U.S. patent application number 10/991711 was filed with the patent office on 2006-05-18 for composite building material.
Invention is credited to William F. Egan.
Application Number | 20060101758 10/991711 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36384671 |
Filed Date | 2006-05-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060101758 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Egan; William F. |
May 18, 2006 |
Composite building material
Abstract
An integral composite building material is provided that
includes a three-dimensional, corrosion-resistant fabric that is
pre-attached to a weather barrier. The invention also provides a
building wall and exterior finishing system including the composite
building material. The invention further includes a method for
constructing a building wall including the exterior finishing
system.
Inventors: |
Egan; William F.; (Ponte
Vedra Beach, FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CURATOLO SIDOTI CO., LPA
24500 CENTER RIDGE ROAD, SUITE 280
CLEVELAND
OH
44145
US
|
Family ID: |
36384671 |
Appl. No.: |
10/991711 |
Filed: |
November 18, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/408 ;
52/506.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04G 23/0296 20130101;
E04F 13/18 20130101; E04F 13/0885 20130101; E04F 13/16
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
052/408 ;
052/506.01 |
International
Class: |
E04B 5/00 20060101
E04B005/00; E04B 2/00 20060101 E04B002/00 |
Claims
1. An integral composite building material comprising: a weather
barrier; and a corrosion-resistant, three-dimensional lath of
non-metal fibers attached to said weather barrier.
2. The composite building material of claim 1, wherein said lath
comprises a corrosion-resistant, woven, three-dimensional fabric of
non-metal fibers.
3. The composite building material of claim 1, wherein said lath is
attached to said weather barrier by a securement means.
4. The composite building material of claim 3, wherein said
securement means is selected from the group consisting of adhesives
and heat lamination.
5. The composite building material of claim 4, wherein said
securement means is an adhesive.
6. The composite building material of claim 5, wherein said
adhesive is a plurality of adhesive spots.
7. The composite building material of claim 5, wherein said
adhesive comprises a least one strip of adhesive.
8. The composite building material of claim 5, wherein said
adhesive is selected from the group consisting of acrylic
adhesives, styrene-acrylic adhesives, and aliphatic resin
adhesives.
9. The composite building material of claim 1, wherein said lath
has fibers undulating in at least one of the (i) longitudinal and
(ii) transverse directions.
10. The composite building material of claim 1, wherein said
weather barrier is selected from the group consisting of building
papers and polymeric sheets.
11. The composite building material of claim 10, wherein said
building papers are selected from the group consisting of kraft
paper and asphalt impregnated building paper.
12. The composite building material of claim 10, wherein said
polymeric sheets are selected from the group consisting of woven
polyolefin sheets and spun-bonded polyolefin sheets.
13. The composite building material of claim 12, wherein said
polymeric sheet comprises a non-woven sheet of spun-bonded
polyolefin fibers.
14. The composite building material of claim 13, wherein said
spun-bonded polyolefin fibers are selected from the group
consisting of polyethylene fibers, polypropylene fibers, and
mixtures thereof.
15. The composite building material of claim 1, wherein said fibers
of said lath are selected from the group consisting of glass
fibers, polymer fibers, and combinations thereof.
16. The composite building material of claim 15, wherein said
polymer fibers are nylon fibers.
17. The composite building material of claim 15, wherein said glass
fibers are selected from the group consisting of E-glass fibers,
A-glass fibers, ECR-glass fibers, S-glass fibers, and AR-glass
fibers.
18. The composite building material of claim 17, wherein said glass
fibers are E-glass fibers.
19. The composite building material of claim 17, wherein said glass
fibers are AR-glass fibers.
20. The composite building material of claim 19, wherein said lath
is alkaline resistant.
21. The composite building material of claim 1, wherein said lath
has a crush resistance sufficient to support exterior finish
materials.
22. The composite building material of claim 1, wherein said
weather barrier and lath are selectively detachable from one
another without causing damage to either.
23. The composite building material of claim 1, wherein said
composite building material is supplied in a roll or sheet
form.
24. A building wall comprising: a substrate; and an integral
composite building material attached to said substrate, said
composite building material comprising a weather barrier and a
corrosion-resistant, three-dimensional lath of non-metal fibers
attached to said weather barrier.
25. The building wall of claim 24, wherein said lath comprises a
corrosion-resistant, woven, three-dimensional fabric of non-metal
fibers.
26. The building wall of claim 24, wherein said lath is attached to
said weather barrier by a securement means.
27. The building wall of claim 26, wherein said securement means is
selected from the group consisting of adhesives and a heat
lamination.
28. The building wall of claim 27, wherein said securement means is
an adhesive.
29. The building wall of claim 28, wherein said adhesive is a
plurality of adhesive spots.
30. The building wall of claim 28, wherein said adhesive comprises
a least one strip of adhesive.
