GB2510790A

GB2510790A - Wall fixing plug

Info

Publication number: GB2510790A
Application number: GB201411137A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Waite; Lawrence Webb
Original assignee: RETRO ECO Ltd
Current assignee: RETRO ECO Ltd
Priority date: 2013-08-01
Filing date: 2014-06-23
Publication date: 2014-08-13
Anticipated expiration: 2034-06-23
Also published as: GB201313752D0; GB201411137D0; GB2516849A; GB2510790B

Abstract

A wall fixing plug 81 for fixing an article to a wall 3, the wall being 3 covered by a facing 5 having an outer surface 9 and having a hole therein comprises a disc having first and second parallel end faces of the same shape. A side wall connects the end faces. The side wall is slanted with respect to the normal to the end faces. In use, the first face abuts the wall 3 and the second face blocks the hole in the outer surface 9 of the facing 5. There are means for attaching the plug to the wall which may be an array of nails projecting from the first face, but may also be adhesive.

Description

WALL FIXING PLUG

This invention relates to wall fixing plugs, and in particular to wall fixing plugs for walls covered by a facing.

W0201 2/1 75959 discloses a system for retro-fitting insulation to solid walls which uses studs for fixing insulation to the solid wall, the studs defining a channel between the front wall of the stud and underlying wall. This enables services to be routed in a well-defined location. Apertures in the front wall of the stud allow access to cables and pipes in the channel without causing deterioration in the acoustic or thermal performance of the insulation.

The wall is covered with a facing, such as plasterboard, to provide the desired aesthetic appearance. The facing and insulation are not load bearing components, so that there can be difficulties fixing heavy items to the wall, such as radiators or televisions.

The invention provides a wall fixing plug as defined in the claims.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a wall fixing plug for fixing an article to a wall, the wall being covered by a facing having an outer surface and having a hole therein, comprising: a disc having first and second parallel end faces of the same shape, and a side wall connecting the end faces, wherein the side wall is slanted with respect to the normal to the end faces; and means for attaching the plug to the wall, wherein, in use, the first face abuts the wall and the second face blocks the hole in the outer surface of the facing.

This wall fixing plug can enable articles to be attached to a wall covered by the facing, in particular in between studs. This can enable the free selection of fixing points, e.g. for radiators or televisions. The plug can be designed to make sure that the benefits of the facing, e.g. insulative and/or aesthetic, are substantially intact. By providing a slant, the engagement of the plug into its corresponding slanted hole resists removal of the plug in a direction normally to the wall. When a user removes an article from the wall (such as a radiator or painting or other item), which has been fixed to the wall fixing plug, the removal will tend to apply a force normally away from the wall. The slant means that this normal force does not correspond to the direction in which the plug is inserted and therefore the direction in which the plug can be removed. Preferably, in use, the slant is oriented above the horizontal. Thus, to remove the plug, a force in a lifting direction needs to be applied. The plug thus resists coming free from the wall under the influence of gravity as well as when removing articles from the wall fixing plug.

The angle of slant may be between 5 degrees and 40 degrees. This range of angles provides suitable resistance to removal of the plug while still enabling the original (correspondingly angled) hole in the facing to be drilled without excessive difficulty. The angle may be in the range 15 degrees to 35 degrees.

The shape of the parallel end faces can be circular such that disc comprises a slanted cylinder. The slanted cylinder can thus be inserted into a circular hole, although drilled at an angle to the normal.

The means for attaching the plug to the wall may comprise a projecting array of nails on the first face for holding the first face against the wall, or an off-centre hole or an adhesive.

The use of projecting array of nails may be used for a plasterboard cavity wall, so that there is a rear plasterboard panel (which can be considered to define the "wall") and a front plasterboard panel (which can be considered to define the "facing"). The array of nails resists movement in the plane of the wall, and the slant resists movement in the direction normal to the wall. The use of an off-centre hole means that a screw can be driven through the hole in the plug to attach the plug to the wall. As the hole is off-centre, rotation of the plug is hindered, this can make installation of the plug easier. It also means that when a heavy object is attached to the plug, rotation of the plug within the hole is prevented. This could then cause movement of the fixing position.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a wall fixing plug for fixing an article to a wall, the wall being covered by a facing having an outer surface and having a hole therein, comprising: a disc having first and second parallel end faces of the same shape, wherein the first face comprises a projecting array of nails for holding the first face against the wall, wherein, in use, the first face abuts the wall and the second face blocks the hole in the outer surface of the facing.

