Lath with Barrier Material

Abstract

A rigid wire lath product having a backing material which may be used to reinforce coatings, such as stucco, applied to building surfaces. The product comprises a mesh of longitudinal wires and transverse wires having a plurality of spaced indentations. A layer of backing material having apertures which straddle the indentations is interwoven in the mesh by longitudinal retaining wires extending along the bottom of the indentations. A method of manufacturing the product by providing a mesh of longitudinal and transverse wires welded together at their intersections substantially in a plane, and forming rows of spaced indentations in the transverse wires. A planar material is overlaid on the mesh such that said portions of the indentations protrude through apertures in the material. A plurality of wires are welded along respective rows of the protruding indentations to sandwich the material between the mesh and the wires.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/935,821 entitled Self Stiffened Welded Wire Lath Assembly by Abraham Sacks et al. filed Sep. 8, 2004, which was a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/927,544 filed on Aug. 13, 2001.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to building technology, and in particular to wire lath which may be used to reinforce coatings, such as stucco, applied to soffits and other building surfaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Some building construction techniques involve the application of a coating, such as stucco, to a surface. The coating may be desired, for example, to improve appearance, enhance fire resistance or to comply with building or fire codes. In the following disclosure the term “stucco” is used generally to apply to cementitious plasters or gypsum plasters, including stuccos as defined in applicable building codes.

When applying a coating of stucco (or other similar material) it is generally desirable to provide a lath on the surface. The lath provides reinforcing for the stucco and holds the stucco in place while it cures.

Typical construction usually involves wood or metal framing without sheathing, referred to as open frame construction. On vertical surfaces, horizontal strands of 18 gauge tautened wire backing are attached to the surfaces of the vertical supports. A weather-resistant barrier is then installed which is usually a Grade D asphalt building paper. For plaster cladding, wire fabric lath is then attached to the framing over the building paper and backing wires. The backing wires provide sufficient rigidity to permit proper plaster application without damaging the paper and achieving consistent plaster thickness between framing members.

The building paper application starts at the bottom and each succeeding course overlaps the previous course by a minimum of 2 inches, and usually is approximately 4 inches. This ensures proper shingling of the paper to ensure that any moisture that penetrates the cladding is directed downward and away from the building structure. The wire fabric lath has to be lapped not less than one mesh at the sides and ends. Since the building paper and wire fabric lath are applied independently, there is no difficulty in achieving the proper overlapping of each element.

This practice is referred to as a 3 step process—installation of backing wires, installation of building paper, and installation of lath. To overcome this inefficiency, paper backed lath products have been developed that are one step products. These products incorporate the backing wire, the building paper and the wire lath into a single product. An example of such a product is available from K-Lath Corp. of Fontana, Calif. referred to as Stucco Rite®. Stucco Rite® is a 2″ by 2″ welded wire mesh with a slot-perforated absorptive, separator paper, and with a sheet of Grade D building paper adhered to the separator paper. Another manufacturer, Davis Wire Corp of Irwindale, Calif. manufactures a similar product called Best-Lath “D” Welded Wire Fabric Lath.

As seen in both of these products, a perforated separator paper is incorporated between the longitudinal and cross wires of the lath. The function of this separator paper is to provide a means of attaching the building paper to the lath. The building paper must remain intact so holes or perforations cannot be incorporated into the building paper itself. Therefore, the separator paper is required since it can be perforated so that it may be mechanically attached to the wire lath. This sheet provides a suitable base for attachment of the building paper.

In the installation of these one step products, care must be taken to achieve the proper lapping of the building paper and of the wire lath. ASTM C-1063 “Standard Specification for Installation of Lathing and Furring to Receive Interior and Exterior Portland Cement-Based Plaster” states in Section 7.8.3 “Where metal plaster base with backing is used, the vertical and horizontal lap joints shall be backing on backing and metal on metal”. To achieve this, the manufacturers of the above products have carefully sized the building paper sheet size and sheet location on the wire mesh sheet, so that proper lapping of both the building paper and the wire lath can be achieved. Since the building paper is adhered to the separator sheet, the interwoven wires are trapped between these two papers. As a result, the position of the papers in relation to the wire lath is maintained during handling and installation.

