Crown Molding Gap Concealment Film

This is a continuation of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/647,891 filed on May 15, 2024, the content of which is relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) is hereby claimed.

The following prior art was found:

Self-adjusting trim assembly at flexible ceiling and stationary wall junction U.S. Pat. No. 8,495,844 B1 application Ser. No. 13/623,214 Johnson, Sr: Thomas W.

Modular molding system US 2003/0093970 A1 application Ser. No. 09/945,778 James Jensen

The invention is related to construction and post construction applications and maintenance of crown molding in homes. There is skill, time and cost in making and maintaining the joints of crown molding. Inadequate attention and/or skill results in unsightly gaps forming between adjacent pieces of crown molding. Even with the best preparation, expansion and contraction of crown molding materials and/or the walls that they are attached to can create immediate or longer-term gaps between crown molding sections. Temperature and humidity are the most common reasons for gaps becoming apparent. Settling and shifting of the underlying construction can cause gaps as well. The best building practices of carpentering tapered lap joints can mitigate the issue, although not fully. Typical construction does not even use this quality method, preferring more rapid and less skilled labor to make simple butt joints. These joints look good only for a short time, then suffer from expansion and contraction as temperature and humidity changes.

There are several current attempts to fix the issues caused by gaps that come and go with temperature, humidity and house settling. There are filler materials that claim to expand and contract as the gap width changes. That is a significant challenge for a material to accommodate that amount of change in shape. Failure in elongation as the gap expands, failure of adhesion to the crown molding itself as the gap expands and ejection from the gap when the gap closes as moldings expand are three issues that compel a better solution as disclosed herein. Other current means to cover the gaps require complex fixtures and skills to place clips and coverings that are themselves decorative so that they stand out, often in unfortunate positions as the locations of gaps between crown molding sections occur wherever a section of molding happens to end.

One example of covering gaps, albeit between a ceiling and the wall vs across the gap in crown molding specifically, was taught in U.S. Pat. No. 8,495,844 B1 by Thomas W. Johnson, Sr. The gaps formed by expansion, contraction and/or settling are covered with decorative sections that use a set of clips installed on the fixtures to support the added structures. This is labor intensive and requires clips and screws to be installed. The rigid fixtures that conceal the gap are necessarily thicker than desirable for concealing crown molding seams to enable screws and clips to hold them in place. Other commercially available covers are basically new sections of crown molding that are clipped over a gap between existing sections of crown molding. These sections are several inches in width and are to be placed wherever a gap between sections of molding occurs, even if this gap occurs near a corner or in multiple locations on one wall and only one or two on the opposite or adjacent walls. This points out the issue rather than making a concealed presentation of gaps that avoid focus by the observer.

Another method to avoid gaps in the first place, that can still suffer from a gap if not executed correctly, is taught in US 2003/0093970 A1 by James Jensen. Extruded plastic molding is designed to form different shapes to allow adjoining sections to overlap. This assumes the ability to plan and obtain sections that can be overlapped as needed in whatever lengths required in a home. This is challenging in practice as the lengths needed vs those manufactured are not aligned. Overlapping in corners is easily done with a specialty corner part, but the issue of sections in straight runs of molding having the proper length for a planned overlap is not available in practice and sections are cut as in other crown molding materials with the same gap issues arising.

The invention is to hide the gap made between adjacent pieces of crown molding even as the gap changes in width due to temperature, humidity, and structural changes. The invention solves trying to fill the gap, more precisely, trying to fill an ever-changing width gap while keeping the filled portion smooth to the surface of the adjacent crown molding and in contact with both ends of the gap. Basically, the invention changes the problem from a materials adhesion and expansion/contraction challenge to a concealment challenge.

For the concealment challenge, the invention enables: 1. Adhesion to the surface of one side of the crown molding 2. Matching the color/texture of the crown molding 3. Following the contour of the crown molding 4. Covering the gap and over a portion of the adjacent crown molding with a surface profile matching the crown molding shape no matter how the gap width changes with temperature, humidity, or building settling, etc.

The execution of the invention can be provided with a variety of means. A generic sheet of film that enables adhesion to one side of the crown molding and a non-adhered surface with an offset from the second side of crown molding can be cut and colored by the user as needed from a suitable roll of film or sheet. Strips of film or sheet can also be manufactured and cut in a variety of colors/textures to match common paint colors and wood finishes and supplied in a variety pack or specialty assortment of colors. Adhesion to one side of the crown molding can be provided by the film with a pre-applied adhesive or adhesive applied during application to the one side of the crown molding in a permanent or semi-permanent strength.

