Abstract:
Stackable trim molding system is provided. The stackable trim molding system includes a base shoe made of a resilient manmade material having a bottom end configured to contact a floor and a wall base of resilient manmade material having a bottom end configured to communicate with a top end of a base shoe to form a clean border with the base shoe and stacked on top of the base shoe. Some embodiments include a top trim mounted to the wall base. Some embodiments include a top trim mounted to the wall base with an integral cove toe. Some embodiments include a top trim mounted to an existing wall base. A method of installing the trim system is provided. The method includes trimming existing wall base to remove the cove toe to allow for the installation of a base shoe between the wall base and the floor.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to molding that is located at the base of interior walls. More particularly, the present invention relates to a stackable trim molding system where the molding is made of a resilient man-made material.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Molding is often placed at a base section of a wall, where the wall meets the floor. The molding receiving proposed modifications and improvements is commonly referred to as wall base, cove base, base board, base molding, mop board and/or skirting. For the purposes of this document the part will be referred to as a wall base. Molding is used whether a floor be hardwood, carpet or resilient flooring to provide a transition between the wall and the flooring. The trim can provide several useful functions. For example, if the wall is painted, the painting can extend to nearly the floor and then be covered by trim creating a clean, crisp line between the trim and the paint. The same can be true for when the wall is wallpapered. However, if a wall is to be repainted, to achieve a crisp line between the end of the wall, the trim must be taped prior to painting, a slow and steady approach to carefully painting the wall but not contacting the trim must be adopted or the trim must be removed before the paint is applied. These methods are laborious. In the case of removing the trim, often the act of removing the trim causes it to be destroyed, and new trim must be applied after the wall is repainted. These methods can be time-consuming and costly.  
         [0003]     Other problems with existing trim is that the trim is susceptible to damage. For example, often trim is made of wood, which can crack or break, or be gouged which necessitates the trim being repaired or replaced. Another problem associated with trim is that if a floor surface is to be replaced whether it be replacing the carpet, or adding carpet over an uncarpeted floor, or any other type of floor replacement, often the trim must be replaced. The trim often needs replacement because the new flooring will have a different height than the old flooring, or the act of removing the flooring will cause the trim to crack and break. Wood trim can be expensive and labor intensive to be treated whether by painting or being stained, or otherwise given a surface treatment in order to preserve the wood. Further, wood trim must be machined in order to give the trim contours such as beveled edges or other contours that are often desirable. The need to work the wood trim of course, can increase its costs.  
         [0004]     Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a trim molding system and method that can overcome some of the problems associated with traditional trim systems. For example, it would be desirable to provide a trim system where the trim is resilient and not prone to cracking and other types of damage. Further, it would be desirable for trim to be able to achieve shapes and contours without the expense of machining as required in wood trim. In addition, it can be desirable to provide a trim molding system and method that permits re-carpeting and repainting or wallpapering of a wall without requiring removal of all of the trim and then replacement of the trim after the flooring has been replaced, or the wall has been painted or wall papered.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the present invention, wherein in one aspect an apparatus is provided that in some embodiments a trim molding system and method that permits re-carpeting and repainting or wallpapering of a wall without requiring removal of all of the trim and then replacement of the trim after the flooring has been replaced, or the wall has been painted or wall papered.  
         [0006]     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a stackable trim molding system is provided. The system includes: a base shoe made of a resilient, man-made material and having a bottom end configured to contact a floor; and a wall base made of a resilient, man-made material having a bottom end configured to communicate with a top end of the base shoe to form a clean border with the base shoe when stacked on top of the base shoe.  
         [0007]     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a stackable trim molding system is provided. The system includes: a wall base made of a resilient, man-made material; with an inclusive cove toe wherein the toe is substantially perpendicular to the wall base; and a top trim made of a resilient, man-made material, having a bottom end configured to communicate with a top end of the wall base to form a clean border with the wall base when stacked on top of the wall base.  
         [0008]     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a stackable trim molding system is provided. The system includes: a base shoe made of a resilient, man-made material and having means for connecting to a floor to smoothly butt up against the floor; and a wall base made of a resilient, man-made material having means for connecting with a top end of the base shoe to form a clean border with the base shoe when stacked on top of the base shoe.  