Further, since the separator paper is only required to provide an adhesive base for the building paper, it need not extend all the way to the edges of the lath sheet. Therefore, it is sized so that it does not encroach on the overlaps and is not a hindrance factor in achieving the proper metal on metal contact. Usually, this separator paper is kept back two to three inches from all edges of the wire lath.

Since the building paper provides support for the edges of the separator paper, there is no need to firmly attach the edges of the separator paper to the lath. When the product is applied on the wall, the building paper prevents the separator paper from being displaced into the wall cavity with the pressure of the applied plaster. Further, since the building paper extends past the lath overlaps in all directions, there are no gaps in the backing where plaster can flow past the lath into the wall cavity.

However, there are applications where building paper is not required or not desired. Such applications would be on horizontal surfaces such as undersides of soffits or porticos, or on vertical surfaces such as rain screen walls. Rain screen walls are constructed with building paper installed over the framing and then a furring spacer, usually ¾ inch thick, is installed vertically over the building paper. A lath with backing is attached to these furring spacers. A lath with building paper is not desirable in this instance since any moisture traveling downward within the drainage cavity could be caught by the edge of the building paper and deflected out of the rain screen cavity. The design intent is to keep the moisture within the cavity and then discharge it at the bottom through a proper flashing.

A lath as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,820,387 to Sacks et al discloses a lath with a separator paper only without the building paper which is intended for such applications. However, when the building paper is omitted, several deficiencies become evident. In the prior art as disclosed by Sacks, the separator paper (referred to as a barrier paper in the Sacks prior art) does not extend all the way to the edges of the wire lath. If the separator paper did extend all the way to the edge, it would firstly interfere with achieving metal to metal contact. Secondly, it would not be secured at the edges and would give way when plaster pressure was applied. This would result in uneven thickness of plaster which could cause a plaster fall out due to additional weight of wet plaster, or be the cause of potential cracks in the future. Further, since there is no building paper adhered to the separator paper, the separator is not held firmly in position relative to the wire. Therefore, since the paper may shift during handling and installation, it could the also interfere in obtaining metal to metal contact without any paper in between the overlapping joint.

In addition, the longitudinal wires forming part of the Sacks truss extend across the slots thereby impeding to some extent the keying of the stucco through the slot. The elongated slots in the separator layer also result in movement or play between the separator layer and the wire mesh that can cause displacement of the separator layer.

An additional problem arises from the use of paper backed lath arises from the manner in which the paper is terminated at the sides of the lath. The paper is provided with apertures for keying of the stucco. The areas between the apertures form interconnected webs of material. At the sides of the lath, the paper includes an unattached flap of material that does not provide effective resistance to the application of stucco, resulting in difficulty of application.

It is the objective of the present invention to provide an improved backed lath with a barrier layer that avoids the disadvantages of the prior art paper backed laths.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a rigid wire lath product having a backing material that overcomes a number of disadvantages of prior art wire fabric laths.

According to the invention, the principal plane of the wire fabric comprises a mesh of longitudinal and transverse wires forming columns and rows. The transverse wires have a plurality of spaced indentations. A planar barrier layer of material is interwoven in the mesh by longitudinal retaining wires extending along the bottom of the indentations. The barrier layer is provided with apertures enabling the indentations to be straddled by the apertures such that the material forming the barrier layer is retained between the principal plane of the wire fabric on one side and the longitudinal retaining wires on the other side. This arrangement allows all of the intersections of the principal plane of the wire fabric to be welded before applying the barrier layer and the longitudinal retaining wires. Preferably the apertures may be circular so as to more closely abut the indentations in all directions, thereby limiting relative displacement of the barrier layer in relation to the wire mesh.

