Modular stone surfacing system with field adjustable components for different applications

Abstract

A modular surfacing system has edge pieces with skirts attached using a break away adhesive material allowing separation of the pieces without damage. The edge rail pieces may be used alone or with the skirt piece attached at any of a variety of overhanging heights to cover different substrate edge thicknesses. Skirts may be interchanged. The modular surfacing pieces may be solid seamless cut natural stone modular pieces, laminated natural stone modular pieces, composite material or synthetic material shaped into modular pieces. The pieces are cut into any desired sizes with wide edging of any desirable thickness and solid piece corners as well as mating modular surface tiles and mating modular backsplash tiles.

1 . An adjustable skirt edging surfacing system for a variety of surfacing applications on a variety of types of structures having at least one edge, the system comprising: 
 a series of edge rail pieces, each of the series of edge rail pieces comprising a flat horizontal surface covering portion and a vertical edge overhang portion extending orthogonally down from the horizontal surface covering portion, the edge overhang portion extending down a sufficient distance to cover an edge of a substrate used on a horizontal surface of a structure requiring surfacing, the flat horizontal surface covering portion positioned above the substrate, the vertical edge overhang portion comprising an outer edge front shaped surface and an inner vertical surface facing the structure;    a skirt piece comprising an elongated element comprising an inner skirt surface facing the structure and an outer skirt surface adjustably attachable to the inner vertical surface of the vertical edge overhang portion of each of the edge rail pieces by a means for attaching the outer skirt surface at any desired height so that the skirt piece extends below the vertical edge overhang portion by an adjustable desired height to cover an edge of a substrate of any of a variety of thicknesses.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the outer skirt surface of the skirt piece is removably attachable to the inner vertical surface of the vertical edge overhang portion of the edge rail piece by a break away adhesive substance, the break away adhesive substance fracturing before the pieces so that the skirt piece may be removed by a user from the edge rail piece without damage to either of the pieces, so that the skirt piece is removable from the inner vertical surface of the edge overhang portion of the edge rail piece and re-attachable at an adjustable height on the inner surface of the edge overhang portion of the edge rail piece.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the edge rail piece is alternately installed on a structure in a first position with the skirt piece attached to the inner flat vertical surface with a top edge of the skirt piece adjacent to the flat horizontal surface covering portion but not attached to the horizontal surface covering portion in a standard position as originally assembled with a standard lower extension portion of the skirt piece extending below the edge overhang portion to cover an edge of an typical height substrate on the structure, and alternately installed by a user in a second application with the skirt piece removed, the edge rail piece alone attached to a second structure having a minimum height substrate on the structure, the vertical edge overhang portion covering an outside edge of the minimum height substrate, and alternately installed by a user in a third application on any of a number of other structures with the skirt piece removed and re-attached to the inner flat vertical surface of the edge overhang portion at any desired position on the inner flat vertical surface so that the skirt piece is vertically adjustable relative to the edge overhang portion to create a desired height of the lower extension portion of the skirt piece to cover a substrate of any of a variety of thicknesses.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the break away adhesive substance comprises a chemical adhesive material.  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the outer skirt surface of the skirt piece is removably attachable to the inner vertical surface of the vertical edge overhang portion of the edge rail piece by a break away adhesive substance, the break away adhesive substance fracturing before the pieces so that the skirt piece may be removed by a user from the edge rail piece without damage to either of the pieces, so that the skirt piece is removable and re-attachable so the skirt piece is interchangeable by the user with any of a number of other skirt pieces of a variety of heights, types, colors and patterns.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the means for attaching the outer skirt surface at any desired height comprises an adhesive applied between the outer skirt surface and the inner vertical surface of the edge overhang portion of the edge rail piece with the skirt piece positioned at any of a variety of vertical positions relative to the edge overhang portion of the edge rail piece.  
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the means for attaching the outer skirt surface at any desired height comprises the inner vertical surface of the edge overhang portion having at least two vertically spaced horizontal grooves cut therein and the skirt piece having a mating horizontal protrusion extending from the outer skirt surface so that the horizontal protrusion fits alternately within the at least two horizontal grooves to hold the skirt piece in place without an adhesive when the edge rail piece is attached to the structure.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a second skirt piece adhered to the inner skirt surface of the attached skirt piece on each of the edge rail pieces, the second skirt piece extending downwardly below the attached skirt piece.  
