Stone laminated structure and method for its construction

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laminated vertical structure. One embodiment includes a structure having a substantially vertical wall surface. A solid surface material sheet is provided that has a stone content of at least 90%, an area of at least four square feet, and an approximate thickness of between ¼ inch and ⅗ inch. In one embodiment, the thickness is approximately ⅜ inch. An adhesive material contacts the sheet and the wall surface to fix them together. In another embodiment, a method of constructing a laminated vertical structure includes providing a structure with a substantially vertical wall surface and a solid surface material sheet with a stone content of at least 90%, an area of at least four square feet, and an approximate thickness of between ¼ inch and ⅗ inch. An adhesive material is then applied onto the wall surface in a substantially uniform distribution. The sheet is then pressed onto the applied adhesive material for an amount of time sufficient to fix the sheet to the wall surface.

1 . A laminated vertical structure comprising: 
 a structure having a substantially vertical wall surface;    a sheet of solid surface material having a stone content of at least 90%, an area of at least four square feet, and a thickness of between approximately {fraction (1/4)} inch and approximately {fraction (3/5)} inch; and    an adhesive material contacting the sheet and the wall surface to fix them together.    
   
   
       2 . The laminated structure of  claim 1 , wherein the wall surface comprises drywall.  
   
   
       3 . The laminated structure of  claim 1 , wherein the wall surface comprises tile.  
   
   
       4 . The laminated structure of  claim 3 , wherein the tile comprises ceramic.  
   
   
       5 . The laminated structure of  claim 3 , wherein the tile comprises stone.  
   
   
       6 . The laminated structure of  claim 3 , wherein the tile is scarified.  
   
   
       7 . The laminated structure of  claim 1 , wherein the wall surface comprises concrete.  
   
   
       8 . The laminated structure of  claim 1 , wherein the wall surface comprises wood.  
   
   
       9 . The laminated structure of  claim 1 , wherein the sheet is granite.  
   
   
       10 . The laminated structure of  claim 1 , wherein the sheet is engineered stone.  
   
   
       11 . The laminated structure of  claim 1 , wherein the stone content of the sheet is at least 95%.  
   
   
       12 . The laminated structure of  claim 1 , wherein the stone content of the sheet is at least 97%.  
   
   
       13 . The laminated structure of  claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the sheet is approximately {fraction (3/8)} inch.  
   
   
       14 . The laminated structure of  claim 1 , wherein the sheet is vertically self-supporting.  
   
   
       15 . The laminated structure of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a corner surface projecting from the wall surface to form a corner therewith;    a narrow strip consisting of substantially the same material as the sheet, the narrow strip contacting the sheet and the corner surface and adhered to at least one of the sheet and the corner surface.    
   
   
       16 . The laminated structure of  claim 15 , wherein at least one of the sheet and the narrow strip projects linearly beyond the corner surface.  
   
   
       17 . A method of constructing a laminated vertical structure comprising: 
 providing a structure having a substantially vertical wall surface;    providing a sheet of solid surface material having a stone content of at least 90%, an area of at least four square feet, and an approximate thickness of between {fraction (1/4)} inch and {fraction (3/5)} inch;    applying an adhesive material onto the wall surface;    pressing the sheet onto the applied adhesive material for an amount of time sufficient to fix the sheet to the wall surface.    
   
   
       18 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the substantially vertical surface is a tile layer, the method further comprising scarifying the tile layer before applying the adhesive.  
   
   
       19 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the applying comprises dotting the wall surface with adhesive in horizontal and vertical rows.  
   
   
       20 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the applying comprises painting the adhesive on the wall surface in a grid pattern.  
   
   
       21 . The method according to  claim 17 , further comprising cutting the sheet to a desired size before pressing.  
   
   
       22 . The method according to  claim 17 , further comprising cutting an opening in the sheet to allow a fixture to pass through it.  
   
   
       23 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the pressing further comprises: 
 fixing the sheet against the wall surface by a mechanical attachment means; and    removing the mechanical attachment means after the amount of time sufficient to fix the sheet to the wall surface.