparatus according to claim 1 in which the second interlocking member is formed as an integral part of each one of the cladding members.

3. Cladding apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the first interlocking member is a male member, and in which the second interlocking member is a female member.

4. Cladding apparatus according to claim 3 in which the male member is rounded in cross section, and in which the female member has a complementary concave shape.

5. Cladding apparatus according to claim 3 or claim 4 in which the male member is in the form of an elongate bar.

6. Cladding apparatus according to claim 3 or claim 4 in which the male member is in the form of a plurality of separate studs.

7. Cladding apparatus according' to any one of the preceding claims in which the second interlocking member is in the form of separate clips.

8. Cladding apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the first interlocking member is in the form of a clip, and in which the second interlocking member is a male member which is received in the clip.

9. Cladding apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims and including third and fourth interlocking members, the third and fourth interlocking members being such that the or each third interlocking member is for securing to the object to be clad, and the or each fourth interlocking member extends from a rear face of each one of the cladding members.

10. Cladding apparatus according to claim 9 in which the or each fourth interlocking member is formed as an integral part of each one of the cladding members.

11. Cladding apparatus according to claim 9 or claim 10 in which the third and the fourth interlocking members are complementary hook members.

12. Cladding apparatus according to claim 9 or claim 10 in which the or each third interlocking member is a receptacle,and in which the or each fourth interlocking member is a barb for being received in the receptacle.

13. Cladding apparatus according to claim 12 in which the or each fourth interlo~king member has a plurality of the barbs, whereby unwanted barbs can be cut off to enable the cladding member to be of a desired width.

14. Cladding apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the third and fourth interlocking members are of the same construction as the first and the second interlocking members.

15. Cladding apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims and including a channel on an outer face of at least some of the cladding members.

16. Cladding apparatus according to claim 15 in which the channel is provided with obturator means for controlling the degree with which complementary parts on gutter slide in the channel, whereby a required fall for guttering is achievable.

17. Cladding apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.