Wood trim system

Combination of wood-trim and spline-clips, wherein:

• the spline-clips are effective to attach the wood-trim around a door or window installation, being an installation that includes an opening in a wall;
• the wall, in respect of a cross-sectional profile of the opening in the wall, includes parallel opposite outer surfaces, and includes also a jamb-piece;
• the jamb-piece has respective outer surfaces which are at least approximately co-planar with the outer surfaces of the wall;
• the spline-clips of the combination are of plastic material, which is capable of being pierced by a pointed fastener such as a staple or nail;
• each spline-clip is configured as follows:
• —
• the spline-clip is in one piece, which has a profile having an overall width W;
• the width W of the spline-clip includes a web-portion, which is shaped to lie flat against one of the outer surfaces of the wall;
• the web-portion is shaped to bridge a gap between one of the outer surfaces of the wall and the co-planar outer surface of the jamb-piece;
• the web-portion of the spline-clip has a wall-end and a jamb-end;
• at or near the wall-end of the web, the spline-clip includes a protruding wall-spline;
• at or near the jamb-end of the web, the spline-clip includes an protruding jamb-spline;
• each spline has an inner-side-face, being, in respect of each spline, the face that faces the other spline;
• the respective inner-side-faces of the splines on the spline-clip lie spaced apart a distance DC;
• the inner-side-faces slope inwards with respect to the web-portion, in such manner that the respective inner-side-faces of the two splines of the spline-clip together create a female dovetail form;
• the distance DC is measured parallel to the wall, and the female dovetail form is so configured that the distance DC decreases in proportion to the spacing of the distance DC from the wall;
• the splines have tips, and the minimum value of the distance DC, termed DC-min, occurs at or near the tips;
• the wood-trim has the following characteristics:
• the wood-trim is made of rigid solid material;
• the wood-trim has a profile that includes a wall-side face, being a face of the trim that lies against the wall, and is thereby hidden from view, when installed;
• formed into the wall-side face of the trim are two spline-slots, being a wall-end spline-slot and a jamb-end spline-slot;
• the two spline-slots are angled inwards, at angles corresponding to the respective slopes of the two splines;
• the two spline-slots in the wood-trim have respective inner-faces, which lie spaced apart a distance DT;
• the two inner-faces slope inwards with respect to the web-portion, in such manner that the two inner-faces of the slots in the wood-trim together create a male dovetail form;
• the distance DT is measured parallel to the wall, and the male dovetail form is so configured that the distance DT decreases in proportion to the spacing of the distance DT from the wall;
• the slots have entry corners, and the maximum magnitude of the distance DT, termed DT-max, occurs at or near the entry-corners;
• the distance DC-min of the female dovetail form is smaller than the distance DT-max of the male dovetail form;
• the plastic material of the spline-clip is flexible and pliable enough that, when the splines are forced apart with a force F of such magnitude that the minimum distance DC-min between the splines is increased to the distance DT-max, and then released, the splines spring back resiliently without taking a permanent set;
• and
• the solid material of the wood-trim is rigid enough that a force of the same magnitude as the force F, when applied between the entry-corners, causes substantially no reduction in the distance DT-min.

Procedure for fixing a doorframe or windowframe, termed a frame, in an opening in a wall, and for applying wood trim around the frame, including:

• providing wood trim having the following characteristics:
• the wood trim has a unitary cross-sectional trim profile that includes a wall-spline-slot and a jamb-spline-slot;
• the respective proximal walls of the slots in the trim profile together define a male dovetail form, being of a maximum overall width DM;
• the trim profile includes a wall-land, beyond the wall-spline-slot, for making contact with a flat surface of the wall;
• and
• the profile includes a jamb-land, beyond the jamb-spline-slot, for making contact with an edge face of a jamb component of the frame;
• providing an inside set of plastic spline-clips, each having the following characteristics:—
• the spline-clip has a unitary cross-sectional spline-clip profile that includes a wall-spline and a jamb-spline, the two splines protruding from a web of the spline-clip, which joins the two splines;
• the web has a wall-contact surface, and the spline-clip is so structured that the wall-contact surface of the web can make touching contact with the flat surface of the wall;
• the two splines are so angled relatively as to define a female dovetail shape between the two splines;
• the two splines converge together, the further away from the web, to a minimum distance apart DF, where DF is smaller than DM;
• and
• the spline-clip is resiliently deflectable, to the extent that the splines can be separated to the distance DM by the application of a separating force, and can recover elastically, without damage, upon the separating force being no longer applied;
• making a sub-assembly of the frame and the inside set of plastic spline-clip;
• fixing the spline-clips to the frame, in the sub-assembly;
• placing the sub-assembly in the opening;
• adjusting the position of the sub-assembly in the inside-outside sense relative to the opening in the wall by moving the sub-assembly in the inside-outside direction until the flat of the web of the clip lies in contact with the flat inside surface of the wall;
• with the web of the spline-clip in contact with the flat wall surface, driving a fastener through the web and into the wall;
• with the spline-clip attached to the wall, and the two splines of the spline-clip protruding out from the wall, assembling the wood trim onto the spline-clip by placing one of the grooves in the wood trim over one of the splines of the spline-clip;
• so positioning the wood trim, and so applying a manual force to the wood trim in the direction towards the wall, that the male dovetail in the wood trim, in moving towards the wall, bends one of the splines outwards relative to the other spline, with such deflection as to enable the male dovetail to enter between the splines;
• pressing the wood trim so far towards the wall that the elasticity of the spline-clip causes the spline to move back, over the male dovetail;
• whereby the splines apply a force to the male dovetail urging the wood trim in the direction towards the wall.

