Adaptor and method for facilitating the installation of walls around tubs, showers, and the like

Abstract

An adapter for facilitating the installation of finished walls around bathing units, such as bathtubs, shower basins, or one-piece shower units, where the bathing units have a vertical water-retaining flange around at least part of their perimeter. The adapter includes an elongated channel and a sealing strip extending down from the channel. The adapter may be applied to the bottom edge of a section of wall board, so that the wall board enters the channel and the sealing strip points down. The wall board can then be secured to a wall adjacent the bathing unit with the sealing strip extending over the flange and abutting against a surface of the bathing unit, such as a tub deck, where it forms a water-resistant seal. The adapter forms a substantially planar surface to which finished walling materials may be applied without requiring the use of furring strips.

1 . An adapter for installing a bathing unit having a water retaining flange extending up from a surface of the bathing unit to facilitate attachment to walls, the adapter comprising:
 a vertical front strip;   a vertical back strip;   a horizontal bottom strip joining the front strip and the back strip and forming a water impermeable channel for receiving an edge of one or more sheets of wall board; and   a vertical front sealing strip extending down from the front strip for abutting the surface of the bathing unit.   
     
     
         2 . The adapter as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the adapter is made of a plastic material. 
     
     
         3 . The adapter as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the vertical front strip, vertical back strip, horizontal bottom strip, and vertical front sealing strip are all integrally molded together. 
     
     
         4 . The adapter as recited in  claim 3 , wherein the adapter is molded by an extrusion process. 
     
     
         5 . The adapter as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the vertical front sealing strip is at least 3.5 cm (1.375 in.) tall. 
     
     
         6 . The adapter as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the vertical front strip is taller than the vertical back strip. 
     
     
         6 . The adapter as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the channel formed by the vertical front strip, vertical back strip, and horizontal bottom strip is approximately 1.3 cm (0.5 in.) wide. 
     
     
         7 . The adapter as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the vertical front strip, vertical back strip, horizontal bottom strip, and vertical front sealing strip are each approximately 0.2 cm (0.0625 in.) thick. 
     
     
         8 . An adapter for attaching a bathing unit to one or more surrounding walls, comprising:
 a water impermeable channel, having a front, a back, and a bottom, and extending along a length for engaging an edge of a section of wall board; and   a sealing strip extending down from the front of the channel and having a distal edge for contacting a surface of the bathing unit and forming a seal therewith against water seepage.   
     
     
         9 . The adapter as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the channel and the sealing strip are integrally molded together. 
     
     
         10 . The adapter as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the adapter is molded by an extrusion process. 
     
     
         11 . The adapter as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the adapter comprises a plastic material 
     
     
         12 . The adapter as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the plastic is one of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, and polypropylene. 
     
     
         13 . The adapter as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the adapter is provided in fixed length sections. 
     
     
         14 . The adapter as recited in  claim 13 , wherein each section is approximately 183 cm (6 ft.) long. 
     
     
         15 . A wall positioned at a side of a wall-integrable unit having a flange at said side extending up from a surface thereof, the wall comprising:
 a plurality of wall studs positioned vertically against the flange;   a section of wall board secured to the plurality of wall studs and having a bottom edge; and   an adapter positioned between the section of wall board and the wall-integrable unit, the adapter having a channel for engaging the bottom edge of the section of wall board and a sealing strip extending down from the channel, over the flange, and abutting the surface of the wall-integrable unit.   
     
     
         16 . The wall as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the channel has a width and the wall board has a thickness, and the width of the channel approximately equals the thickness of the wall board. 
     
     
         17 . The wall as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the wall-integrable unit is a counter. 
     
     
         18 . The wall as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the wall-integrable unit is a bookshelf. 
     
     
         19 . The wall as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the adapter is an extruded plastic adapter. 
     
     
         20 . The wall as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the wall-integrable unit is a bathing unit. 
     
     
         21 . The wall as recited in  claim 20 , wherein the adapter comprises a water-impermeable material. 
     
     
         22 . The wall as recited in  claim 20 , wherein the channel has a front strip that is coplanar with the sealing strip, and further comprising a plurality of tiles adhered to said wall board, front strip, and sealing strip. 
     
     
         23 . The wall as recited in  claim 20 , wherein the channel has a front strip that is coplanar with the sealing strip, and further comprising a plastic surface adhered to said wall board, front strip, and sealing strip. 
     
     
         24 . The wall as recited in  claim 20 , further comprising a flexible sealant where the sealing strip abuts the surface of the bathing unit. 
     
     
         25 . The wall as recited in  claim 20 , wherein the bathing unit is one of a bathtub, a shower basin, and a one-piece shower unit. 
     
     
         26 . The wall as recited in  claim 20 , wherein the wall board is tile backer board. 
     
     
         27 . A method of installing a bathing unit having a water-retaining flange on at least one side thereof, comprising:
 positioning the bathing unit against a plurality of wall studs with the flange of the bathing unit adjacent to the plurality of wall studs;   applying an adapter to an edge of a section of wall board, the adapter having a channel for engaging said edge and a sealing strip extending down from the channel away from the section of wall board;   securing the section of backer board to the plurality of wall studs with the adapter at the bottom and the sealing strip overhanging the flange.   
     
     
         28 . The method as recited in  claim 27 , wherein the adapter has a length and the sealing strip has a distal edge, and further comprising pushing the adapter down to bring the distal edge of the sealing strip in contact with a surface of the bathing unit over the entire length of the adapter. 
     
     
         29 . The method as recited in  claim 27 , further comprising applying a bead of flexible adhesive where the distal edge of the sealing strip meets the surface of the bathing unit. 
     
     
         30 . The method as recited in  claim 27 , wherein the channel has a front strip that is coplanar with the sealing strip, and further comprising adhering tiles to the wall board and over the front strip and sealing strip. 
     
     
         31 . A method of constructing a wall at a side of a bathing unit having a water-retaining flange, comprising:
 arranging a plurality of wall studs against the flange of the bathing unit;   providing a section of wall board, the section of wall board having a bottom edge;   applying an adapter to the bottom edge of the section of wall board, the adapter having a channel for engaging the bottom edge and a sealing strip extending down from the channel away from the section of wall board; and   securing the section of wall board to the plurality of wall studs with the adapter at the bottom and the sealing strip overhanging the flange of the bathing unit.   
     
     
         32 . The method as recited in  claim 31 , wherein the adapter has a length and the sealing strip has a distal edge, and further comprising pushing the adapter down to bring the distal edge of the sealing strip in contact with a surface of the bathing unit over the entire length of the adapter. 
     
     
         33 . The method as recited in  claim 32 , further comprising applying a bead of flexible adhesive where the distal edge of the sealing strip meets the surface of the bathing unit. 
     
     
         34 . A wall, comprising:
 a section of wall board having a bottom edge; and   an elongated adapter having a cross-section in the shape of an inverted, lowercase “h,” the adapter including a channel within which the bottom edge of the section of wall board is disposed and a strip extending down from the channel.