This wall fixing plug can again enable articles to be attached to the wall covered by the facing in between studs. This design is of particular interest for use with plasterboard cavity wall, so that as described above there is a rear plasterboard wall panel and a front plasterboard facing panel.

If no slant is provided between the end faces, the wall fixing plug can be cylindrical. This can make installation easy, particularly where the wall fixing plug is installed after the wall is covered by the facing, in that the hole for the wall fixing plug can be core drilled normally to the wall while the facing is in place.

In both aspects of the invention, the wall fixing plug can further comprise a protective sleeve covering at least a part of the first face. This can provide strength and protection from damp ingress. If the first face has a projecting array of nails, it also provides protection during handling of the wall fixing plug.

The protective sleeve can be of plastics or metal. This can provide additional strength and protection from damp ingress.

In use, the second face can be flush with the outer surface of the facing. This means that the insulation in the facing may still be effective. It also means that the outer surface of the facing may substantially preserve its aesthetic appearance.

The wall fixing plug can further comprise a cap covering at least a part of the second face. This can provide additional strength. The cap can be of plastics or metal.

The cap can further comprise a flange which, in use, at least partially overlaps the outer surface of the facing. This can make sure that the benefits of the facing, e.g. insulative, are substantially intact.

The cap can comprise adhesive and/or an array of projecting nails (i.e. a bed of nails) for attaching the plug to the outer surface of the facing. This can provide additional strength, which may be particularly advantageous when fixing articles to non-load bearing walls.

The second surface can present flat-grain or edge-gain wood. This means that a wooden implementation of the plug is less likely to split if screws are inserted into the surface to attach articles.

The invention also provides a method of fixing an article to a wall covered by a facing having an outer surface, comprising: core drilling a hole in the facing; inserting a plug of the invention in to the hole; attaching the plug to the wall; and attaching the article to the plug.

The invention also provides a wall fixing kit comprising: a core drill and a wall fixing plug of the invention, wherein the wall fixing plug and the core drill are of a complementary size.

The invention also provides a wall covered by a facing having an outer surface and having a hole therein, fitted with a wall fixing plug of the invention.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a first example of a wall fixing plug of the invention in use in a sectional view; Figure 2 shows the wall fixing plug of Figure 1 in use in a part-sectional perspective view; Figure 3 shows the wall fixing plug of Figure 1 in plan, sectional, perspective and part-sectional perspective views; Figure 4 shows a second example of a wall fixing plug of the invention in sectional and part-sectional perspective views; Figure 5 shows a cap of a wall fixing plug of the invention in plan and sectional views; Figure 6 shows a sleeve of a wall fixing plug of the invention in plan and sectional views; Figure 7 shows a wall fixing plug of the invention fitted with the cap of Figure and the sleeve of Figure 6 in a sectional view; Figure 8 shows the wall fixing plug of Figure 7 in use in a sectional view; Figure 9 shows a third example of a wall fixing plug of the invention applied to a solid wall; Figure 10 shows a fourth example of a wall fixing plug of the invention applied to a non load bearing cavity plasterboard wall; Figure 11 shows a fifth example of a wall fixing plug with a safety cap applied; and Figure 12 shows a core drill which can be used for the fitting of the wall fixing plug of Figures 9to 11.

The invention provides a wall fixing plug for fixing an article to a wall which is covered by a facing. The wall fixing plug is a disc having first and second parallel end faces. In use, the wall fixing plug is attached to the wall. The first face abuts the wall and the second face blocks a hole in the outer surface of the facing. The wall fixing plug enables freer selection of fixing points.

Figures 1 and 2 show a first example of a wall fixing plug in use.

The wall fixing plug, indicated generally at 1, is for fixing an article to a wall 3, which is covered by a facing 5. The facing 5 comprises a layer of insulation 7 and a layer of plasterboard 9, the facing 5 has an outer surface 11. There is a hole 13 in the facing 5.

The wall fixing plug 1 is a disc having first and second parallel end faces 15, 17. A screw 19 is provided as a means for attaching the plug 1 to the wall 3.

As shown, in use, the first face 15 abuts the wall 3 and the second face 17 blocks the hole 13 in the outer surface 11 of the facing 5. In fact, the second face 17 is flush with the outer surface 11 of the facing 5.

This wall fixing plug 1 enables articles to be attached to the wall 3 covered by the facing 5 in between studs. This enables the freer selection of fixing points, e.g. for radiators or televisions. The plug 1 can be designed to make sure that the benefits of the facing 5, e.g. insulative andlor aesthetic, are substantially intact.