In one aspect of the invention, the longitudinal wires forming the principal plane of the wire fabric are arranged such that they do not extend across the apertures thereby ensuring that they do not impede the keying of the stucco into the apertures.

In another aspect of the invention, the barrier layer includes webs at the sides of a sheet between end rows of cells, each of the webs being folded over a common longitudinal wire and being secured back unto itself about the longitudinal wire thereby avoiding unattached flaps.

In another aspect of the invention, the barrier layer includes a plurality of apertures overlapping the indentations and wherein each of the apertures in at least one row has a diameter substantial equal to or less than the maximum span of the indentations.

In another aspect of the invention, at least one rows of apertures are smaller than the other rows of apertures and are sufficiently small that opposed edges of the apertures in the at least one row are in simultaneous contact with the indentation about which it is seated so as to retain the barrier material against transverse displacement.

According to a method aspect of the invention, the manufacture of a welded wire lath comprises providing a mesh of longitudinal and transverse wires welded together at their intersections substantially in a plane, and forming rows spaced indentations in the transverse wires, the indentations having portions extending out of the plane. A planar material is provided, the material having a plurality of apertures being spaced from one another in a pattern corresponding to the locations of the indentations. The planar material is overlaid on the mesh such that said portions of the indentations protrude through the apertures. A plurality of elongated wires are then welded along respective rows of the protruding portions of the indentations to thereby sandwich the planar material between the mesh and the elongated wires.

In a more particular aspect, the planar material is provided in sheets having end webs that are folded over a common elongated wire of the mesh and are secured to themselves about that wire.

In a still more particular aspect, the planar material is provided with holes having a smaller diameter than the diameter of the apertures such that opposed edges of each hole are in simultaneous contact with its respective indentation to retain the planar support material against transverse displacement.

The foregoing summary of the invention does not necessarily include all aspects of the invention. Further features and aspects of the invention will be more fully understood by reference the following description of the preferred embodiments and to the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiment of the invention will be described by reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic front perspective view of a welded wire mesh lath in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the welded wire mesh lath of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the manufacturing process of welded wire mesh lath according to the invention;

FIG. 4A is a diagrammatic plan view of a first part of the manufacturing process according to the invention;

FIG. 4B is a diagrammatic plan view of a second part of the manufacturing process according to the invention; and

FIG. 4C is a diagrammatic plan view of a third part of the manufacturing process according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a lath 10 according to the preferred embodiment comprising a wire mesh 12 and a planar barrier layer of material 14. The material 14 may comprise a suitable building paper, such as kraft paper, which may be surface treated to improve the adhesion of stucco. Alternatively it may comprise asphalt-coated paper or such an asphalt-coated paper adhered to another layer, such as kraft paper.

Wire mesh 12 is fabricated by welding the intersections 18 of a plurality of transverse wires 20 and a plurality of longitudinal wires 22 that are perpendicular to the transverse wires 20. The wires 20 and 22 and their intersections lie substantially in plane 24, best seen in FIG. 2. Each of the transverse wires 20 has a plurality of spaced indentations 26 arranged in rows and columns across the lath. Indentations 26 are preferably generally V-shaped and provide rigidity to the lath.

A set of longitudinal retaining wires 28 are welded to the indentations 26 at the apices of the indentations (as best seen in FIG. 2) so that the indentations are formed in rows coinciding with the longitudinal retaining wires 28. Each transverse wire 20 lies within a plane that includes indentation 26. That plane, which is the plane of FIG. 2, is generally perpendicular to plane 24. In the preferred embodiment, longitudinal wires 18 are located so as to avoid spanning the openings of the apertures 30 in the support material 14, which apertures are described in more detail below.

A wire lath 10 can be produced in any desired dimensions but is preferably provided in sheets of widths and lengths that can be easily handled. For example, the sheets may have a width in the range of 2 to 5 feet. Sheets of wire lath 10 can be compactly stacked together with the indentations 26 of one sheet being received within those of the next sheet in the stack.

