Spacers for laying tile and method of use
OwnerBob Joosinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A single piece spacer element is disclosed for insertion between spaces between tiles for uniform spacing of the tiles. The spacer element comprising a plurality of legs extending radially from a common juncture, with the legs being formed with beveled edges which facilitate their removal from the adhesive material between the tiles once the adhesive has cured. The invention also comprises integrally formed cylindrical or U-shaped stems which extend from the surface of the spacer element and which aid in placement and removal thereof. The invention also comprises the method of using the spacer element to space and align tiles.
Claims9
A method of laying tiles to maintain uniform spacing between rows and columns of the tiles, said method comprising
- spreading an adhesive material on a substrate to which said tiles are to be applied;
- placing said tiles in columns and rows on the substrate and in contact with said adhesive;
- placing spacer elements into said adhesive material between the edges of adjacent tiles as the tiles are laid, said spacer elements consisting of a plurality of legs extending radially from a common juncture, each of said legs having a top surface, bottom surface, and an end surface, each of said bottom surfaces lying entirely in a single plane, at least one of said legs of each spacer element having a beveled edge which extends partially above the level of the adhesive material when the spacer is positioned between the edges of adjacent tiles in contact with the adhesive;
- allowing the adhesive to set and firmly adhere the laid tiles and the spacer elements to the substrate;
- applying a tool to the beveled edge of said at least one leg of the spacer elements to lift the spacer away from said adhesive and said tiles to form substantially open channels between the adjacent tiles;
- and
- filling the channels between the tiles with a grout.
A single piece spacer element for insertion into spaces between tiles for uniform spacing of the tiles, said spacer element consisting of a plurality of legs extending radially from a common juncture, each of said legs having a top surface, bottom surface, and an end surface, each of said bottom surfaces lying entirely in a single plane, at least one of said legs of said spacer element including a beveled surface extending from its bottom surface in the direction of its top surface to its end surface, and at least one of said legs including a stem extending from said top surface thereof
- whereby, said spacer having been placed between a plurality of tiles in order to correctly position the tiles can thereafter be removed by applying a tool to said beveled surface to remove said spacer from its location between the tiles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.