GB2519324A - Covering - Google Patents

Abstract

Edging for building interiors comprising an elongate backing panel 4, for attachment to a wall, and an elongate facia panel 6. The panels are provided with engagement members, such as tongues 16 and grooves 18, arranged so that the panels can be releasably attached together, and so that the facia panel is adjustable in a direction towards the backing panel. The facia panel comprises an elongate upper edge 26 that extends above the upper edge 10 of the backing panel. The facia panel will then be adjusted until the upper panel abuts the wall, allowing the edging to meet the wall even when it is uneven. The backing panel can comprise a flange 14, which the facia panel is aligned or abutted with before being pushed towards the wall. The edging is adapted so that there is a space 30 between the two panels, to allow trunking for cables, pipes or other service members. The backing panel comprises mounting members 22, 28 to receive and secure the service members and can further comprise a lid (42) to prevent access. The invention relates to such edging which is cost effective and simple to install.

Description

Edging for Building Interiors The present invention relates to edging for building interiors, such as is often provided as decorative skirting around the lower edge of a wall, covering the join between the wall and the floor, or as architrave around a feature such as a door, for example to cover the join between the wall and the door frame. The invention also relates to edging which is adapted to serve additionally as trunking for cables or pipes or other elongate service members, which need to be routed through a room but which are required to be hidden.

In particular the invention relates to such edging which is cost effective and simple to install.

A problem with installing skirting board or architrave is that there can be small gaps formed between the edge of the skirting board and the floor or wall surface, particularly where the floor or wall surfaces are not perfectly level or perpendicular to each other. In such cases a finishing treatment such as silicon beading may be required to give a desired finish. Furthermore in the construction of prefabricated buildings it is required to provide skirting which is quick and easy to install.

A discrete cover or trunking is also frequently required for services such as electrical cables or television aerial cables or pipework running around the outside of a room or around a feature such as a door. It is known to provide a hollow skirting board profile which may be fitted to the bottom edge of a wall to provide a space for this purpose.

However such trunking is often bulky and unattractive, and also needs to be constructed and installed using specialist knowledge, skills or tools. Many people however prefer to carry out interior decoration and other minor repairs or tasks around their home, such as laying aerial cables, or re-decorating a room, themselves.

There is therefore a need for a simple system for providing aesthetic trunking or edging, which is easy to install and which is suitable for diy' use. The present invention aims to address these problems.

According to the present invention, there is provided edging for building interiors, the edging comprising: an elongate backing panel for attachment against a wall, and an elongate facia panel, the panels having cooperating engagement members arranged to releasably secure the facia panel over the backing panel with an elongate upper edge of the facia panel extending beyond a corresponding elongate upper edge of the backing panel and towards the wall, the engagement members being arranged such that the position of the facia panel is adjustable in a direction towards the backing panel, so that the first edge of the facia panel abuts the wall.

Thus the backing panel may be simple attached to the wall for example by screws or glue, and the facia panel may be clipped on. This may be done as a diy' job without the need for specialist tools or knowledge. If the wall is not perfectly flat or level, the facia may be pushed towards the wall until the top edge is snugly against the wall, and may be retained there by the engagement members, in order to reduce or eliminate any unsightly gaps. For example, the engagement members may be arranged to cooperate when a lower edge of the facia panel is aligned with or abutted against a lower edge of the backing panel, and to engage and retain the facia panel when it is pushed towards the backing panel, with further movement towards the backing panel causing the facia panel to be retained in a position closer to the backing panel, until the required position is attained.

The edging may be arranged to house at least one elongate service member, with a trunking space formed between the backing panel and the facia panel, and comprising at least one mounting member receivable in the space and attachable to the backing panel, the mounting member being arranged to retain an elongate service member in the space. Thus the mounting members may be inserted to engage and retain cables or pipes as required, before the facia panel is clipped on.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided edging for building interiors, the edging being arranged to house at least one elongate service member, the edging comprising: an elongate backing panel for attachment against a wall, and an elongate facia panel, the panels having cooperating engagement members arranged to releasably attach the panels together thereby to define a trunking space between the panels, and at least one mounting member receivable in the space and attachable to the backing panel, the mounting member being arranged to retain an elongate service member in the space.

