Apparatus and method for making shower curbs

Abstract

A shower curb is built by stacking two or three horizontally disposed 2″×4″ boards in a vertical stack and covering them with a shower liner. A three-sided frame having upstanding parallel front and back walls that depend from and are perpendicular to a top wall is placed over the liner and the boards. The frame is lattice-like and has a large plurality of openings formed in it. A cementitious material is applied to the frame so that the material enters into the openings and is screeded until it completely covers the boards and is flush with the frame. Ceramic tiles are then laid in overlying relation to the resulting structure. In a second embodiment, the top wall of the frame is pitched toward the shower to provide drainage.

1 . An apparatus for building a shower curb, comprising: 
 a plurality of horizontally disposed boards stacked in a vertical array, said boards being cut to a common length equal to an elongate space within which is to be built said shower curb;    a flexible shower liner disposed in overlying relation to said plurality of boards;    a three-sided frame disposed in overlying relation to said boards and in overlying relation to said flexible shower liner;    said three-sided frame including a top wall, a front wall, and a back wall;    said front wall and said back wall being disposed in parallel relation to one another and in perpendicular, depending relation to said top wall;    said three-sided frame having a predetermined depth;    a plurality of openings formed in said top wall, said front wall, and said back wall;    said plurality of openings adapted to receive a cementitious material;    said boards and liner adapted to be completely covered by said cementitious material when said cementitious material is applied to said boards and liner through said plurality of openings at a depth substantially equal to said predetermined depth of said frame so that said top wall, front wall, and back wall of said frame are substantially flush with said cementitious material;    whereby tile is laid atop said cementitious material to complete said shower curb.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said frame is made of a preselected material that is adapted to be cut to length as needed for a particular application.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein said preselected material is plastic.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising a first interlocking means formed in a preselected part of said frame at a first end of said frame and a second interlocking means formed in a preselected part of said frame at a second end of said frame, said first and second interlocking means being of complemental construction so that two linearly aligned frames are interlockable with one another.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said preselected part is said front wall of said frame.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said top wall is horizontally disposed.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said top wall is pitched so that water does not collect atop it.