Trim paneling with miterless corner joints and related methods

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a paneling system including a first and a second span element each possessing a substantially non-rectangular lateral cross-section and at least one butt end having a surface substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the span element. The paneling system also includes a transition element having a first end defining a first coping profile, the first coping profile being mateable to the butt end of a first span element at substantially a right angle, and a second end defining a second coping profile, the second coping profile being mateable to the butt end of a second span element at substantially a right angle. Also disclosed is a method of installing a paneling system that includes arranging transition and span elements to mate and form miterless corners.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to paneling, and, more particularly, to a system and method of installing trim paneling with corner joints formed without miter cuts. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Generally, paneling systems employ sequentially joined individual paneling elements, which may be used in conjunction with a surface, or are freestanding. For example, casing around a doorjamb includes a number of paneling elements that cover an underlying wall surface. As another example, decorative barriers, e.g. surrounding flowerbeds, typically consist of freestanding panel elements. Further, paneling systems may be employed in a functional manner or as decorative accents. [0003] Decorative panel elements having complex non-rectangular profiles and designed to cover a surface are often referred to as molding panels or simply moldings. Examples of molding panels include crown molding, base molding, chair molding, and cove molding. Moldings are often emplo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] During installation, if necessary, the transition element can be cut between the coping profiles to effectively alter its length. Specifically, the distance between two coping profiles can be increased by making a cut between the coping profiles and positioning one or more span elements between the disjoined portions containing coping profiles. Conversely, the distance between two coping profiles can be reduced by making two parallel cuts in the transition element, removing a middle portion, and joining the portions containing coping profiles. Thus, the invention provides the user with the ability to customize the dimensions of the paneling system. As mentioned above, however, no customization is necessary in order to form corner joints themselves.

[0012] Among other benefits, various embodiments of the paneling system of the invention are easy to install with only limited amount of customization by the end user, while at the same time being easy to manufacture by limiting the number of different prefabricated elements in the paneling set.

Problems solved by technology

Both do-it-yourselfers and professional installers often face difficulties when installing paneling elements around edges, boundaries, corners and joints, because the elements preferably have to be configured to fit snugly in place while forming corners.

A drawback to this approach is that an angled cut must be made in each of the paneling elements 102, 104 by the end user, and the probability of chipping, cracking, or breaking increases because the paneling material is thin near the intersection of the mitered planes 106,108 and the outside surface of the paneling element.

This approach, however, affords limited flexibility to the installer of molding panels because it relies on walls of a building intersecting at exactly a right angle for a snug fit.

Even slight deviation from the right angle between the adjoining walls, for example, due to surface imperfections or construction defects, results in flawed fit and poor visual appearance of a corner joint.

Techniques that exist to cut the paneling elements, however, require specialized equipment and often risk cracking or otherwise damaging the elements, particularly if manufactured from brittle materials, such as ceramic.

Further, pre-installation adjustments to achieve proper fit are often prone to human errors and associated waste.

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