Membranous waterproof juncture

Abstract

A waterproof juncture comprised of a water-impermeable membrane applied over at least the upper peripheral edge of a wallboard or shower pan sidewall and a portion of an adjacent wall-forming member which is coplanar with the wall studs, which in turn will form a waterproof covering over the seam between the upper peripheral edge of the wallboard or shower pan sidewall (or equivalent shower bench, shelf or ledge) and the adjacent wall-forming member.

Claims

1. A waterproof flashing adapted to be installed in connection with a shower pan sidewall and a section of wallboard, the sidewall ending in an upper peripheral edge, the wallboard ending in a lower peripheral edge, room-facing surfaces of the wallboard and the sidewall being substantially coplanar and adapted to receive wall covering thereon, two or more vertically disposed shower wall studs each defining a front facing surface that is coplanar with the front facing surface of the other shower wall studs, the waterproof flashing comprised of: a generally horizontally disposed backing member connected to the two or more wall studs, the backing member defining a backing member front surface which is substantially coplanar with the front facing surfaces of the shower wall studs, the upper peripheral edge of the sidewall and the lower peripheral edge of the wallboard being disposed in opposed relation with respect to, and spaced from, each other, the upper peripheral edge of the sidewall and the backing member front surface forming a longitudinal intersection; and a continuous water-impermeable membrane applied over at least a portion of the room-facing surface of the sidewall, the upper peripheral edge of the shower pan sidewall and at least a portion of the backing member front surface.

2. The waterproof flashing of claim 1, further comprising one or more courses of tile applied to the room-facing surface of the sidewall and the room-facing surface of the wallboard and over a horizontal projection of an area defined by the space between the upper peripheral edge of the sidewall and the lower peripheral edge of the wallboard.

3. The waterproof flashing of claim 2, the continuous water-impermeable membrane defining a thickness, wherein the spacing between the upper peripheral edge of the shower pan and the lower peripheral edge of the wall board is no more than substantially the thickness of the continuous water-impermeable membrane.

4. The waterproof flashing of claim 1, wherein the continuous water-impermeable membrane is attached solely to the front-facing surface of the horizontally disposed backing member and the room facing surface of the sidewall, and not to the wallboard.

5. A waterproof flashing adapted to be installed between an upper peripheral edge of a first member and a lower peripheral edge of a second member, room-facing surfaces of the first member and the second member being substantially coplanar and adapted to receive wall covering thereon, two or more vertically disposed shower wall studs each defining a front facing surface that is coplanar with the front facing surface of the other shower wall studs, the waterproof flashing comprised of: a generally horizontally disposed backing member connected to the two or more wall studs, the backing member defining a backing member front surface which is substantially coplanar with the front facing surfaces of the shower wall studs, the upper peripheral edge of the first member and the lower peripheral edge of the second member being disposed in opposed relation with respect to, and spaced from, each other, the upper peripheral edge of the first member and the backing member front surface forming a longitudinal intersection, and a continuous water-impermeable membrane applied over at least a portion of the room-facing surface of the first member, the upper peripheral edge of the first member and at least a portion of the backing member front surface.

6. The first member and second member according to claim 5 wherein the first member or second member is one of: (a) shower pan; (b) wallboard; and (3) shower bench or shower accessory.

7. The waterproof flashing of claim 5, wherein the continuous water-impermeable membrane is attached solely to the front-facing surface of the horizontally disposed backing member and the room facing surface of the first member, and not to the second member.

8. The waterproof flashing of claim 5, further comprising one or more courses of tile applied to the room-facing surface of the first member and the room-facing surface of the second member and over a horizontal projection of an area defined by the space between the upper peripheral edge of the first member and the lower peripheral edge of the second member.

9. The waterproof flashing of claim 5, the continuous water-impermeable membrane defining a thickness, wherein the spacing between the upper peripheral edge of the first member and the lower peripheral edge of the second member is no more than substantially the thickness of the continuous water-impermeable membrane.

