Self-adhesive wallboard finishing tape and tape-and-wallboard panel system

• US 5,333,433 A
• Filed: 09/22/1992
• Issued: 08/02/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bernard A. Porambo, Carolyn L. Usrey
• Original Assignee: Bernard A. Porambo, Carolyn L. Usrey
• Inventors: Porambo, Bernard A., Usrey, Carolyn L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Safavi, Michael
• Application Number:
  US07/949,065
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 52/344, 52/354, 52/416, 52/417, 52/254, 52/255, 52/288, 52/741.1, 52/741.4, 52/745.21, 52/747, 156/71, 156/574
• US Class Current: 52/417
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 13/042 Joint tapes

Abstract

A self-adhesive tape is presented for concealing or "finishing" joints between adjacent wallboard panels in the construction of simulated monolithic wall surfaces. The finishing tape comprises an elongate substrate having opposing first and second surfaces and terminating in opposing side edges, first and second layers of a cementitious first adhesive disposed on the first surface of the substrate adjacent each opposing side edge of the substrate and a pressure-sensitive second adhesive disposed on the first surface of the substrate generally along a central portion of the substrate. When pressed over a joint formed by abutting edges of adjacent wallboard panels, portions of the cementitious first adhesive are caused to flow from beneath each side edge of the substrate to occupy recessed areas adjacent each opposing side edge of the substrate, and the pressure-sensitive second adhesive occupies an area between the substrate and the wallboard panel surfaces and bonds the substrate and the adjacent wallboard panels to form a substantially rigid structure, whereby the substrate forms over the joint a flush continuous surface with the adjacent wallboard panel surfaces.

Claims

1. A wallboard assembly comprising:

at least two wallboard panels disposed adjacent one another, each said wallboard panel having a face surface and a tapered margin surface adjacent its edge adjacent the opposing wallboard panel so that the tapered margin surfaces of the adjacent wallboard panels collectively define a shallow V-shaped recessed area along the joint between said wall board panels;

a substrate having opposing first and second surfaces and terminating in opposing side edges and having a central portion disposed between said opposing side edges, said substrate having a width slightly narrower than the dimension of the recessed area in the plane of the face surfaces of the wallboard panels;

a first layer of a first adhesive disposed on the first surface of the substrate adjacent at least one said side edge, said first adhesive comprising an aqueous gypsum compound;

a second layer of said first adhesive disposed on the first surface of the substrate adjacent the opposite said side edge; and

a second adhesive disposed along the central portion of the first surface of said substrate between the first and second layers of said first adhesive,

said substrate applied to the joint between said adjacent wallboard panels with a portion of said first layer of said first adhesive extending out from beneath said first side edge to occupy an area between said first side edge of the substrate and an intersection point of the face surface and the tapered margin surface on the adjacent wallboard panel, and a portion of said second layer of said first adhesive extending out from beneath said second side edge to occupy an area between said second side edge and an intersection point of the face surface and the tapered margin surface on the adjacent wallboard panel, and the second adhesive disposed on the central portion of the first surface of said substrate occupies an area between the substrate and the tapered margin surfaces of each said wallboard panels, thereby bonding the tape and the wallboard panels in a substantially permanent fixed relationship.

2. A wallboard joint tape comprising:

a substrate having opposing first and second surfaces and terminating in opposing side edges and having a central portion disposed between said opposing side edges;

a first layer of a first adhesive disposed on the first surface of the substrate adjacent at least one said side edge, said first adhesive comprising an aqueous gypsum compound;

a second layer of said first adhesive disposed on the first surface of the substrate adjacent the opposite said side edge; and

a second adhesive disposed along the central portion of the first surface of said substrate between the first and second layers of said first adhesive.

3. The wallboard joint tape as in claim 2 wherein the substrate is defined by an elongate strip of paper tape.

4. The wallboard joint tape as in claim 3 wherein the paper tape has a width of approximately 3.75 inches (95.25 mm) to about 4.00 inches (101.6 mm), and a thickness of about 0.075 inches (1.9 mm) to about 0.015 inches (3.8 mm).