The combination of the longitudinal and transverse wires welded at their intersections forms a mesh comprising rows of cells, including opposed end rows 32, 34 at opposed transverse ends 36, 38 of the mesh. The cells comprising end row 32 share at least one common longitudinal wire 40 while the cells comprising end row 34 share at least one common longitudinal wire 42. In the preferred embodiment, wires 40 and 42 are the endmost ones of longitudinal retaining wires 28, i.e. they extend along the apices of indentations 26 in a plane 44 that is defined by the plurality of longitudinal retaining wires 28.

Lath 10 may be applied over framing members, which are typically 16 inches or 24 inches on center. It can be attached to the framing members at the bottom of indentations 26. In horizontal applications, building codes generally require that a lath be attached every 3 inches. In vertical applications, the codes generally require attachment to the framing members every 6 inches. In either case, a 3 inch spacing of the indentations 26 allows appropriate attachment points. Lath 10 is preferably applied in an orientation such that the side of lath 10 bearing longitudinal retaining wires 26 faces the framing members, each of the longitudinal retaining wires crosses a plurality of the framing members, and longitudinal wires 22 are spaced from the faces of the framing members by the indentations 26. The portions of lath 10 between the framing members can be substantially unsupported.

A planar barrier layer of material 14 is disposed between plane 24 and plane 44. Barrier layer 14 includes apertures 30 through which the indentations 26 protrude to allow the longitudinal wires 22 to lie on one side of support layer 14 and longitudinal retaining wires 28 to lie on the other side of layer 14. The barrier layer 14 is thereby interwoven with the mesh, straddling the indentations 26 and being sandwiched between the principal plane 24 of the mesh and the longitudinal retaining wires 28. This arrangement allows all of the other intersections of the mesh to be welded and the indentations 26 to be formed in advance of applying the barrier layer 14 and welding the longitudinal retaining wires 28 to the indentations 26.

According to the prior art approach disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,820,387, certain ones of the longitudinal wires 22 are provided on the shoulder portions of the indentations 26. This sometimes results in such longitudinal wires spanning and obstructing a portion of the opening of the apertures 30. However, according to the present invention, the longitudinal wires 22 are positioned in relation to the indentations 26 so that none of them spans the apertures 30 as best seen in FIG. 1.

In the known prior art, the perforations in the barrier layer are elongated to form slots. This can result in displacement or floating of the support layer in relation to the wire mesh in the direction of elongation of the slots. In order to avoid such effect, the present invention provides apertures 30 that are circular so as to more closely abut the indentations in all directions, thereby limiting relative displacement of the support material in relation to the wire mesh. Preferably, all of the apertures 30 have diameters substantial equal to or less than the span D of the indentations at their base, i.e. where the transverse wires 20 begin to leave plane 24.

In the preferred embodiment, at least one of the rows of apertures comprises holes 46 that are smaller in diameter than the maximum span D of the indentations (at the base of the indentations). This results in holes 46 snugly engaging the indentations at some point between the base and the apices of the indentations, thereby more effectively resisting displacement of the support material in relation to the wire mesh. In the preferred embodiment, holes 46 are between ¼″ and ¾″ in diameter, preferably about ½″ in diameter, while the apertures 30 are between ¾″ and 1¼″ in diameter, preferably about ⅞″ in diameter. Such an arrangement of two sets of apertures allows snug retention of the support material to the wire mesh on the one hand, by means of the smaller holes, while also allowing effective mushrooming of the stucco through the larger apertures.

The arrangement of apertures 30 in the barrier layer forms a matrix of interconnected webs of support material between the apertures. It will be appreciated that the longitudinal retaining wires 28 span portions of these webs to retain the barrier layer 14 between the longitudinal retaining wires 28 on the one hand and a combination of the transverse wires 20 and the longitudinal wires 22 on the other hand. The barrier layer of the preferred embodiment has two opposed ends 48 and 50 that extend generally to the opposed sides of the wire mesh. At least one of such ends, for example end 50, comprises a row of end webs 52 extending between a plurality of end openings 54. The end webs 52 are folded over and secured to themselves about and around common longitudinal wire 56 and each of said end webs 52 is secured back onto itself around common longitudinal wire 56. Preferably the same is done at opposed end 48 of the support material.

