GB2321478A

GB2321478A - Ground for attaching skirting board to a wall

Info

Publication number: GB2321478A
Application number: GB9719030A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Anthony Wright
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-09-09
Filing date: 1997-09-09
Publication date: 1998-07-29
Anticipated expiration: 2017-09-09
Also published as: GB2321478B; DE19841206A1; GB9719030D0

Abstract

A ground (28) for attachment of a skirting board to a wall is a modified hollow box section formed of plastics material. The ground has an upright outer wall (30), to which a skirting board can be affixed, and which is integrally formed with horizontal upper and lower walls (32) and (34). An upright inner wall, integrally formed with the horizontal walls (32) and (34), is divided by a recess (36) to provide upper and lower surfaces (38) and (40) for abutment against a wall. The recess (36) assists in allowing the ground to be securely and stably seated on a wall despite irregularities in the wall surface. The ground is fixed to the wall by means of screws. An upwardly projecting tongue (42) extends from outer wall (30). This tongue (42) acts as a guide for, and restricts the motion of, plaster applied to the wall.

Description

DESCRIPTION GROUND The present invention relates to groundsmembers used in buildings for attachment of a skirting board to a wall.

A known type of wall/floor/skirting board construction is illustrated in Fig. 1 and will be further described below. It utilises a wooden batten, referred to in the building trade as a "ground", which is conventionally secured to the internal face of the wall just above floor level. A layer of plaster is then applied to the wall, extending down to the upper edge of the ground, such that the visible faces of the plaster and the ground form a largely continuous surface against which the skirting board rests.

Typically, to secure the skirting board in this position, wood screws or nails are used which extend through the skirting board and are screwed into the ground.

Problems arise with this known type of construction because of the presence of moisture, particularly in existing buildings having outer walls formed by a single layer of brick (ie walls lacking a cavity).

Moisture is known to penetrate the brickwork of a wall, and to cause the ground to degrade/rot over time. Grounds are chemically treated to resist degradation by moisture, but this does not provide an adequate solution to the problem. One reason why even chemically treated grounds rot is that they are cut to length upon installation, providing an exposed (and not thoroughly treated) end grain region which can absorb moisture. While it is commonly stipulated that the cut ends should themselves be treated by the builder installing the ground, this job is all too often neglected.

A further moisture related problem arises particularly (although not exclusively) in renovating existing buildings. It is common practice during such renovation to install a damp course as a barrier to moisture rising up the wall from below. The wooden ground, being in intimate contact with the wall, can conduct moisture therefrom to its surroundings, thereby allowing the damp course to be bridged - ie providing a route for conduction of moisture which avoids the damp course.

Among the objects of the present invention are the solution or alleviation of the above problems of known grounds.

A further problem is connected with wastage.

Known grounds are supplied in variable lengths of, typically, 2 - 5 metres. Offcuts are frequently discarded, adding to costs. An object of the present invention is to allow reduction in this type of waste.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a ground comprising an elongate member formed of plastics material having a first surface for abutment against a wall and a second surface against which a skirting board can be secured.

A plastics ground may be very much more resistant than a wooden ground to degradation, particularly degradation by moisture, and may be impenetrable to water, thus providing a barrier to ingress of moisture and preventing bridging of the damp course.

The plastics ground may also be formed with sufficient rigidity to remain straight despite being unsupported over a length of perhaps 1 metre or more.

This is helpful in renovation work, because brickwork (e.g. around doors) is often so badly damaged that the ground cannot be secured thereto over lengths of this order.

Preferably, at least one further surface is provided for abutment against the wall, being substantially co-planar with the first surface and separated therefrom by a recess. This formation helps to ensure that the ground is stably seated against the wall of the building despite irregularities in its surface.

The elongate member is preferably a box section or modified box section.

It is particularly preferred that the ground is provided with a projection suitable for engaging with plaster applied to the wall and restraining motion of the plaster.

Formation of the elongate member in plastics makes provision of such a projection particularly straightforward, and the projection can serve to prevent the layer of plaster from moving away from the wall.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a cross section through a known wall/floor/skirting board construction incorporating a known ground; Fig. 2 illustrates in cross section a construction using a different known ground; Fig. 3 is a cross section through a ground constructed in accordance with the present invention; and Fig. 4 is a cross section through a further ground constructed in accordance with the present invention.

