US2126956A

US2126956A - Wall construction

Info

Publication number: US2126956A
Application number: US73084A
Authority: US
Inventors: Royce W Gilbert
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1936-04-07
Filing date: 1936-04-07
Publication date: 1938-08-16
Anticipated expiration: 1955-08-16

Description

Aug. 16, 1938. R. w. GILBERT WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed April 7, 1936 ,frauen oi'f,

'Patented Aug. 16, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE y WALL CONSTRUCTION Royce W. Gilbert, Brookline, Mass.

Application April 7, 1936, Serial No. 73,084

v19 claims. Y- (ci. z2-16) This invention relates to building construction and particularly to an improved wall construction applicable not only to the side walls of a room but also to the ceilings.

The usual wall of a room is constructed of plaster laid on laths. This plaster construction is used almost universally except on very cheap dwelling houses but is expensive by reason of the cost of the laths, plaster and labor, and "the time necessary to dry the plaster coats. Furthermore,

a plaster wall is liable to crack and fall.

Wall board of many different forms has been used for cheap houses but is objectionable in many respects. It is noisy as it responds like a drum to a blow. 'I'he joints between the wall board panels and the heads of nails that secure the panels to the studding have been objectionably visible heretofore through any surface ornamentation as paint or wall paper. Many wall board panels also warp and creep out of shape.

Notwithstanding the objections to wall boards, the material is attractive for a wall construction by reason of its cheapness and the ease and speed of applying it.

A form of wall board consisting of a short panel or slab, usually of commercial gypsum, about 16' x 48" in width andrlength, and termed gypsum lath, has been employed as a wall and has received a facing of plaster. This type of construction, while presenting some advantages, yet is open to many of the criticisms of the above-mentioned types of walls.

A pre-formed rigid one-piece panel having the dimensions of the wall and capable of being applied to the supporting frame of the room is impractical in the present state of the art because of installation and other diflculties. It is an object of this invention to provide a wall, and especially a facing sheet for the wall, that has as great dimensions as is necessary and practicable so that it can cover the entire face of the wall or as much of the entire face as is convenient, that is initially exible -so that it can be handled readily, and can be in roll form, ii desired, and can be rendered 45 stift in place on the wall to bridge over joints andA 5 a supporting wall structure comprising wall boards of commercial gypsum laths or similar material, laid with confronting edges and overlaid with a broad areared relatively thick facing sheet overlying several or preferably all of the underlying panels and the joints therebetween and attached to the panels by an adhesive which when dry becomes stift and stiiens the facing sheet to such a degree that it bridges over the joints between and depressions in the underlying panels leaving the interior of the facing sheet ileidble to the necessary extent.

Another object is generally to provide an improved wall construction for rooms of buildings.

Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of the interior of a room illustrating the manner of constructing the wall in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail illustrating the joint between a pair of wall board panels and the manner in which the surface felt is applied over the joint.

Fig. 3 is a perspective detail illustrating the wall construction and showing the manner in which wall paper can be applied thereto.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail through the frame of a window and illustrating the outer facing of the felt as a gasket or weather strip between the wall and the window frame.

A series of panels i6, which can be gypsum laths, are secured to the studding or frame members I8 in any usual or suitable manner, the confronting edges of the panels or laths being in approximate abutting relation and forming joints 20 therebetween. The panels are usually longer than their width and can be laid on the studding in any direction that will cover the studding with the least cutting and waste. 'Ihe panels on the Wall l0 are illustrated as being horizontal while on the wall l2 some are horizontal and some are vertical. The joints 20 need not be close although they are preferably no more open than is necessary. If the panels are gypsum laths they are usually approximately 16" x 48" in width and length respectively by 1/2" Vthickness composed of commercial gypsum and enclosed within paper Wrappings 22, as in Fig. 2. The edges, particularly the long edges, may be constructed to provide an interlocking tongue and groove joint 24, although such a joint is not essential to the present invention.

'I'he panels I6 cover the studs I8 preferably to the floor 26 though if desired they may leave a slight gap. The gap may be covered by a base board which will be higher than the gap.

4 In accordance with the present invention the panels I6 are faced with a facing sheet 30 which preferably has as much surface area as is convenient to handle, or suitable, and when applied to the panels, overlies a number ofjoints there between.

y. The facing sheet is characterized by being in v itially flexible so that -it can be handled readily,

and formed into a roll when desired for convenience. The sheet also is such that it is adapted t be stiff enough when permanently attached to the wall so that it presents a smooth outer face exposed to the interior of the room and bridges over the joints between and depressions in the panels while at the same timeI being exible enough to resist without injury a blow that would not harm a plaster wall andrtopermit differential expansion and .contraction of the sheet and the underlying panels.