5. The wallboard joint tape as in claim 2 wherein the first layer of said first adhesive is disposed on the first surface of the substrate beginning adjacent the first side edge thereof and extending inwardly to a point about 0.75 inches (19 mm) from said first side edge, and the second layer of the first adhesive is disposed on the first surface of the substrate beginning adjacent the second side edge thereof and extending inwardly to a point about 0.75 inches (19 mm) from said second side edge.

6. The wallboard joint tape as in claim 2 wherein the second adhesive is disposed in the central portion of the first surface of said substrate beginning from a point about 0.80 inches (20 mm) inward from the first side edge of said substrate to a point about 0.80 inches (20 mm) inward from the opposing second side edge of said substrate.

7. The wallboard joint tape as in claim 2 wherein the first and second layers of the first adhesive are disposed on the first surface of the substrate beginning adjacent the first and second side edges, respectively, and extend inwardly toward a central longitudinal axis of the substrate to a point about 0.75 inches (19 mm) from said first and second side edges of the substrate, and

wherein the second adhesive is disposed on the central portion of the first surface of the substrate beginning from a point about 0.80 inches (20 mm) inward from the first side edge of the substrate to a point about 0.80 inches (20 mm) inward from the opposing second side edge of the substrate, whereby portions of the first surface of the substrate between the first and second layers of the first adhesive and the second adhesive are free of both said adhesives.

8. The wallboard joint tape as in claim 2 wherein the first and second layers of said first adhesive ranges in thickness from about 0.25 inches (6.4 mm) to about 0.35 inches (8.9 mm), and

wherein the second adhesive agent ranges in thickness from about 0.25 inches (6.4 mm) to about 0.35 inches (8.9 mm).

9. The wallboard joint tape as in claim 2 further comprising a release liner placed over the first and second adhesives and the first surface of said substrate.

10. The wallboard joint tape as in claim 2 wherein the second adhesive is defined by a pressure-sensitive hydrocarbon resin with clay and calcium carbonate.

11. A self-adhesive joint-concealing tape and wallboard panel system, said system comprising:

at least two wallboard panels disposed adjacent each other, each said wallboard panel having a face surface and a tapered surface adjacent its edge adjacent the opposing panel so that the tapered areas collectively define a shallow V-shaped recessed area along the joint between said panels;

an elongate paper substrate having opposing first and second surfaces, said substrate terminating in opposing first and second side edges and having a width slightly narrower than the dimension of the recessed area taken on the plane of the face surfaces of the adjacent wallboard panels;

a first layer of an aqueous gypsum adhesive carried on the first surface of said substrate and extending substantially continuously adjacent the first side edge of said substrate and extending partially inwardly from a point adjacent said first side edge toward a central longitudinal axis of said substrate;

a second layer of aqueous gypsum adhesive carried on the first surface of said substrate and extending substantially continuously adjacent the opposing second side edge of said substrate and extending partially inwardly from a point adjacent said second side edge toward the central longitudinal axis of said substrate; and

a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive carried on the first surface of said strip between the first and second layers of said aqueous gypsum adhesive,

wherein portions of said first and second layers of the gypsum aqueous adhesive have the ability, when the substrate is pressed over the wallboard joint, to flow outwardly from beneath each said side edge of the substrate to occupy the recessed area of the joint, and wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive has the ability to bond the substrate and the adjacent wallboard panels in a fixed relation so that the second surface of the substrate is flush with the face surfaces of the adjacent wallboard panels to provide a continuous, substantially monolithic surface over the joint.

12. The self-adhesive wallboard tape as in claim 11 wherein the substrate is provided with a central spline extending generally along the central longitudinal axis thereof and outwardly from said first surface, said spline being adapted to, when the substrate is applied over a joint, extend into and occupy the space between the abutting edges of the adjacent wallboard panels.

13. The self-adhesive wallboard tape as in claim 11 wherein the wallboard panels are disposed at an angle to each other, and wherein the substrate is adapted to be formed to provide an interior wallboard corner flush with the adjacent wallboard panels.

