US1659056A - Method of producing a decorative wall covering - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 14, 1928.

A. D. SIMMONS METHOD OF PRODUGING A DECORATIVE WALL COVERING Filed May 3, 1925 'lsannm use other materials not as pliable or flexible Patented Feb. 14, 1928.

UNITED STATES ALBERT D. SIMMONS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO;

METHOD OF PRODUING A DECORATIVE WALL GVEBING.

Application filed- May` 31,

more particularly pointed outin the claims.k

In general my object is to provide a method which will permit an artist or skilled crafts'- manto create and produce in a facile way a covering for walls and ceilings having an artistic design or ornamentation iny relief and various. colors, using a plastic medium having Seli-'hardening properties and taking certain steps in sequence enablino` the artist to stroke and remove` portions o one or more coats of that medium while still elastic including parts of a sub-layer of the same medium which has attained a set or become hard previously. My improved method also permits such an ornate wal-l covering to be produced by hand in the shop or studio, the product possessing when finished, a ydecorated surface resembling stippled'or hand modeled plaster, portions of the design being in relief or elevated and of different shadeor color than the depressed port-ions. The decorated surface is hard although -flexible in slight degree when the back or body of the product is made of. woven fabric, such as ycanvas or duck, so that the finished productmay be handled freely, and transported or shipped without damage or breakage, and mounted upon a finished interior wall or ceilingand permanently aliixed thereto by any suitable adhesive or aste. A building wall so ldecorated emodies` the actual hand work of the artist, but the cost and expense is'greatly reduced and the work itself may be more artistically" executed and expedited because made in the shop or studio and not underthe handicaps and 'delays incident to building operations. In the accompanying drawing, Fig. l is a front elevation of a small panel or piece of decorative covering made according to my improved method or process. Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing portions of the superposed layers or coatings of the design removed,`and Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the product greatly magnified or enlarged.

In practicing this method of producing an ornamental or decorative Wall covering,` I prefer to use strips or sheets of woven material, such asa heavy canvas, as a base or mounting for the ldecorative surface. I may 1926. Serial No 106,288.

as canvas, Vbut canvas or duckprovides ya' strong 'and durable body vhaving a woven surface to which a plastic medium such as I use `will strongly adhere although the woven:

body'lis rendered less pliable and flexible b such medium whenk it sets and becomes har Thus, Il firststretch the canvas A perfectly flat upon a flat-board or base member B, usingtacks 2 o-rjanysuitable means for fasteningthe edgesxof the canvas detachably in place. The exposed surface of the canvas isvthen treated to make it more or less impervious to the water contained in the compounds applied subsequently and the treatment also makes the surface smoother, as well as to prevent buckling or wrinkling during and after tooling operations. For that purpose I may give the woven surface a coat C of lead and oil paint, or one or more coats of any other suitable sizing compound comprisinga pigment, lithopone, or a varnish. Then the vsizing coat is dry, I apply a coat or layerY D of wet plastic com-k pound smoothly thereto, for example a conipound comprising ak mineral base, casein and an alkaline substance, mixed with coloring matter and water toy form a'thick fluid, paste or plaster adapted to take a Lquick set and harden when dried.` I d'o'inot limit myself to any specific composition, but the mineral base may be powdered tale, the casein maybe treated with soda ash, and lime, alum and clay may be included. Another compound which may be used consists of a preponderating amount ofy powdered mica and china. v clay, a lesser amount of casein,- and small l amounts of borax,`lime and oxide of zinc. The composition may be tinted, deeply colored, or plain white, and after acoat of thiscomposition has been applied over the sizing coat it is allowed to dry, or is thoroughly. .dried by the application of heat,

whereupon it becomes hard and stiff but` sufiiciently homogeneous to withstand bending in a limited degreelwithout cracking or peeling. f