The facing sheet preferably is relatively thick, say l", and can well be thicker for some purposes. It can also be thinner but preferably is not less than 11;" thick and for most purposes is thicker. .The sheet is a felt sheet and composed preferably largely of cotton rag stock, with some waste paper filler and is conveniently made by paper making methods. Other fibres producing asimilar felt may be used, for example, asbestos. The felt fibres are preferably closely compacted so that the felt is relatively dense as it naturally is when made by paper making methods but yet is flexible so that it can be wound in roll form and will absorb a suitable amount of a cement and a sizing or at least make a tight contact therewith.

' The felt sheet is as wide and long as is convenient and preferably has such dimensions that it overlies the joints between several or all the panels. When the height of the wall corresponds to a width to which the felt sheet can be manufactured conveniently the width of the felt sheet can be approximately the height of the wall,.or the paneled section thereof, so that a single strip .of felt is sufficient to extend from lthe ceiling to under the base board. When the dimensions of the wall and the conveniently available widths of felt do not suitably match, two or more felt sheets may be used, and their confronting edges brought into abutting relation. This construction is illustrated in Fig. l where the ceiling 32 is faced with two facing sheets 30 Ahaving their edges abutted at 34. The joint 34 can be made no more conspicuous than the joint between strips of wall paper.

'Ille felt sheet is preferred to be long enough to cover all walls of the room without jointing except where the ends of the sheet are abutted together. Such a long sheet is impracticable at times, however, and the sheet then can be long enough to extend the length of a wall and terminate in the opposite corners thereof. When necessary or desirable, however, the sheet can be terminated between the corners, as inconspicuous joints can be made in the facing.

The top and bottom edges of the facing sheet can be terminated under a suitable trim, as the base board 33 at the oor anda moulding 35 at the ceiling.

The facing sheet preferably is applied to the wall from a ro1l 36 thereof. In Fig. 1 the facing sheet is wide enough to extend from the ceiling to about three or four inches from the oor 26, where the lower edge will underlie the usual base bOard. Y

The sheet is cemented to the faces of the panels Ii by a cement which forms a hard rigid mass or thick film when solidified. The cement I prefer is sodium silicate, because that is very tacky when laid but will harden in a, very short time and form with the inner surface of the felt and the outer surface of the wall board a stiff sheet, making a firm and-durable union with the gypsum laths, which will conceal the joints and will withstand any ordinary blow. Other cements which will accomplish similar results may be used. for instance, potassium silicate or other cement which can be applied in substantially the manner described and will render the felt in contact with the exterior of the Wall board stiff enough to cover the joints of the Vwall board in the manner described without destroying the flexible nature of the remainder of the felt. Such cements which will accomplish these results to a'considerable degree are well known, for instance, a

' resin called Vinylitef and also certain casein cements but sodium silicate is much the best that I know for my purpose. It seems to be surprisingly good in resisting water as herein used.

A convenient way to apply the felt is as follows. The roll of felt is partly unrolled to provide a short lengthof sheet. The roll is held against the ceiling by an operative, the lower edge of the roll being held away from the floor and the wall. The upper edge part of the felt is aligned with the ceiling -by a second operative and is pressed against the face of the panels to which the cement has been applied. Cement is applied to the panels ahead of the roll as the roll is unrolled, until the roll is entirely unwound and the sheet reaches the oppositecorner of the Wall. The sheet is then pressed smoothly into intimate contact with the wall throughout its area. If the sheet is longer than the length of a wall the sheet is pressed smoothly into the corner by a straight edge or other suitable tool. Obviously other methods may be used for applying the felt.

The facing sheet preferably is unrolled across any openings in the wall, as the door 38 and window 40, the sheet at the door and window being subsequently cut out. While it is possible to form the sheet with openings for the doors and windows prior to the application of the sheet lto the wall this method makes the sheet more dimcult to handle' and is otherwise objectionable so that it is preferred to cover up the openings and afterwards cut out the sheet at the openings. At the frames of the openings, such as the window frame 42, the felt sheet 30 has a part 30a which overlies the inner face of the opening and is subsequently intended to underlie a part 44 of the window casing applied thereover so as to form a nearly wind tight joint between the frame and the Wall. The same construction can be applied to the top and bottom edge portions of the sheet. Thus a tighter wall construction is obtained than is customarily formed by the usual manner with wall board or plaster.