14. The self-adhesive wallboard tape as in claim 11 wherein the aqueous gypsum adhesive comprises a major amount of inorganic filler material, a minor amount of binder material and a quantity of water sufficient to form a pastelike mixture of workable consistency.

15. A simulated monolithic building structure comprising at least two wallboard panels erected in a substantially edge-abutting relationship forming a joint therebetween, each said panel having an outer face surface arranged in substantially coplanar relationship with each other and an abutting edge surface which is substantially perpendicular to the outer face surface with at least the portion of the abutting edge surfaces of said panels immediately adjacent the face surfaces thereof being adjoined throughout the extent of the joint by a elongate joint-reinforcing substrate adhered thereto, said substrate forming in cooperation with said panels a rigid unitary structure resistant to displacement, wherein said elongate joint-reinforcing substrate comprises:

a paper substrate having opposing first and second surfaces and terminating in opposing first and second side edges;

a first layer of aqueous gypsum cement carried on the first surface of said substrate and extending substantially continuously longitudinally adjacent the first side edge of the substrate and extending partially latitudinally from a point adjacent said first side edge toward a central longitudinal axis of said substrate;

a second layer of aqueous gypsum cement carried on the first surface of said substrate and extending substantially continuously longitudinally adjacent the opposing second side edge of the substrate and extending partially latitudinally from a point adjacent said second side edge toward the central longitudinal axis of said substrate; and

a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive carried on the first surface of said substrate between the first and second layers of said aqueous gypsum cement,

wherein portions of said first and second layers of the gypsum aqueous adhesive cement have the ability, when the substrate is applied with pressure over the wallboard joint, to flow outwardly from beneath each said side edge of the substrate to, in cooperation with said substrate, occupy the recessed area of the joint, and wherein said pressure-sensitive adhesive has the ability to bond the substrate and the adjacent wallboard panels in a fixed relation so that the second surface of the substrate is flush with the face surfaces of the wallboard panels to provide a flush wall surface over the joint.

16. A method of concealing the joints formed between adjacent wallboard panels in the construction of a simulated monolithic wall surface, each said wallboard panel having an outer face surface, a circumferential edge disposed perpendicular to said face surface, and a tapered margin surface area adjacent said edge adjacent the opposing wallboard panel so that the tapered areas of the adjacent panels collectively define a shallow V-shaped recessed area at the joint between said wallboard panels, said method comprising the steps of:

a. providing an elongate strip having opposing first and second surfaces and terminating in opposing side edges, a first layer of a first adhesive defined by an aqueous adhesive carried on the first surface of said strip and extending substantially continuously adjacent a first side edge of the strip and extending partially inwardly from a point adjacent said first edge toward a central longitudinal axis of said strip, a second layer of said aqueous adhesive carried on the first surface of said strip and extending substantially continuously adjacent the opposing second side edge of said strip and extending partially inwardly from a point adjacent said second side edge toward the central longitudinal axis of said strip, and a layer of a second pressure-sensitive adhesive carried on the first surface of said strip generally along a central portion of second strip, said strip having width slightly narrower than the dimension of the recessed area at the plane of the face surfaces of the adjacent wallboard panels;

b. aligning said elongate strip along and over the joint between the adjacent wallboard panels; and

c. pressing said elongate strip over the joint by applying pressure to the second surface of said strip and simultaneously causing a portion of the first layer of the first adhesive to flow outwardly from beneath the first side edge of said strip to occupy the recessed area of the wallboard joint adjacent the first side edge of said strip, causing a portion of said second layer of the first adhesive to flow outwardly from beneath the second side edge of said strip to occupy the recessed area of the wallboard joint adjacent the second side edge of said strip, and causing the pressure-sensitive adhesive to bond to an area between the tapered margin surfaces of the adjacent panels and the first surface of said strip in a substantially fixed relation, whereby the aqueous adhesive can form a substantially flush continuous surface between the second surface of said strip and the face surface of the adjacent wallboard panels.