Building covering construction

2,114,451

April 19, 1938.

L. H. MATTES

BUILDING COVERING CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 2, 1936

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INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 19, 1938

2,114,451

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,114,451 BUILDING COVERING CONSTRUCTION Lee H. Mattes, South Bend, Ind.

Application November 2, 1936, Serial No. 108,795 2 Claims. (CL 72—23)

This invention relates to building covering constructions, and particularly to the construction of and means for mounting preformed veneered panels to form the siding of a building. More 5 particularly, this invention relates to improvements in that type of building covering membc” wherein a base panel carries a plurality of thin spaced brick or like slabs between which panel securing means are positioned and a mortar bond 10 is subsequently applied.

Certain defects are inherent in the conventional constructions of this character. Chief among these is the fact that the brick or other slabs which form the surface veneer of the pre15 formed building covering members are quite heavy and are conventionally held to place on the panel solely by adhesive, such as asphalt, even after applied to a building. Therefore, if the bond between the brick and the panel is broken 2Q or inadequate, the brick slabs drop from the panel. Another defect of this construction is caused by the fact that the base or foundation panel employed in the preformed building covering members is generally a board formed of compressed 25 fibrous material having high insulating properties. These boards are generally of highly absorbent character, however, so that if water reaches the same it swells, peels and otherwise weakens to the extent that it is no longer structurally strong enough to support the weight of the slabs which form the surface veneer of the building covering member. While every precaution possible may be taken to avoid absorption of water by the foundation panel when applied 85 to a building, it is almost impossible to so apply the building covering members that water cannot reach the panels, as by capillary action. In other words, the use and application of conventional building covering members of the type us40 ing a veneer of pre-formed slabs adhering to a panel is not entirely satisfactory and practical by reason of the possibility that the construction will deteriorate in any of several manners with the result that the slabs will fall from and ex45 pose the foundation panels, thereby losing both the appearance and weather proofing character desired.

Therefore, the primary object of this invention is to provide means for positively and mechanist) cally bonding the surface layer of the building covering member directly to the building.

A further object is to provide means for Securing the building covering member of such character that the same serves to secure the base 55 panel of the member to the building and to an chor the surface veneer of the member to the building.

A further object is to provide a construction by which a preformed masonry surface veneer of a building covering member may be permanently anchored to a building without regard to the condition of the base panel of said building . covering member.

Other objects will be apparent from the description and the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a building covering member preparatory to application to a building.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a slab employed to form a part of the surface veneer of the building covering member.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the building covering member taken on line 3—-3 of Fig. 1. , 20

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional' view similar to Fig. 3, and illustrating the mounting of the building covering member on a building.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the building covering applied to a building. 25

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on line 6—6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a securing member.

Referring to the drawing, which illustrates the 30 preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 10 designates a pre-fabricated building covering member ready for application to a building. This member 10 comprises a base or foundation panel I ί which is preferably formed of rigid 35 insulating material of any of the well known commercial types which comprise compressed fibrous or cellulose material. The panel II may be of any suitable form, that here illustrated having parallel upper and lower edges 12 and 13, 40 and upwardly converging stepped side edges 14. To one face of the panel 11 is applied a thin layer 15 of a suitable adhesive material, such as asphalt, cement or the like, by means of which slabs 16 of masonry, such as brick, may be se- 45 cured to the face of panel I I in desired relation. The slabs 16, as best illustrated in Fig. 2, may comprise a thin section of a conventional hardburnt brick having two of its dimensions the same as a conventional building brick, but be- ⁶⁰ing of comparatively small thickness to reduce the weight and cost thereof to a minimum. The slabs 16 are preferably arranged on panel .&lt; I in spaced horizontal courses, the ^individual slabs in each course also being spaced, and the slabs

2,114,461 in adjacent courses being staggered. The spacing 17 between adjacent slabs in the same course is the same as the spacing 18 between the adjacent courses, and both spacings conform to the 5 conventional spacing of brick in a masonry wall.

The above construction is conventional and well known, and in practice is pre-fabricated prior to use.

To apply and mount the member 10 on a 10 building, I employ a nail 19 having a head 20 at its end and a second head or flange 21 in adjacent but spaced relation to head 20. This nail is driven through the foundation panel 11 and into the studding, or the old siding in the event a 15 building is being re-covered. The nails are positioned in the spaces 17 and 18 between slabs 16, and the flanges 21 thereof are driven home against the face of panel 11 to solidly secure the panel to the building. The outer end of the nail 20 and the head 20 thereof thus project into the spaces 17 and 18, and terminate rearwardly or inwardly of the plane of the outer faces of slabs 16. After the members 10 have been solidly secured to the building in proper juxtaposed rela25 tion to provide a wall in which conventional brick arrangement is followed, the spaces 17 and 18 and the spaces between the outer slabs of adjacent panels are filled with a suitable mortar 22 which completely encompasses the project ing end and head 21 of the nails 19. As this mortar 22 sets and hardens it forms a permanent bond with the adjacent slabs 16 whereby said mortar and slabs comprise a weather-proof, continuous, structurally integral veneer for the bulld• ing covering.

It will be apparent that this construction utilizes the nails 19 for the dual purpose of securing the foundation panel 11 to the building and of positively anchoring the structurally integral 40. slab and mortar veneer to the building proper. The latter function is achieved by the anchoring action of the portions of the nails 19 projecting into the spaces 17 and 18 and Imbedded in the mortar 22. The bond of the mortar is of suffi cient strength to integrate the slabs (6 structurally, and thus insures, when it has set and hardened, mechanical bonding of said slabs to the building entirely independently of the bond provided by the adhesive layer 15. In this respect e the instant construction is obviously vastly superior to conventional constructions wherein a single-headed nail is employed solely for the purpose of seeming the panel 11 to the building, and the adhesive 15 is the sole means provided for io securing and holding the mortar and slab veneer in operative position. It is obvious from the above that if the adhesive of my improved construction proves to be impermanent, the anchoring of the mortar 22 by the nail heads 21 never- 15 theless prevents the slabs 16 from falling from place; and likewise, if the foundation panel 11 is adversely affected, as by absorption of water, with resulting “peeling” or other destructive action, the surface veneer of brick and mortar is 20 not affected or destroyed thereby.