The cement by which the felt' is attached to the panels preferably has a consistency such that it penetrates the inner face of the felt only slightly and hardens therein and thereover and between it and the panels or their wrapping 22 so as to render the felt stiff and capable of bridging over the joints between the panels and also indentations or depressions such as are formed by nail heads and the like without causing the presence of these joints or irregularities to be rendered visible at the outer face of the sheet. The cement, however, should not be too fluid, as it will be absorbed in too great a degree by the felt and thus penetrate the felt sheet too deeply. For a sodium silicate cement a concentration of about 42% solid matter is satisfactory, the remainder belngwater.

I havefound that if the exposed face of the felt is treated with a size such as a hard cut with alcohol the surface will be made uch harder and more wear resistant and will take surface ornamentation readily.

While the facing sheetis rigid to bridge over any unevenness of or opening in the joints bctween and depressions in the panels the inner region of the felt is intended to be relatively flexible. Thus the felt sheet and the panels can come y and go without the facing sheet cracking.

The felt sheet provides a smooth exposed face free from the joints or irregularities of the panel construction and can receive any desirable surface ornamentation. A size should be used which is best suited for the nature of the ornamentation. The size should preferably seal the outer surface of the felt against material from within which might discolor or injure the exterior finish. The sized inner face can be painted or the usual strips of wall paper 46 can be applied thereto, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The joints between abutting edges of the felt sheets can be made unnoticeable since the sheet is of uniform thickness and is cemented to-the face of a panel.

The felt sheet deadens the panels so that they are not as noisy as the panels without the sheet.

The present wall construction is also a good insulation against cold, re and sound. The wall is cheaper in materials and cost of application than any other good nish of which I am aware. It is suitable for the most expensive house and is superior to plaster.

In this specification the term wall board is used broadly to include the usual commercial paper Wrapped gypsum or any sheet suitable for the interior of a wall construction. The invention is described with particular relation to a wall board of commercial gypsum lath as that is the best embodiment of the invention now known to me because of its many advantages but the invention is useable although less satisfactorily with any wall board suitable for a wall partition, for instance, a heavy, stiff pulp wall board or laminated sheet of cellulosic materials. Such sheets should be non-warping and should preferably be fire resistant and water-proofed.

The term felt includes a number of felt sheets.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of my wall construction is that it may be applied to a room of ordinary size in less than a day and the room will be ready for the interior finish to be applied on the next day, Whereas ordinary plaster requires a drying period seldom as short as three weeks.

If this wall construction is injured by leakage of water or otherwise before the exterior finish is applied it may be readily repaired in a few minutes, for instance, by forcing additional cement under the felt and rolling or pressing it into place.

Air bubbles may also be readily removed by withdrawing the bubbles of air or liquid by a suitable tool and then rolling or pressing the felt into place.

Gypsum laths respond to a blow-like a drum. This drum effect is Very objectionable. My invention to a large extent remedies this fault owing to the use of the felt above described.

I claim:

1. A room wall comprised of a multiplicity of juxtaposed blocks providing a jointed wall face, and a broad thick felted wall facing sheet attached to the wall face by a cement which forms a. hard s tliT sheet that stiffens the inner surface of said facing sheet and enables it to bridge ove depressions and joints in the wall face.

2. A wall construction comprising a. plurality of wall panels having confronting edges and a. broad thick felted facing sheet attached to the wall panels by a -cement lwhich imparts stiffness to the inner surface of said facing sheet to enable it to bridge over the joints between the panels.

3. Room wall construction comprising a plurality of panels disposed with confronting edges, a felt covering said panels and attached thereto by acement which hardens to form a stiff sheet, the felt being composed of an originally flexible sheet of fibrous material made rigid by the cement at thesurface confronting the panels, the stiff felt covering and bridging over the joints between and irregularities of the panels.

4. Room wall construction comprising a plurality of panels disposed with confronting edges, a felt covering said panels and attached thereto by a cement which hardens to form a stiff sheet, the felt being composed of an originally flexible sheet of fibrous material made stiff by the cement at the surface confronting the panels, the stiff felt covering and bridging over the joints between and irregularities of the panels, the felt having a ilexible interior. A

5. Room wall construction comprising a plurality of panels disposed with confronting edges, a felt covering said panels and attached thereto by a cement which hardens to form a stiff sheet, the felt being composed of an originally flexible sheet of fibrous material made sti'if by the cement at the surface confronting the panels, the stiff felt covering and bridging over the joints between and irregularities of the panels, the felt having a size on its outer surface and a flexible interior.

6. Room wall construction formed of suitable supporting materials, gypsum sheets attached thereto, a felt covering the sheets and attachedl/ to the exterior surface thereof by a 'cement of sodium silicate which dries to form a stiffl 45 glassy sheet between the felt and the gypsum sheets causing them -to adhere together, the felt being composed of an originally flexible sheet of fibrous material made stiff by the cement at the surface in contact with the gypsum sheets, the felt covering the joints and irregularifies of the sheets.

