It is known to cover surfaces with more than one colour for example on the interior walls of a building. It is common to have one colour on another part of the interior wall and a second colour on a lower part of an interior wall.

These two colour areas are often separated by a dado rail. Often the lower colour may be a wallpaper covering or the like. In some situations two plain colours are arranged next to one another on the wall. If it is not desired to have a dado rail or similar between the two colours the two colours can abut one another. However, this may not be aesthetically pleasing and it can be difficult to produce a clean join between the two colours.

The present invention seeks to provide a way of joining two coloured areas of a surface.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a decorating strip for joining together two adjacent colour areas on a surface, the strip comprising a generally planar elongate material having first and second opposed edges with the material extending laterally therebetween, the strip being divided into three regions, the first region being a first colour and extending laterally a first preset distance from the first edge, the second being a second colour and extending laterally a second preset distance from the second edge, and the third region extending laterally between the first and second regions where the two colours are gradually merged together.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of colouring as surface comprising the steps of: (i) applying a first colour to a first area of said surface; (ii) applying a second colour to a second area of said surface,

the second area being adjacent to said first area; (iii) applying a decorating strip along the join between the first and second areas, the second strip being of said first colour in a first region next to said first area and being of said second colour in a second region next to said second area, the first and second colour, merging into each other across the strip.

The invention thus provides a way of joining together two colour areas of a surface by means of a physical strip which can be applied along the join between the two colours. In this way either a clean join can be produced with ease or the two colours can be gradually merged into one another so that the transition is not drastic. The decorating strip of the invention has the particular advantage that it can be applied by non-specialist users such as home-owners, etc..

When using a strip of material in the method of the present invention it is often desirable for the strip to be invisible on the wall after application. The strip of the present invention has the two colours at the edge regions adjacent colour areas on the wall which allows the strip to be less visually significant than would otherwise be the case. Also the strip can be made of a very thin lamina and so not project from the wall to any noticeable degree.

The strip may be applied to the wall by means of wallpaper paste or similar. Alternatively the strip can be self-adhesive which can lead to speedier and simpler application.

Preferably the strip is provided as a rolled material which can simply be cut to the length required.

The surfaces can be an interior wall of a building or the like. Normally at least one of the two colours is provided by a paint. In these circumstances it is preferred to sell the decorating strip in a kit along with at least one of the paint colours.

Of course, either the first or the second colour regions on the surface can be formed by the natural colour of the surfaces and/or a wallpaper covering or

the like. Furthermore, the invention is not limited in its application to walls of buildings. The invention can be utilised anywhere two coloured areas are joined together on a surface such as commercial vehicles, car, van, etc.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 illustrates a surface with two coloured areas joined by a decorating strip acording to the present invention; Figure 2 illustrates a detail of Figure 1; and Figure 3 illustrates an embodiment of the invention with using black and gray as the two colours.

Figure 1 illustrates the present invention without showing the actual colour in the areas. The first area 1 of the surface 7 will be covered by a first colour. The second area 2 of the surface 7 will be covered by a second colour.

A decorating strip 10 is applied where the first area adjoins the second area.

Broken line 17 illustrates where the first and second areas abut one another.

Of course, when using the decorating strip the two areas do not have to abut one another so long as the gap therebetween is no wider than the strip 10.

The border 10 will normally be a laminate. The laminate will have a base layer. The exterior surface of the base layer will be visible after the strip is applied to the surface 7. The strip will have a reverse side (not shown) which will be affixed to surface 7. The base layer may be coated directly in the various colours on its exterior surface. Similarly, the reverse surface can be directly affixed to the surface 7 or intermediate layers can be interposed.

The strip 10 can be made from any suitable paper or plastics materials or any other suitable material. Preferably the strip 10 will not project markedly away from the surface 7 when it is affixed thereonto and so the laminate should be as thin as practicable.

Figure 2 shows an expanded view of the decorating strip of Figure 1. As can be seen the edge of the strip 10 is the same colour as the adjacent colour area 1,2. The strip is separated into three regions 12,14,16. The first region

12 is the same colour as the first area 1. The second region 16 is the same colour as the second area 2. The intermediate region 14 has the first colour merging into the second colour. Preferably the first region 12 and the second region 16 extend across the strip about 2cm which allows for the edges of the strip to be less noticeable when affixed to the surface. However, this width can vary depending on the material used for the strip and the colours themselves.

The first region 12 and/or the second region 16 will normally have the same finish (matt/gloss finish) and texture as the respective first/second areas 1,2. This is advantageous as this allows the edges of the border 10 to be less prominent after application.

The intermediate zone 14 can be of any desired width, but the narrower the intermediate region 14, the sharper the change between the two colours.

Preferably this intermediate region is at least 4cm. Clearly the various dimension of the regions on the strip can be varied in order to create whatever aesthetic appearance is desired.

The strip 10 will normally be provided as a convoluted roll. The strip 10 will often be provided with an adhesive coated thereonto. The adhesive may be a pressure-sensitive adhesive or a water-based adhesive as known to those skilled in the art.

The decorating strip 10 of the invention will often be sold as a kit together with a paint of either the first colour and/or second colour.

The decorating strip 10 of the invention will be used when a surface has two coloured areas. The inventive method will often be adopted when the first and second colour areas are being produced upon the surface 7, but the decorating strip 10 can also be used long after the first and/or second coloured areas 1,2 are formed.

In the method of the invention a surface 7 such as an interior wall or exterior surface of a vehicle will be provided with a first colour area 1 as shown in Figure 1. Likewise a second colour area 2 is also produced on the surface which is adjacent to the first area 1. The decorating strip 10 is applied on the

junction of the first and second areas 1,2 with the first region 12 overlying part of the first area 1 and the second region 16 overlying the edge of the second area 2. Normally the first colour is applied to the first area 1 and the second colour is applied to the second area 2 prior to affixing the decorating strip 10.

However, the decorating strip 10 can first be applied with the colours areas 1, 2 being generated afterwards. This can be advantageous as it may disguise the edge of the strip with the paint creating the coloured areas 1,2.

The first area 1 and second area 2 may have a horizontal join, a vertical join or a join in any other direction on the surface. The only restriction on the use of this border is that the join between the first area and the second area must be a generally straight line so that it can be covered by the strip 10.

However, the regions 12,14,16 do not have to have parallel edges.

Equally the surface 7 does not have to be planar and could represent the junction between the ceiling and side wall of a room or indeed the corner formed between two side walls. The decorating strip could then lie solely on the wall or ceiling or may extend around the corner formed by the ceiling and the wall.

Figure 3 illustrates an embodiment of the invention. The colours of the of the first and second regions 12,16 are, respectively, black and gray. Region 14 showing how the two colours are merged into one another in the third region. Of course, any two colours can form the first and second regions 12, 16.