A textured cladding element can be manufactured to approximate the aesthetic and functional properties or natural wood siding and/or shingles. The cladding element can comprise non-wood material, such as fiber cement. The cladding element can include a step and a recessed portion or cove which enables the element to have a relatively low thickness while also achieving a desirable drip edge and/or shadow line when multiple cladding elements are overlapping when installed in a finished product.

Disclosed herein is a fiber cement cladding system such as fiber cement shingles or shakes which can have the appearance of authentic wood. Each individual fiber cement shingle or shake comprises a textured surface having a depth of relief and a coating system disposed on the textured surface. The coating system may include a sealing agent, a basecoat, and a topcoat. In some embodiments, the basecoat is disposed on at least a portion of the sealing agent and the topcoat is disposed on at least a portion of the basecoat. In some embodiments, the basecoat comprises a DFT of 1 to 3 mils and the topcoat comprises a DFT of 0.05 to 2 mils. In some embodiments, the depth of relief of the textured surface of the fiber cement shingle is about 0.045 to 0.085.

Methods and associated apparatuses are described herein that provide a tile alternative material. The tile alternative material may be manufactured by providing a substrate that defines a first surface, and a second surface opposite the first surface. The second surface is configured to be secure, via an adhesive or otherwise, to a support surface. The method further includes coating an exterior layer on the first surface of the substrate, and forming a pattern element in the first surface of the substrate. Forming the pattern element includes removing material from the substrate and the coated exterior layer of the first surface to form one or more recessed portions.

An organic fiber toughened inorganic composite artificial stone panel and a preparation method thereof are disclosed. The panel includes a surface layer, an intermediate organic fiber toughened layer and a toughened base layer. The surface layer includes the following components: 40-70 parts of quartz sand, 20-30 parts of quartz powder, 20-45 parts of inorganic active powder, 0.5-4 parts of pigment, 0.1-3 part of water reducing agent and 3-10 parts of water. The intermediate organic fiber toughened layer includes the following components: 40-60 parts of inorganic active powder, 45-65 parts of sand, 0.8-1.5 parts of water reducing agent, 6-14 parts of water and 4-8 parts of organic fiber. The toughened base layer includes the following components: 30-50 parts of inorganic active powder, 30-55 parts of quartz sand, 15-20 parts of quartz powder, 0.5-1.2 parts of water reducing agent, 4-8 parts of water and 0.8-2.5 parts of toughener.

A support structure for installing planar rows of thin bricks on a wall may include a panel that may be mounted to a front surface of the wall, a plurality of tabs that may extend from a front surface of the panel and may be arranged in a plurality of horizontal rows of spaced-apart tabs, and a plurality of elongated support members, where each of the plurality of elongated support members may be removably attached to a corresponding horizontal row of spaced-apart tabs. Each of the plurality of elongated support members may include an upper support edge and a lower support edge, where the upper support edge may be configured to support lower surfaces of thin bricks that are placed immediately above each elongated support member and the lower support edge may be placed above and in contact with upper surfaces of thin bricks that are placed immediately below each elongated support member.

A prefabricated wall panel has a precast body including at least one decorative design element. In addition, the wall panel includes a mounting element having a first end embedded in the precast body and a second end projecting from the precast body. A groove is formed between the precast body and the second end of the mounting element along a first edge of the precast body. A tongue is formed along a second edge of the precast body opposite the first edge. The tongue and groove cooperate to allow prefabricated wall panels to be more easily installed on a support substrate.

The invention relates to a device for adhering brick slips to a panel, which device comprises: a horizontal transport surface with an infeed side and an outfeed side for transporting the panel from the infeed side, over the transport surface and to the outfeed side; a buffer arranged adjacently of the transport surface for buffering at least one row of brick slips; dispensing means for dispensing a layer of adhesive onto the panel; and engaging means displaceable between a position above the buffer and a position above the transport surface for picking up from the buffer the at least one row of brick slips and placing the row of brick slips on the panel.

A dual-unit paving system for covering a surface has pairs of first and second units. For each pair, the first and second unit have different respective shapes and sizes, and are configured to be matingly engageable for forming a hexagonal assembly having six, non-linear sides. The hexagonal assembly allows forming rotational tessellations. The first and second units are also shaped and configured to be matingly engageable so as to form horizontally aligned tessellations, and also vertically aligned tessellations.

A prefabricated wall panel has a precast body including at least one decorative design element. In addition, the wall panel includes a mounting element having a first end embedded in the precast body and a second end projecting from the precast body. A groove is formed between the precast body and the second end of the mounting element along a first edge of the precast body. A tongue is formed along a second edge of the precast body opposite the first edge. The tongue and groove cooperate to allow prefabricated wall panels to be more easily installed on a support substrate.

A limestone based masonry veneer composition is described that may be molded, blown, sprayed, troweled, or otherwise applied to interior and exterior surfaces. The composition provides an aesthetic resurfacing, cladding and/or overlay coating. The composition is capable of being pigmented, textured, sculptedor otherwise formed into an aesthetic, realistic, architecture, suitable as a stone veneer, an example of which is Blown Stone, by Stone Coat. Texturing or sculpting may occur about 1 hour and up to about 12 hours after applying the composition. The final composition is hydrophobic and breathes. Air carbonation allows the formation of a predominantly very pure calcium carbonate or limestone when fully cured, which prevents mold and algae growth and allows for autogenous healing with an increase in unit weight over time, ensuring an overall high compressive strength that endures over time.