         [0009]     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a stackable trim molding system is provided. The system includes: a wall base made of a resilient, man-made material having means for contacting a floor; and a top trim made of a resilient, man-made material, having means for connecting with a top end of the wall base to form a clean border with the wall base when stacked on top of the cove base.  
         [0010]     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method of installing trim is provided. The method includes: attaching the base shoe to a wall to where a bottom part of the base shoe is provided to a floor; and attaching the wall base to the wall via the adhesive inserting the bottom edge of the wall base into the top groove of the base shoe.  
         [0011]     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method of installing trim is provided. The method includes: attaching the wall base to a wall; contacting a floor surface with a cove toe portion of the wall base; and applying a top trim above the wall base.  
         [0012]     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method of making trim is provided. The method includes: molding or extruding a man-made, resilient material into a wall base having at least one of: a top side configured to mate with a top trim when the top trim is stacked on top of the wall base and a bottom side configured to mate with a base shoe when the wall base is stacked on top of the base shoe.  
         [0013]     In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a stackable trim molding system is provided. The system includes: a base shoe; and wall base having a bottom end configured to communicate with a top end of the base shoe to form a clean border with the base shoe when stacked on top of the base shoe.  
         [0014]     In accordance with yet another embodiments of the present invention, a method of converting a trim molding system with a cove toe on a wall base to a non-toe system is provided. The method includes trimming the toe off of a wall base.  
         [0015]     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.  
         [0016]     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.  
         [0017]     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]      FIG. 1  is perspective view illustrating a stackable trim system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a stackable trim system where no top trim is used.  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a stackable trim system having a groove for accepting carpet in the base shoe.  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a stackable trim system having the wall base without a cove toe or base shoe.  
         [0022]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a stackable trim system where the wall base has a cove toe.  
         [0023]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a stackable trim system showing a cove toe removed from the wall base and being replaced with a base shoe. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0024]     An illustrated embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides a stackable trim system where the trim is made of multiple pieces of a resilient manmade material. The trim is stacked on top of other pieces of trim to achieve a molding system at the base of a wall. Some embodiments of the invention include a method of installing stackable trim systems. Yet other embodiments of the invention include a method for manufacturing a stackable trim system.  
         [0025]     An embodiment of the present inventive apparatus is illustrated in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  shows a stackable trim molding system  20 . The stackable trim molding system  20  is installed against a wall  22  where the wall  22  meets the floor  24 . The stackable trim molding system  20  includes a wall base  26 . The wall base is made of a resilient manmade material. For example, it may be made of rubber, including vulcanized rubber. It could be made of thermoplastic rubber, or vinyl, or any other suitable substance. The wall base  26  is substantially flat on the back side and generally textured to accept adhesive, but some embodiments have a ridge  28  located near the top  30  of the wall base  26 , which helps seal the wall base  26  to the wall  22  to which the wall base  26  is adhered.  
         [0026]     In some embodiments of the invention, the wall base  26  is adhered to a wall  22  by a latex adhesive, similar to adhesives commonly used for installing other types of trim. Other ways of applying the trim system  20  to a wall  22  can include a glue (perhaps factory applied) that can be applied to the back of the wall base  26  (or other parts of the molding system  20  discussed below). The glue may be protected until installation by a removable release paper that is removed to expose the glue prior to installation. In other embodiments of the invention, a double faced, scrim-reinforced tape is used. The tape is carried on a release paper. It is attached to the wall base  26  (or another component of the trim system  20 ), then the paper is removed and the component of the trim system  20  is placed where desired. Alternatively, the wall base  26  may be adhered to the wall  22  using any suitable adhesive or fastener in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0027]     In some of the embodiments of the present invention, the wall base  26  is stacked on top of a base shoe  32 . The base shoe  32  provides the transition between the floor  24  and the wall base  26 . The base shoe  32  may be made of the same man-made material as the wall base  26 . There are other embodiments that may be made of a different man-made material than the wall base  26 .  
         [0028]     The base shoe  32  has a front face  34  which may be contoured for decorative reasons, or in many embodiments it is simply flat as shown in  FIG. 1 . A top portion  36  of the base shoe  32  may be contoured for decorative purposes.  