31. The building wall of claim 28, wherein said adhesive is
selected from the group consisting of acrylic adhesives,
styrene-acrylic adhesives, and aliphatic resin adhesives.
32. The building wall of claim 26, wherein said lath has fibers
undulating in at least one of the (i) longitudinal and (ii)
transverse directions.
33. The building wall of claim 24, wherein said weather barrier is
selected from the group consisting of building papers and polymeric
sheets.
34. The building wall of claim 33, wherein said building paper is
selected from the group consisting of kraft paper and asphalt
impregnated building paper.
35. The building wall of claim 34, wherein said polymeric sheet is
selected from the group consisting of woven polyolefin sheets and
spun-bonded polyolefin sheets.
36. The building wall of claim 35, wherein said polymeric sheet
comprises a non-woven sheet of spun-bonded polyolefin fibers.
37. The building wall of claim 36, wherein said spun-bonded olefin
fibers are selected from the group consisting of polyethylene
fibers, polypropylene fibers, and mixtures thereof.
38. The building wall of claim 26, wherein said fibers of said lath
are selected from the group consisting of glass fibers, polymer
fibers, and combinations thereof.
39. The building wall of claim 38, wherein said polymer fibers are
nylon.
40. The building wall of claim 38, wherein said glass fibers are
selected from the group consisting of E-glass fibers, A-glass
fibers, ECR-glass fibers, S-glass fibers, and AR-glass fibers.
41. The building wall of claim 40, wherein said glass fibers are
E-glass fibers.
42. The building wall of claim 40, wherein said glass fibers are
AR-glass fibers.
43. The building wall of claim 26, wherein said lath is alkaline
resistant.
44. The building wall of claim 26, wherein said lath has a crush
resistance sufficient to support exterior finishing materials.
45. The building wall of claim 26, wherein said weather barrier and
lath are selectively detachable from one another without causing
damage to either.
46. The building wall of claim 26, comprising an exterior covering
installed over the composite building material.
47. The building wall of claim 46, wherein said exterior covering
is stucco.
48. The building wall of claim 26, wherein said substrate is
selected from the group consisting of a wood frame, metal frame,
plywood sheathing, cement board, gypsum board, oriented strand
board, wafer board, insulation board, masonry, and concrete masonry
units.
49. The building wall of claim 26, wherein an insulation layer is
disposed between said substrate and said composite building
material.
50. A method of constructing a building wall comprising: attaching
an integral composite building material comprising a weather
barrier and a corrosion-resistant, three-dimensional lath of
non-metal fibers attached to said weather barrier.
51. The method of claim 50, wherein said lath comprises a
corrosion-resistant, woven, three-dimensional fabric of non-metal
fibers.
52. The method of claim 50, wherein said composite building
material is an elongated strip having a greater length than width
and having a longitudinal axis, and including attaching said
composite building material to extend lengthwise along said
substrate.
53. The method of claim 50, including overlapping vertical and
longitudinal edges of adjacent strips of said composite building
material, wherein a portion of an upper weather barrier overlaps a
portion of an adjacent lower weather barrier.
54. The method of claim 50, including providing an elongated edge
of said composite building material that is free of said woven
fabric.
55. The method of claim 50, wherein said composite building
material is provided in roll form, and the method includes
unrolling said composite building material before or while
attaching to said building wall substrate.
56. The method of claim 50, including disposing an exterior
covering over said woven fabric of said composite building
material.
57. The method of claim 55, wherein said exterior covering is at
least one layer of stucco.
58. An exterior finishing system comprising: an integral composite
building material comprising a weather barrier and a
corrosion-resistant, three-dimensional lath of non-metal fibers
attached to said weather barrier; and an exterior covering applied
over said composite building material.
59. The exterior finishing system of claim 58, wherein said lath
comprises a corrosion-resistant, woven, three-dimensional fabric of
non-metal fibers.
60. The exterior finishing system of claim 58, wherein said lath is
attached to said weather barrier by a securement means.
61. The exterior finishing system of claim 60, wherein said
securement means is selected from the group consisting of adhesives
and a heat lamination.
62. The exterior finishing system of claim 61, wherein said
securement means is an adhesive.
63. The exterior finishing system of claim 62, wherein said
adhesive is a plurality of adhesive spots.
64. The exterior finishing system of claim 62, wherein said
adhesive comprises a least one strip of adhesive.
65. The exterior finishing system of claim 60, wherein said
adhesive is selected from the group consisting of acrylic
adhesives, styrene-acrylic adhesives, and aliphatic resin
adhesives.
66. The exterior finishing system of claim 58, wherein said lath
has fibers undulating in at least one of the (i) longitudinal and
the (ii) transverse directions.
67. The exterior finishing system of claim 58, wherein said weather
barrier is selected from the group consisting of building papers
and polymeric sheets.
