Simulated Masonry Wall Panel with Improved Seam Integration

Abstract

A wall covering comprised of a plurality of panels formed with a stone and mortar design. The panels are mounted in horizontal courses with a lower marginal edge region of one panel being in overlying relation to the upper marginal edge region of a panel in a previously mounted course. The upper and lower marginal edge regions have a tapered seating design which enable close positioning of the stone and mortar of two mating panels with the mortar lines between the stone being in substantially coplanar relation with each other and where a portion of the simulated stone protrudes downward in different locations so as to create a non-uniform mortar distance between simulates stones on an upper panel from simulated stones on a lower panel, thus further obscuring the seam formed between the panels.

1 . A wall covering for mounting on a support surface comprising a plurality of panels each having upper and lower marginal edge regions;
 said panels being mountable on said support surface in a plurality of horizontal courses with said panels in a first horizontal course having an upper marginal edge region underlying a lower marginal edge region of said panels in a second horizontal course positioned above the first horizontal course;   said panels each being formed with a simulated stone and mortar design comprising horizontal rows of stone protruding from horizontal and vertical lines of mortar separating the stone, said stone and mortar lines having outer exposed faces, said upper marginal edge region of each panel being formed with a first tapered seating surface disposed at an acute angle to the plane of said mortar lines and exposed faces of said stone, said first tapered seating surface intersecting the exposed faces of some of said mortar lines, and the lower marginal edge region of each panel being formed with a second tapered seating surface at an angle to the plane of said mortar lines and exposed faces of said stone similar to the first tapered seating surface of said upper marginal edge region, said second tapered seating surface intersecting the exposed faces of some of said mortar lines for mounted positioning in overlying relation to the first tapered seating surface of the upper marginal edge region of an underlying panel as viewed in a direction toward the support surface with mortar lines of the underlying panel in adjacent substantially coplanar relation with mortar lines of the overlying panel while permitting relative movement of the lower marginal edge region of the overlying panel with respect to the upper marginal edge region of the underlying panel as an incident to temperature expansion and contraction of the panels;   said lower marginal edge including a first lower marginal edge portion and a second marginal edge portion, the first lower marginal edge portion being located proximate to the exposed face of the stone in various locations along the lower marginal edge, the second marginal edge portion extending rearward from the first lower marginal edge portion toward a rear side of the panel, the second lower marginal edge portion including the second tapered seating, the second lower marginal edge portion extends substantially along a horizontal plane that extends along the lover marginal edge of the panel so as to define an upper edge of the mortar defined between the lower stones of the overlying panel and the upper stones of the underlying panel;   wherein the portions of the first marginal edge portion define a non-planar surface that project downward from the plane and the second lower marginal edge portions so as to overly a portion of the mortar defined between the lower stones of the overlying panel and the upper stones of the underlying panel.   
     
     
         2 . The wall covering of  claim 1  in which said simulated stone of said panels protrude substantially equal distances from said mortar lines. 
     
     
         3 . The wall covering of  claim 1  wherein the non-planar portions of the first lower marginal edge project downward a distance from the second lower marginal edge portion that is between 0.020 inches and 0.250 inches. 
     
     
         4 . The wall covering of  claim 1  in which said mortar lines of said panels are in a substantially common plane, and said simulated stone of said panels have outer exposed faces in a substantially common plane outwardly of the plane of said mortar lines. 
     
     
         5 . The wall covering of  claim 1  in which the upper marginal edge region of each panel includes a mounting flange for securing the panel on a support surface, and said mounting flange being disposed in recessed relation to the plane of said mortar lines. 
     
     
         6 . The wall covering of  claim 1  in which said tapered seating surfaces are disposed at an angle of about 30-60 degrees to the planes of said mortar lines and outer exposed faces of said stone. 
     
     
         7 . The wall covering of  claim 1  in which said upper marginal edge region of each panel including a mounting flange parallel to the plane of said mortar lines and exposed faces of said stone for securement to a support surface, a tapered wall extending upwardly and inwardly between the stone and mortar design of the panel and the mounting flange at an acute angle to the plane of the mortar lines and the exposed surfaces of said stone for supporting the mounting flange in recessed relation to the plane of said mortar lines, said upper marginal edge region tapered wall forming a tapered seating surface, and said lower marginal edge region of each panel being formed with a tapered seating surface at an angle to the mortar lines and exposed stone faces similar to that of the seating surface of the upper marginal edge region for positioning in mounted adjacent relation to the seating surface of the upper marginal edge region. 
     
     
         8 . The wall covering of  claim 1  in which said panels are formed with a horizontal mortar line adjacent a top side of an uppermost row of stone of the panel, and said tapered seating surface of said upper marginal edge region defining an upper peripheral edge of said horizontal mortar line. 
     
     
         9 . The wall covering of  claim 8  in which said lower marginal edge region of each panel is defined by a lowermost row of said stones and vertical mortar line separating the stones of said lowermost row, and said tapered seating surface of said lower marginal edge region intersects said lowermost row of stones and said vertical mortar lines in a straight line through a lower perimeter of said vertical mortar lines and a lower and reward perimeter of the stones protruding from the vertical mortar lines which line lies substantially along the plane. 
     
     
         10 . The wall covering of  claim 1  in which a lower marginal edge region of each panel is formed with a rearwardly extending and depending flange for engaging the upper marginal edge region of an underlying panel for interlocking the lower and upper marginal edge regions and for positioning the tapered seating surfaces of overlying marginal edge regions in aligned seating relation. 
     
     
         11 . The wall covering of  claim 1  in which one of said seating surfaces intersects a horizontal side of a row of said stone, and the other of said seating surfaces intersects a horizontal side of a horizontal mortar line.