Thin
Brick, Stone and Tiles have been around for thousands
of years; the struggle has been to develop a system
to install the veneer quickly and reliably.
Metal lath which was developed in England in 1797 was introduced to
the U.S. Tile and plaster industry in the mid 1800's. Mechanically fastened metal lath provided more
“keys” for tile and gypsum plaster to interlock with. This labor intensive but reliable system using
lath is a standard norm for thin veneer applications. Chemically modified thin set mortars has helped
eliminate some use of lath, but its reliance only on
shear adhesion without mechanical supports can cause
doubts about longevity.
One of the first workable
thin brick systems was designed in the late 1920's by
the Klinglehut company, it used an asphalt softwood
board with the brick tiles glued to the face.
The advantage of a panel system was to offer
a fast and simple installation method using less expensive
labor and year round installation.
This was THE thin brick and tile panel
system for the next forty years. Minor changes were made to these panel systems,
such as substituting the asphalt board with plywood or cement boards.
In the 1970's new ideas
and construction methods were incorporated into the
existing thin veneer panel systems.
These include attaching thin brick to a foam
board with support clips and an aluminum roll formed
support panel glued to foam.
In the 1980's thin
brick and tile panel systems becomes an accepted alternative. Major brick manufacturers produce thin brick
with the same colors and textures as their face brick
line. This allows the designer to alternate between
full face brick and thin brick, to economize their projects. During this time a small manufacturer starts
producing TABS, a system using a galvanized steel
support panel. The main thrust of this system was to address
the issues that architects and specifiers had regarding
previous panel systems.
The system utilized Steel tabs to support the
dead load, matching the thermal movement of the veneer
and provide greater fastener pull through resistance.
The Original TABS panel also addressed the issues
of proper spacing by using its double tabbed design.
It is now the twenty
first century, what are the new advances in thin veneer
wall systems? TABS
II design improvements are: Deeper texturizing to increase moisture control,
various spacing and custom length tabbed supports; (you
can use different heights and thickness of your favorite
thin veneer, tile or stone). New ideas like a tabbed veneer and mortar locking
system, which can be used actively or passively. Material
improvements:
greater corrosion resistance (hot dipped galvanized
G90 rated structural steel) and thermo set coating methods
to guarantee longer life of the thin veneer system.
Cost and time is
a great concern in construction industry, thin veneer
panel systems save resources (no need for lintels, footings,
shelf angles, structural support, freight and decreased
labor costs) compared to conventional masonry construction.
Methods for using
a thin veneer system: Curtain wall manufacturers and steel
wall fabricators are now building complete walls with thin veneer systems
already attached. These pre-built wall assemblies are then delivered to the
site, saving valuable construction time.
Manufactured fireplaces, commercial interiors and residential exteriors
are areas were steel thin veneer panel systems can save time or reduce costs. top |