68. The exterior finishing system of claim 67, wherein said
building paper is selected from the group consisting of kraft paper
and asphalt impregnated building paper.
69. The exterior finishing system of claim 66, wherein said
polymeric sheet is selected from the group consisting of woven
polyolefin fiber sheets and spun-bonded polyolefin fiber
sheets.
70. The exterior finishing system of claim 69, wherein said
polymeric sheet comprises a non-woven sheet of spun-bonded
polyolefin fibers.
71. The exterior finishing system of claim 70, wherein said
spun-bonded polyolefin fibers are selected from the group
consisting of polyethylene fibers, polypropylene fibers, and
mixtures thereof.
72. The exterior finishing system of claim 58, wherein said fibers
of said lath are selected from the group consisting of glass
fibers, polymer fibers, and combinations thereof.
73. The exterior finishing system of claim 72, wherein said polymer
fibers are nylon.
74. The exterior finishing system of claim 73, wherein said glass
fibers are selected from the group consisting of E-glass fibers,
A-glass fibers, ECR-glass fibers, S-glass fibers, and AR-glass
fibers.
75. The exterior finishing system of claim 74, wherein said glass
fibers are E-glass fibers.
76. The exterior finishing system of claim 74, wherein said glass
fibers are AR-glass fibers.
77. The exterior finishing system of claim 76, wherein said lath is
alkaline resistant.
78. The exterior finishing system of claim 58, wherein said weather
barrier and lath are selectively detachable from one another
without causing damage to either.
79. A method of constructing a stucco system comprising: optionally
disposing insulation over said a building wall substrate; attaching
an integral composite building material over said substrate or over
said insulation, if insulation is present, said composite building
material comprising a weather barrier and a corrosion-resistant,
three-dimensional lath of non-metal fibers attached to said weather
barrier; and applying at least one stucco layer over said composite
building material.
80. The method of claim 79, wherein said lath comprises a
corrosion-resistant, woven, three-dimensional fabric of non-metal
fibers.
81. The method of claim 79, comprising applying at least one finish
layer over said at least one stucco layer.
82. The method of claim 79, wherein said lath is capable of
retaining and supporting the weight of a wet stucco applied
thereto.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The invention relates to a composite building material that
can be used in new construction and renovation. More particularly,
the invention relates to a composite building material that
provides a weather resistant barrier and that facilitates the
attachment or adherence of exterior finishing materials, such as
stucco, to the exterior surfaces of building walls.
[0002] Modern techniques for constructing the walls of buildings
may take numerous forms. Among these is the two-by-four (2.times.4)
framed construction. Conventional 2.times.4 wall construction
begins with framing of the walls with wood or steel members. These
wood or steel members typically have nominal dimensions of
2''.times.4'' and are, therefore, called "two-by-four" or
2.times.4. These 2.times.4 s are oriented vertically and spaced at
intervals generally either 16'' or 24'' and are each connected at
the top and bottom to similar members horizontally oriented. This
structure is referred to in the relevant art as a "framed"
wall.
[0003] A sheet of sheathing such as plywood or other material is
then often applied to the exterior of the framed wall, but may not
be required in all circumstances. Such requirements are typically
established by local governmental building codes. A weather barrier
is then typically applied to the exterior surfaces of the
sheathing, with an exterior wall covering or exterior finishing
materials being applied directly over the weather barrier.
[0004] With respect to the exterior wall covering or finishing
materials, many materials may be used such as brick, stucco,
exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS), vinyl siding,
aluminum siding, and wood siding.
[0005] If stucco is to be utilized as the exterior finishing
materials of the building wall, then a metal lath or wire mesh is
typically used to provide adherence of the stucco to the exterior
of the building wall. The metal lath or wire mesh is typically
attached to the building wall substrate over the weather barrier.
At least one layer of stucco material is then applied to the lath
or wire mesh by brushing, rolling, spraying, or troweling.
[0006] While the metal lath and wire mesh products provide adequate
mechanical strength to support the weight of wet stucco, and to
prevent the sloughing or sagging of the stucco, these products are
not without disadvantages. One particular disadvantage to the use
of metal lath or wire mesh products is that they can corrode upon
exposure to water. Particularly along coastal regions, water may
penetrate the exterior stucco layer or other components of the wall
assembly, and come into contact with the metal lath or wire mesh,
causing rusting and corrosion of the metal lath or wire mesh. The
corrosion of these products results in aesthetic blemishes, such as
rust spots, and discoloration of the exterior surfaces of the
stucco finish layer. Furthermore, the rusting or corrosion of the
metal lath and wire mesh products may result in lessening of the
ability of the lath or mesh to support the stucco layer(s), thereby
effectively decreasing the service life of the exterior finishing
system.