Prior to being folded over, the end openings 54 comprise apertures bounded by a closed curve, however it is contemplated that prior to being folded over, the end openings 54 may simply present unclosed gaps in the end of the support material. In the preferred embodiment, end openings are larger in their aperture area than aperture 30. When the end openings are folded over themselves, there is a possibility that the webs of material between the openings will not line up perfectly so that the facing webs combine to increase the surface area available to obstruct the passage of stucco. This may be compounded when adjacent sheets of lath are brought into edge to edge engagement during installation. Thus it is desirable to have openings that are as large as feasible to maximize the keying of stucco once the webs are folded over and secured to themselves.

It will be appreciated that various modifications to the preferred embodiment may be practised without changing the underlying structure and effectiveness of the invention. For example, additional longitudinal or transverse wires might be added and additional apertures might be provided in the barrier layer. Other such changes can be made that do not depart from the principles of the invention.

The manufacture of the lath 10 of the preferred embodiment will now be described by reference to FIGS. 3, 4A, 4B and 4C.

A matrix of perpendicular transverse 60 and longitudinal 62 wires are welded (64) at their intersections 66 in a continuous process to produce a rectangular mesh 68. Transverse wires 60 are spaced about 1.6″ from one another while longitudinal wires 62 are nominally spaced about 0.6″ from one another. At regular intervals of three longitudinal wires, one of the longitudinal wires is omitted as indicated by the numeral 70 so that gaps are provided between groups of otherwise equally spaced longitudinal wires. The gaps 70 left by the omitted wires are made to be of such dimensions that when a fur indentation 72 is made in the transverse wires by indentation former 74, the groups of longitudinal wires are drawn towards one another across the gaps so that the spacing between the groups is brought to approximately the regular longitudinal interval spacing of 0.6″. The drawing in of the longitudinal wires is shown at 76 in FIG. 4A. Each of two transverse feed strands is turned back on itself at the sides of the lath to form adjacent transverse wires at a spacing of about 1.6″. The turning back on themselves at the sides of the lath results in the formation of ears 78 (shown in FIG. 1 as ears 37, 39).

The resulting mesh 68 is then formed as at 74 to provide fur indentations 72 at spaced intervals along the transverse wires 60, the indentations 72 corresponding in position to the omitted longitudinal wires from gaps 70.

A support material 80, preferably kraft paper, having apertures 82 and 84 corresponding to the pattern of indentations 72 is then applied over the mesh workpiece such that each of apertures 82 and 84 straddles one of the fur indentations 72.

A plurality of longitudinal retaining wires 86 are then welded (88) to the apices of the indentations 72 to sandwich the support material 80 between the principal plane of the mesh and the longitudinal retaining wires 86.

Pinch feed rolls 95 draw the mesh along to a shearing station 90 where the mesh is sheared into sheets 92 having approximately the desired dimensions of the lath 10.

Glue is then sprayed (94) by an applicator 96 onto the end webs 98 of the sheets 92 and the sheets are then fed to a folding station 100 where the end webs 98 are folded over and around the terminal longitudinal retaining wires 102 that are at the sides of the sheets. Additional feed pinch rolls 104 deliver the sheets to a stack 106 for transport.