7. Room wall construction formed of suitable supporting materials, gypsum sheets attached thereto, a felt covering the sheets and attached to the exterior surface thereof by a cement which dries to form a stiff glassy durable sheet between the felt and the gypsum sheets causing them to adhere together, the felt being composed of an originally flexible sheet of fibrous material made stiff by the cement at the surface in contact with the gypsum sheets, the

felt covering the joints and irregularities of the sheets.

8. Room wall construction formed of suitable supporting materials, gypsum sheets attached thereto, a felt covering the sheets and attached to the exterior surface thereof by a cement which dries to form a stiff glassy durable sheet between the felt and the gypsum sheets causing them to adhere together, the felt being composed of an originally exible sheet of fibrous material made stiff by the cement at the surface in contact with the gypsum sheets, the felt covering the joints and irregularities of the sheets, said felt having a` sizing on the outer surface adapting the surface to receive surface ornamentation.

9. Room Wall construction formed of suitable supporting materials, gypsumk sheets attached thereto, a felt covering th sheets and attached to the exterior surface thereof by a cement which dries to form a stiff glassy durable sheet between the felt and the gypsum sheets causing them to adhere together, the felt being composed of an originally flexible sheet of fibrous material made .rigid by the cement at the surface in contact with the gypsum sheets, the felt covering the joints and irregularities of the sheets, said felt having asizing on the outer surface adapting the surface to receive surface ornamentation, and seal the outer surface of the felt against materials which might discolor or injure the surface ornamentation.

10. A wall construction comprising a plurality of resonant wall panels having confronting edges that are disposed in approximate abutting relation, and a broad panel-deadening felted facing sheet adherently united with said wall panels and traversing and being continuous between the joints thereof.

11. A wall construction comprising a plurality of Wall boards having confronting edges disposed in approximately abutting relation, and a felted facing sheet cemented to said wall boards and traversing and being continuous between the joints thereof, said felted facing sheet having a stiff inner face portion that confronts the Wall boards and a relatively yieldable interior portion.

12. A wall construction comprising a plurality of wall boards having confronting edges that are disposed in approximate abutting relation, and a broad felted facing sheet adherently united with said wall boards and traversing and being continuous between the joints thereof, said felted facing sheet having a width approximately coextensive with the height of the exposed face of the wall.

13. A wall construction comprising a plurality of wall boards having confronting edges disposed in approximately abutting relation, and a felted facing sheet cemented to said wall boards and traversing and being continuous between the joints thereof, said facing sheet having a stiff inner face portion that confronts the wall boards and a relatively yieldable outer face portion, said facing sheet having a width approximately co-extensive with the height of the exu posed face of the Wall.

to said panels by a hard drying, non-penetrating cement, said facing sheet constituting anti-drumming means and having an exterior surface adapted to receive surface ornamentation.

16. The method of facing a room wall which is made up of a multiplicity of juxtaposed blocks of resonant material which comprises applying to the face of the wall and across the junction points of the blocks a thick felte'd facing sheet that is initially flexible, and treating the sheet to render its surface in contact with the blocks rigid by attaching the sheet to the wall by a cement which hardens to a stiff durable sheet on the facing sheet which bridges and conceals the irregulari-v ties at junction points of the blocks and forms a wall which damps the resonance of the blocks to eliminate largely their objectionable vibrations.

17. The method of facing a room wall having an opening therein and a window frame in the opening, which method comprises cementing to the face of the wall a facing sheet that is approximately coextensive with the exposed height of the wall, traversing the windowl frame with the facing sheet, and subsequently removing material of the sheet within the opening of said frame to expose the opening in said frame and to leave a part of the facing sheet overlapping said frame.

18. The method of facing a room wall with a facing sheet that is approximately coextensive with the exposed height of the wall and is initially in roll form, placing the roll against the wall with the roll axis vertical, progressively unrolling the roll on the wall, and applying cement to the wall ahead of the roll to cause the sheet to adhere thereto as it unrolls.

19. Room Wall construction comprising the combination of a plurality of panels disposed with confronting edges, and a wall facing comprising a thick felt cemented to and covering said panels, said felt being sufficiently flexible to be stored in roll form and unrolled from the roll in applying it to the wall and sufliciently rigid when on the wall to bridge over and conceal the location of the joints between the panels and to resist without damage the contraction and expansion of the walls and blows that would not damage the usual plaster facing.

ROYCE W. GILBERT.