Wallpaper pasting table

Abstract: A wallpaper pasting table (1) comprises a flat top (3) for laying out and pasting a length of wallpaper (25) dispensed from a roll of wallpaper (13) which is mounted on a spindle (7) which allows rotation of the roll (13). A trough (43) is provided to hold paste (or water in the case of ready-pasted paper) and a perspex strip (21) is mounted on the top (3) to hold down the paper (25), and allow measurement and tearing or cutting thereof. Clips (31) assist in the holding of the paper (25) which may be supported by bars (37) which extend from either end of the top (3).

Description: This invention relates to a wallpaper pasting table for use in pasting one side of a length of wallpaper before hanging it, and thus sticking it to a wall. Pasting tables known in the art are often very simple mechanically and generally consist of a flat wooden top with two pairs of legs that can be unfolded from a flat position against an underside of the table top in order to stand the table upright. The legs themselves are also usually wooden and the whole table may thus be quite heavy and cumbersome. Usually such pasting tables are basic in the functions and facilities they provide, i.e. basically all the pasting tables provide is a stable surface on which a strip of wallpaper may be laid and pasted before being glued to a wall. There is therefore a need, particularly amongst decorators and D.I.Y. enthusiasts, for a pasting table that provides useful facilities close to hand to the person pasting the wallpaper that enables that person to complete the job of decorating a wall with wallpaper or ceiling with ceiling paper in an easier and more efficient fashion. DE-A-3245089 discloses an apparatus for holding a wallpaper roll, which is provided with two clamping arms for attaching the apparatus to the end of a table. The present invention provides an alternative arrangement. According to the present invention there is provided a wallpaper pasting table comprising: (a) a substantially flat surface for supporting wallpaper; (b) means for supporting the surface; (c) means for supporting a roll of wallpaper and allowing wallpaper to be dispensed on to the surface; (d) guide means for guiding wallpaper from the roll onto the surface, the guide means comprising a strip extending across the surface of the table and so in use also across the width of a length of wallpaper lain on the surface, the strip thereby holding wallpaper underneath it to the surface and being adapted for cutting or tearing the wallpaper; wherein a vessel, suitable for containing a liquid, can be attached to, and removed from, the table while in use; characterised in that the table is provided with a retaining clip provided on an edge of the surface for holding the wallpaper under the retaining clip and to the surface. It should be noted that the term "wallpaper" as used in this specification, means (unless the context suggests otherwise) functional or decorative sheet coating for walls, ceilings and like surfaces, whether or not made of paper; in particular the term includes lining paper and ceiling paper as well as such textural coverings as woodchip paper and embossed papers (for example those sold under the trade mark ANAGLYPTA). The wallpaper may be ready pasted. Preferably the table comprises means for attaching a vessel for containing liquid; or a vessel for containing liquid may be attached to the table. The liquid will usually be paste, e.g. wallpaper paste, or may be just water if the wallpaper is of the ready-pasted type. Advantageously the vessel is removably fixed to an edge of the top surface; this may be achieved by providing the vessel with a lip capable of engaging with clip means provided on an edge of the surface. The surface is usually rectangular and so the vessel may be clipped onto a long edge of the surface, usually on the opposite side to the decorator. The clip means may be two prongs or clips spaced away from the long edge which can thus fit underneath the lip of the vessel and so support it. This means that the wallpaper paste or water is easily accessible to the decorator when spreading the liquid, e.g. by a brush, onto the wallpaper. Anyone who has done or seen any such decorating will realise the problems involved if the liquid is placed in, for example, a bucket spaced away from the wallpaper or pasting table. One such problem often encountered is the dripping of paste on surfaces where paste drips are not welcome, for example the carpet. Even if the bucket is placed on the table, this may cause problems of space on the surface when laying out a piece of wallpaper. In either case, there is the almost inevitable possibility that the bucket of water or paste will be knocked or kicked over. Preferably the vessel is a trough that runs along the long edge of the surface opposite to the decorator. The vessel may be made of plastics material, e.g. PVC or polypropylene. The roll of wallpaper may be mounted on a spindle which allows rotation of the roll and therefore the wallpaper may easily be dispensed onto the surface. Thus the wallpaper roll supporting means may cooperate with the guide means to allow the wallpaper to be easily and conveniently dispensed onto the surface, in a required length, and retained flat on the surface to facilitate efficient