         [0029]     In some embodiments of the invention, the stackable trim molding system  20  includes not only the wall base  26 , the base shoe  32 , but also a top trim piece  42 . The base shoe  32 , the wall base  26  and the top trim  42  all can stack on each other and have features that assist in the stacking and provide aesthetically clean transitions between the pieces of trim  26 ,  32 ,  42 .  
         [0030]     The top  36  of the base shoe  32  has a groove  38  defined in part by a lip  40  that is dimensioned and configured to allow the wall base  26  to fit inside the groove  38 . This communication between the wall base  26  and the base shoe  32  provide a clean transition between the wall base  26  and the base shoe  32 .  
         [0031]     Having a lip  40  on the base shoe  32  permits the base shoe  32  to be removed while leaving the wall base  26  intact. This feature can be useful in instances where the base shoe  32  needs to be removed when a new floor is installed and then the old or new base shoe  32  can be reapplied and all the while, the wall base  26  and top trim  42  can be left the same.  
         [0032]     Alternatively, when it is desired to redecorate a room, the wall base  26  can be left and the base shoe  32  and the top trim  42  can be removed and a different base shoe  32  or top trim  42  having the same or different color and/or contour can be applied.  
         [0033]     In a similar vein, the top trim  42  has a lip  44  that overlaps the cove base  26  when the top trim  42  is stacked on top of the wall base  26 . The configuration having a lip  44  overlap the wall base  26  permits a clean transition between the top trim  42  and the wall base  26 . A clean transition refers to a well-defined boundary where there are no gaps between pieces of trim  26 ,  32 ,  42  exposing the wall  22  behind the trim  26 ,  32 ,  42 . In the case of a painted wall to trim boundary, a clean transition has substantially no paint on the trim  26 ,  32 ,  42  and the paint on the wall  22  extends all the way to the trim  26 ,  32 ,  42  leaving substantially no gap of non-painted wall surface between the painted area on the wall  22  and the trim  26 ,  32 ,  42 .  
         [0034]     For a wallpaper to trim boundary, a clean transition includes a boundary between the wallpaper and trim  26 ,  32 ,  42  where there is substantially no non-wallpapered wall area between the wallpaper and the trim  26 ,  32 ,  42  and there is substantially no wallpaper overlapping the trim  26 ,  32 ,  42 .  
         [0035]     The lip  44  permits the top trim  42  to be removed in order for the wall  22  to which it is mounted to be painted or wallpapered. Then the top trim  42  can be replaced performing a smooth transition between the top trim  42  and the wall  22 . Meanwhile the wall base  26  can remain where it is without having to be removed. The top trim  42  has a contoured front face  46  which permits different contours for the top trim  42 . Both the top trim  42  and the base shoe  32  can be adhered to a wall using a standard adhesive such as a latex adhesive, glue protected by release paper, double faced, scrim-reinforced tape, or other suitable fastening means similar to that which is used for the wall base  26 .  
         [0036]     In some embodiments of the invention, the wall base  26 , the base shoe  22  and the top trim  42  can be manufactured by extrusion and manufactured in whatever length is desired. The surfaces of the wall base  26 , the base shoe  32  and the top trim  42  may be finished and be ready and appropriate for application without the need of painting or applying any other finishing coat.  
         [0037]     Alternatively, in some embodiments of the invention, if it is desired to alter the look of a stackable trim molding system  20 , the top trim  42 , base shoe  32 , and wall base  26  can have different colors, patterns, or profiles which can be mixed and matched. As mentioned, the wall base  26 , the base shoe  32  and the top shoe  42  are made of a resilient manmade material, which provides the advantage of being resistant to cracking and chipping. And, as mentioned, if the top trim  42  or the base shoe  32  are damaged, they can individually be replaced without requiring replacement of the entire trim molding system  20 . While the wall base  26  as shown in the figures is substantially flat in its front face  48 , other embodiments of the invention have patterns or contours in the front face  48  of the wall base  26 .  
         [0038]     In addition, the front face  34  of the base shoe  32  can also have different curved or angled contours or be relatively flat as shown in the figures.  
         [0039]     In addition, the front face  46  of the top trim  42  can also have different curved or angled contours or be relatively flat.  