10. A method of forming a waterproof flashing arrangement comprising the steps of: forming an enclosure, said enclosure being defined by a series of vertical shower wall studs, each defining a front facing surface; arranging a series of horizontally disposed backing members, each defining a front facing surface, around an upper peripheral edge of a shower pan, perpendicular to the vertical wall studs, wherein the font-facing surface of said horizontally disposed backing members are substantially coplanar with the front-facing surface of the vertical wall studs; mounting a continuous water-impermeable membrane to the horizontally disposed backing members around an upper peripheral edge of a shower pan, wherein the continuous water-impermeable membrane is positioned such that at least a portion of the continuous water-impermeable membrane overhangs the upper peripheral edge of the shower pan; and attaching a series of wallboard sections above the upper peripheral edge the shower pan, wherein a lower peripheral edge of the wallboard sections are spaced from each other in vertical alignment, wherein a room-facing surface of the shower pan and a room-facing surface of the wallboard are substantially coplanar.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the continuous water-impermeable member further attaches to the room facing surface of the shower pan.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the continuous water-impermeable membrane does not attach to the wallboard section.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising one or more courses of tile applied to the room-facing surface of the shower pan and the room-facing surface of the wallboard and over a horizontal projection of an area defined by the space between the upper peripheral edge of the sidewall and the lower peripheral edge of the wallboard.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein a horizontal projection of an area defined by the space between the upper peripheral edge of the sidewall and the lower peripheral edge of the wallboard is perpendicularly aligned with the mid-point of the front-facing surface of the horizontally disposed backing member.

15. The method according to claim 10, the continuous water-impermeable membrane defining a thickness, wherein the spacing between the upper peripheral edge of the shower pan and the lower peripheral edge of the wall board is no more than substantially the thickness of the continuous water-impermeable membrane.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a representative application of a first embodiment of the invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a cross sectional elevational view of a fully assembled shower employing the first embodiment of the invention.

(3) FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of the area of detail circled in FIG. 2.

(4) FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of the area of detail circled in FIG. 2, with the further modification of having a bead of adhesive and/or caulking placed between leg 34 and sidewall or wallboard section 20.

(5) FIG. 3C is an enlarged view of the area of detail circled in FIG. 2, with the further modification of having an additional or alternative bead of adhesive and/or caulking 39 placed between lower edge 26 of wallboard or shower bench wall 25 and pan or bench sidewall upper edge 21.

(6) FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

(7) FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the invention.

(8) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention employed in connection with a novel prefabricated modular shower bench.

(9) FIG. 7 is a close up of the area of detail circled in FIG. 6.

(10) FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the area of detail circled in FIG. 2, with the further modification of having a downwardly depending rear leg connected to the flashing member.

(11) FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the area of detail circled in FIG. 2, with the further modification of having a fastener which mechanically connects flashing 30 to an adjacent wall stud S.

(12) FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of a corner flashing member in accordance with the principles of this invention.

(13) FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional top plan view of a modified form of flashing member in accordance with this invention.

(14) FIG. 12A is a perspective view of the flashing assembly shown in FIGS. 1-10 together with the modified form of flashing member shown in FIG. 11, installed in a shower.

(15) FIG. 12B is the perspective view of FIG. 12A with the modified form of flashing assembly shown in FIG. 5, installed in place of the modified form of flashing member shown in FIG. 11.

(16) FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the flashing of FIG. 11 installed between adjacent wallboard sections.

(17) FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the flashing of FIG. 11 installed between adjacent wallboard sections.

(18) FIG. 15A is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of the flashing of this invention.

(19) FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional elevational view of the flashing arrangement shown in FIG. 15A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED AND ALTERNATE EMBODIMENTS

(20) Before describing in detail exemplary embodiments that are in accordance with the present invention, it should be observed that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations of apparatus components and processing steps related to implementing a method for reducing the tendency for water to be permitted to intrude behind wallboard and/or shower pan and bench structures, and/or shower accessories and to improving the performance of the associated shower enclosure. Accordingly, the apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

(21) In this document, relational terms, such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element without necessarily requiring or implying any physical or logical relationship or order between such entities or elements. The terms comprises, comprising, or any other variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. The term plurality of as used in connection with any object or action means two or more of such object or action. A claim element proceeded by the article a or an does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element. The term tile also encompasses stone, marble, stucco, plaster, or any other wall covering material. The term tiled means any surface having tile, stone, marble, stucco, plaster, or any other wall covering material applied thereon. The terms wall or sidewall, in relation to a shower module or shower bench and enclosures for same, means any component of a shower module or shower bench or shower accessory or wallboard which makes up any portion of a shower or tub enclosure, including wallboard, a shower module/pan, a curb or sidewall integrated into such shower module/pan, or any portion of a shower bench, shelf or ledge.