The construction illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises an external wall 1 of a building, constructed as a single layer without a cavity. Within the building, during renovation, the floor construction has been excavated and replaced, such that the new layers of the floor construction comprise, in order from the bottom up: i. a lowermost layer of compacted hardcore 3 ii. a layer of blinding 5; iii. an optional insulation board 7, which comprises not only a horizontal layer forming part of the floor construction but also a vertical layer 9 lying against the wall and extending up to floor level; iv. a concrete slab 11; v. a layer of sand/cement screed 13 whose upper surface is at floor level.

An impervious layer of polythene is preferably interposed between layers (iii) and (iv).

The damp course could be of the injected type rather than the mechanically inserted barrier shown, and could be supplemented by chemical treatment of the brickwork above.

The wall itself is provided with a damp course 15 which forms a horizontal moisture barrier just above floor level.

The ground 17 is an elongate batten formed of chemically treated wood, and is secured to the vertical inner face of the wall by means of screws which engage with screw plugs in holes in the wall itself. The ground extends parallel to the floor, but its lower edge is separated from the floor by a moisture inhibiting cavity 19, which is approximately 50mm in height in the illustrated construction.

Because the inner face of a wall is almost invariably somewhat irregular, it is good practice during installation to check the straightness of the ground using a straight edge, and to provide packing between the ground and the wall as necessary to ensure that the ground is straight.

The wall also bears a layer of plaster 21, applied thereto after installation of the ground. The ground thus provides a lower edge for the plasterer to work to, and ensures that the plaster does not reach floor level and so provide a route for conduction of moisture upward from the floor.

The surface of the plaster is, ideally, coplanar with the vertical face of the ground, to provide a continuous surface.

The skirting board 23 is screwed to the ground after application of the plaster, its lower edge being at floor level and its upper edge lying above the ground/plaster interface, which is therefore hidden.

The ground illustrated in Fig. 2 has, in place of the roughly horizontal upper face of the ground illustrated in Fig. 1, an upper face 25 which is inclined, its edge remote from the wall being higher than its edge adjacent the wall. This provides additional security of retention of the plaster against the wall, but in practice this variant is now rarely used due to cost considerations.

The grounds constructed in accordance with the present invention illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 can be used as direct substitutes for the grounds illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The ground 28 illustrated in Fig. 3 is a modified hollow box section formed of plastics material. In this particular embodiment, the plastics is class '0', a material known in the building trade.

The illustrated ground is formed as a single piece, which may be manufactured by moulding or extrusion.

The illustrated ground comprises an upright outer wall 30 to which the skirting board is, in use, affixed and which is integrally formed with generally horizontal upper and lower walls 32, 34. An upright inner wall, integrally formed with the horizontal walls 32, 34, is divided by a recess 36 to provide upper and lower surfaces 38, 40 for abutment against the wall of the building.

By reducing the surface area in contact with the building, the recess 36 assists in allowing the ground to be securely and stably seated on the wall despite irregularities in the wall surface.

Extending along the upper edge of the ground is an upwardly projecting tongue 42, aligned with the outer wall 30.

To secure the ground to the wall of the building, the fitter drills clearance screw holes through the ground and uses screws received in plugs in corresponding holes in the building wall itself. The skirting board is then affixed to the outer wall of the ground using wood screws which are screwed into the outer wall 30 of the ground, this wall being of sufficient thickness and resilience to grip the screws.

As an alternative to use of screws to secure the skirting board to the ground, the skirting board can be adhesively bonded in place. To facilitate this, the plastics material of the ground must be suitably selected and the outer face of the outer wall 30 may also be suitably textured, e.g. by provision of dimples/ridges/etc.

When the plaster is applied to the wall, it becomes shaped around the upper surface of the ground and is held securely against the wall by the tongue 42.

The ground illustrated in Fig. 4 differs from the Fig. 3 embodiment in that whereas in the latter the recess 36 is rectangular, being formed by planar walls, in the former the recess is formed by a curved wall 44 which is concave in cross section.

