GB2346404A - Applique architrave having a split lintel-piece for application to an existing opening, for example a window opening or doorway - Google Patents

Abstract

An appliqu architrave (11) for application to an existing opening, for example a window opening (figure 9) or doorway (14), has a lintel-piece (12), split into two or three sections (12L, 12C, 12R), which can be designed to accommodate openings of different widths. The sections may incorporate decorative design features which, when projected towards each other, should be parallel or aligned. Descenders (18), which can extend down either part (figure 4) or the full height of the opening, may also be incorporated in the lintel-piece (12) of the architrave (11). The appliqu architrave (11) is preferably constructed from a fibre, fibreglass or plaster-type moulding and may include an adhesive backing for easy application.

Description

ARCHITECTURAL AND pECORATIVE APPLIQUE This invention relates to architectural and decorative applique.

Applique relief or bas-relief mouldings are known, and are available in various formats for professional and/or DIY use. Among such may be numbered wall panelling, which may completely enclose an area of wall or which may merely comprise decorative corner, ceiling panels, usually in the form of ceiling centres or ceiling rose surrounds and coving.

Such moulding can be applied without (except for consideration of scale) very much reference to the sizes of adjacent or related features. Some features, however, for example doors, windows and other openings, being variable in size, would require either to be made in an uneconomically comprehensive range of sizes or to be trimmable down from a largest size to fit all smaller sizes, which would impact adversely on design possibilities.

The present invention provides applique architrave, not subject to these problems.

The invention comprises applique architrave for an existing opening comprising a split lintel-piece.

The split lintel-piece may comprise two, three or more sections.

The section can be arranged with their outer ends properly disposed with regard to the opening, with a central spacing (which may accommodate a third piece or further pieces) dictated by the width of the opening.

The split lintel-piece may be so designed as to accommodate a range of lintel widths whilst maintaining objective design integrity. Over a predetermined wholewidth range, facing parts of right and left hand sections of the split lintel-piece may have design features which, projected towards each other, align or are parallel, to all intents and appearances. Where there are right, left and centre sections, facing parts of the right and, respectively, left hand sections and the centre section of the lintel-piece may have design features which, when projected towards each other, align or are parallel to all intents and appearances.

The architrave may also comprise descenders from the lintel-piece, which may be full opening height (i. e. reach down to ground or skirting-board level) or part opening height.

The architrave may comprise a fibre moulding such as papier mache, a plaster-type moulding or a fibreglass moulding. It may comprise an adhesive backing for application, which may comprise a contact or pressure adhesive, which may have a release-paper protection : The architrave may be adapted for outlining an existing architrave, or for underlining or replacing or covering an existing architrave.

Embodiments of applique architrave will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an elevation of a doorway with an applied architrave; Figure 2 is an elevation of the upper part of a doorway with an applied split lintel-piece; Figure 3 is an elevation like Figure 2, of the same lintel-piece on a narrower doorway ; Figure 4 is an elevation of the upper part of a door with a split lintel piece and part height descenders; Figure 5 is an elevation showing an underlined architrave; Figure 6 is an elevation of the upper part of a doorway showing preparation for application of an applique architrave; Figure 7 is an elevation like Figure 6, with the architrave applied; Figure 8 is a view on arrow 8 of Figure 7; Figure 9 is an elevation of a window opening with a split lintel-piece; Figure 10 is a rear view of part of an applique architrave of the invention; Figure 11 is an elevation of a lintel piece showing another spacing arrangement; Figure 12 is a perspective view of an element of the lintel piece of Figure 11; Figure 13A is an elevation of the element of Figure 12 in one spacing configuration; Figure 13B is an elevation like Figure 13A with the element is a different configuration; and Figure 14 is an elevation of an end of a lintel piece showing an embellishment.

The drawings illustrate applique architraves 11 comprising split lintel-pieces 12.

Figures 1 and 5 show split lintel-pieces 12 having two sections, 12L, 12R.

Figures 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 show lintel pieces 12 having three sections 12L, 12C and 12R.

In each case, the spit lintel-piece 12 is so designed as to accommodate a range of widths of lintel 13, as seen in Figures 2 and 3, which shows the same split lintelpiece 12 arranged over two different width doors 14 (2) and 14 (3).

In this case; the lintel-piece 12 comprises wedge shaped side pieces 12L, 12R and a pineapple shaped centre piece 12C, the side pieces 12L, 12R being profiled, at their edges 12E facing the centre piece 12C, correspondingly to the shape of the pineapple, which latter has a finial 12F with upper edges 15 angled like the wedge side pieces 12L, 12R. For the wider door 14 (2), the edges 15 are aligned with the upper edges 16 of the wedge side pieces 12L, 12R. For the narrower door 14 (3) the finial 12F projects above the point P where the projected edges 16 meet, those projected edges, however, being, in this case, tangential to the circular body of the pineapple centre piece 12C.

Taking Figures 2 and 3 as depicting the widest and narrowest, respectively, lintels 13 of a range for which the design is intended, there will be intermediate widths for which the projected edges 16 will align between the finial edges 15 and tangents, parallel to the edges 15, to the pineapple centre piece 12C and this design will appear aligned or parallel.