Preferably the facia panel has a width or height between upper and lower edges thereof which exceeds that of the backing panel, so as to cover the backing panel from view in use. Since the rear panel is hidden from view the appearance thereof is not important, and thus it may for example be made of recycled plastic.

The facia panel is preferably also made of a resilient plastics material, so as to be able to accommodate undulations in the wall surface, and may also be covered to provide a required finish. For example, the front panel may be foil wrapped which may provide a textured finish such as a wood effect, for example selected to match a flooring material such as a wood floor.

The facia may comprise a substantially flat face extending from a first or lower longitudinal edge, and a profiled face extending at an angle from the flat face adjacent a second or upper edge for extending towards and abutting the wall. The faGia may have a decorative profile such as is known for skirting board or architrave profiles.

Preferably, the backing panel comprises a substantially planar back plate terminating along the first longitudinal edge of the panel with a flange which extends substantially perpendicular to the plate. The facia panel is arranged to be substantially coterminous with the backing panel at the first edge when attached thereto, so as to abut the flange.

Thus in use as a skirting board at a junction between a wall and a floor of a building interior, the flange may simply be placed against the floor with the plate against the wall, and the backing panel may be secured in place. Upon attachment, the facia panel will thus be fitted in the correct position abutting the floor.

Alternatively, the flange may be provided at the first edge of the facia panel, in particular where the edging is to be used as an architrave such that the flange will be visible.

Preferably the cooperating engagement members comprise at least one tongue extending from one of the backing panel and the facia, and at least one corresponding groove provided on the other. For example the groove is provided at the end of a protruding arm extending in a direction across the space.

The tongue and/or groove may be elongate and continuous along the lengths of the panels, or may be broken. The tongue and/or groove may have teeth to provide grip so that the distance over which the tongue extends into the groove is adjustable, and the tongue may be retained at that distance, so that the facia panel may be pushed tight onto the backing panel.

There may be two such tongue and groove pairs spaced apart across the width of each panel and defining the gap therebetween. The mounting member(s) may be arranged to fit closely within the gap, and conveniently may be attachable to the backing panel by snap fitting into the gap. The mounting members may comprise pipe clips or cable clips.

The clips may include at least one shaped recess corresponding to the shape of the service member such as a pipe, so as to provide a snap fitting for the pipe. Alternatively the clips may simply provide a channel which can be opened and closed to house the service members such as electrical cables. In some embodiments, the clip may be a hinged member attached to the backing panel.

The edging may also comprise at least one corner piece for joining adjacent lengths of the edging at an angle such as in a corner of the room. Preferably the corner piece comprises two short lengths of facia panel mitred together and at least one engagement member for securing the corner piece to at least one of a backing panel or a facia panel of the edging.

Thus there is no need for the person installing the edging to create a mitred joint in the edging panels. Furthermore the corner piece may overlap the ends of the edging panels so that there is no need to cut them to an exact size. Preferably the engagement member allows the corner piece to be clipped onto one or both edges of the edging panels. The corner piece serves to link the spaces in adjacent edging providing a continuous length of edging. Such a corner piece may be lifted off when removing the skirting, exposing the cut edge of the facia panel, which may then be pulled away to disengage from the backing panel without the need to lever off the facia panel which may cause damage.

The edging may be provided as a kit comprising at least one length of the backing panel, at least one length of the facia panel, and a plurality of clips. For example, the customer may select a facia of a required size and/or shape and/or decorative finish, and may also select clips of the required type for the services to be housed by the edging, or may select a backing panel incorporating such a clip. The kit may also comprise at least one corner piece as required.

