Slab support

Abstract

The slab support includes a first panel sized to selectively attach to a relatively delicate slab, whereby at least one side of the first panel is non-linear. A second panel of the slab support is sized to selectively attach to the relatively delicate slab simultaneously with the first panel, whereby a non-linear side of the second panel is positionable relative to the non-linear side of the first panel for keyed engagement therewith when the first panel and the second panel selectively couple to the delicate slab to provide reinforcement thereto.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A slab support, comprising:
 a first panel sized to selectively attach to a relatively delicate slab, wherein at least one side of the first panel is non-linear; and   a second panel sized to selectively attach to the relatively delicate slab simultaneously with the first panel, a non-linear side of the second panel being positionable relative to the non-linear side of the first panel for keyed engagement therewith when the first panel and the second panel selectively couple to the delicate slab to provide reinforcement thereto.   
     
     
         2 . The slab support of  claim 1 , wherein the non-linear side of the first panel and the non-linear side of the second panel slidably engage in flush non-slip engagement relative to one another. 
     
     
         3 . The slab support of  claim 1 , wherein the non-linear side of the first panel and the non-linear side of the second panel comprise reciprocal wave patterns. 
     
     
         4 . The slab support of  claim 3 , wherein each reciprocal wave pattern includes a plurality of individual waves having a depth between 3 and 5 inches and a width between 4 and 6 inches. 
     
     
         5 . The slab support of  claim 1 , including a third panel having at least two non-linear sides, one of which has a pattern for keyed engagement with the non-linear side of the first panel and the other of which has a pattern for keyed engagement with the non-linear side of the second panel. 
     
     
         6 . The slab support of  claim 1 , wherein the delicate slab comprises a porcelain material, a natural stone material, or an engineered stone material. 
     
     
         7 . The slab support of  claim 1 , wherein the non-linear side of the first panel and the non-linear side of the second panel comprise a sine wave according to the following formula: depth*sin((PI/width)*(height))+(wave center edge distance). 
     
     
         8 . The slab support of  claim 1 , wherein a combined mass of the first panel and the second panel is relatively less than a mass of the delicate slab and a combined structural rigidity of the first panel and the second panel is relatively higher than a rigidity of the delicate slab. 
     
     
         9 . The slab support of  claim 1 , wherein the first panel and the second panel comprise a composite material of high-durability water resistant aluminum. 
     
     
         10 . The slab support of  claim 1 , including a selectively removable protective peel-ply layer covering at least one side of each of the first panel and the second panel. 
     
     
         11 . The slab support of  claim 10 , wherein the protective peel-ply layer overlies a double-sided tape. 
     
     
         12 . The slab support of  claim 11 , wherein the double-sided tape includes an adhesive specifically bondable to a slab material selected from the group consisting of a foam material, a ceramic material, a porcelain material, an engineered stone material, a natural stone material, and a sintered stone material. 
     
     
         13 . A slab support, comprising:
 a base having a first side with an adhesive thereon positioned underneath a selectively removable peel-ply layer, the adhesive selectively bondable to a delicate slab;   a support substrate positioned opposite the base; and   a core bonded between the base and the support substrate forming a plurality of air gaps in between, wherein the combination of the base, the support substrate, and the core have a shear strength of at least 200 pounds and a density relatively lower than a density of the delicate slab bondable to the base by the adhesive.   
     
     
         14 . The slab support of  claim 13 , wherein the core comprises a honeycomb structure. 
     
     
         15 . The slab support of  claim 13 , wherein the adhesive comprises a double-sided tape or an acrylic glue. 
     
     
         16 . The slab support of  claim 13 , wherein base and the support substrate comprise a polyvinyl-chloride (“PVC”) material having a density of 315-385 kg/m 3  and a thickness of 8-18 mm. 
     
     
         17 . The slab support of  claim 13 , wherein the base and the support substrate are each water-resistant. 
     
     
         18 . The slab support of  claim 13 , wherein the adhesive includes a thickness of 0.9 mm to 1.0 mm. 
     
     
         19 . The slab support of  claim 13 , wherein the removable peel-ply layer includes a strength of 20-30 newtons (“N”) and a tensile strength of 40-50 N at 90 degrees. 
     
     
         20 . The slab support of  claim 13 , wherein the slab support includes a fire burning index less than or equal to 250 watts per second. 
     
     
         21 . The slab support of  claim 13 , wherein the slab support includes a vibration coefficient four times less than a vibration coefficient of the delicate slab without the slab support coupled thereto. 
     
     
         22 . A process for reinforcing a delicate slab, comprising the steps of:
 mounting the delicate slab in a position exposing a bonding surface;   removing a protective film from an attachment surface of a first support panel and from an attachment surface of a second support panel;   interlocking the first support panel and the second support panel; and   adhering the attachment surface of the first support panel and the attachment surface of the second support panel to the bonding surface of the delicate slab.   
     
     
         23 . The process of  claim 22 , including the step of applying an adhesive to the bonding surface of the delicate slab. 
     
     
         24 . The process of  claim 22 , including the step of applying a primer to the attachment surface of the first panel and the second pane, and drying the primer for at least one hour prior to the adhering step. 
     
     
         25 . The process of  claim 22 , including the step of clamping the first support panel and the second support panel to the delicate slab after the adhering step, and curing the adhesive for at least 24 hours at room temperature. 
     
     
         26 . The process of  claim 22 , including the step of attaching a third support panel in interlocking keyed relationship between the first support panel and the second support panel. 
     
     
         27 . The process of  claim 22 , including the step of cleaning the attachment surfaces of the first support panel and the second support panel with an ultra-violet (“UV”) light. 
     
     
         28 . The process of  claim 22 , wherein the first support panel includes a non-linear side reciprocally keyed for engagement with a non-linear side of the second support panel. 
     
     
         29 . The process of  claim 28 , wherein the respective non-linear sides comprise a wave pattern. 
     
     
         30 . The process of  claim 29 , including the step self-aligning the wave pattern of the first support panel with the wave pattern of the second support panel. 
     
     
         31 . The process of  claim 22 , including the step of peeling a peel-ply layer off of a pressure-sensitive double-sided adhesive tape coupled to the attachment surfaces of the first panel and the second panel. 
     
     
         32 . The process of  claim 22 , wherein the adhering step includes the step of activating a pressure sensitive adhesive between the delicate slab and each of the first support panel and the second support panel. 
     
     
         33 . The process of  claim 22 , including the step of aligning an outer periphery of the first support panel with a portion of an outer periphery of the delicate slab and aligning an outer periphery of the second support panel with another portion of the outer periphery of the delicate slab. 
     
     
         34 . The process of  claim 22 , wherein the interlocking step includes the step of distributing a shear force along an arcuate surface between the interlocked first support panel and second support panel.