[0007] Another potential drawback to the use of metal lath and wire
mesh products is that dangerous tools, such as heavy duty wire
cutters or tin snips, are required to cut these products. The use
of these tools present occupational hazards for the construction
worker or tradesman.
[0008] A further disadvantage to the use of metal lath and wire
mesh products is that that they are difficult to handle and
install. Metal lath and wire mesh products are rigid and can
stretch during installation, thereby causing irregular and
non-uniform installation of the exterior finishing system. The
metal lath and wire mesh products have sharp edges which are
inconvenient and can pierce or penetrate the gloves and flesh of
the construction worker, thereby posing a risk of injury.
[0009] Still another disadvantage to the use of metal lath and wire
mesh products that is they generally have a high coefficient of
thermal expansion. The high coefficient of thermal expansion of
these metal products can cause distortion in the shape of the lath
or mesh, which, in turn, induces stress in the stucco finishing
layer.
[0010] In the building and construction industry, the installation
of a metal lath or wire mesh to the exterior surface of a weather
barrier is typically carried out in a second construction step. The
weather barrier is attached to the exterior surfaces of the
building wall substrate by a first installation operation.
Thereafter, the metal lath or wire mesh product is installed over
the previously installed weather barrier. Such a second operation
requires at least as much time and effort as is required to install
the weather barrier to the building wall substrate. Thus, the
installation of a lath or wire mesh requires significant added
effort in the construction process. Moreover, as building materials
typically arrive at a construction site in a tightly scheduled and
ordered fashion, the installation of a lath or wire mesh over a
weather barrier results in an additional step which must be planned
and executed according to schedule, otherwise construction
procedures scheduled thereafter may be delayed.
[0011] Due to the shortcomings and disadvantages inherent in the
known metal lath products and installation methods, the need still
exists in the art for an improved building material to be used in
conjunction with stucco applications, which is corrosion resistant,
and easy and economical to install.
SUMMARY
[0012] An integral composite building material is provided, said
integral composite building material comprises a weather barrier
and a corrosion resistant, three-dimensional lath of non-metal
fibers attached to said weather barrier.
[0013] According to certain embodiments, the integral composite
building material comprises a corrosion-resistant, woven,
three-dimensional fabric of non-metal fibers attached to said
weather barrier.
[0014] A building wall is also provided, said building wall
comprising a substrate and an integral composite building material
attached to said substrate, said integral composite building
material comprising a weather barrier and a corrosion-resistant,
three-dimensional lath of non-metal fibers attached to said weather
barrier.
[0015] According to certain embodiments, the building wall
incorporates an integral composite building material comprising a
weather barrier and a corrosion-resistant, woven, three-dimensional
fabric of non-metal fibers attached to said weather barrier.
[0016] An exterior finishing system is further provided, said
system comprising an integral composite building material
comprising a weather barrier and a corrosion-resistant,
three-dimensional lath of non-metal fibers attached to said weather
barrier, and exterior finishing materials applied over said
integral composite building material.
[0017] According to certain embodiments, the exterior finishing
system incorporates an integral composite building material
comprising a weather barrier and a corrosion-resistant, woven,
three-dimensional fabric of non-metal fibers attached to said
weather barrier, and exterior finishing materials applied over said
integral composite building material.
[0018] A method of constructing a building wall is further
provided, said method comprising attaching an integral composite
building material comprising a weather barrier and a
corrosion-resistant, three-dimensional lath of non-metal fibers
attached to said weather barrier to a building wall substrate.
[0019] According to certain embodiments, the method of constructing
a building wall includes attaching an integral composite building
material to a building wall substrate, the integral composite
building material comprising a weather barrier and a
corrosion-resistant, woven, three-dimensional fabric of non-metal
fibers attached to said weather barrier.
[0020] A method of constructing a stucco system is further
provided, said method comprising optionally disposing an insulation
layer over a building wall substrate, attaching an integral
composite building material over said substrate or over said
insulation, if an insulation layer is present, said integral
composite building material comprising a weather barrier and a
corrosion-resistant, three-dimensional lath of non-metal fibers
attached to said weather barrier, and applying at least one stucco
layer over said integral composite building material.
[0021] According to certain embodiments, the method of constructing
a stucco system includes attaching an integral composite building
material to a building wall substrate, or to an insulation layer if
present, the integral composite building material comprising a
weather barrier and a corrosion-resistant, woven, three-dimensional
fabric of non-metal fibers attached to said weather barrier.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a section of the
composite building material;
[0023] FIG. 2 is an exploded side view of a section of the
composite building material;
[0024] FIGS. 3 and 3A are side views of a section of the composite
building material;
[0025] FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a portion of a building
wall incorporating the composite building material; and
[0026] FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a portion of a building
wall including an exterior stucco system incorporating the
composite building material.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] An integral composite building material is provided. The
term "integral composite weather barrier" refers to a building
material that includes a building code approved weather barrier and
a three-dimensional lath of non-metal fibers that is pre-attached
to the weather barrier to form a unitary building material. The
lath may be a woven fabric that is attached to a surface of the
approved code weather barrier. The fabric is corrosion-resistant
and has an increased thickness, thereby providing a fabric having
an in plane three-dimensional shape or configuration, when viewed
from the side or end of the fabric. The use of the integral
composite weather barrier avoids to need to attach weather barriers
and laths to a building structure in separate steps at a job
site.