The edging may be used at the junction between a wall and a floor as a skirting board, or may be provided elsewhere such as edging around a feature, for example architrave round a door. In this case the backing panel may be shaped to correspond to an existing architrave profile so as to fit over an existing architrave.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a edging comprising a skirting board according to one embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the skirting board of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a mounting member in the form of a pipe clip; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the pipe clip of Figure 3 mounted to the skirting board; Figure 5 is a perspective view of an alternative mounting member in the form of a cable clip; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the cable clip of Figure 5 mounted to the skirting board; Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the mounting members of Figures 3 and 5 mounting on a backing plate of the skirting board; Figure 8 is a perspective view of adjacent lengths of the edging joined at an interior and an exterior corner; Figure 9 is an inside perspective view of the outside corner of Figure 8; Figure 10 is an inside perspective view of the inside corner of Figure 8; Figure 11 is an outside view of an alternative inside corner member; Figure 12 is another inside perspective view of the corner member of Figure 11; and Figure 13 is a perspective view of the corner member of Figure 11 joined to a facia panel; Figure 14 is a side view of a backing panel according to another embodiment of the invention; Figure 14a is an enlarged view of pad of the backing panel of Figure 14; Figure 15 is a perspective view of the backing panel of Figure 14; Figure 16 is a perspective view of a cable clip according to another embodiment of the invention; and Figure 17 is a schematic side view of an edging according to a further embodiment of the invention.

Referring firstly to figures 1 and 2, the edging is in the form of a skirting board 2 comprising a backing panel 4 for attachment to a wall and a decorative facia panel 6, both of which are elongate in shape. The backing panel 4 comprises a planar rear plate 8 which can be attached to the bottom edge of a wall. The rear plate 8 has a first lower edge 12 and a second upper edge 10. At the lower edge 12 a flange 14 extends substantially perpendicularly, for resting against the floor. The backing plate may thus be seated at the junction of a wall with the floor, and the panel 4 can be attached to the wall using any convenient attachment method known in the art such as screws or glue.

The backing panel 4 includes a pair of spaced engagement members in the form of elongate arms 16 each extending along the length of the panel 4 and including a groove 18. The engagement members are provided spaced from the first edge 12 and closer to the second edge 10 respectively. Each groove 18 is formed between opposing lips 20.

The inner surface of each lip is provided with a plurality of closely spaced teeth 22.

The facia panel 6 has a substantially flat front plate 24 extending from a first edge 25, and an upper profiled part 26 for extending back towards the wall so as to resemble the usual profile of a skirting board or architrave. For example, the upper part 26 may comprise an angled shaped part 27 angled away from the flat plate 24 terminating in a strip 31 extending perpendicularly of the flat plate 24 to meet the wall.

The facia 6 is wider than the backing panel 4 so that the upper profiled part 26 extends beyond the second edge 10 of the backing panel and hides the backing panel in use.

The facia includes a pair of engagement members in the form of tongues 28 each extending along the length of the panel and spaced apart so as to cooperate with the grooves 18. The tongues and grooves are positioned respectively such that the lower edge 25 of the facia 6 abuts the flange 14 of the backing panel 4 when the tongues are fitted into the grooves. The tongues 28 are also each provided with closely spaced teeth 29 for meshing with the teeth 22 in the grooves 18.

When connected together, the panels form a space 30 between the panels with a gap 33 bounded by the spaced pairs of engagement members 22, 28. Referring also the figure 7, the gap 33 can accommodate a mounting member such as a pipe clip 32 or cable clip 34, the mounting members conveniently being removable.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the pipe clip 32 includes a pair of recesses 36 each shaped to receive a pipe, for example being part circular in cross section. For example the clip is formed of resilient material such that the recesses are arranged to be a snap fit with a pipe. The clip 32 has a body 38 having a length corresponding to the gap 33 between the arms 16, so that the clip may be push fitted between the arms. The body 38 has an angled surface 39 at each opposite edge, and a tooth 41 for retaining the clip behind the lips 20 when pushed into place. A plurality of clips 32 may be mounted spaced at intervals along the length of the panel in order to support an elongate pipe to be hidden.