Corner cover apparatus, for covering corners at which two pieces of profiled trim converge, in combination with the trim, wherein:

• the trim is of the same cross-sectional trim profile at all points along its length;
• the trim has an outside or front face, which is formed with a front face profile;
• the two pieces of trim converge at an angle A;
• the corner-cover includes two limbs, set at the angle A to each other;
• the two limbs are joined rigidly together at the apex of the angle A;
• the limbs have respective inside faces, having respective inside face profiles;
• in respect of each limb of the corner-cover:—
• the inside face profile of the limb is the same at all points along the length of the limb;
• the front face profile of the limb is the same at all points along the length of the limb;
• the limb is shaped and dimensioned to fit against the trim;
• and
• when so fitted, the inside face profile of the limb lies against the front face profile of the trim and the front face profile of the limb is visible;
• and
• the apparatus includes a fastening means, which is effective to urge the inside faces of the limbs into contact with the respective front faces of the two converging pieces of trim, and thus to attach the cover to both pieces.

System for attaching trim, including baseboard trim and chair-rail trim, to a wall of a room, wherein:

• the system includes hook-clips, and includes fasteners whereby the hook-clips can be attached to the wall;
• the trim is of the same cross-sectional trim profile at all points along its length;
• the hook-clips are of the same cross-sectional hook-clip profile along their lengths;
• the trim profile includes a hook-engaging surface, which faces into the room;
• the trim profile includes a wall-facing-surface;
• the hook-clip profile includes an upstanding hook, having a hook surface, which faces the wall;
• the hook-clip profile includes a buffer, having a buffer surface, which faces into the room;
• at least one of the hook or the buffer is resiliently or elastically deflectable;
• the system is so configured that, when the hook-clips are attached to the wall, the trim can be attached to the hook-clips by lowering the trim downwards onto the hook-clips, and can be removed from the hook-clips by lifting the trim upwards from the hook-clips;
• the trim profile is so configured, in relation to the wall and to the hook-clip profile, that when the trim is lowered down onto the hook-clips, the trim profile touches the hook profile at (i) a top-of-trim contact point T, at (ii) a hook contact point H, and at (iii) a buffer contact point B, wherein:—
• the point T is a point on the wall-facing surface of the trim, at or near the top of the trim profile, and on the wall, at which forceful contact occurs;
• the point H is a point on the wall-facing hook-face of the hook, and on the room-facing hook-engaging surface of the trim, at which forceful contact occurs;
• and
• the point B is a point on the wall-facing back surface of the trim, and on the room-facing buffer surface of the buffer, at which forceful contact occurs;
• the point T lies above the point H, and the point B lies below the point H;
• and
• the effect of the forceful contacts is such that the said at least one of the hook or the buffer undergoes an elastic deflection.

Procedure for attaching an inside jamb-frame and trim to an outside jamb-frame of an existing doorframe or window frame, by the following procedure:

• providing a profiled moulding, the profile of which is formed with an internal angle;
• where the internal angle is dimensioned to fit over and engage with a corner of an the edge face of the existing outside-jamb;
• fixing the profiled moulding to the existing outside-jamb;
• where the profile of the profiled moulding includes a slot, and where a key engages the slot, and thereby locates or positions the inside jamb-frame with respect to the profiled moulding, and thereby with respect to the outside jamb-frame;
• attaching an inside set of spline-clips to an edge face of the outside frame;
• positioning the inside frame, with the inside spline-clips attached, such that the inside spline-clips lie flat against the inside wall;
• driving fasteners through the webs of the inside spline-clips, to secure the inside spline-clips, and
• thereby the inside jamb-frame, to the wall;
• then applying wood trim to the inside spline-clips.