Inasmuch as the kconmoosition has been mixed with water it will absorby a smally i amount of water after it has been dried, and

this inherent property is. advantageousfin Y practicing the next-steps inthe method or process, which consistsfinapplying a second coat E of the same compound, but inra contrasti-.ngy tint or color, upon the previous coat. Insomeinstances the rst composition coat or ylayer may be smoothlyk finished by sand paper, or it may be, stippled or tooled with a design before it has-fully hardcned. The second composition coating covers the first completely and a part of its water content penetrates the hard surface of the first coating to some extent and tends to soften the same so that both the top and bottom composition coatings may be tooled together in the following manner: Thus before the second or top coating sets or becomes hard and while it is still wet and sticky any desired ornamental design or arytistic representation is outlined on the top surface, preferably by laying a perforated paper pattern of the design upon the top coat and pouncing charcoal through this perforated sheet.' The top coat, being wet and `more or less sticky, a thin coatlfv of dry powder is dusted or lightly applied over the to-p surface. This powder is preferably made of the same materials as the top coat itself. 'llhe perforated paper pattern may then be removed without tearing it where wealr or closely perforated. rllhe artist then reproduces the design by removing portions of the top composition coat while it is still soft, using various tools and instruments adapted to scrape and lift the moist material apart from the bottom coating which is harder and of a different tint or color. By applying sucient pressure to the tool, for example a tool as delineated having a vwire loop 3 to scrape the compound free, a portion 4 of the bottom coating or layer is skinned or removed in addition to the top layer, due to the softening influence of the water absorbed from the top coat, thereby effacing in substantial degree the top coat or layer ofdifl'erent color and producing hand tool marks with embellishing effect in the bottom layer of contrasting color. The parts of the top coat which are not scraped are hoinogeneously united with the botto-m layer and this part of the design is displayed in bold relief in contrasting color to the de pressed design or sunlr gure, and both small and large sunken areas are involved dependent upc-n the artistic e'ect to be produced, even to fine lines and scratches corresponding to finely etched surfaces. In producing a large design or in Working on large areas it is necessary to cover the unworked area with a damp cloth to prevent the second coating or layer of composition materials from hardening, thus retarding the solidifying tendencies of the composition in part while the artist uses the etching tool on the uncovered plastic portions of the work. When the design is completed the entire decorated surface may be trimmed, and affixed at any time to the surface to be y decorated.

Additional steps may be taken to produce a more elaborate design involving many different colors, by repeating the steps either vassente in part or whole as hereinbefore described For example, after the second coat has been applied and portions thereof removed to producea design in relief in two colors, one

or more additional coatings of the same com- 7H positionb'ut of diderent tints or colors may be applied and tooled in the same Way to uncover portions of the tooled design underneath. The plastic material may be applied by a brush and a finishing effect obtained by trowel, hand or other device, and portions of one treated surface may be built up and Worked in two or more colors ,Without necessarilyvcarrying the same design and combination of colors throughout the entire decorated area. For example, say a double layer of the desired composition has been applied to the canvas backing and a design or ornamental gure has been .developed in relief in contrasting colors as described, I may apply a third coat ofthe same composition in a still different tint or color to either the raised figure. or to the depressed figure, or additional different layers to each, and then tool and remove portions of the third coat in the same way as described, thereby ob taining a multi-colored design or figure with the contrasting parts thereof at various elevations or in variable relief. Finally a protecting coating of varnish or clear lacquer may be appliedto the tooled surface after the composition product has hardened, if desired. i

What I claim, is:

l. A method of producing a pliable decorative wall covering, consisting in superposing separate water-mixed plastic coatings of self-hardening compositions of `different color and softenable by water upon a ilexible base member and in removing portions of the top and lower coats while said top coat is still plastic and while the lower coats are slightly softened by water of the topy coat entering into said lower coats to produce a vari-colored design in relief thereon.

2. A method of producing a pliable decorative Wall covering, consisting in applying a water-resisting material to a woven fabric, in applying a water-mixed plaster composition having hardening properties andsoftenable by water over said coating and drying the same; in applying a second water-mixed coating of plastic composition having hardening properties over said first plaster coating; in tooling a design in relief in said superposed coatings after the water of said second coat has slightly softened said first coat by removing plastic portions of said coatings from each other and their common base; and finally drying and hardening said tooled surfaces.

3. A method of producing a pliable vdecorative wall covering, consisting in superposing separate coats of self-hardening Water-mixed plastic compounds of diiierent color upon a Wovenrfabrc covered with a water resisting material and While the top coat is still wet and plastic and the lower coats softened by the Water of the top coat,

Vapplying a thin coat of dry powder over the top coat n laying a perforated pattern of a design thereon; in pounoing colored powder through said pattern; and in tooling the wet ture.

ALBERT D. SIMMONS.

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