spreading of the water or paste. The strip may be removable from the surface, e.g. clipped, or may be fixed at each end to the surface. The strip may also be calibrated in units of length, like a ruler, in order to allow measurement along a width of the wallpaper. The strip may be calibrated along both edges in imperial and metric units respectively. For example, one side of the strip may be calibrated from 0 to 48 inches, while the other edge is calibrated from 0 to 120cm. Furthermore, each edge may be 'double calibrated', that is to say that two scales of calibrations run in increasing units of length simultaneously along the strip. For example, one end of the strip may be graduated to start at 0 and 48 inches, running to the other end of the strip which is at 48 and 96 inches respectively, the two scales running along the same set of graduations. Alternatively or in addition, the two scales may run opposite to each other along the same set of graduations so that one scale runs from, for example, 0 to 48 inches, while the other runs from 48 to 0 inches. The strip is preferably rigid and may be made of metal or a plastics material, and when straight edged may act as a straight line guide when cutting (or tearing) the wallpaper. The strip is preferably transparent, e.g. made of perspex, and is usually provided at one end of the table, preferably at the same end as the wallpaper roll supporting means. The strip is preferably of sufficient length to be greater than the width of the wallpaper. The surface itself may be calibrated in units of length for measurement of the wallpaper. This may be provided in a grid or matrix form on the top of the surface. The surface may also be 'double calibrated' in a similar fashion to the strip This allows the decorator to measure out multiples of lengths (for example, multiples of 48 inches or 120cm) of wallpaper. The surface may be made of wood with a melamine top layer. The table is provided with a retaining clip on an edge of the surface for holding the wallpaper under the retaining clip to the surface. This may prevent unwanted movement, for example, curling, of the wallpaper thus making application of the water or paste easier. There is provided at least one, and preferably two, retaining clips, each on opposite long edges of the surface. Such retaining clips may be fold-back clips whose handles can be flipped down on to, or up from, the wallpaper when laid on the surface. At least one end of the surface may be provided with a bar extending beyond that respective end capable of supporting wallpaper, e.g. wallpaper extending beyond the end of the surface. Preferably each bar comprises two portions extending parallel to a long edge of the surface away from that end of the surface to meet a portion spaced away and parallel to a short edge of the surface. The bar may thus act as an extension of the surface to support the wallpaper, and allows the decorator to work with and paste a length of wallpaper greater than the length of the surface. The bar may be made of metal, plastics material, or both. The supporting means for the surface may be constituted by any suitable arrangement of legs; if the legs are of generally small sectional area there will usually be at least three, and preferably four, of them. In practice the table will usually have two pairs of legs, preferably made of tubular steel. Thus, the means for supporting and allowing rotation of the roll of wallpaper, for example the spindle, is provided on one of the pairs of legs. The legs are preferably foldable towards an underside of the surface, so that the table is collapsible. The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wallpaper pasting table in accordance with the invention; Figures 2 to 4 are perspective views of various portions of a wallpaper pasting table as shown in Figure 1. Starting with Figure 1, there is shown a wallpaper pasting table 1 having a surface which is flat, rectangularly-shaped top 3 which is supported by two pairs of legs 5, each of which is hinged where they meet the underside (not shown) of the top 3. The pairs of legs 5 may therefore be folded towards one another and to the underside of the top 3, so that the table 1 is collapsible. On one pair of legs 5 there is a spindle 7 which spans the legs 9, 11 of one pair of legs 5 and supports, and allows rotation of, a roll of wallpaper 13. One end of the spindle 7 is hinged on one leg 9 by a hinge 15, while the other end is removably retained in a clip 17. The spindle 7 may thus be removed from the clip 17 and a roll of wallpaper 13 slid onto the spindle 7 (see Figure 2). On a topside 19, which functions as a surface for wallpaper, of the top 3, at the same end as the roll of wallpaper 13, there is a guide means comprising a rigid strip 21 which is made of transparent perspex. The strip 21 runs across almost the entire width of the top 3 and is parallel to a short edge 23 of the top 3. When fixed to the top 3, the strip 21 is of sufficient length to allow a sheet of wallpaper 25 to pass underneath the strip 21 and thereby be sandwiched. The strip 21 is calibrated in units of length, such as inches or centimetres, and in this regard may be used as a ruler for measurement. In addition, the strip 21 may be used as a straight line guide when cutting or tearing the sheet of