It should be appreciated that the invention as described herein comprising a number of aspects, each of which might independently be applied. For example, the aspect of the invention involving the folding over of the end webs of the barrier material may be practised on a mesh that does not necessarily include indentations or furring spacers. Similarly, the method of manufacturing involving the formation of a planar mesh, followed by the formation of indentations and the application of longitudinal retaining wires over a barrier layer may be practised without necessarily folding over the end webs of the barrier layer. Further still, providing a mesh wherein the longitudinal wires do not span the apertures may be practised without necessarily including the other aspects of the invention.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. Welded wire lath comprising:

a mesh formed from a plurality of longitudinal wires and a plurality of transverse wires, said longitudinal wires and said transverse wires being welded at their intersections to form a mesh having a plurality of cells, said mesh having at least two opposed ends, each end being defined by a row of cells sharing at least one common longitudinal wire;

said transverse wires having indentations at spaced intervals, and longitudinal retaining wires being welded to said indentations to form rows of indentations coinciding with said longitudinal retaining wires;

a planar barrier layer of material having a plurality of apertures with webs therebetween, said material being interwoven with said mesh, said indentations extending through said apertures, and said longitudinal retaining wires spanning portions of said webs to retain said material to said mesh;

said material having two opposed ends each end comprising a row of end webs extending between a plurality of openings, at least one of said end webs being folded over and around a common longitudinal wire and being secured back onto itself about said common longitudinal wire.

2. The lath of claim 1 wherein said apertures are spanned by said longitudinal retaining wires but not by any other ones of said longitudinal wires.

3. The lath of claim 1 wherein each of said end webs is folded over and around a common longitudinal wire and each of said end webs is secured back onto itself about its respective common longitudinal wire.

4. The lath of claim 1 wherein said openings at said ends of said material define apertures bounded by a closed curve prior to said end webs being folded over.

5. The lath of claim 1 wherein said openings at said ends of said material define unclosed gaps along an edge prior to said end webs being folded over.

6. The lath of claim 1 wherein said common longitudinal wire around which said end webs are folded over is one of said longitudinal retaining wires welded to said indentations.

7. The lath of claim 1 wherein said apertures are circular.

8. The lath of claim 1 wherein said openings are larger than said apertures.

9. The lath of claim 1 wherein the apertures along at least one longitudinal row of indentations are sufficiently small that opposed edges of the apertures are in simultaneous contact with said indentation to retain said material against transverse displacement.

10. Welded wire lath comprising:

a mesh formed from a plurality of longitudinal wires and a plurality of transverse wires, said longitudinal wires and said transverse wires being welded at their intersections to form a mesh having a plurality of cells, said mesh having at least two opposed ends, each end being defined by a row of cells sharing at least one common longitudinal wire;

said transverse wires having indentations at spaced intervals, said indentations coinciding with parallel rows of said intersections and spaced ones of said longitudinal wires being welded to said indentations to form rows of indentations along said spaced longitudinal wires;

a planar barrier layer of material having a plurality of apertures with webs therebetween, said support material and being interwoven with said mesh, said indentations extending through said apertures and said spaced longitudinal wires spanning portions of said webs to retain said material to said mesh;

said material having two opposed ends each being defined by a row of end webs extending between a plurality of openings each bounded by a closed curve and being larger in diameter than said apertures; and,

said end webs being folded over and around a common longitudinal wire that is welded to a row of said indentations, and being secured back onto themselves about said common longitudinal wire.

11. A method of manufacturing a welded wire lath, comprising the steps of:

providing a mesh of longitudinal and transverse wires welded together at their intersections substantially in a plane;

forming rows of spaced indentations in said transverse wires, said indentations having portions extending out of said plane;

after said step of forming rows, providing a planar material having a plurality of apertures being spaced from one another in a pattern corresponding to the locations of said indentations and overlaying said planar material on said mesh such that said portions of said indentations protrude through said apertures;

after said step of overlaying said planar material, welding a plurality of elongated wires along respective rows of said protruding portions of said indentations to thereby sandwich said planar material between said mesh and said elongated wires.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein:

said planar material is provided in sheets, said sheets including interconnected webs of material between said apertures, and further including a row of end webs at least one side of said sheets said end webs extending between a row of end openings, and further including the step of:

folding and securing each of said end webs over onto itself around a common one of said elongated wires.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said planar material further includes a plurality of holes, each of said holes having a diameter smaller than the diameter of said apertures and is sufficiently small that opposed edges of said holes are in simultaneous contact with its respective indentation to retain said planar support material against transverse displacement.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said end openings in said planar material are bounded by a closed curve and said end openings are larger than said apertures.

