Crown Molding Gap Concealment Film

Abstract

A thin concealment film is used to adhere to one side of crown molding, non-adhere to a second piece of molding and conceal the gap between the two pieces of molding. The width of the gap hiding material is sufficient to cover the gap as it widens and shrinks due to humidity, temperature and house settling that currently creates and changes the gap between sections of crown molding. The material can conform to the color, texture, and shape of the crown molding. The material follows the contour of the crown molding even on the non-adhered side of crown molding and across the gap. The gap covering material replaces current temporary solutions like filler caulking and the like that cannot withstand the gap geometry changes. The material may be a single film or lamination with adhesive pre-applied or applied onto one side of the molding at gap-covering material application.

Claims

1. A method to conceal gaps between two sections of crown molding comprising: a. Preparing the surface of the crown molding. b. Permanently applying an article to the crown molding on the first side of the gap that overlays and is not constrained by the offset above the second side of crown molding. c. Shaping the article applied to match the contour of the crown molding on both sides of the crown molding and across the gap between moldings. d. The amount of overlay across the second side of crown molding is sufficient to still cover the gap as the gap expands to its greatest width.

2. A method of claim 1 whereas an offset between the article and the second side of crown molding is less than 3 mm.

3. The method of claim 1 whereas the article comprises a film with adhesive for attachment to a side one of molding and no adhesive on the film that covers a side two of molding nor across the gap between the moldings.

4. A method of claim 3 whereas the width of the adhesive portion of the film is a maximum of 5 mm, and the width of the non-adhesive portion is a maximum of 10 mm.

5. The method of claim 1 whereas the article comprises a film that accepts adhesive applied to side one of crown molding for attachment to side one of molding and no adhesive on the side that covers side two of molding.

6. A method of claim 5 whereas the width of the adhesive portion of the film is a maximum of 5 mm, and the width of the non-adhesive portion is a maximum of 10 mm.

7. The method of claim 1 whereas the article comprises a material that can conform and retain the shape as bent to follow contours of the crown molding.

8. The method of claim 7 whereas the conforming material comprises at least one of: a metallic film, a metallic laminate, a plastic sheet, a natural fiber sheet a laminate sheet of multiple materials.

9. The method of claim 1 whereas the article comprises a material that is pre-colored and/or textured to match crown molding.

10. The method of claim 1 whereas the article comprises a material that is able to be colored and/or textured to match crown molding before or after application to cover the gap.

11. The method of claim 10 whereas the article comprises a material that is painted or stained to match the existing crown molding.

12. The method of claim 1 whereas the article comprises a generalized kit that supplies multiple widths, lengths, colors and textures to match typical crown moldings.

13. The method of claim 1 whereas the article comprises a user specified kit that supplies user selected widths, lengths, colors and textures to match specific crown moldings.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] According to common practice, the various features of the drawings discussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale. Dimensions of various features and elements in the drawings may be expanded or reduced to illustrate the embodiments of the invention more clearly.

[0013] FIG. 1 shows two sections of crown molding with a gap between the sections. The two sections of crown molding, 110 and 120 typically have the same cross-sectional profile that is shown as A-A and in cross section in FIG. 2. The width D1 is the distance across the gap 130 between the two pieces of crown molding, 110 and 120, as originally constructed or as the gap changes.

[0014] FIG. 2. shows section A-A with a generic profile of the crown molding cross section. There are endless profiles used for crown molding shapes. The contoured front of the crown molding is meant to be interpreted as on the page surface with the flat back of the molding on the page backside, in FIG. 1.

[0015] FIG. 3 shows the inventive film 310 top surface with a width D2. The film 310 has two distinct portions across its width. The width that is for adherence to one side of the crown molding is D3. The width that covers the gap 130 and a portion of the other piece of crown molding is D4.