The use of a film to conceal the gap in crown molding sections has several advantages over conventional methods. The change in solution strategy to concealment over “fixing” the gap acknowledges the fact that materials cannot successfully provide seam-free filling of most gaps over the range of movement capable due to expansion and contraction cycles due to temperature, humidity, or house “settling”. When homeowners decide to “fix” the gaps with wood fillers or caulks, even ones that claim to be expandable/compressible, they mostly find that their work has been wasted in other parts of the year. It is upsetting to see either the caulk/wood filler that has been ejected from the gap that has contracted or pulled away with a new gap when the sections expand further than the filler can withstand. Expecting a filler to expand up to% is unrealistic as it is expecting it to stay within a closing gap. So, like a broken clock that is right only twice a day, trying to “fix” the gap with a filler is a poor solution, unless one lives in a home that does not settle nor experience changes in temperature or humidity—which is rare.

Another benefit of the current invention over previous methods includes ease of use. Applying a film across a gap is relatively easy. Compared to trying to fill a gap with a filler material, there is far less mess to clean up and less skill in application. For other concealment methods in the art, the concealment means are themselves new molding fixtures applied with clips and woodworking skills. In addition to the skills required, the new molding sections must be placed in whatever random locations that have a gap in the original crown molding. This may place obvious gap concealment sites near corners and in unpleasing locations around the crown molding perimeter.

In contrast to the current methods, the inventive film relies on changing the problem of filling the gap or hiding behind another molding structure with a “hide in plain sight” solution of low skill requirement. Multiple options for applying a film to affix it to one side of a gap in crown molding whilst allowing the rest of the film to non-adhere to the other side of the crown molding enable the gaps to be concealed wherever they may occur in the molding perimeter around a room. The non-adhesive portion of the film accommodates the ever-changing gap width by the film being wider than the maximum expansion of the gap and accommodating the subsequent contraction. A key feature of the film is to enable the film to follow the contour of the molding in both the adhered and non-adhered portions of the film. This allows the film to make a more seamless appearance on the non-adherent side. Of course, even with close following of the contour of the molding, a small offset can likely be seen from the non-adhesive side of the film to the crown molding. This offset is perpendicular to the gap being concealed, so it appears less severe to the eye than the problem being fixed.

The gapshown inmay have a width Dless than 1 mm to over 5 mm in width (or more), depending on the expansion/contraction or house settlement cycle. The contour of the molding sidesandshown inmay have multiple concave, convex or flat sections.

The filminmay be of various widths Ddesigned to provide enough surface area in an adhesive zone Dto adhere to molding side, cover the variable width of the gapwith some width of non-adhesive zone Dof filmleft over to provide a safety factor of maximum gap width Dneeding to be concealed. So, the filmis made up of an adhesive zone of width Dand a non-adhesive zone of width Dto provide the functionality of adhering to sidemolding while “floating” above gapand molding side. This allows for covering a further expansion of the gapfrom when the user applies the film and provides a long-term solution instead of just for the current gapwidth.

shows multiple embodiments of the inventive film. In each embodiment, several attributes are all provided: #1. The ability to have a portion of the filmadhere to a portion of crown molding, where the surface of crown moldingis prepared to receive the film. #2. Avoid any attachment of the film to the gapor the film covered portion of crown molding. #3. The ability to retain the contour of the crown moldingandeven across the gap.shows attribute #4. Sufficient width Dof the filmto enable both attachment to crown moldingand overlap of crown moldingwhen the gap width Dis at its maximum. This is generally approximately 5 mm width Dof filmthat is used for adhesion to crown molding, 5 mm of width or more to account for maximum gap expansion D, and 3-5 mm of width to overlap crown molding, so the total width of Dcan be 10 mm or more. These widths are general and approximate, and it is expected that the film can be cut or provided in various widths of D, Dand Das needed for individual situations. An advantage of this inventive film is that it is not critical to use precise widths of the article to achieve the desired results. For each embodiment, the film may be provided or modified to match the color and texture of the crown molding in use.

As shown in, the user of the filmwould have cut or selected a piece of filmto adhere to crown molding side, use their finger or a simple tool to press the filminto shape to follow the contour of the crown molding across the full width Dof film.