Of course, not all designs will involve edges which need to be aligned. The embodiment of Figure 4, for example has stepped horizontal upper edges 16 to the side pieces 12L, 12R which do not need to align with the sloped upper edges 15 of the centre piece 12C. Different lintel widths are accotmodated simply by increasing or decreasing the gaps 17 between the side pieces 12L, 12R and the centre piece 12C.

Figures 1 and 4 illustrate descenders 18 from the lintel-piece 12, those in Figure 1 being the full height of the opening around door 14 (1) in the fashion of columns or plasters standing on mock bases 21 at skirting board 22 level and having mock capitals 12L, 12R rest, then regardable as an entablature.

In Figure 4, the descenders reach only part-way down the sides of the door opening.

Figure 5 illustrates an arrangement in which right and left hand lintel-pieces 12R, 12L are attached beneath an existing lintel 13. Clearly, while a two-part lintel-piece is shown here, three-part arrangements would also be possible.

Figures 6,7 and 8 illustrate an arrangement in which, instead of mouldings being added to an existing architrave, as in other embodiments, part at least of the existing architrave is removed to be replaced by a more decorative arrangement. Figure 6 shows how the existing lintel 13 and parts of the uprights of the door surround are removed, the uprights being sawn through e. g. by a tenon saw.

Descenders 18 are provided with brackets 18c by which they are located atop the sawn-off uprights 61, the lintel-piece 12 being mounted on the brackets 18c and to the wall 62.

Figure 9 shows an arrangement for a window 91 in which a lintel-piece in three parts 12L, 12C, 12R is located above a decorative curtain rail 92. The range of sizes of window is, of course, much grater than the range of sizes of door. However, additional adjustability is available if, as illustrated, the major part of the length of the right and left lintel-pieces 12R, 12L is plain or repetitively patterned frieze 93. Indeed, this may be provided separately from the wedge-shaped sections and centre piece and may simply be cut to the required length. The spacing of the lintel sections 12L, 12C, 12R is then a matter of choosing according to aesthetic proportioning.

The applique may be made in any convenient material-such as papier mache, plaster or glass fibre and, as shown in Figure 10, can be supplied with an adhesive backing 101 with a peel-off (e. g. silicone) paper protection 102. The adhesive can be a contact or pressure adhesive, desirably, however, one which does not bend immediately, in order to give some scope for adjustment after initial placing.

Figures 11,12 and 13 illustrate another method for accommodating different spacing requirements. In this case trapezoidal spacer elements 111 are used which, as best seen in Figure 12, fit in a recess R of central element 12C of a lintel arrangement 12R, 12C, 12L. As seen in Figures 13A and 13B, the elements 111 can be pushed fully home in the central element 12C or drawn out until their edges are flush with the recess R edges. Even then, with certain designs at least, the spacer elements 111 could even be themselves spaced from the central lintel element 12C.

Several such spacer elements, which might be of different sizes, could be incorporated within a DIY pack. The same spacers might, without too much design limitation, be used, simply by turning them over, for right and left hand spacers.

Figure 14 illustrates another, endwise-disposed element 141 which itself, like the centre element 12C of a lintel arrangement, or, absent such a centre element, the right and left hand elements 12R, 12L could have variable spacing from its associated element, and all of the possibilities attaching to central spacing selectability can apply also to these endwise elements 141.

Different architrave sizes might also, of course, be accommodated by providing for sections to be cut off or detached from a widest-case size. Saving guide lines might be inscribed, perhaps on the reverse side of the applique items. Such might be used instead of a variable central spacing or endwise spacings or in addition thereto, the removal of pre-sized pieces being, perhaps, a primary adjustment, with spacing adjustment of a split lintel piece being reserved for fine tuning.

Claims (18)

1. Applique architrave for an existing opening comprising a split lintel-piece.

2. Architrave according to claim 1, the split lintel-piece comprising two sections.

3. Architrave according to claim 2, the split lintel-piece comprising three sections

4. Architrave according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the split lintelpiece is so designed as to accommodate a range of lintel widths whilst maintaining objective design integrity.

5. Architrave according to claim 4, in which, over a predetermined wholewidth range, facing parts of right and left hand sections of the split lintel-piece have design features which, projected towards each other, align or are parallel to all intents and appearances.

6. Architrave according to claim 4 or claim 5, comprising right, left and centre sections, in which facing parts of the right and, respectively, left hand sections and the centre section of the lintel-piece have design features which, when projected towards each other, align or are parallel to all intents and appearances.

7. Architrave according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising descenders from the lintel-piece.

8. Architrave according to claim 7, in which the descenders are full opening height.

9. Architrave according to claim 7, in which the descenders are part opening height.

10. Architrave according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising a fibre moulding such as papier mache.

11. Architrave according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising a plaster-type moulding.

12. Architrave according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising a fibreglass moulding.

13. Architrave according to any one of claims 1 to 12, having an adhesive backing for application.

14. Architrave according to claim 13, the adhesive comprising a contact or pressure adhesive.

15. Architrave according to claim 13 or claim 14, having a release-paper protection.

16. Architrave according to any one of claims 1 to 15, adapted for outlining an existing architrave.

17. Architrave according to any one of claims I to 16, adapted for underlining an existing architrave.

18. Architrave according to any one of claims 1 to 17, adapted for replacing or covering an existing architrave.