[0028] An illustrative embodiment of the integral composite
building material is shown in FIGS. 1-3. FIGS. 1-3 show a woven,
three-dimensional fabric lath attached to a weather barrier. It
should be noted, however, that it is not required that the lath
comprise a woven fabric. Any three-dimensional lath structure that
is capable of accepting and supporting the weight of wet exterior
finishing materials, such as stucco or EIFS base coats and finish
coats, may be pre-attached to the weather barrier to form the
integral composite building material. Additional fabric types that
may be utilized in the integral composite building material include
knitted and braided cloths and fabrics.
[0029] Integral composite building material 10 includes a weather
barrier 11 and, attached to the weather barrier 11, a woven fabric
12. Integral composite building material 10 is intended to be
utilized in the construction and renovation of walls of buildings
and is intended to supplant the separate installation of individual
weather barriers and lath components.
[0030] Weather barrier 11 may be any conventional weather barrier
that is used in building, construction, and renovation. According
to certain embodiments, the weather barrier 11 may include well
known and industry accepted building papers or tar papers. Weather
barrier 11 is a building code recognized product which is typically
sold on a roll. Weather barrier 11 resists the transmission of
water therethrough and controls the transmission of moisture vapor
therethrough. Without limitation, an example of a suitable weather
barrier which is well known in the art is Jumbo Tex.RTM. Vapor
Permeable Weather Resistive Barrier manufactured by Fortifiber.RTM.
Corporation of Incline Village, Nev., although other similar
building papers are well known and used in the relevant art.
[0031] According to other embodiments, the weather barrier 11 may
comprise a polymeric sheet material. The weather barrier 11 may be
comprised of a non-woven sheet of polymeric fibers, such as
polyolefin fibers. Without limitation, the polyolefin fibers that
are useful in the preparation of the weather barrier 11 may be
selected from polypropylene fibers and high density polyethylene
fibers. A useful weather barrier 11 comprises a non-woven sheet of
spun-bonded high density polyethylene fibers.
[0032] Non-woven sheets of spun-bonded high density polyethylene
fibers are commercially available from E.I. DuPont de Nemours &
Co., Inc. (Wilmington, Del.) under the trademarks Tyvek.RTM.
HomeWrap.TM., Tyvek.RTM. StuccoWrap.TM. and Tyvek.RTM.
CommercialWrap.TM.. The non-woven structure provides excellent
resistance to water and air penetration. In addition, the non-woven
structure has excellent strength and tear resistance.
[0033] Additionally, non-woven sheets of spun-bonded high density
polyolefin fibers are commercially available from Reemay, Inc. (Old
Hickory, Tenn., USA) under the trademark TYPAR.RTM. HOMEWRAP. The
non-woven structure provides has high strength and tear resistance,
and provides excellent resistance to water and air penetration. The
polymeric sheet material substantially prevents to intrusion of air
and water, but permits moisture vapor to escape from the building
structure.
[0034] As described above, a woven fabric having an increased
thickness is pre-attached to a surface of a building code approved
weather barrier. Still referring to FIGS. 1-3, the woven fabric 12
has an open, three-dimensional configuration. Woven fabric 12 is
manufactured from non-metal fibers. Suitable non-metal fibers
include, but are not limited to, polymer fibers, inorganic fibers,
and combinations thereof. The inorganic fibers may include glass
fibers. Glass fibers may be used to manufacture the woven fabric
12, and include E-glass fibers, A-glass fibers, ECR-glass fibers,
S-glass fibers, and AR-glass fibers. Suitable polymeric fiber
materials that can be used to manufacture woven mat 12 include, but
are not limited to, polyolefin fibers, such as polypropylene and
high density polyethylene fibers, polyvinylchloride fibers,
polystyrene fibers, polyamide fibers, and polyester fibers.
[0035] Certain fibers of the woven fabric 12 form an undulating or
sinusoidal pattern in at least one direction. This undulating
pattern forms a repeating peak and valley structure undulating in
the longitudinal and/or transverse directions, to provide a woven
fabric 12 with an in plane increased thickness and thereby
three-dimensional shape. Due to spacing of the fiber strands that
comprise the woven fabric, the fabric 12 has a grid-like pattern
that contains openings or voids, which can accept, hold, and
support a desired amount of exterior finishing materials, such as
stucco materials.