[0016] FIG. 4 shows an edge view of at least four options for the film 310. Item 310a is a film that has all the required material properties in a single layer and requires an external application of adhesive to the adhesive width D3. Item 310b is a film that provides all the required material properties in at least two layers. For example, the top layer may have the desired color and texture while the bottom layer is able to be formed and retain the molding profile shape. The light and dark areas denote two different materials laminated together but not limited to just two layers. In 310b, an external application of adhesive to adhesive width D3 is still required. Item 310c is a film that has all the required material properties in a single layer and includes an adhesive layer on the film for width D3. Item 310d shows at least two laminated layers to comprise the film 310 with an additional layer of adhesive pre-applied to width D3 across the film. The adhesive strength may be one of permanent binding or enable a semi-permanent bond.

[0017] FIG. 5 shows the applied inventive film 310 that is adhered to one side of the crown molding 120 and non-adhered to the second side of crown molding 110, concealing the gap of width D1 between the moldings.

[0018] FIG. 6 adds cross sections E-E and F-F of film 310 in the adhesive and non-adhesive zones from FIG. 5.

[0019] FIG. 7 is a blow-up view of E-E and F-F that more clearly shows a film 310a following the contour of the molding cross section in both the adhered and non-adhered zones of the film. The distance D5 is the offset between the film in width D4 and molding 110. D5 shows a distance from the crown molding 110 for clarity of non-adhesion but may in fact be touching without being adhered. The single layer 310a would require an external adhesive (not shown) applied across the film or molding for width D3 adhered in F-F.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The use of a film to conceal the gap in crown molding sections has several advantages over conventional methods. The change in solution strategy to concealment over fixing the gap acknowledges the fact that materials cannot successfully provide seam-free filling of most gaps over the range of movement capable due to expansion and contraction cycles due to temperature, humidity, or house settling. When homeowners decide to fix the gaps with wood fillers or caulks, even ones that claim to be expandable/compressible, they mostly find that their work has been wasted in other parts of the year. It is upsetting to see either the caulk/wood filler that has been ejected from the gap that has contracted or pulled away with a new gap when the sections expand further than the filler can withstand. Expecting a filler to expand up to 300% is unrealistic as it is expecting it to stay within a closing gap. So, like a broken clock that is right only twice a day, trying to fix the gap with a filler is a poor solution, unless one lives in a home that does not settle nor experience changes in temperature or humiditywhich is rare.

[0021] Another benefit of the current invention over previous methods includes ease of use. Applying a film across a gap is relatively easy. Compared to trying to fill a gap with a filler material, there is far less mess to clean up and less skill in application. For other concealment methods in the art, the concealment means are themselves new molding fixtures applied with clips and woodworking skills. In addition to the skills required, the new molding sections must be placed in whatever random locations that have a gap in the original crown molding. This may place obvious gap concealment sites near corners and in unpleasing locations around the crown molding perimeter.

[0022] In contrast to the current methods, the inventive film relies on changing the problem of filling the gap or hiding behind another molding structure with a hide in plain sight solution of low skill requirement. Multiple options for applying a film to affix it to one side of a gap in crown molding whilst allowing the rest of the film to non-adhere to the other side of the crown molding enable the gaps to be concealed wherever they may occur in the molding perimeter around a room. The non-adhesive portion of the film accommodates the ever-changing gap width by the film being wider than the maximum expansion of the gap and accommodating the subsequent contraction. A key feature of the film is to enable the film to follow the contour of the molding in both the adhered and non-adhered portions of the film. This allows the film to make a more seamless appearance on the non-adherent side. Of course, even with close following of the contour of the molding, a small offset can likely be seen from the non-adhesive side of the film to the crown molding. This offset is perpendicular to the gap being concealed, so it appears less severe to the eye than the problem being fixed.

[0023] The gap 130 shown in FIG. 1 may have a width D1 less than 1 mm to over 5 mm in width (or more), depending on the expansion/contraction or house settlement cycle. The contour of the molding sides 110 and 120 shown in FIG. 2 may have multiple concave, convex or flat sections.