(22) Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a representative modular shower pan 10 comprised of a floor section 12 having one or more upstanding sidewalls 18, 20, 22 and 24 connected to peripheral edges A, B, C and D of floor 12 in a manner that will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art. Pan 10 is preferably but not by way of limitation of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,777 issued on Jun. 22, 1999 to Gerber. The disclosure of the '777 Patent is incorporated herein by reference as though fully set forth herein. Pans of this type are comprised generally of a sloping floor into which is formed one or more drain openings, and sidewalls extending substantially upwardly from peripheral edges of the pan floor. The sidewalls terminate at a height which is intended to coincide with a lower peripheral edge of wallboard, bench or ledge component out of which the shower enclosure is formed. Specifically, the pan or shower bench/ledge sidewalls terminate at peripheral edges which are positioned at a height which is intended to substantially coincide with the lower peripheral edge 26 of the wallboard, bench or ledge component as shown in FIG. 3A.

(23) A waterproofing member such as flashing 30 is positioned in the space created between the lower peripheral edge 26 of wallboard 25 and the upper peripheral edge 21 of wallboard/pan or bench/ledge sidewall 20, as shown in FIG. 3A. Flashing member 30 is preferably z shaped, comprised of a central flat horizontal member 32, a downwardly extending horizontal proximal leg member 34 connected at a proximal edge 33 of horizontal member 32, and an upwardly extending distal leg member 36 connected to a distal edge 35 of horizontal member 32. In its assembled form, as best seen in FIGS. 2-3, flashing member 30 is attached (via fastener, adhesive or any suitable connecting structure) to a shower frame member such as wall stud S, or any other suitable supporting surface, prior to installation of the wallboard 25, but preferably after installation of pan 10. Horizontal flashing member 32 is positioned on top of and preferably, but not by way of limitation, in contact with upper pan sidewall peripheral edge 21 and inside sidewall peripheral edge 23. Wallboard 25 is then installed, and finishing/wallcovering material 38/40 applied there over. The finishing/wallcovering material 38/40 may be in any form, such as tiles and grouting, stucco, plaster or the like, placed there over such that the horizontally projected area occupied by the flashing and the space, i.e. seam, between the members 20, 25 is covered thereby by. Alternatively, as stated above, flashing 30 may also be employed in seams formed between adjacent wallboard sections, shower pan and bench sections, shower benches and adjacent wallboard and/or shower accessories and wallboard, whether those seams are horizontally or vertically oriented. Finishing/wallcovering materials are likewise then used to cover the projected area occupied by the flashing and the seam.

(24) Flashing member 30 may be of any length, but is preferably coextensive with the seam being waterproofed.

(25) As can be appreciated, and as shown in FIGS. 2-5, the thickness t of flashing 30 should be sized so as not to have any appreciable affect on the thinset layer 38 so that tiles 40 can be placed across the intersection of wallboard 25 with pan sidewall 20 without any undulation or disturbance of the flat surface formed by the tile.

(26) Also, the height h.sub.1 of upstanding leg 36 of flashing 30 can be any suitable height and is preferably in the range of to 4. The width w of horizontal member 32 should be sized so as to substantially coincide with the thickness of wallboard/pan sidewall 20 and/or wallboard 25. The height h.sub.2 of depending legs 34 or 37 can be any height, e.g. 1/16 to 4.

(27) The function of flashing 30 is to prohibit water which has intruded behind tiles 40 into and/or behind thinset 38 from traveling behind wallboard 25 or wallboard/pan sidewall 20. This occurs due to the vertical member 36 acting as a barrier to water which has seeped into any gap between lower peripheral edge 26 of wallboard 25 and upper peripheral edge 21 of shower component 20 resulting from the downflow of water due to gravity. Any such water will be constrained to the space 45 between wallboard 25 and vertical flashing member 36 and space 38.

(28) FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of the area of detail circled in FIG. 2, with the further modification of having a bead 39 of adhesive and/or caulking sealingly placed between leg 34 and sidewall or wallboard section 20. In this way, a further level of waterproofing is achieved, as any water rising between tile 40 and wallboard/sidewall 20 will be prevented from passing beyond bead 39, so that water cannot rise to a level where it overflows peripheral edge 21 and passes down behind (to the left in FIG. 3B) wallboard/sidewall 20. FIG. 3C is the same view as FIG. 3B, but a bead 39 of adhesive and/or caulk is sealingly placed between upper peripheral edge 21 and flashing horizontal member 32. Obviously, a bead 39 may be placed in either or both locations simultaneously if desired. Further, another bead 39 may be placed between lower edge 26 of wallboard 25 (or the lower edge of bench wall 55) and flashing member 32. Beads 39, 39 and 39 are preferably continuous and coextensive with flashing member 30.