[0036] Prior art stucco systems utilize wire mesh or metal lath
products to accept and hold the stucco finishing materials to the
building wall. The use of the integral composite building material
including a lath of corrosion-resistant fibers eliminates rusting
and discoloration problems that can be associated with the use of
wire mesh or metal lath in stucco applications.
[0037] The fabric 12 has a crush resistance allowing for
application of wet exterior finishing materials, such as wet
stucco, without significant deformation of the fabric lath 12. The
fabric 12 also possesses sufficient tensile strength to support the
weight of wet stucco materials applied to it, without sagging. The
tensile strength of the lath 12 should be sufficient to support the
weight of stucco materials that are applied to the lath at a weight
of six pounds/square foot. The fabric 12 additionally possesses
chemical resistance, such as alkaline resistance, which makes it
useful in connection with exterior finishing systems employing
stucco finishing layers or other alkaline, cementitious-based
finishing materials.
[0038] The fabric lath 12 may have a thickness of at least 1/8 inch
or greater. The openings of the lath should be sufficient to accept
and hold the weight of wet exterior finishing materials, such that
the exterior finishing materials can "key" around the lath.
According to certain embodiments, the openings of the fabric lath
12 may not be greater than 1.5 inches in any direction. According
to alternative embodiments, the openings of the fabric lath 12 may
not be greater than 1 inch in any direction. It should be noted,
however, that the dimensions of the openings of the fabric lath 12
can be tailored to any application. Thus, the dimensions of the
openings of the fabric lath 12 may be larger or smaller, depending
upon the specific application and exterior finishing materials used
in the application. In any case, the fabric lath 12 should have a
sufficient chemical resistance, mechanical strength (both tensile
and compressive), and opening size to support a layer of wet
exterior finishing materials that is applied to at least a
thickness of 3/8 inches or greater.
[0039] The woven fabric 12 is attached to weather barrier 11. Both
weather barrier 11 and woven fabric 12 are elongated strips
resulting in composite 10 being in strip form and having a
longitudinal axis. The joined weather barrier 11 and woven fabric
12 form a single unitary integral composite 10, which is easily
placed in roll form typically for transport to a construction site.
The weather barrier 11 and fabric 12 may be attached to each other
with any suitable attachment or securement means.
[0040] Without limitation, the weather barrier 11 and woven fabric
12 may be attached to each other by means of adhesives, mechanical
means, or by heat lamination. According to certain embodiments,
adhesives are used to attach the weather barrier 11 to the fabric
12. Beads of an appropriate adhesive 13, which may be continuous or
intermittent may be used to attach the weather barrier 11 to the
fabric 12. Additionally, adhesive 13 may be provided on the surface
of the weather barrier 11 in the form of lanes or strips of
adhesive. In alternative embodiments, the fabric lath 12 may be
bonded to the weather barrier 11 by a substantially uniform coating
of an adhesive that is applied to a surface of the weather barrier
12. Without limitation, a hot melt adhesive may be used to bond the
weather barrier 11 to fabric 12 to form the composite building
material 10. Suitable hot melt adhesives 13 that may be used to
bond the weather barrier 11 to fabric 12 include, but are not
limited to, acrylic adhesives, styrene acrylic adhesives, and
aliphatic resin adhesives.
[0041] According to certain embodiments, the woven fabric 12 is
attached to a polymeric sheet weather barrier 11, such as those
described above. Use a polymeric sheet is used as the weather 11,
it is possible to eliminate the additional adhesive means and to
bond the woven fabric lath 11 directly to the polymeric sheet
material 12 by means of a heat lamination process.
[0042] According to certain embodiments, weather barrier 11 and
woven fabric 12 are selectively detachable from one another without
causing damage to either for the purpose of working composite
building material 10 around penetrations, openings, and
obstructions in the building structure such as windows and doors.
If adhesives are used to bond the weather barrier 11 to the woven
fabric 12, then the amount of adhesive 13 used to bond weather
barrier 11 to the fabric 12 should be an amount sufficient to bond
the components together, while still providing the composite
building material with sufficient flexibility for easy
installation.
[0043] If adhesives are used to bond the weather barrier 11 and
fabric 12 together, then the adhesive 13 should provide a bond
strength such that the weather barrier 11 remains bonded to fabric
12 during shipping, handling, storage, installation, and throughout
the installed life of the composite building material.
Additionally, the adhesive bond should be such that it remains
substantially unaffected by normal environmental elements, such as
water/moisture, wind, and ultra-violet radiation, which might occur
during short-term exposure of the building material 10 prior to
installation of the exterior finishing materials.
