Abstract:
A wall used in conjunction with a pre-existing wall to create an improved aesthetic appearance, and eliminate the chances of mold, or mildew growing on a wall. A method for installing a wall having an existing wall, installing at least one support beam substantially vertical on the interior side of the existing wall. Installing at least one top support channel substantially horizontal along a top portion of the interior side of the existing wall. Installing at least one bottom support channel substantially horizontal along a bottom portion of the interior side of the existing wall. Connecting at least one panel to at least one of the support beams, the top support channels, and bottom support channels. Inserting a flexible material of the panels into the intermediate support channels and the corner support channels.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/813,403, filed Jun. 14, 2006. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a wall for use in a basement which installs quickly and reduces the amount of moisture buildup. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The walls of most homes are constructed using typical drywall or lumber. Lumber and drywall are suitable for above-ground areas, but are not always an ideal material to use in below-ground areas such as basements. Using typical lumber or drywall for finishing a basement presents several problems, the most common of which is that lumber and drywall can warp, rot, or allow for mold growth due to trapped moisture. This moisture is most prevalent in areas such as basements. 
         [0004]    In addition, when lumber is used for framing along concrete basement walls, drywall is used to finish off the walls. Hanging drywall is a time consuming process which requires patching the joints between adjacent drywall panels with a filling material and sanding the material after it dries. This is usually done several times in order to get an acceptable finish along the joints of adjacent drywall panels. Then the drywall must be painted in order to cover up the patches along the joints between the drywall panels. In addition, the nails or screws which are used to attach the drywall panels to the lumber can come loose and project out from the drywall which is known as a “nail pop.” In order to fix the nail pops, the nail must be placed back in the drywall and lumber, a patching compound must be applied to the nail pop area, which is then sanded and painted. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a wall construction system for high-moisture areas such as basements which alleviates some of the problems of a drywall and lumber finished basement. The wall construction system should be able to prevent damage caused by high-moisture and be easily constructed in order to provide a more efficient installation process when compared to a lumber and drywall finishing system. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    An embodiment of the present invention is a wall which can be used in conjunction with a pre-existing wall to create an improved aesthetic appearance, and eliminate or reduce the development of mold or mildew growing on a wall. The present invention is a method installing a wall structure including an existing wall, an existing ceiling, and an existing floor, the method for installing a wall structure providing the steps of: installing at least one support beam substantially vertical adjacent an interior side of the existing wall, installing at least one top support channel substantially horizontal along the existing ceiling, installing at least one bottom support channel substantially horizontal along the existing floor, connecting at least one panel to at least one support beam, connecting at least one intermediate support with at least one support beam, and connecting a flexible material of the panel with at least one intermediate support. 
         [0007]    Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a sectional side view of a basement wall, incorporating the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a sectional top view taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is front plan view of a basement wall, incorporating the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a sectional top view of an intermediate support in accordance with the present invention; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a sectional top view of a corner support in accordance with the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]    The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. 
         [0015]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , the wall of the present invention is generally shown at  10 , and is used in combination with an existing wall  12 . The existing wall  12  is typically a wall in a below-ground level of a house; however, it is possible to use this type of invention  10  at a ground level or above ground level. Usually the existing wall  12  is made of concrete, but the existing wall  12  can be made of any predetermined material in which additional materials can be connected to the existing wall  12 . The wall  10  of the present invention is also used in conjunction with a floor  14  and a ceiling  16 . There is also a top support channel  18  which contacts the ceiling  16 . A support beam  20  is arranged vertically, and extends from the top support channel  18  towards the floor  14 . In a preferred embodiment, the support beam  20  is two back-to-back 2″×2.5″ studs which are made of 20-gauge metal, where the longer surface of the two studs contacts one another. The studs are preferably metal, but could be made from other materials such as wood or plastic as well. A bottom support channel  22  contacts the floor  14 . The support beam  20  extends from the top support channel  18  to the bottom support channel  22 . In a preferred embodiment, the support beam  20  extends substantially vertical between the top support channel  18  and the bottom support channel  22 . Ideally, the installer uses a level to ensure the support beam  20  is substantially vertical when installing the support beam  20 . There can be a gap  24  between the support beam  20  and the existing wall  12  which creates an air space between the existing wall  12  and the support beam  20 . 