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the edge overhang portion has at least one horizontal groove cut therein and the skirt piece has a mating horizontal protrusion extending from the outer skirt surface so that the horizontal protrusion fits within the at least one horizontal groove to hold the skirt piece in place without an adhesive when the edge rail piece is attached to the structure.  
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the edge rail piece further comprises a stepped extension down from the bottom of the horizontal covering surface adjacent to the edge overhang portion, the stepped extension having a rear vertical surface spaced from the edge overhang portion equal to a thickness of a skirt piece so that the skirt piece adhered to the inner vertical surface of the edge overhang below the stepped extension extends below the edge rail an additional amount equal to the height of the stepped extension to cover an edge of a substrate of greater thickness than the height of the skirt piece.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a series of flat modular surface pieces used in conjunction with the series of the edge rail pieces for covering flat portions of the horizontal surface on the structure.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 11  the edge pieces, skirt pieces, and surface pieces comprise a series of natural stone modular surfacing pieces, the modular surfacing pieces securable to the structure in a surface and edge covering array to form a modular surfacing system, each of the modular surfacing pieces cut into any desired vertical dimensions, any desired horizontal dimensions, any desired depth dimensions, and any desired shapes, each of the pieces comprising a modular piece cut to mate with the other modular pieces to fit within the surface covering array including modular surface tile pieces, modular edge rail pieces each having a surface covering portion to mate with the modular surface tile pieces and an edge overhang portion having the outer edge front of any desired dimension and shape, and rail corner pieces, each having a surface covering portion to mate with the modular surface tile pieces and two orthogonal edge overhang portions of any desired dimension and shape to mate with the modular edge rail pieces.  
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 12  further comprising modular backsplash pieces comprising vertical pieces matching the tile pieces, the surface tile pieces each have at least one side equal in length to a length of a backsplash piece.  
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the surface covering portion of each of the edge rail pieces comprises a horizontal surface matching the surface tile pieces in thickness and length and the surface tile pieces each have at least one side equal in length to a length of an edge rail piece.  
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the rail corner pieces each comprise a horizontal surface matching the surface tile pieces in thickness and each of the two edge overhang portion having an outer edge front configured to mate with an outer edge front of an edge overhang portion of an adjacent edge rail piece.  
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 11  wherein the edge pieces, skirt pieces, and surface pieces comprise a series of modular surfacing pieces fabricated of composite material, the modular surfacing pieces securable to the structure in a surface and edge covering array to form a modular surfacing system, each of the modular surfacing pieces shaped into any desired vertical dimensions, any desired horizontal dimensions, any desired depth dimensions, and any desired shapes, each of the pieces comprising a solid modular piece shaped to mate with the other modular pieces to fit within the surface covering array including solid modular surface tile pieces, solid modular edge rail pieces each having a surface covering portion to mate with the modular surface tile pieces and an edge overhang portion having the outer edge front of any desired dimension and shape, and solid rail corner pieces, each having a surface covering portion to mate with the modular surface tile pieces and two orthogonal edge overhang portions of any desired dimension and shape to mate with the modular edge rail pieces.  
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 11  wherein the edge pieces, skirt pieces, and surface pieces comprise a series of modular surfacing pieces fabricated of synthetic material, the modular surfacing pieces securable to the structure in a surface and edge covering array to form a modular surfacing system, each of the modular surfacing pieces shaped into any desired vertical dimensions, any desired horizontal dimensions, any desired depth dimensions, and any desired shapes, each of the pieces comprising a solid modular piece shaped to mate with the other modular pieces to fit within the surface covering array including solid modular surface tile pieces, solid modular edge rail pieces each having a surface covering portion to mate with the modular surface tile pieces and an edge overhang portion having the outer edge front of any desired dimension and shape, and solid or laminated rail corner pieces, each having a surface covering portion to mate with the modular surface tile pieces and two orthogonal edge overhang portions of any desired dimension and shape to mate with the modular edge rail pieces.