[0044] An exterior finishing system is also provided. The exterior
finishing system includes the composite building material and an
exterior finish applied over the composite building material. The
composite building material of the exterior finishing system
includes a weather resistive barrier and a corrosion-resistant,
woven, three-dimensional fabric of non-metal fibers attached to one
surface of the weather barrier.
[0045] A building wall including a composite building material is
also provided. The building wall comprises a substrate and a
composite building material that is attached to the exterior face
of the building wall substrate. The integral composite building
material used in the construction of the building wall includes a
weather barrier and a corrosion-resistant, woven, three-dimensional
fabric of non-metal fibers attached to the surface of the weather
barrier.
[0046] A building wall 20 incorporating the integral composite
building material 10 and an exterior finish is shown in FIGS. 4-5.
As is indicated in FIGS. 4-5, building wall 10 may be a typical
2.times.4 frame construction, although other construction
techniques and configurations are equally suitable environments for
composite building material 10. In fact, the composite building
material 11 may also be used in conjunction with many other
substrates, such as particle board, wafer board, oriented strand
board, cement board, gypsum board, and masonry block.
[0047] Building wall 20 is generally constructed of a frame 21, a
substrate such as a sheathing material 22, the composite building
material 10, and an exterior finish 23. Frame 21 typically includes
a plurality of studs 24, which are members of wood or steel having
nominal dimensions of 2''.times.4''. Studs 24 are vertically
oriented and are parallel and spaced apart a distance of typically
16'' or 24'', although these dimensions are merely illustrative.
Studs 24 are each typically fixedly attached at an upper end to a
plate 25, with plate 25 typically being a member of similar
dimension to studs 24 and oriented horizontally such that multiple
vertical studs 24 in a wall 20 are fixedly attached to a single
plate 25. Studs 24 are usually fixedly attached to plate 25 by
means of mechanical fasteners such as nails and/or screws (not
shown). Moreover, studs 24 are each typically attached to a lower
sill plate 26 which is of a similar configuration to plate 25.
[0048] Frame 21 additionally contains an interior surface 27 which
faces toward the living area and an exterior surface 28 which faces
toward the outside environment. Sheathing 22 is typically fixedly
attached to exterior surface 28 of the frame 21. Sheathing 22 is
typically a sheet of material, such as plywood or any of a variety
of other building code approved materials such as wafer board and
oriented strand board. While the installation of sheathing 22 might
be optional in some circumstances, such circumstances will
typically be dictated by applicable building codes. Sheathing 22 is
typically attached to exterior surface 28 of the frame 21 by
mechanical fasteners such as screws, nails, staples, and the like
(not shown).
[0049] Composite building material 10 is then installed over
sheathing 22. If, sheathing 22 is absent from the building
construction, composite building material 10 can be applied and
fixedly attached directly to exterior surface 28 of the frame 21,
with or without an intermediate support structure. According to
FIGS. 4-5, the structure includes sheathing 22.
[0050] Composite building material 10 is attached to sheathing 22
with the weather barrier 11 directly adjacent sheathing 22 and with
the woven fabric 12 of the building material 10 facing outwardly
toward the exterior environment. Composite building material 10 is
fixedly attached to sheathing 22 using any of a variety of
fastening systems such as mechanical fasteners like screws, nails,
staples, or adhesives (none of which are shown). While a variety of
attachment systems may be used to attach composite building
material 10 to sheathing 22, it is preferred that such attachment
systems create a minimum of holes and/or voids in weather barrier
11 and are of sufficient strength to retain the composite in place
both during and after the exterior finish material is
installed.
[0051] Composite building material 10 is anticipated to be provided
in rolls, typically in widths between 3 and 4 feet, although
substantially any width may be used. Nevertheless, the composite
building material 10 may also be provided in sheet form. It is
anticipated that composite building material 10 will be unrolled
from the roll and applied so that the longitudinal axis extends
horizontally to the structure beginning at the grade level. In
general, the building wall 20 is expected to be taller than the
width of composite building material 10, and, therefore, it is
anticipated that additional widths of composite building material
10 will be installed progressively higher on wall 20. When an
additional width of composite building paper 10 is applied
progressively higher on wall 20, the lower edge of the additional
width of composite building material overlaps the upper edge of a
previously installed width of composite building material.
According to certain embodiments, the horizontally installed widths
of composite building material may overlap by at least about 2
inches. When, during installation, the end of a roll of composite
building material is reached, the terminal end of the roll is
preferably to joined to the initial end of another such roll by
forming a vertical overlap. The vertical overlap is typically on
the order of at least about six inches, but such dimensions are
usually established and vary with local building codes. With
respect to the longitudinal direction of the roll, the composite
building material is provided with edges that are free of fabric 12
to allow for easy overlap of the pieces of composite building
material.
[0052] Once composite building material 10 has been attached to
sheathing 22, an exterior finish material may be installed over
composite building material 10. The exterior finish 30 may be at
least one layer of stucco, or base and finish coats of exterior
insulation and finish systems (EIFS).