The wall fixing plug 1 is cylindrical. This can make installation easy, particularly where the wall fixing plug 1 is installed after the wall 3 is covered by the facing 5, in that the hole 13 for the wall fixing plug 1 can be core drilled while the facing 5 is in place on the wall 3.

There is provided a means for attaching the plug 1 to the wall 3. In the example shown, this comprises an off-centre hole 21 in the plug 1 through which a screw 19 passes. As the hole 21 is off-centre rotation of the plug 1 is hindered, this can make installation of the plug 1 easier, as well as preventing rotation of the plug caused by a torque introduced by the weight of the attached object.

The hole has a countersunk part for receiving the head of the screw 19 to reduce the length of the screw which projects from the solid wall 3, thereby providing a secure fixing of the plug to the wall. The countersunk depth can depend on the thickness of the plug, which corresponds to the overall thickness of the facing 5.

If necessary, the means for attaching the plug 1 to the wall 3 may further comprise a wall plug for the screw 19 which is first fitted to the wall before the plug in inserted.

Articles can be attached to the plug 1 by means of a further screw 22. In one example, the plug 1 is of wood and the second surface 17 presents flat-grain or edge-gain wood. This means that the plug 1 is less likely to split when the further screw 22 is inserted into the second surface 17 to attach articles. Other materials could be used providing they are able to retain a suitable fixing 19.

Figure 3 further illustrates the plug 1 of Figures 1 and 2, wherein like parts are denoted by like reference numerals. The hole 21 in the plug 1 can be seen to be sunken and this also means the head of the screw 19 is below the second surface 17 in use. This can present a surface without projections, which may be desired if the article is best fixed to a flat surface.

Figure 4 illustrates an alternative wall fixing plug, indicated generally at 31. In this embodiment the wall fixing plug is substantially as described above, only the differences will be described and like reference numerals indicate like parts. The wall fixing plug 31 further comprises a protective sleeve 33 covering the first face of the wall fixing plug. A hole 35 is provided in the protective sleeve which corresponds with the off-centre hole 21 in the plug 31. The protective sleeve 33 also covers part of the side of the plug 31. The protective sleeve 33 is of metal. The sleeve 33 can provide additional strength and also protection from damp ingress.

Figure 5 illustrates a cap 41 of a wall fixing plug, when the wall fixing plug is assembled, the cap 41 covers the second face. The cap 41 also covers part of the side of the plug. The cap 41 is for example made of metal and it can provide additional strength.

The cap 41 further comprises a flange 43 which, in use, overlaps the outer surface of the facing. The flange 43 of the cap 41 can make sure that the benefits of the facing, e.g. insulative, are substantially intact. The cap has a central opening to provide access to the plug itself, to which a fixing (such as a screw) is to be attached.

The cap 41 also comprises an array of nails 45 on the flange 43 facing toward the layer of plasterboard 9 for attaching the plug 41 to the outer surface of the facing. The array of nails 45 can provide additional strength to the fixing, which may be particularly advantageous when fixing articles to non-load bearing walls.

Figure 6 illustrates an alternative protective sleeve 51 of a wall fixing plug according to the invention, which may be used in addition to or instead of the cap 41.

The protective sleeve 51 covers the first face of the wall fixing plug. The protective sleeve 51 also covers part of the side of the plug. The protective sleeve 51 is again for example made of metal. The protective sleeve 51 can provide strength and protection from damp ingress.

A hole 35 is provided in the protective sleeve 51 which can correspond to the off-centre hole through the plug. The sleeve also comprises an array of nails 53 on the first face for attaching the plug to the underlying wall. This is of particular interest when the underlying wall is not a solid wall, but is a further layer of plasterboard for

example.

Figure 7 illustrates a wall fixing plug 61 comprising the cap 41 of Figure 5 and the sleeve 51 of Figure 6 and a core cylinder 63 of wood.

Figure 8 illustrates the wall fixing plug 61 of Figure 7 in use with a non load-bearing wall 3, wherein like reference numerals denote like parts. The wall 3 comprises a plasterboard panel, of the same type as the plasterboard panel 9 described above. Thus, the wall comprises a cavity plasterboard wall. The facing 5 comprises a layer of insulation 7 and a layer of plasterboard 9, the facing 5 has an outer surface 11. There is a hole 13 in the facing 5.

