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.
Claims20
A support plate for installing facing materials on a substrate comprising:
- a sheet material having a first side and a second side;
- a plurality of spaced apart adjacent raised portions residing across the sheet material;
- a plurality of spaced apart adjacent recesses residing across the sheet material;
- a plurality of slots in the sheet material traversing through one or more of the adjacent raised portions and extending at least partially into the sidewalls of the recesses, each said slot connecting at least two spaced apart adjacent recesses to each other;
- and
- a plurality of routing regions residing on the base sheet material defined at least by the plurality of raised portions and recesses, wherein one or more of the plurality of routing regions are adapted to receive a component therein.
A method of installing facing materials comprising:
- identifying a substrate;
- providing a support plate comprising, a sheet material having first and second sides, a plurality of spaced apart adjacent raised portions residing across the sheet material, a plurality of spaced apart adjacent recesses residing across the sheet material, a plurality of slots in the sheet material traversing through one or more of the adjacent raised portions and extending at least partially into the sidewalls of the recesses, each said slot connecting at least two spaced apart adjacent recesses to each other;
- and a plurality of routing regions residing on the base sheet material defined at least by the plurality of raised portions and recesses, wherein one or more of the plurality of routing regions are adapted to receive a component therein;
- attaching the support plate to the substrate;
- securing said component within said one or more of the plurality of routing regions;
- depositing a cementitious material over the support plate, said cementitious material filling the plurality of slots to enhance attachment of the support plate to the substrate;
- and
- providing a facing material over the cementitious material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.