(29) Referring now to FIG. 5, an alternative form of flashing 30 is shown, wherein the downwardly depending front leg 34 of flashing 30 has been omitted. Flashing 30 in this configuration is otherwise installed and performs substantially identically to that described in connection with FIGS. 2-4.

(30) FIG. 6 is a perspective, partially exploded view of an application of the invention to a shower bench/shower pan arrangement. A shower pan module 10 is installed in a shower enclosure (not shown) and, as in the case of FIGS. 1-3, includes a floor 12 and at least one upstanding sidewall 20 ending in an upper peripheral sidewall edge 21.

(31) A shower seat module 50, which in the figure is shown as a simple bench, but may be made in any shape, has a generally horizontally extending seating section 52, a vertical leg panel 55 depending downwardly there from, and a backrest section 56 extending generally vertically there from. Shower seat 50 may be supported in any desired manner, such as by wood or metal framing R, support ribs (not shown) attached to or otherwise associated with bench 50, or the like. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, seat 50 is supported by a support structure 85 such as wall studs, plywood sheeting molded-in ribs, or the like, as will occur to those of skill in the art.

(32) Leg panel 55 ends in a lower peripheral edge 56 which is adapted to substantially align with upper peripheral edge 21 of pan sidewall 20 in a manner similar to that shown in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3 with respect to wallboard 25. In other words, leg panel 55 will align with, and create a space between itself and, pan sidewall 20 in the same manner that wallboard 25 aligns with pan sidewall 20 in FIGS. 2 and 3. Flashing 30 is disposed in the space between peripheral edges 21 and 56 so as to sandwich horizontal flashing member 32 there between. The modified flashing 30 shown in FIG. 5 (or that shown in FIG. 8) may also be employed in the context of the arrangement shown in FIG. 6 without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. In such event, downwardly depending flashing member 34 may or may not be omitted. Flashing 30 is also used to create a waterproof barrier at the junction of wallboard 25 and seat back 56 as shown in the drawing in the same manner as described in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3.

(33) It is to be understood that flashing 30 may be employed at any junction of wall section elements where waterproofing is desired. For example, a typical shower pan 10 will have one or more upstanding sidewalls which will mate with adjoining wallboard or other module accessories such as shower seat 50 to form substantially horizontal seams. At all such junctures, wherever waterproofing is desired, flashing 30 may be installed. As stated above, the invention may also be employed at the juncture of wallboard sections, regardless of whether a shower pan or bench is associated with such juncture.

(34) FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the area of detail circled in FIG. 2, with the further modification of having a downwardly depending leg 37 attached to the distal edge 35 of horizontal member 32. Leg 37 provides additional stability to flashing member 35 as it permits legs 36 and 37 to straddle the wall member 20. One or more fasteners such as sheet metal screw 41 (shown in FIG. 9) may be used to connect leg 37 to a wall stud S or other framing member.

(35) FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the area of detail circled in FIG. 2, with the further modification of having a fastener 41 such as one or more sheet metal screws, adhesive, clamps, etc. mechanically connecting flashing 30 to wall stud S. Alternatively, or additionally, fasteners 41 may be used to mechanically connect flashing 30 to sidewall or wallboard peripheral edge 21 or 26. Additionally, adhesive/caulk bead 39 may be replaced by one or more fasteners 41.

(36) FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of a corner flashing member 60 in accordance with the principles of this invention. The flashing member 60 is preferably formed of a one piece construction, as by injection molding, stamping or the like depending upon the material used. Alternatively, the corner flashing member 60 may be formed in situ by an installer by cutting straight sections and installing them to form a corner. The angle formed by corner member 60 may be 90 or any other angle to fit a particular application.

(37) FIGS. 11-14 illustrate another embodiment of the invention. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional plan view of a modified flashing member according to my invention. In this embodiment, a T-shaped flashing member 70 is adapted to be placed in the substantially vertically oriented space between adjacent wallboard sections 25 and/or between wallboard sections and adjacent shower/tub enclosure components. Flashing member 70 is comprised of a first arm 72, a second arm 74, and a mid-section 76. Mid-section 76 terminates in a first peripheral edge 77 and a second peripheral edge 79. Arms 72, 74 are connected to mid-section 72 along first and second peripheral edges 77, 79, respectively, and are in turn sealingly connectable to the room-facing (i.e. shower interior-facing) surfaces F of sections 20 and/or 25 being joined, as by adhesive and/or caulk beads 80 and 82 or other mechanical fastener such as one or more screws, adhesive tape, waterproof membrane, etc. Mid-section 76 is formed of a water impermeable material so as to create a water barrier which prevents the intrusion of water behind sections 20, 25. Flashing member 70, as with all other flashing members disclosed herein, may be manufactured of any water impervious material, such as polyurethane, aluminum, steel or the like, it being understood that any material which will perform the function of acting as a water barrier when sandwiched between two members of shower or bath tub enclosures are desired. Flashing member 70 may be used to join coplanar wall section members 25, or to join perpendicularly arranged sections 20 and/or 25 as shown in FIG. 12A. Also, the L-shaped flashing member 30 shown in FIG. 5 may be employed at a vertical seam in place of flashing member 70, as shown in FIG. 12B. Legs 72, 76 form a right angle (or angle corresponding generally to the angle formed between adjoining wallboard or shower enclosure components) such that each of legs 72,76 will lie upon one of the surfaces F of the adjoining wallboard or shower enclosure components.