The wall 3 is in this example a further layer of plasterboard, and this shows how the fixing plug can be used with a partition wall rather than with an insulated solid wall.

As shown, in use, the first face 15 of the plug 61 abuts the wall 3 and the second face 17 of the plug 61 blocks the hole 13 in the outer surface 11 of the facing 5. In fact, the flange 43 overlaps the outer surface 11 of the facing 5. This overlap can make sure that the benefits of the facing 5, e.g. insulative, are substantially intact.

The array of nails 45 of the cap 41 attaches the plug 61 to the outer surface 11 of the facing 5. This can provide additional strength when fixing articles to the non-load bearing wall 3.

The array of nails 53 of the sleeve 51 attaches the plug to the wall 3. This can provide further strength.

Articles can be attached to the plug 1 by means of a further screw 22 as explained above. Because of the use of the wall fixing plug 61 articles can be fixed to the wall 3 in between studs 65.

In use, an article can be fixed to a wall 3 covered by a facing 5 having an outer surface 11, by core drilling a hole 13 in the facing 5. A plug 1. 31, 61 of the invention is then inserted in to the hole 13 and the plug 1, 31, 61 is attached to the wall 3. Articles may then be attached to the plug 1, 31 61.

A tight fit can be achieved by core drilling to make the hole 13 of the same size as the plug 1, 31, 61.

The examples above all make use of a cylindrical plug, in which the parallel end faces are aligned with each other and connected by a side wall which extends in direction perpendicular to the end faces. This makes for easy installation in that the plug can be inserted into a core drilled hole, which is drilled at a normal angle to the outer face of the wall.

Figures 9 to 11 show a modification in which a slant is provided between the end faces. The same references are used in Figures 9 to 11 as for the figures above.

Figure 9 shows a version of the plug applied to solid wall 3 with an insulated facing 5.

The plug again comprises a disc having first and second parallel end faces 15,17 of the same shape, and a side wall connecting the end faces. However, the side wall is slanted with respect to the normal to the end faces, to create a slanted cylindrical plug 71. This angle of slant is shown as e in Figure 9.

By providing a slant, the engagement of the plug into a corresponding slanted hole resists removal of the plug in a direction normally to the wall as represented by arrow 72. When a user removes an article from the wall (such as a radiator or painting or other item), which has been fixed to the wall fixing plug, the removal will tend to apply a force in this direction normally away from the wall. The slant means that this normal force does not correspond to the direction in which the plug is inserted and therefore the direction in which the plug can be removed.

Thus, when an article is supported by the plug, it is mainly the strength under compression of the the facing which resists the gravitational force of the object.

When a user applies a force to the object, in the examples of Figure 1 to 8 it is the fixing of the plug to the wall which resists movement of the plug. The slant used in the examples of Figures 9 to 11 means that the facing 5 also resists the normal direction force typically applied by the user. This is of particular interest for the plasterboard cavity wall example (of Figure 10), where no solid fixing is used, but a nail array and/or adhesive is used.

Preferably, in use, the slant is oriented above the horizontal as shown in Figure 9. Thus, to remove the plug, a force in a lifting direction needs to be applied.

The plug thus resists coming free from the wall under the influence of gravity as well as when removing articles from the wall fixing plug.

The angle of slant e may be between S degrees and 40 degrees. This range of angles provides suitable resistance to removal of the plug while still enabling the original (correspondingly angled) hole in the facing to be drilled without excessive difficulty. The angle may be in the range 15 degrees to 35 degrees.

The hole will need to be drilled at an angle to the normal.

A standard core drill will not be suitable since, in order to reach the bottom of the hole, it will also drill into the underlying wall.

Instead there are various alternative options.

As one example, a vibratory core drill may be used which rotates only a small angle back and forth. The core drill will then have an end face which is angled (by the angle). Limited cutting performance is needed because the core drill only needs to cut through plasterboard and an insulation sheet.

Insulation is generally a soft material and it can be removed quite easily by hand using even a blunt blade. An alternative is therefore to drill the hole with a standard drill, using a guide with a stop to achieve the correct angle and depth of cut.

The small wedge of insulation remaining can then be cut out by hand using a long handled blade following the line of the hole cut. A semi circular cutting blade can be used for this purpose to make it easier to follow the line of the existing hole. The accurate fit between the core hole and the wall plug is only required in the plasterboard -the core hole in the insulation is too soft to provide support.

Furthermore, in some cases where the fixing may be used in an existing stud wall, the void may not contain any insulation.

The example of Figure 9 uses a screw 19 to attach the plug to the solid wall 3.

