Faux-stone architectural panel system

Abstract

A set of faux-stone architectural panel members can be installed to create a stone-look wall or facade. Each panel member is cast from a concrete mixture of a cement or bonding agent and a light-weight aggregate. The various panel member may have one, two or three courses, i.e., rows, with the courses being offset at their ends, so as to achieve mating tenons and voids in respect to adjacent successive panel members. The tenons and voids of the panel members interfit or dovetail at corners. A coloring agent is applied onto said stone faces of the panel members. Hanger straps are embedded in the panel members and protrude up from them for attaching to a wall substrate using drywall screws or similar fasteners.

Description

[0001] This is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 192,685, filed Jul. 29, 2005, which claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 592,473, filed Jul. 30, 2004.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to modes of applying decorative stonework or brickwork to interior and exterior walls, and is more particularly concerned with the application of a system of architectural panel elements, i.e., a faux-stone facade, that closely resemble natural stone (or brick, or brick-and-stone) construction. [0003] The practice of covering an interior wall or an exterior wall with stone for aesthetic purposes has traditionally involved standard masonry practices. That is, the stone mason arranges stones onto the wall and sets them in place using a mortar. The mason then fills in the joints between the installed stones with grout, or with additional mortar, to make the wall look as if it were a stone wall. The process of arrangi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a system of faux-stone (or faux-brick) elements that can be easily installed onto a vertical supporting substrate, which can interfit together without difficulty, and which achieve an attractive appearance that closely simulates a wall formed of native stone.

[0007] It is a further object to provide a series of faux-stone wall panel elements that are relatively light in weight, which includes means for attaching to the vertical substrate using common fasteners, such as nails or drywall screws, and which assemble next to one another in a way that creates a natural look without significant gaps.

[0008] A still further object is to provide a faux-stone wall system that can be constructed without need for Portland-cement-based mortar to set the elements in place, and for which the installer does not need special training or experience in masonry work.

[0013] The strap provides means for attaching the panel to the vertical substrate. A stone-look wall or facade is then assembled from a set of these faux-stone architectural panel members, with the faux-stone wall being mounted onto the vertical supporting substrate. Each such architectural panel member is formed of a concrete material made of a cement binder agent blended with a light-weight aggregate material, as described previously, and molded so as to have a plurality of stone faces on its front surface. These forming at least one horizontal course, or row of stone faces. Each faux-stone architectural panel member includes one, two, or three metal hanger straps, depending on the size of the panel element. The straps are embedded into the panel and protrude upward at its rear side. The set includes panel elements made of two courses, some made of three courses, and some of one course. There can be long and short panel elements of each variety. This use of architectural faux-stone elements of different height, i.e., one, two, or three courses in height, allows the panels themselves to be staggered up and down so as to break up any sense of horizontal repetition across the facade.

Problems solved by technology

The process of arranging the stones, which are of random shapes and sizes, and adhering the stones to the wall, is tedious and requires substantial skill.

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