Tile wall structure and construction method therefor

Abstract

A tile wall structure and a tile wall construction method are disclosed which eliminate the necessity to perform inking for each tile support rail to significantly facilitate an installation operation of tile support rails. A tile supporting portion having upwardly and downwardly projecting portions is formed on a lower side edge of each tile support rail while a tile has upper and lower supporting grooves formed on upper and lower surfaces thereof. The tile support rails are disposed on the skeleton such that adjacent lower and upper portions thereof overlap with each other and positioning portions thereof are positioned relative to each other at the overlapping portions. Each tile is supported between the tile supporting portions of adjacent upper and lower tile support rails with the upper supporting groove engaged with the downwardly projecting portion of the tile supporting portion of the upper side tile support rail and with the lower supporting groove engaged with the upwardly projecting portion of the tile supporting portion of the lower side tile support rail.

1 . A tile wall structure, comprising: 
 a plurality of horizontally elongated tile support rails disposed in parallel to each other on a skeleton; and    a plurality of tiles disposed on and supported by said tile support rails;    each of said tile support rails having a tile supporting portion formed on a lower side edge or an upper side edge thereof, said tile supporting portion having an upwardly projecting portion and a downwardly projecting portion;    each of said tiles having upper and lower supporting grooves formed on upper and lower surfaces thereof;    each two adjacent ones of said tile support rails being disposed on said skeleton such that adjacent lower and upper portions thereof overlap with each other and positioning portions thereof are positioned relative to each other at the overlapping portions;    each of said tiles being supported between the tile supporting portions of adjacent upper and lower ones of said tile support rails with an upper side one of said supporting grooves thereof engaged with the downwardly projecting portion of said tile supporting portion of the upper side tile support rail and with a lower side one of said supporting grooves thereof engaged with the upwardly projecting portion of said tile supporting portion of the lower side tile support rail.    
   
   
       2 . A tile wall structure according to  claim 1 , wherein the positioning portions of each of said tile support rails are a fitting recessed groove and a fitting projecting strip for positioning formed on a horizontally elongated base plate of the tile support rail, and the fitting recessed groove and the fitting projecting strip of each upper and lower adjacent ones of said tile support rails are fitted with each other to position the adjacent tile support rails relative to each other.  
   
   
       3 . A tile wall structure according to  claim 2 , wherein said upwardly projecting portion and said downwardly projecting portion of said tile supporting portion are formed in such a manner as to extend forwardly and integrally from the lower side edge or the upper side edge of said horizontally elongated base plate of each of said tile support rails.  
   
   
       4 . A tile wall structure according to  claim 3 , wherein said upwardly projecting portion and said downwardly projecting portion of said tile supporting portion are formed in such a manner as to extend forwardly and integrally from the lower side edge or the upper side edge of said horizontally elongated base plate of each of said tile support rails and then extend in a bent back fashion.  
   
   
       5 . A tile wall structure according to  claim 1 , wherein said supporting grooves on the upper and lower surfaces of each of said tiles have a V-shaped cross section.  
   
   
       6 . A tile wall structure according to  claim 5 , wherein said upwardly projecting portion of said tile supporting portion has an inverted V shape, and said downwardly projecting portion is formed in such a manner as to depend from one side of the V shape of said upwardly projecting portion.  
   
   
       7 . A tile wall structure according to  claim 1 , wherein said tile supporting portion has a drain hole perforated therein.  
   
   
       8 . A construction method for a tile wall for disposing and supporting a plurality of tiles on a plurality of horizontally elongated tile support rails disposed in parallel to each other on a skeleton, comprising: 
 preparing, as the tile support rails, tile support rails each of which has a tile supporting portion formed on a lower side edge or an upper side edge thereof and having an upwardly projecting portion and a downwardly projecting portion;    preparing, as the tiles, tiles each of which has upper and lower supporting grooves formed on upper and lower surfaces thereof;    disposing said tile support rails on said skeleton such that adjacent lower and upper portions of each two adjacent ones of said tile support rails overlap with each other and positioning portions of the two adjacent tile support rails are positioned relative to each other at the overlapping portions; and    attaching each of said tiles so as to be supported between the tile supporting portions of adjacent upper and lower ones of said tile support rails with an upper side one of said supporting grooves thereof engaged with the downwardly projecting portion of said tile supporting portion of the upper side tile support rail and with a lower side one of said supporting grooves thereof engaged with the upwardly projecting portion of said tile supporting portion of the lower side tile support rail.    
   
   
       9 . A construction method for a tile wall structure according to  claim 8 , wherein said lower supporting groove of each of said tiles is engaged with said upwardly projecting portion of a lower side one of said tile support rails which is installed formerly on said skeleton to place said lower side supporting groove on the lower side tile support rail and then said downwardly projecting portion of an upper side one of said tile support rails is engaged with said upper supporting groove of the tile to attach the upper side tile support rail to said skeleton.  
   
   
       10 . A construction method for a tile wall structure according to  claim 8 , wherein upper and lower side ones of said tile support rails are attached to said skeleton first, and each of said tiles is inserted between said downwardly projecting portion of the upper side tile support rail and said upwardly projecting portion of the lower side tile support rail such that the upper and lower supporting grooves are engaged with the downwardly projecting portion and the upwardly projecting portion, respectively.  
   
   
       11 . A construction method for a tile wall structure according to  claim 8 , wherein a joint filler is filled in each of joint gaps formed between adjacent upper and lower ones of said tiles such that the upwardly projecting portions and the downwardly projecting portions of the tile supporting portions of said tile support rails are embedded in the joint filler.  
   
   
       12 . A tile support rail for use with a tile wall structure wherein a plurality of horizontally elongated tile support rails are disposed in parallel to each other on a skeleton and a plurality of tiles are disposed on and supported by the tile support rails, said tile support rail having: 
 a lower side edge or an upper side edge on which a tile supporting portion having an upwardly projecting portion and a downwardly projecting portion is formed; and    a pair of upper and lower positioning portions provided such that the upper positioning portion cooperates with the lower positioning portion of a second tile support rail, which is provided at an upper stage with respect to said tile support rail, to position said second tile support rail with respect to said tile support rail on the skeleton;    a tile being supported between and by said tile supporting portion of said tile support rail and said tile supporting portion of said second tile support rail such that an upper side supporting groove formed on an upper face of the tile is engaged with the downwardly projecting portion of said tile supporting portion of said second tile support rail and a lower side supporting groove formed on a lower face of the tile is engaged with the upwardly projecting portion of said tile supporting portion of said tile support rail.    
   
   
       13 . A tile support rail according to  claim 1 , wherein said upper and lower positioning portions area fitting recessed groove and a fitting projecting strip for positioning formed on a horizontally elongated base plate of said tile support rail, and the fitting recessed groove or the fitting projecting strip of said tile support rail is fitted with the fitting projecting strip or the fitting recessed groove of said second tile support rail.  
   
   
       14 . A tile support rail according to  claim 13 , wherein said upwardly projecting portion and said downwardly projecting portion of said tile supporting portion are formed in such a manner as to extend forwardly and integrally from the lower side edge or the upper side edge of said horizontally elongated base plate.  
   
   
       15 . A tile support rail according to  claim 14 , wherein said upwardly projecting portion and said downwardly projecting portion of said tile supporting portion are formed in such a manner as to extend forwardly and integrally from the lower side edge or the upper side edge of said horizontally elongated base plate and then extend in a bent back fashion.  
   
   
       16 . A tile support rail according to  claim 12 , wherein said tile supporting portion has a drain hole perforated therein.