Veneers for walls, retaining walls and the like

Abstract

A veneer panel system is used with a wall or a retaining wall to provide a natural stone appearance and/or to improve the appearance of an existing wall. Panels can be interlocked to form a stable veneer structure. The structure is attached to a wall by various attachment means.

1 . A wall system comprising: 
 wall components for constructing a retaining wall;    a plurality of rectangular panels, each panel having a front surface and an opposed back surface defining a panel thickness, a set of opposed top and bottom edges and a set of opposed first and second side edges, the front surface comprising a mineral aggregate embedded in a resin; and    means for connecting the plurality of panels to the retaining wall formed from the wall components.    
     
     
         2 . The wall system of  claim 1 , wherein the wall components are selected from natural stone, poured concrete, precast panels, masonry, landscape timbers, railroad ties, wall blocks, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         3 . The wall system of  claim 1 , wherein the wall components are wall blocks.  
     
     
         4 . The wall system of  claim 1 , wherein the mineral aggregate is natural stone aggregate.  
     
     
         5 . The wall system of  claim 1 , wherein the resin contains fiberglass.  
     
     
         6 . The wall system of  claim 1 , wherein the means for connecting the plurality of panels to the retaining wall are selected from screws and bolts, hooks, brackets, connection joints, connection channels, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         7 . The wall system of  claim 1 , wherein each set of opposed panel edges has mating tongue and groove attachments, respectively, so that a respective tongue attachment and groove attachment of adjacent panels connect the adjacent panels.  
     
     
         8 . The wall system of  claim 1 , wherein the means for connecting the plurality of panels to the retaining wall is molded into the back surface of the panel.  
     
     
         9 . The wall system of  claim 1 , wherein the means for connecting the plurality of panels to the retaining wall include a first interlocking component on the wall that mates with a second interlocking component molded into the back surface of the panel.  
     
     
         10 . The wall system of  claim 1 , wherein the first interlocking component is a rail.  
     
     
         11 . The wall system of  claim 10 , wherein second interlocking component is a bracket that attaches to the rail.  
     
     
         12 . The wall system of  claim 11 , wherein the rail is a longitudinal body with a T-shaped cross-section.  
     
     
         13 . The wall system of  claim 12 , wherein the longitudinal body has slots to which the bracket attaches.  
     
     
         14 . The wall system of  claim 13 , wherein the bracket has a channel that matingly fits over the T-shaped cross-section.  
     
     
         15 . The wall system of  claim 10 , wherein the rail has a hanging bracket formed thereon and the second interlocking component has a hanging element molded to an edge of a panel.  
     
     
         16 . A method of making a retaining wall including a plurality of wall blocks and geogrid comprising: 
 stacking wall blocks in one or more courses to form a first portion of the retaining wall, the first portion having a front wall surface and an upper course of blocks which forms an upper surface of the first portion;    placing the geogrid over the first portion of the retaining wall such that a first section of the geogrid extends behind the retaining wall and a second section of the geogrid extends in front of the retaining wall;    stacking wall blocks in one or more additional courses over the first portion of the retaining wall to form a second portion of the retaining wall, the geogrid extending between the upper surface of the first portion and a lower surface of the second portion of the retaining wall, the second wall portion having a front wall surface and an upper course of blocks which forms an upper surface of the second portion;    folding the geogrid back over the front and upper surfaces of the second portion so that the second section of the geogrid extends behind the retaining wall; and    stacking wall blocks in one or more additional courses over the second portion of the retaining wall to form a third portion of the retaining wall, the geogrid extending between the upper surface of the second portion and a lower surface of the third portion of the retaining wall, the third wall portion having a front wall surface and an upper course of blocks which forms an upper surface of the third portion.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising: 
 providing a plurality of panels; and    connecting the panels to the front surface of the retaining wall.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the panels are formed of a mineral aggregate in fiberglass.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein one of adjacent first and second panels have tongue attachment means and another of adjacent first and second panels have mating tongue and groove attachment means, respectively.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the tongue and groove attachment means are on opposing panel sides of adjacent first and second panels, respectively.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , including interconnecting a tongue attachment means on a first panel with a groove attachment means on a second panel.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 16 , including placing a protective layer between the geogrid and an adjacent block.