         [0040]      FIG. 2  shows another embodiment of the stackable trim molding system  20 . In  FIG. 2 , there is a wall base  26  on top of a base shoe  32 . The base shoe  32  sits on top of the floor  24  and against the wall  22 . The wall base  26  is also against the wall  22 . There is no top trim piece  42  as the top trim piece  42  is an optional feature in some embodiments of the invention.  
         [0041]      FIG. 3  shows an alternate embodiment of the stackable trim molding system  20  in accordance with the invention. The wall base  26  is placed against the wall  22  and is on top of the base shoe  32  which rests on top of the floor  24 . There is a groove  50  in the base shoe  32  that is configured to accept carpeting. In other words, if carpeting is placed on top of the floor  24 , it may be placed in the groove  50  and butted against the base shoe  32  to provide a clean transition between the carpeting and the base shoe  32 . Again, the optional top trim  42  is absent in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 . However, in other embodiments of the invention, the top trim  42  may be included when the base shoe  32  has the carpet groove  50 .  
         [0042]     Another embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIG. 4 . In  FIG. 4 , the cove base  26  is butted up against the wall  22  and contacts the floor  24 . A top trim  42  is set on top of the wall base  32  similar to that as shown and described in  FIG. 1 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , the trim molding system  20  has no base shoe  32  as the base shoe  32  is an optional element in some embodiments of the invention.  
         [0043]     In another embodiment of the invention, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the trim molding system  20  includes a wall base  26  which includes a cove toe  52 . The toe  52  is placed on top of the floor  24 . The wall base  26  rests against the wall  22  as well as the top trim  42  that is set on top of the wall base  26  in the manner shown and described with respect to  FIG. 1 .  
         [0044]      FIG. 6  illustrates in yet another embodiment of the invention wherein the stackable molding system  20  originally had a pre-installed wall base  26  with a cove toe  52 . However, the trim molding system  20  has been modified where the toe  52  has been cut or removed along dotted line  54 .  
         [0045]     The floor  24  shown in  FIG. 6  may be a pre-existing floor or floor finish such as resilient tile, wood or some other man-made flooring material. The toe  52  does not normally angle down as shown in  FIG. 6  to an exposed sub-floor surface.  
         [0046]     Reasons for removing the toe  52  vary, examples include remodeling and changing the look of the trim molding system  26  or adding carpet to the floor  24  and necessitating a new transition between the molding system  20  and the carpet. To replace the removed toe  52 , a base shoe  32  has been added to the bottom of the trim molding system  20 . The base shoe  32  includes a wall butting section  56  as configured to fit against the wall  22  and may be adhered to the wall  22  by an adhesive. In other embodiments of the invention, the base shoe  32  may also adhere to the wall base  26 .  
         [0047]     Optionally, and as shown in  FIG. 6 , the base shoe  32  may have a groove  50  for accepting carpet. In other embodiments of the invention, the base shoe  32  may not have the groove  50 . While the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6  does not include the top trim  42 , in other embodiments of the invention, the top trim  42  may be included set on top of the wall base  26  and adhered to the wall  22 .  
         [0048]     In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a method for installing the stackable trim molding system  20  is accomplished. The back side of a base shoe  32  may have an adhesive applied to it, or alternatively, the adhesive can be applied to the wall  22 . The base shoe  32  is then attached to the wall  22  via the adhesive. The back side of a wall base  26  may then have an adhesive applied to it, or alternatively, the adhesive can be applied to the wall  22 . The wall base  26  is then attached to the wall  22  via the adhesive and then, the adhesive may be applied to the top trim  42  and then the top trim  42  can be attached to the wall  22 .  
         [0049]     In other embodiments of the invention, the wall base  26 , the base shoe  32 , or top trim  42  may be applied to a wall  22  using a glue (perhaps factory applied) can be applied to the back of the wall base  26 , base shoe  32 , or top trim  42 . The glue may be protected until installation by a removable release paper that is removed to expose the glue prior to installation. In other embodiments of the invention, a double faced, scrim-reinforced tape is used. The tape is carried on a release paper. It is attached to the wall base  26  (or another component of the trim system  20 ), the paper is removed and the component of the trim system  20  is placed where desired. Alternatively, the wall base  26 , base shoe  32 , or top trim  42  may be adhered to the wall  22  using any suitable adhesive or fastener in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0050]     The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.