Process for preparing slabs of building materials

Claim 1

A process for preparing a slab of conglomerate building material, said process comprising the steps of (a) providing an elogated mold; (b) forming a premolded resin liner on at least one surface of said elongated mold with a lining material; (c) filling said mold adjacent said liner with pieces of solid material to form an aggregate of individual pieces with interstices therebetween; (d) filling said interstices with bonding material which chemically bonds to the liner and also bonds to the filling material; (e) causing said bonding material to cure and harden to form a lined composite consisting of matrix of hardened bonding material which is sufficiently elongated to permit a plurality of slabs to be cut transversely from said matrix, said matrix having embedded therein peices of solid material, at least one surface of said matrix being lined with and chemically bonded to said liner so that said liner forms an elongated outer surface of said matrix which is not removed from said matrix or otherwise altered when said matrix is cut transversely to the elongated surface of the liner to produce a slab of building material; (f) removing the resulting lined composite from said mold; (g) cutting said elongated matrix and said liner transversely to said elongated surface to form a slab of building material having at least one outer edge surface which is not chipped or otherwise scarred, which has precise dimensions and which edge surface comprised a portion of the outer surface of the liner before the slab was cut; and (h) repeating said cutting step at least once to produce a plurality of said slabs from a single elongated matrix.