         [0016]    Connected to the support beam  20  is a first bracket or an H-base  26 . In a preferred embodiment, the H-base  26  is connected to the support beam  20  by any suitable fastener, such as but not limited to, a screw or rivet. In a preferred embodiment, a portion of the H-base  26  is parallel to and contacting the bottom support channel  22 . Another portion of the H-base  26  is perpendicular to the bottom support channel  22  and parallel to the floor  14 . A third portion of the H-base  26 , which contacts the floor  14 , is parallel to the bottom support channel  22 . The H-base  26  supports a panel  28 , which in this embodiment has a thickness of approximately one inch, but it is within the scope of the invention that other thicknesses could be used for the panel  28 . The panel  28  is preferably made of a high-density fiberglass, but could be made of other materials as well. The panel  28  extends vertically between the top support channel  18  and the bottom support channel  22 . The panel  28  also extends horizontally between the support beams  20  which are spaced along the top support channel  18  and bottom support channel  22 . 
         [0017]    The top of the panel  28  is inserted into a second bracket or a J-bracket  30 , which is connected to the support beam  20 . Also connected to the J-bracket  30  is a ceiling support structure or ceiling track  32  which is fastened by any suitable fastener, such as but not limited to, a screw or rivet. The J-bracket  30  extends between the support beam  20  and the panel  28 . The J-bracket  30  then extends over the top of the panel  28  and between the panel  28  and the ceiling track  32 . In a preferred embodiment, the panel  28  extends from the H-base  26  to a predetermined point below the height of the support beam  20 . Thus, a drop ceiling or suspended ceiling  40  can be hung in accordance with a known method. 
         [0018]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 4 , a top view of the wall  10  is shown. Connected to the support beam  20  is an intermediate support  34  which holds the panels  28  in place. A predetermined number of intermediate supports  34  are attached along the vertical axis of the support beam  20 . In a preferred embodiment, there are at least two intermediate supports  34  attached to the support beam  20 ; however, a greater or lesser number of intermediate supports  34  can be used depending on a particular application. Each panel  28  has a flexible material  36  which is connected to the intermediate support  34 . In this embodiment, the flexible material is an acoustical fabric which is laminated to the surface of each panel  28 . The flexible material  36  is wrapped at the top of the panel  28 , and the edge of the flexible material  36  is aligned with the bottom of each panel  28 . A portion of the flexible material  36  also overhangs off the edge of each panel  28  in the area of each intermediate support  34 . The intermediate support  34  grips and holds the panel  28  in place through the use of the flexible material  36 . Thus, the flexible material  36  is inserted into the intermediate support  34 , which creates an even surface between the adjacent panels  28 . 
         [0019]    Also, additional supports or studs  38  can be placed between the top support channel  18  and bottom support channel  22  to provide additional support for the panels  28 . The supports  38  extend substantially vertical between the top support channel  18  and bottom support channel  22 . The supports  38  are placed intermediate the horizontal length of the panels  28 , between the support beams  20 . The supports  38  are preferably of the same size as the support beams  20 . The support  38  provides additional support for the panel  28 , but there are no intermediate supports  34  attached to the support  38 . Typically, a single support  38  is placed between the support beams  20 , but depending on the horizontal length of the panel  28 , additional supports  38  can be used to provide the necessary support for the panels  28 . The supports  38  are also positioned such that the center of each support  38  is approximately sixteen inches apart from the intermediate support  34  or, if more supports  38  are used, one another. The spacing of sixteen inches between supports  38  is standard in the construction of buildings. 
         [0020]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  5 , a corner support  42  is shown. Preferably, the corner support  42  is for an outside corner, where the corner extends out from the wall rather than into the existing wall  12 , i.e., the outer surface of one panel  28  is two hundred and seventy degrees from the outer surface  28  of another panel. The corner support  42  can connect to either a support beam  20  or support  38  so long as the support beam  20  of support  38  is in a corner of the existing wall  12 . Similar to the intermediate support  34 , the corner support  42  grips the flexible material  36  to hold the panel  28 . 