The wall fixing plug 81 of Figure 10 is for a plasterboard cavity wall and has a cap 51 with a projecting array of nails on the first face for holding the first face against the wall. The second face is provided with the cap 41 as described above for gripping the outside of the outer plasterboard facing 9. The projecting nails project in the direction of insertion of the plug, namely they project at the slant angle e with respect to the normal. The plug is thus a simple push fit into the core drilled hole.

Figure 11 shows a plug 91 in which the projecting nails are formed as part of the plug instead of being provided as a cap. Thus, it can be seen that the examples which make use of a projecting array of nails on the first face may use a cap for this purpose or these nails may be formed as an integrated part of the plug.

Furthermore, a protective cap 92 is shown for use during transportation and handling. This can be used in all examples having the projecting nail array. The cap may slide over the plug and fix to it using adhesive tape which can be removed before fixing. The cap may instead be left in place, and when the plug is inserted, the cap slides back, with the nails piercing an end wall of the cap.

A further protective cap (not shown) may also be used to cover the nails of the cap 41 of the second face.

Figure 12 shows one example of a possible core drill for use in fitting the slanted plug. It has an annular drill bit 94 with a slanted end face, and the drill is used to vibrate the drill bit back and forth over a small angular range such as 10 degrees or less, instead of fully rotating the drill bit. As mentioned above, an alternative is to limit the depth of cut of a conventional core drill and to finish the insulation removal by hand, optionally with a specially designed cutting knife.

The nails used in some examples above are simply sharp projections. They do not need to have a nail head, as they are applied using the force applied to the plug as a whole. The term "nail" should be understood accordingly, as a pointed projection for linear insertion into a substrate.

Various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the means for attaching the plug to the wall could comprise or consist of adhesive. The articles could be attached to the plug by any convenient attaching means instead of the screw 22, e.g. nails, adhesive. The cap may additionally or alternatively comprise adhesive to affix it to the facing. The cap may be of any appropriate material, e.g. plastics. The protective sleeve may be of any appropriate material, e.g. plastics.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A wall fixing plug for fixing an article to a wall, the wall being covered by a facing having an outer surface and having a hole therein, comprising: a disc having first and second parallel end faces of the same shape, and a side wall connecting the end faces, wherein the side wall is slanted with respect to the normal to the end faces; and means for attaching the plug to the wall, wherein, in use, the first face abuts the wall and the second face blocks the hole in the outer surface of the facing.
2. A wall fixing plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the angle of slant is between 5 degrees and 40 degrees.
3. A wall fixing plug as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the shape of the parallel end faces is circular such that disc comprises a slanted cylinder.
4. A wall fixing plug as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means for attaching the plug to the wall comprises: a projecting array of nails on the first face for holding the first face against the wall; or an adhesive; or an off-centre hole.
5. A wall fixing plug for fixing an article to a wall, the wall being covered by a facing having an outer surface and having a hole therein, comprising: a disc having first and second parallel end faces of the same shape, wherein the first face comprises a projecting array of nails for holding the first face against the wall, wherein, in use, the first face abuts the wall and the second face blocks the hole in the outer surface of the facing.
6. A wall fixing plug as claimed in claim 5, wherein the wall fixing plug is cylindrical.
7. A wall fixing plug as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the disc has a side wall connecting the end faces, wherein the side wall is slanted with respect to the normal to the end faces.
8. A wall fixing plug as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a protective sleeve covering at least a part of the first face.
9. A wall fixing plug as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein, in use, the second face is flush with the outer surface of the facing.
10. A wall fixing plug as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a cap covering at least a part of the second face.
11. A wall fixing plug as claimed in claim 10, wherein the cap comprises a flange which, in use, at least partially overlaps the outer surface of the facing.
12. A wall fixing plug as claimed in claim 11, wherein the cap comprises an adhesive and/or a projecting array of nails for attaching the plug to the outer surface of the facing.
13. A wall fixing plug as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second surface presents flat-grain or edge-gain wood.
14. A method of fixing an article to a wall covered by a facing having an outer surface, comprising: core drilling a hole in the facing; inserting a plug as claimed in any preceding claim in to the hole; attaching the plug to the wall; and attaching the article to the plug.
15. A wall fixing kit comprising: a core drill and a wall fixing plug as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the wall fixing plug and the core drill are of a complementary size.
16. A wall covered by a facing having an outer surface and having a hole therein, fitted with a wall fixing plug as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13.