Support plate for installing tile
AssigneeLaticrete International, Inc.
InventorSean P. Boyle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A support for installing facing materials such as ceramic tiles on a substrate, such as, floors, walls and ceilings. The support plate has a plurality of spaced apart raised portions and recesses in the plate material, and a plurality of openings extending through the top surface and bottom surface of the plate material. The openings exposing a mat layer attached to the bottom of the support plate. Support plates of the invention are used for tile installations between a substrate and tile. Thin-set mortar that is used to secure the tile to the support plate flows into the recesses and into the openings forming a continuous bond between the mortar, openings and mat layer to provide a strong bond between the support plate, mortar and the tiles.
Claims7
A support plate for installing facing materials on a substrate comprising:
- a sheet material having a top surface and a bottom surface;
- a plurality of spaced apart adjacent raised portions;
- a plurality of spaced apart adjacent recesses residing across the sheet material with each recess open at the top and having a bottom and sidewalls comprising the sheet material, together the sheet material, the adjacent raised portions and the recesses define a plate having a thickness extending from a top surface to a bottom surface thereof;
- and a plurality of slots extending through a thickness of the sheet material, traversing through one or more of the adjacent raised portions, extending at least partially into the sidewalls of the recess, and residing between and connecting two or more of the adjacent recesses to each other.
A method of installing facing materials comprising:
- identifying a substrate;
- providing a support plate comprising, a sheet material having a top surface and a bottom surface, a plurality of spaced apart adjacent raised portions, a plurality of recesses residing across the sheet material, together the sheet material, the adjacent raised portions, and the recesses define a plate having a thickness extending from a top surface to a bottom surface thereof, a plurality of slots extending through the thickness of the sheet material, the plurality of slots traversing through one or more of the adjacent raised portions, extending at least partially into the sidewalls of the recesses, and residing between and connecting two or more of the adjacent recesses to each other;
- attaching the support plate to the substrate;
- depositing a cementitious material over the support plate, said cementitious material filling the plurality of slots to enhance attachment of the support plate of the substrate;
- and
- providing a facing material over the cementitious material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.