[0024] The film 310 in FIG. 3 may be of various widths D2 designed to provide enough surface area in an adhesive zone D3 to adhere to molding side 120, cover the variable width of the gap 130 with some width of non-adhesive zone D4 of film 310 left over to provide a safety factor of maximum gap width D1 needing to be concealed. So, the film 310 is made up of an adhesive zone of width D3 and a non-adhesive zone of width D4 to provide the functionality of adhering to side 120 molding while floating above gap 130 and molding side 110. This allows for covering a further expansion of the gap 130 from when the user applies the film and provides a long-term solution instead of just for the current gap 130 width.

[0025] FIG. 4 shows multiple embodiments of the inventive film 310. In each embodiment, several attributes are all provided: #1. The ability to have a portion of the film 310 adhere to a portion of crown molding 120, where the surface of crown molding 120 is prepared to receive the film 310. #2. Avoid any attachment of the film to the gap 130 or the film covered portion of crown molding 110. #3. The ability to retain the contour of the crown molding 110 and 120 even across the gap 130. FIG. 5 shows attribute #4. Sufficient width D2 of the film 310 to enable both attachment to crown molding 120 and overlap of crown molding 110 when the gap width D1 is at its maximum. This is generally approximately 5 mm width D3 of film 310 that is used for adhesion to crown molding 120, 5 mm of width or more to account for maximum gap expansion D1, and 3-5 mm of width to overlap crown molding 110, so the total width of D4 can be 10 mm or more. These widths are general and approximate, and it is expected that the film can be cut or provided in various widths of D2, D3 and D4 as needed for individual situations. An advantage of this inventive film is that it is not critical to use precise widths of the article to achieve the desired results. For each embodiment, the film may be provided or modified to match the color and texture of the crown molding in use.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 5, the user of the film 310 would have cut or selected a piece of film 310 to adhere to crown molding side 120, use their finger or a simple tool to press the film 310 into shape to follow the contour of the crown molding across the full width D2 of film 310.

[0027] FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show the capabilities of film 310 being able to follow the contour of the molding sides 110 and 120 when pressed into shape during application. Section F-F of FIG. 7 shows how the film 310 conforms to the crown molding 120. The adhesive that secures the film 310 to crown molding 120 may be part of the film or applied separately to crown molding 120 or to the portion of film 310 that contacts the crown molding 120. Section E-E of FIG. 7 shows an exaggerated offset D5 between 110 and 310 but also shows the film following the contour of the crown molding 110 and 120. In practice, this offset may be as small as 1 mm or less, in effect, touching the unadhered side of crown molding 110. The offset D5 may vary slightly across the length of cross section E-E. The offset D5 may be as large as 3 mm and still provide a seamless look except at a very acute angle of observation. It is possible to minimize the offset at the edge of the film covering molding side 110 either by simply in the physical shaping of the film to retain a shape in near contact with 110 or with a film material that responds to heating, for example, and slightly bends from the heat to move closer at side 110. While it is possible to see this offset between the film and molding side 110 while looking at the film 310 overlaying the molding 110 from an acute angle, it is far less noticeable than the much wider gaps 130 between molding sections and the visual defects of failed filling methods currently available. Providing a film 310 that can be easily shaped by the user during application and retain the shape across the gap 130 and over time is part of the film 310 attributes. Contrary to the inventive film 310 herein, adhering or pinning a film 310 to molding 110 to completely remove the offset D5 would prevent the film 310 from sliding across the everchanging gap 130 between 110 and 120 without forcing the film 310 to lose the contour shape of the moldings. This would be like one of the current failure modes of caulk fillers. There are many plastic and metallic materials that provide the ability to change and retain shape from a flat film. These may be a laminated or comprise the entirety of the inventive film 310 or at least the non-adhesive zone D4. The ability to receive and utilize an adhesive on the portion of 310 that adheres to molding 120 is also a capability of film 310 in zone D3.