         [0021]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1-5 , the ceiling track  32  is used along with support wires  44  to support a suspended ceiling  40  (shown in  FIG. 3 ). Thus, a suspended ceiling  40  can be installed using a suitable method. The suspended ceiling  40  provides an aesthetic feature which covers up the connection between the support beam  20 , the panel  28 , and the J-bracket  30 . There is a base molding  46  which is connected to the H-base  26  which provides an aesthetic feature to cover up the connection between the floor  14 , the H-base  26 , and the panel  28 . 
         [0022]    In a preferred embodiment the top support channel  18 , the support beam  20 , and the bottom support channel  22  are made of a galvanized metal material. The metal material provides adequate strength characteristics to support the structure and is not as susceptible to moisture as lumber is. Also, the brackets  26 ,  30 ,  32  and the intermediate support  34  are made of metal. Preferably, the panels  28  are made of a fiber material that is also not susceptible to moisture, and covered with an acoustical polyester fabric. 
         [0023]    The installation of the wall  10  is accomplished through several steps. The bottom support channel  22  is first connected to the floor  14 , and the top support channel  18  is connected to the ceiling  16 . The support beam  20  is then installed between the top support channel  18  and the bottom support channel  22 . A predetermined number of support beams  20  are used, depending upon the size of the existing wall  12 . Thus, the number of support beams  20  is dependent upon providing sufficient support for the panels  28 . Typically, the panels  28  have a predetermined horizontal length, so that the support beams  20  have to be spaced according to the horizontal length of the panel  28  in order to provide an attaching surface for the panels  28 . Also, the bottom support channel  22  and the top support channel  18  can be cut to any predetermined length to fit the length of the existing wall  12 . 
         [0024]    Once the top support channel  18 , bottom support channel  22 , and support beam  20  are in place, the H-base  26  is then connected to bottom support channel  22 . The J-bracket  30  is then fastened to the support beam  20  at the desired height for the ceiling, the ceiling track  32  is then fastened to the J-bracket  30 , and the suspended ceiling system can then be installed in a conventional fashion. The ceiling track  32  is fastened to the J-bracket  30  by any suitable fastener, such as but not limited to, a screw or rivet. The top of the panel  28  is inserted into the J-bracket  30  and the bottom of the panel  28  is placed upon the H-base  26 . The intermediate support  34  is firmly pressed against the panel  28  and fastened to the support beams  20  using a suitable fastener. The portion of the flexible material  36  which is overhanging from the panel  28  is inserted into the jaw  48  of the intermediate support  34 . The preferable method for installing the flexible material  36  into the jaw  48  is through the use of a rolling tool, similar to a screen roller. The base molding  46  is then fastened to the H-base  26 . The ceiling track  32  and the base molding  46  can also be cut to any predetermined length to match the length of the existing wall  12 . 
         [0025]    After the support channels  18 ,  22  and the support beam  20  are installed, additional materials can be installed. For example, electrical wiring and plumbing can be installed with relative ease prior to the panels  28  being installed. 
         [0026]    In addition to the J-bracket  30  and base molding  46 , the panels  28  are also held in place by intermediate support  34  having the jaw  48 , which is attached to the support beam  20 . Thus, when the panels  28  are installed, they are connected to and secured by the H-base  26  and J-bracket  30 . Each panel  28  also includes a flexible material  36 , which is inserted into the jaw  48 . The flexible material  36  can be connected to each panel  28 , or each panel  28  can be installed, with the flexible material  36  placed over the panel  28  to hold each panel  28  in place. The jaw  48  grips and holds the panel  28  in place, and can hold the flexible material  36  for two adjacent panels  28 . Once installed, the panels  28  will be substantially even with one another because of the flexible material  36  of each panel  28  being inserted into the jaw  48 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , there are two panels  28 . The panels can be any predetermined size so as to extend vertically between the J-bracket  30  and the H-base  26 , and horizontally between the support beams  20 , without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
         [0027]    Similarly, the corner support  42  is connected to a support beam  20  or support  38  in the corner of the wall  10 . The corner support  42  has a jaw  48   a  which grips the flexible material  36  of the panel  28 . Preferably, the jaw  48   a  is offset from the corner so that the flexible material  36  of one of the panels  28  connected to the corner support  42  extends over the corner to create an even corner surface. 
         [0028]    The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.