Prefabricated building panel and method of making the same

A prefabricated exterior building panel including:

• (a) a plurality of spaced parallel elongated support members;
• (b) a plurality of spacers located at spaced intervals along the support members;
• (c) a wire mesh attached to the support members and spaced from said members by the spacers, said mesh being formed by a plurality of interwoven spaced wires arranged at generally right angles providing interstices therebetween and with the total thickness of the mesh consisting of the thickness of five wire strand layers;
• (d) a plurality of fasteners attaching the spacers and wire mesh at spaced intervals to the support members;
• (e) a layer of cement generally encapsulating the wire mesh;
• (f) a layer of grouting applied to the encapsulated wire mesh;
• and
• (g) a plurality of facing elements attached to the encapsulated wire mesh by the grouting.

A method of forming an exterior building panel including the steps of:

• (a) arranging a plurality of elongated support members in a parallel spaced relationship;
• (b) attaching a plurality of spacers on each of the support members;
• (c) securing a wire mesh to the support members spaced a predetermined distance from said members by the spacers, said mesh being formed by a plurality of interwoven spaced wire strands arranged at right angles providing interstices therebetween whereby the total thickness of the mesh consists of the thickness of five wire strand layers;
• (d) encapsulating the wire mesh with a generally planar layer of cement providing an outer surface and an opposite inner surface with said inner surface abutting the support members;
• (e) applying a layer of grouting to the outer surface of the encapsulating cement;
• and
• (f) attaching a plurality of facing elements to the grouting.

A method of forming an exterior building panel including the steps of:

• (a) arranging a plurality of elongated support members in a parallel spaced relationship:
• (b) placing a plurality of spacers at spaced intervals along each of the support members;
• (c) attaching the spacers and a wire mesh to the support members with a plurality of fasteners with the wire mesh being spaced from said support members by the spacers, and with said mesh being formed by a plurality of interwoven spaced wire strands arranged at right angles providing interstices therebetween whereby the total thickness of the mesh consists of the thickness of five wire strand layers;
• (d) encapsulating the wire mesh with cement;
• (e) applying a layer of grouting to an outer surface of the encapsulated wire mesh;
• and
• (f) attaching a plurality of facing elements to the encapsulated wire mesh by the grouting.