wallpaper 25 with, for example, a sharp knife (see Figure 4). The top 3 may itself be calibrated in units of length along one or both long edges 27, 29 and even as a grid, to allow measurement of a required length or width of a sheet of wallpaper 25. The wallpaper 25 is pulled from the roll 13 and dispensed on to the top 3 with the side to be pasted uppermost and held to the top 3 by sprung handles 31 of bulldog clips 33 which are clipped onto opposite long edges 27, 29 of the top 3 and thus act as secondary guide means. These may be positioned where desired (see Figure 5). In order to allow a length of wallpaper 25 to be taken from the roll 13 that is greater than the length of the top 3, there is provided at both ends of the top 3, and extending horizontally from the short edges 23, 35 bars 37 which supports the wallpaper 25 which overhangs the top 3. The bar 37 comprises two arms 39 of the same length extending perpendicular to the short edges 23, 35, the end of each arm 39 meeting a portion 41 which is parallel to the short edges 23, 35. The bars 37 may be made of metal, plastic or metal coated with plastic. On the long edge 27 of the top 3 and so, usually opposite a decorator, there is removably attached a vessel which is a trough 43 having a lip 45 around the rim 47 of the trough 43 (see Figure 3). The trough 43 may contain liquid water or wallpaper paste 51 (which is spread on the wallpaper 25 using, for example, a brush) depending on whether the wallpaper 25 is of a ready-pasted type or not. Two edge clips 49 are provided on the long edge 27 over which the lip 45 on the trough 43 is hooked thereby supporting the trough 43. The decorator spreading the water or paste 51 will usually find this easiest working nearest the long edge 29 of the top 3. If the wallpaper 25 is plain paper that may be pasted on either side, then the roll of wallpaper 13 may be slid on to the spindle 7 in either of two configurations, that is to say, so that when the wallpaper 25 is dispensed on to the top 3 either side of the wallpaper 25 may be uppermost ready for pasting. However, if only one side of the wallpaper 25 is to be pasted (or water applied thereto), for example, if there is a pattern on one side, then the wallpaper 25 may pass underneath the strip 21 so that the side to be pasted is uppermost. Alternatively, the roll of wallpaper 13 may be slid onto the spindle 7 so that the wallpaper 25 is dispensed on to the top 3 so that the patterned side is uppermost. This allows the decorator to choose the desired length of wallpaper 25 so that the wallpaper 25 may be cut at a desired point in a repeating pattern, or so that a desired number of repeated patterns, or a part of a repeated pattern, is included in the length of wallpaper 25 that is desired. The length of wallpaper may then be cut along the strip 21 and turned over so that the side to be pasted is uppermost. The wallpaper 25 is then held to the top 3 by the clips 33 while the water or paste is applied.

Claims: A wallpaper pasting table (1) comprising: (a) a substantially flat surface (3) for supporting wallpaper (25); (b) means for supporting the surface (5); (c) means (7) for supporting a roll of wallpaper (13) and allowing wallpaper to be dispensed on to the surface; (d) guide means (21) for guiding wallpaper (25) from the roll (13) onto the surface (3), the guide means (21) comprising a strip extending across the surface (3) of the table (1) and so in use also across the width of a length of wallpaper (25) lain on the surface, the strip thereby holding wallpaper underneath it to the surface and being adapted for cutting or tearing the wallpaper (25); wherein a vessel (43), suitable for containing a liquid, can be attached to, and removed from, the table (1) while in use; characterised in that the table is provided with a retaining clip (31,33) provided on an edge of the surface for holding the wallpaper under the retaining clip and to the surface. A table according to claim 1 wherein the vessel (43) has a lip (47) capable of engaging with clip means provided on an edge (27) of the surface. A table as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the roll of wallpaper (13) is mounted on a spindle (7). A table as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the vessel is a trough adapted to be removably fixed to an edge of the surface. A table as claimed in any preceding claim wherein at least one end (23,35) of the surface is provided with a bar extending beyond that respective end capable of supporting wallpaper, the bar comprises two portions (39) extending parallel to a long edge (27,29) of the surface away from the end (23) of the surface to meet a portion (41) spaced away and parallel to a short edge (23) of the surface. A table according to any preceding claim wherein the guide means (21) and/or surface are calibrated in units of length. A table according to any preceding claim wherein the support means (7) and guide means (21) cooperate to allow the wallpaper to be dispensed onto the surface (5), in a required length, and retained flat on the surface to facilitate spreading of any liquid thereon contained in the vessel.

Inventors: MCIVOR IAN HENRY, MCIVOR, IAN HENRY
Applicants: MCIVOR IAN HENRY, MCIVOR, IAN HENRY
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B44C7
IPC codes: B44C7