Similarly, referring to Figures 5 and 6, a cable clip 34 has a rear body portion 40 and a front body portion 42 which are joined by a hinge 44. The front portion 42 has a hook 46 which clips over a ridge 48 on the body portion opposite the hinge to form a channel 50 for receiving one or more cables. Similarly to the pipe clip, the cable clips may be mounted at intervals in the gap 33 between the engagement members, in a manner illustrated in Figure 7.

Pipe clips 32 and/or cable clips 34 may be provided in different sizes to accommodate various different pipes and/or cables, or different numbers of pipes and/or Gables, or a combination of pipes and cables.

The edging may be supplied with inside and/or outside corner pieces 52, 54 for joining adjacent pieces of edging which meet at an angle; commonly a substantially 90 degree angle in the corner of a room. As shown more clearly in Figure 12 in relation to an alternative outside corner piece 64, the corner pieces each comprise two faces 56, 58 each comprising a short length of facia joined together at an angle, for example a right angle, in the manner of a mitred corner.

The faces 56, 58 are each shaped so as to correspond to the profile of the facia panel of the edging, so as to abut against the end of a facia panel as shown by the outside corner 52 in Figure 8, or preferably is shaped so as to fit closely over the profile of the edging facia panel, as shown in the case of the inside corner 54 in Figure 8. The corner may include a ridge 59 provided near the end of each face 56, 58 to facilitate placement of the corner piece abutting an end of the facia.

In one example, shown in Figures 9 and 10, the corner pieces 52, 54 include tongues 60, 62 corresponding to those provided on the edging facia panel, for clipping into the spaced grooves 58 of the backing panel in the manner described above. Referring to Figures 11 to 13, in another example the corner piece comprises a pair of spring members 66 mounted in spring holders 67 such that the spring members extend from the edges of each face 56, 58. The springs 66 are arranged to be displaced from the positions of the tongues 28 of the facia panels 6, for retaining the corner piece 64 by frictional engagement with the inside of the facia panel 6, as shown in Figure 13.

In use, the facia panels may be cut just short of the corner, for example by a length corresponding generally to the size of the corner piece 52, which can then be slotted into the gap. Alternatively the corner piece 54 may clip over the edges of the facia panels slightly overlapping the edges.

With this arrangement, if the edging is to be removed, the corner pieces may be popped' out, and it will then be possible to remove the facia panel by pulling on the exposed cut end, without the need to insert a tool behind the top of the panel which could damage the panel and/or the wall.

Figure 14 shows an alternative backing panel 60, which incorporates a cable clip. In this embodiment, a hinged flap 62 extends along the length of the panel 60, and is attached to one of the arms 64 carrying the groove 66 for attaching a facia panel, by means of a tab 68. The hinge 70 is provided by a line 72 of reduced thickness between the tab 68 and the flap 62. The flap 62 can be opened as shown in Figure 14 to receive a cable, and can be closed by pushing towards the backing panel 60 such that the free end 74 slots into a recess 76 on the underside of the other arm 78.

Referring now to Figure 16, another cable clip 80 is shown. The cable clip 80 is similar to that shown in Figure 5, except that it includes a divider 82 extending across the cable receiving space 84. This clip 80 is suitable for carrying cables which need to be separated from each other on either side of the divider 82; for example high and low voltage cables such as internet/phone cables and mains cables.

Although the edging has been described in relation to skirting board, it could equally be used as architrave around a feature such as a door. In such a case, the perpendicular flange 14 along the first edge could be provided as part of the facia panel 6 instead of the backing panel 4, since in this case the flange 14 would be visible.

Referring to Figure 17, and edging suitable for use as architrave is shown. In this embodiment, the backing panel 86 is shaped so as to correspond to the profile of a decorative architrave, so as to fit over and rest against it. The facia panel 88 has a corresponding shape with edge walls 90, 92 which are arranged to cover the backing panel 86 once in place. The engagement means may be a pair of tongues 94 and grooves 96 as already described above.