[0028] It is anticipated that providers of products that meet these capabilities be able to provide the range of widths, lengths, colors, textures that cover the range of painted and stained/finished crown moldings. In some cases, pre-colored and textured films may be preferable to a more general film that can be painted or stained/finished at the time of use. In the case of films that are painted or finished after application to the molding, care must be taken to ensure that the paint or finish does not pin the non-adhesive side of the film 310 to the crown molding 110. One may contemplate that this gap concealment article could be available with crown molding materials for original installation of crown moldings or as a repair option for homeowners.

Example 1

[0029] Crown molding in a home in Milton, Delaware, built by one of the largest home builders in the USA, D. R. Horton, was used to demonstrate the feasibility of this invention. The home was built in 2019 and the crown molding was originally in outstanding visual condition, without visible gaps between sections of crown molding. After a summer and winter cycle, the crown molding separated by 2-5 mm. High performance caulk was applied in the winter of 2020 to fill the gap and resulted in renewed visual condition. However, by the end of the summer, the caulk had been ejected by expanding sections of crown molding and were unsightly and proud of the crown molding face by up to 5 mm. Similar results were reported by residents in the 200+ home community and indeed, is common in many homes across the country, hence the need for the present invention.

[0030] A roll of Oracal 651 by Orafol Group was purchased for experimentation. This material is a 2.5 mil thick vinyl film with a strong adhesive applied to it. It comes with a removable backing that exposes the adhesive when removed. It is commonly used with craft cutters for personal hobbies, outdoor signs, crafts, decorations, and the like. A matte white sample of the material was obtained for Example 1 in an attempt to match the white crown molding.

[0031] The caulk previously expelled by expanding crown molding was removed with a scraper. About a 2 mm gap remained (the gap had been wider when the caulk had been applied in the previous winter)

[0032] The film was cut to about a 25 mm width and excess length kept to fully extend along the crown molding and beyond, to be trimmed after the film was applied.

[0033] The backing that covers the adhesive was peeled partially back and cut along the length of the strip of material to expose about half the width of film adhesive.

[0034] The film was applied to the crown molding starting at the wall bottom and aligning the adhesive section to only contact one side of the crown molding. The non-exposed adhesive section covered both the gap and the other side of the crown molding.

[0035] The results of Example 1 were promising but pointed out needs described in the specification, claims and improvements in the next examples.

Example 2

[0036] The same Orafol film and crown molding gap preparation was the same as in Example 1, but with the following:

[0037] The adhesive cover backing was removed fully and about half of the width and the full length of the about 25 mm wide film was covered with standard kitchen aluminum foil. The purpose of this was to provide a more profile conforming material to the portion of the film not adhered to the first section of crown molding. The ability of the metal foil to be bent and retain shape provided this added functionality.

[0038] As in Example 1, length was trimmed after the film was applied and hand pressed to follow the crown molding contour.

[0039] The applied film was subsequently painted to match the molding white color more directly, as a white semi-gloss paint was previously applied to the crown molding. Care was taken to paint the overlapping side of the film in contact with the underlying crown molding.

[0040] This resulted in a more color-matched and a more contour fitting product.

Example 3

[0041] The material used in Example 3 was the aluminum foil on its own with a permanent liquid adhesive applied to one side of the crown molding after the same preparation had been done to the caulk removal and crown molding scraped smooth of any debris.

[0042] After a similar application of the aluminum foil and trimming, the foil and neighboring crown molding was primed and painted with matching white semi-gloss paint as in Example 2.

[0043] These three examples gave the inventor confidence that the new solution is possible. Optimizing the materials to have the proper surface color and texture, the appropriate adhesion on one side of the gap, the ability to conform and retain the shape of the crown molding and slide across the gap and the non-adhered side as close as possible are optimizations that a company like 3M could likely achieve. It is the intent of the inventor to seek out such a company to provide kits and specialty materials to users who can more effectively apply a solution that lasts throughout the inevitable changes that cause the gaps in crown molding today.