[0053] Stucco wall assemblies include a building wall substrate,
the composite building material including the corrosion-resistant,
three-dimensional lath, attached to the exterior side or face of
the building wall substrate, and at least one layer of stucco
applied over the composite building material. The building wall
substrate may be a frame as described above having an exterior
surface, or a frame having a sheathing material attached to the
exterior surface of the frame. An insulation board may be
optionally attached to the exterior face of the building wall
substrate before the composite building material is attached. At
least one layer of stucco is applied over the composite building
material. The layer of stucco may also include at least one finish
coat to seal the stucco layer and to enhance the aesthetic
appearance of the finish.
[0054] With regard to the stucco wall assembly, the framed wall is
constructed. A substrate material is optionally attached to the
exterior surface of the frame. An insulation board is optionally
affixed over the substrate. For stucco wall assemblies having an
insulation affixed over the substrate, the composite building
material 10 is affixed over the insulation board. At least one
layer of stucco is applied over the composite building material 10
and is worked into the openings or voids of the non-metal woven
fabric to form an exterior finish. It should be noted that the
fabric lath that is pre-attached to the code approved weather
barrier be capable of accepting, holding, and supporting multiple
layers of stucco. Thus, the integral composite building material
can be utilized in multiple coat stucco systems, or those stucco
systems known as one-coat stucco systems.
[0055] FIG. 5 shows an stucco system 40 including the composite
building material 10. According to FIG. 5, the composite building
material 10 is disposed over the exterior surface of the building
wall substrate 50. Optionally, an insulation board 60 may be
affixed to the building substrate by an adhesive or a mechanical
fastener. The composite building material 10 is applied over the
insulation board 60 and is affixed thereto either with staples,
screws, or nails. Once the composite building material 10 is
affixed to the building wall substrate or insulation board, at
least one layer of stucco 70 is applied over the non-metal woven
fabric. A stucco finish coat may be applied over the stucco to seal
the stucco layer and to provide the final aesthetic appearance.
[0056] The stucco layer may be applied to the non-metal woven
fabric by brushing, rolling, spraying, or troweling. The stucco may
be screeded to depth that is approximately level with the outer
surface of the lath 12. The non-metal fabric lath of the composite
building material has a sufficient strength to retain and support
the weight of exterior finishing materials, such as, for example,
wet stucco applied to its surface until the stucco sets.
[0057] As composite building material 10 contains weather barrier
11 and non-metal lath 12 fixedly attached to one another, both
weather barrier 11 and non-metal lath 12 are installed in one
operation. Heretofore, weather barrier 11 and lath 12 were
installed in separate operations requiring significant additional
expense and time. Moreover, the additional step required in the
prior art to separately install lath 12 increased the potential
that the integrity of weather barrier 11 was compromised by
additional nails, staples, and the like and by additional material
handling. Thus, composite building material 10 provides all of the
benefits of having weather barrier 11 and lath 12 installed onto a
building wall, and provides for significant cost and time
savings.
[0058] According to certain embodiments, the integral composite
building material may be provided in roll form having the
approximate dimensions of 39 inches in width by 100 inches in
length. It should be noted however, that the dimensions of integral
composite weather barrier are not limited to the illustrative
dimensions of 39 inches by 100 inches, and can be provided in any
width and length desired or required.
[0059] The use of the integral composite building material
incorporating a non-metal fabric lath for exterior finishing
materials avoids rusting and corrosion that can be associated with
the use of metal lath or wire mesh products.
[0060] The use of the integral composite building material
incorporating a non-metal fabric lath for exterior finishing
materials instead of metal lath or mesh products can effectively
increase the overall service life of the exterior finishing
system.
[0061] The use of the integral composite building material
incorporating a non-metal fabric lath for exterior finishing
materials in lieu of metal lath and wire mesh products does not
require the use of potentially dangerous tools that present
occupational hazards for the construction worker or tradesman.
[0062] Additionally, the integral composite building material
incorporating a non-metal fabric lath, unlike metal lath and wire
mesh products, does not have sharp edges which can pierce or
penetrate the works gloves and flesh of the construction worker,
thereby posing a potentially serious risk of injury.
[0063] The use of the integral composite building material
incorporating a non-metal fabric lath for exterior finishing
materials permits the installation of a weather barrier and
reinforcement layer for exterior finishing materials in one step,
thereby avoiding additional costs and delays that are customary
with separately installing the weather barrier and reinforcement
layer.
[0064] The present invention is not limited to the specific
embodiments described above, but includes variations, modifications
and equivalent embodiments defined by the following claims. The
embodiments described above are not necessarily in the alternative,
as various embodiments may be combined to provide the desired
characteristics.
* * * * *