(38) In one embodiment, the installation of flashing 30 may be accomplished by placing shower pan 10 (or equivalent section of wallboard) in place, attaching flashing 30 in position with respect thereto against whatever backing material will lie behind wallboard 25 (such as wall stud S), installing wallboard 25, and tiling thereover or covering with whatever finishing surfacing material is to be used. Alternatively, flashing 30 may be installed against whatever backing material will lie behind wallboard 25, placing shower pan 10 (or equivalent section of wallboard) in position, installing wallboard 25 and covering with finishing material.

(39) FIGS. 15A and 15B depict another embodiment of the invention, in which a roll-on-type waterproofing membrane 100, such as the product sold under the trademark Hydro Ban by Laticrete Int'l Inc. of Bethany, Connecticut, is applied over the intersection of a wallboard and shower pan sidewall section 20 or 25 (which intersection may also be between adjacent wallboard sections and/or adjacent shower/tub enclosure sections, as the case may be) and a generally horizontally disposed backing member such as wall framing member W to form a flashing arrangement. Framing member W forms a front (shower-facing) surface F1 which is substantially coplanar with the front facing surfaces F1 of wall studs S. The mid-point W.sub.M of framing member W is generally at about the height of top edge 21 of pan sidewall 20. In this embodiment, upper peripheral edge 21 of pan sidewall 20 is generally perpendicular to vertical front face F of framing member W and studs S such that membrane 100 forms a watertight covering over the intersection thereof. As shown, the membrane 100 may, but is not necessarily required to, cover all or a portion of the front surface of sidewall 20 as well.

(40) In this embodiment, the waterproofing membrane 100 comprises: a first, substantially horizontally disposed, section; a second, upstanding, section attached to the first section along a distal edge of the first section; and a third, downwardly depending, section attached to the proximal edge of the first section. Each section having a thickness. The first section being sandwiched between the upper peripheral edge 21 of the sidewall 20 and the lower peripheral edge 26 of the wallboard 25. The second section extending vertically upward between at least a portion of the wallboard 25 and the front surface F of the framing member W. The third section extending downwardly in front of at least a portion of the room-facing surface of the sidewall 20 when installed. The upper peripheral edge 21 of the sidewall 20 and the lower peripheral edge 26 of the wallboard 25 being spaced from each other by approximately the thickness of the first section of the waterproofing member.

(41) This waterproofing arrangement can be created at any vertical or horizontal seam created by the placement of wall or shower pan sections next to each other. Installation of this type of waterproof juncture may be carried out by, for example, providing a horizontally arranged wall framing member W in coplanar relationship with wall studs S, placing shower pan 20 or wallboard section 25 in place against the co-planar front-facing surfaces F of studs S and framing members W, and applying the membrane material 100 in liquid or otherwise flowable form. Thereafter, another wallboard section (or equivalent shower or tub component) may be installed above upper peripheral edge 21. The same procedure may be carried out for vertically or diagonally oriented seams. The material which forms membrane 100 may be applied by rolling, spraying, brushing, trowelling, or the like as will occur to those of skill in the art.

(42) The shower pan referenced herein may be made of any suitable material, such as polyurethane. The flashing members of this invention may be manufactured of any water impervious material, such as polyurethane, plastic, aluminum, steel or the like, it being understood that any material which will perform the function of acting as a water barrier when sandwiched between two wall members of shower or bath tub enclosures, being formed having a horizontal section sandwiched between wall member peripheral edges and a substantially vertical member extending upwardly from the horizontal section behind the upper wall member.

(43) In the foregoing specification, the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

(44) Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments of the present invention. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause or result in such benefits, advantages, or solutions to become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or element of any or all the claims. The invention is defined solely by the appended claims including any amendments made while this application is pending and all equivalents of those claims as issued.