The illustrated grounds can be straightforwardly bent to form corners, thereby allowing a single member to extend around a corner and helping to minimise wastage in the form of offcuts.

To form corners, the fitter may saw away part of the section, leaving only e.g. the outer wall 30 which can then be bent to a right angle.

Alternatively, an elbowed member engageable with (eg. insertable in) the ground for forming corner points may be provided.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A ground comprising an elongate member formed of plastics material having a first surface for abutment against a wall and a second surface against which a skirting board can be secured. 2. A ground as claimed in claim 1 which is penetrable by fastenings for securing the ground to the wall. 3. A ground as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 having a portion for receiving and engaging with fastenings for securing a skirting board to the ground. 4. A ground as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the second surface is adapted to permit adhesive bonding thereto, being textured. 5. A ground as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4 which is suitable for use with fastenings in the form of screws. 6. A ground as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising at least one further surface for abutment against the wall, the further surface being substantially co-planar with the first surface and separated therefrom by a recess. 7. A ground as claimed in any preceding claim which is hollow. 8. A ground as claimed in any preceding claim in which the elongate member is a modified box section. 9. A ground as claimed in claim 8, wherein one face of the box section is modified by provision of a longitudinal recess to form two separate surfaces for abutment against the wall. 10. A ground as claimed in any preceding claim which is provided with a projection which is suitable, in use, for engaging with plaster applied to the wall and restraining motion of the plaster. 11. A ground as claimed in claim 10, wherein the projection is formed as a longitudinally extending elongate tongue which projects generally upwardly in use. 12. A ground as claimed in claim 11, wherein the tongue is aligned with the second surface. 13. A ground as claimed in any preceding claim which can be cut part way through and then bent to form a corner. 14. A ground as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12, provided with an elbowed member engageable with the elongate member to form a corner joint. 15. A ground substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, accompanying Figs. 3 and 4. Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows CLAIMS

1. A wall construction comprising a ground which comprises an elongate member of plastics having a rear surface which abuts the wall and a front surface which abuts the substantially planar rear face of a skirting board, the ground being secured to the wall, and the skirting board being secured to the ground by means of screws or adhesive.

2. A wall construction as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front and rear surfaces of the ground are planar.

3. A wall construction as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the ground comprises an upright front ground-wall which abuts the skirting board, an upright rear ground-wall which abuts the wall, and generally horizontal upper and lower ground-walls integrally formed with and connecting the front and rear ground walls.

4. A wall construction as claimed in claim 3, wherein the skirting board is secured to the ground by screws which are screwed into the front ground-wall, which is of sufficient thickness and resilience to grip the screws.

5. A wall construction as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the skirting board is secured to the ground by adhesive bonding, the front surface of the ground being textured to facilitate such bonding.

6. A wall construction as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the ground is provided with a tongue which extends longitudinally of the ground and which projects upward to engage with plaster applied to the wall and restrain motion of the plaster.

7. A wall construction as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the ground comprises two mutually substantially co-planar rear faces in abutment with the wall separated from each other by a longitudinal recess.

8. A wall construction as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the ground has been cut part way through and bent to form a corner.

9. A wall construction as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, comprising a corner joint formed by an elbowed member engaged with two parts of the ground.

10. A wall construction as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the skirting board is wooden.

11. A ground suitable for use in a wall construction as claimed in any preceding claim.

12. A ground comprising an elongate member formed of plastics, having a rear surface for abutment against a wall and a substantially planar front surface against which a skirting board can be secured.

13. A ground as claimed in claim 12, the front surface of which is penetrable by screws for securing the ground to the wall.

14. A ground as claimed in claim 12, the front surface of which is adapted to permit adhesive bonding of the skirting board thereto, being textured.

15. A ground as claimed in any of claims 12 to 14, the elongate member being a modified hollow box section.

16. A ground as claimed in any of claims 12 to 15, provided with a longitudinally extending elongate tongue, projecting generally upwardly in use for engagement with plaster applied to the wall to restrain motion of the plaster.

17 A ground as claimed in any of claims 12 to 16 which can be cut partway through and then bent to form a corner.

18. A ground substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, accompanying Figs. 3 and 4.