andshow the capabilities of filmbeing able to follow the contour of the molding sidesandwhen pressed into shape during application. Section F-F ofshows how the filmconforms to the crown molding. The adhesive that secures the filmto crown moldingmay be part of the film or applied separately to crown moldingor to the portion of filmthat contacts the crown molding. Section E-E ofshows an exaggerated offset Dbetweenandbut also shows the film following the contour of the crown moldingand. In practice, this offset may be as small as 1 mm or less, in effect, touching the unadhered side of crown molding. The offset Dmay vary slightly across the length of cross section E-E. The offset Dmay be as large as 3 mm and still provide a seamless look except at a very acute angle of observation. It is possible to minimize the offset at the edge of the film covering molding sideeither by simply in the physical shaping of the film to retain a shape in near contact withor with a film material that responds to heating, for example, and slightly bends from the heat to move closer at side. While it is possible to see this offset between the film and molding sidewhile looking at the filmoverlaying the moldingfrom an acute angle, it is far less noticeable than the much wider gapsbetween molding sections and the visual defects of failed filling methods currently available. Providing a filmthat can be easily shaped by the user during application and retain the shape across the gapand over time is part of the filmattributes. Contrary to the inventive filmherein, adhering or pinning a filmto moldingto completely remove the offset Dwould prevent the filmfrom sliding across the everchanging gapbetweenandwithout forcing the filmto lose the contour shape of the moldings. This would be like one of the current failure modes of caulk fillers. There are many plastic and metallic materials that provide the ability to change and retain shape from a flat film. These may be a laminated or comprise the entirety of the inventive filmor at least the non-adhesive zone D. The ability to receive and utilize an adhesive on the portion ofthat adheres to moldingis also a capability of filmin zone D.

It is anticipated that providers of products that meet these capabilities be able to provide the range of widths, lengths, colors, textures that cover the range of painted and stained/finished crown moldings. In some cases, pre-colored and textured films may be preferable to a more general film that can be painted or stained/finished at the time of use. In the case of films that are painted or finished after application to the molding, care must be taken to ensure that the paint or finish does not pin the non-adhesive side of the filmto the crown molding. One may contemplate that this gap concealment article could be available with crown molding materials for original installation of crown moldings or as a repair option for homeowners.

Crown molding in a home in Milton, Delaware, built by one of the largest home builders in the USA, D. R. Horton, was used to demonstrate the feasibility of this invention. The home was built in 2019 and the crown molding was originally in outstanding visual condition, without visible gaps between sections of crown molding. After a summer and winter cycle, the crown molding separated by 2-5 mm. High performance caulk was applied in the winter of 2020 to fill the gap and resulted in renewed visual condition. However, by the end of the summer, the caulk had been ejected by expanding sections of crown molding and were unsightly and proud of the crown molding face by up to 5 mm. Similar results were reported by residents in the 200+ home community and indeed, is common in many homes across the country, hence the need for the present invention.

A roll of Oracal 651 by Orafol Group was purchased for experimentation. This material is a 2.5 mil thick vinyl film with a strong adhesive applied to it. It comes with a removable backing that exposes the adhesive when removed. It is commonly used with craft cutters for personal hobbies, outdoor signs, crafts, decorations, and the like. A matte white sample of the material was obtained for Example 1 in an attempt to match the white crown molding.

The caulk previously expelled by expanding crown molding was removed with a scraper. About a 2 mm gap remained (the gap had been wider when the caulk had been applied in the previous winter)

The film was cut to about a 25 mm width and excess length kept to fully extend along the crown molding and beyond, to be trimmed after the film was applied.

The backing that covers the adhesive was peeled partially back and cut along the length of the strip of material to expose about half the width of film adhesive.

The film was applied to the crown molding starting at the wall bottom and aligning the adhesive section to only contact one side of the crown molding. The non-exposed adhesive section covered both the gap and the other side of the crown molding.

The results of Example 1 were promising but pointed out needs described in the specification, claims and improvements in the next examples.

The same Orafol film and crown molding gap preparation was the same as in Example 1, but with the following:

The adhesive cover backing was removed fully and about half of the width and the full length of the about 25 mm wide film was covered with standard kitchen aluminum foil. The purpose of this was to provide a more profile conforming material to the portion of the film not adhered to the first section of crown molding. The ability of the metal foil to be bent and retain shape provided this added functionality.

As in Example 1, length was trimmed after the film was applied and hand pressed to follow the crown molding contour.

The applied film was subsequently painted to match the molding white color more directly, as a white semi-gloss paint was previously applied to the crown molding. Care was taken to paint the overlapping side of the film in contact with the underlying crown molding.

This resulted in a more color-matched and a more contour fitting product.

The material used in Example 3 was the aluminum foil on its own with a permanent liquid adhesive applied to one side of the crown molding after the same preparation had been done to the caulk removal and crown molding scraped smooth of any debris.

After a similar application of the aluminum foil and trimming, the foil and neighboring crown molding was primed and painted with matching white semi-gloss paint as in Example 2.

These three examples gave the inventor confidence that the new solution is possible. Optimizing the materials to have the proper surface color and texture, the appropriate adhesion on one side of the gap, the ability to conform and retain the shape of the crown molding and slide across the gap and the non-adhered side as close as possible are optimizations that a company like 3M could likely achieve. It is the intent of the inventor to seek out such a company to provide kits and specialty materials to users who can more effectively apply a solution that lasts throughout the inevitable changes that cause the gaps in crown molding today.