15. A method of manufacturing a welded wire lath, comprising the steps of:

providing a mesh of longitudinal and transverse wires welded together at their intersections substantially in a plane;

forming rows spaced indentations in said transverse wires, said indentations having portions extending out of said plane;

providing a plurality of sheets of planar material each of said sheets: having a plurality of apertures being spaced from one another in a pattern corresponding to the locations of said indentations; including interconnected webs of material between said apertures; having a row of end webs at least one side of said sheet, said end webs bounded by a closed curve and extending between a row of end openings, said end openings being larger than said apertures; having a plurality of holes, each of said holes having a diameter smaller than the diameter of said apertures and sufficiently small that opposed edges of said holes will be in simultaneous contact with its respective indentation to retain said planar support material against transverse displacement when said sheet of planar material is overlaid on said mesh;

overlaying one of said sheets of planar material on said mesh such that said portions of said indentations protrude through said apertures;

welding a plurality of elongated wires along respective rows of said protruding portions of said indentations to thereby sandwich said planar material between said mesh and said elongated wires;

folding and securing each of said end webs over onto itself around a common one of said elongated wires; and,

shearing said mesh into sheets of lath.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of providing a mesh comprises providing a mesh of longitudinal and transverse wires welded together at their intersections substantially in a plane, wherein groups of said longitudinal wires are spaced from one another by a first amount and said longitudinal wires within each group are spaced from another by a second amount that is greater than said first amount to provide gaps between said groups and such that when said step of forming rows of indentations is said transverse wires is performed, said groups are drawn toward one another to substantially eliminate said gap.

17. A wire fabric lath comprising:

a mesh formed from a plurality of longitudinal wires and a plurality of transverse wires arranged to form a mesh having a plurality of cells, said mesh having at least two opposed ends, each end being defined by a row of cells sharing at least one common longitudinal wire;

a planar layer of material having a plurality of apertures with webs therebetween, said material being interwoven with said mesh;

said material having two opposed ends each being defined by a row of end webs extending between a plurality of openings, at least one of said end webs being folded over and around a common longitudinal wire and being secured back onto itself about said common longitudinal wire.

18. The wire fabric lath of claim 17 wherein each of said end webs is folded over and around a common longitudinal wire and each of said end webs is secured back onto itself about its respective common longitudinal wire.

19. The wire fabric lath of claim 17 wherein said openings at said ends of said material define apertures bounded by a closed curve prior to said end webs being folded over.

20. The wire fabric lath of claim 17 wherein said openings at said ends of said material define unclosed gaps along an edge prior to said end webs being folded over.

21. The wire fabric lath of claim 17 wherein said openings are larger than said apertures.

22. Welded wire lath comprising:

a mesh formed from a plurality of longitudinal wires and a plurality of transverse wires, said longitudinal wires and said transverse wires being welded at their intersections to form a mesh having a plurality of cells, said mesh having at least two opposed ends, each end being defined by a row of cells sharing at least one common longitudinal wire;

said transverse wires having indentations at spaced intervals, and longitudinal retaining wires being welded to said indentations to form rows of indentations coinciding with said longitudinal retaining wires;

a planar barrier layer of material having a plurality of apertures with webs therebetween, said material being interwoven with said mesh, said indentations extending through said apertures, and said longitudinal retaining wires spanning portions of said webs to retain said material to said mesh; and,

said apertures being circular.

23. The lath of claim 22 wherein the apertures along at least one longitudinal row of indentations are sufficiently small that opposed edges of the apertures are in simultaneous contact with said indentation to retain said material against transverse displacement.

24. The lath of claim 22 wherein a plurality of first longitudinal rows of said apertures are of a first size and at least one second longitudinal row of said apertures are of a second size that is smaller than said first size.