Brick walls easily deteriorate, so the openings in them must be carefully strengthened. It is also necessary to ensure that there are no cracks on the walls.
If any defect appears, it is necessary to immediately strengthen it. Channels, metal clips, corners or reinforced concrete lintels are suitable for this.
But before installing them, it is better to study the information and understand what is suitable for a particular case. We will explain later in the article how to strengthen an opening in a brick wall.
When might it be required?
When constructing a new building, the design takes into account the optimal way to strengthen window openings or arches. But there are also situations when strengthening is necessary in already rebuilt buildings.
This can be done in certain cases:
Before replacing windows, you need to check how strong the opening is and, if the inspection result is unsatisfactory, then strengthen it before dismantling the old window.
- If during redevelopment the holes will be widened or they will be made in other places, then reinforcement must first be done. To do this, you need to draw up a project for carrying out the work and consult with the craftsmen whether it is possible to break through a wall in a certain area and whether this will weaken the building.
- And the extreme case is if the building frames have become deformed due to time or mechanical damage. It is imperative to monitor the condition of the house and, if cracks appear, bricks fall out, or the cement layer is destroyed, carry out repair work as soon as possible. If this is done on time, the building will remain in a condition suitable for habitation longer.
Before any redevelopment, you must consult with a specialist and find out whether you need to obtain permission to carry out any types of work. Otherwise, if the redevelopment violates the strength of the building, it is considered unauthorized and may lead to administrative problems or lead the building to a state of emergency.
What materials are used?
The technology for strengthening openings depends on the thickness of the wall and the material. Depending on this, channels, racks or corners are used.
Steel channel is more common than other options. The best brands are 10P, 12P and 14P .
Two people are enough to install it. When installing, if necessary, the structure is tightened with threaded ties.
Channel advantages:
- Budget.
- Easy to install.
Disadvantages: if the wall size is larger than 1 m, it is necessary to use threaded ties.
If the opening width is more than a meter, then it is also reinforced with a metal clip. It is also used to strengthen damaged brick walls. Metal plates are installed in the lower part, which redistribute the load.
Design advantages:
- more robust design;
- the load is distributed correctly.
With a metal corner you can strengthen the opening along the entire contour or install it as a lintel. It is secured with anchors overlapping along the edges of the opening. The connecting element is a transverse plate, which is welded to the corners.
Metal heels are used as support, which help distribute the load correctly. The thickness must be at least 5 mm, and the dimensions of the shelves must be at least 6 cm by 6 cm.
Advantages of corners:
- Correct load over the entire area.
- The cross plate is firmly welded to the corners.
Reinforced concrete lintels are used least often during repairs, since they are too heavy and require special equipment for their installation. It is often installed immediately during the construction of new buildings.
Pros:
- robust construction;
- The jumper is convenient if mounted into the wall of a new building.
Minuses:
- heavy weight;
- you need special equipment.
Before installing any of the structures, it is necessary to treat it with compounds that protect against corrosion.
Lintels for aerated concrete walls
Having understood the properties of aerated concrete, you can determine the optimal type of lintels for it. The following types can be used:
- standard aerated concrete lintels with reinforcement inside;
- filling lintels in place using U-blocks;
- casting concrete lintels on site using removable formwork;
- use of standard reinforced concrete lintels;
- the use of conventional gas blocks laid on angle steel supports.
All lintels for aerated concrete blocks have their own advantages and disadvantages. Some of them are rarely used (for example, casting a reinforced concrete lintel directly on site, with the production of reinforcement cage and formwork). The reason for this is unnecessary labor costs and loss of time.
The most preferred option is a standard aerated concrete part that matches the wall material in all respects. It can be laid with the same glue, providing a thin seam, as when laying gas blocks. In addition, aerated concrete lintels are manufactured at enterprises in serious production conditions. They are unlikely to be handled by various garage-level companies, which allows us to count on compliance with all technical requirements and standards. However, the cost of such jumpers is quite high. In addition, they are not always on sale.
The option of filling jumpers from U-blocks is often used. Armored belts under the ceilings are made in a similar way, ensuring the strength of the supporting row and uniform distribution of the load throughout the entire volume of the masonry. The only drawback of this option is the length of the procedure - you need to install a support board to temporarily support the U-blocks, lay and align them along their axes, make a reinforcement frame, pour the lintel and hold it for the required time (until it gains structural strength). For many builders (especially for workers in informal teams), such a loss of time seems undesirable. Therefore, they prefer to use other methods for assembling jumpers.
What consumables and tools are needed?
To strengthen the walls, some tools and materials will be useful:
Tools:
- Machine with diamond disc.
- Hammer.
- Welding machine.
- Drill and drill bits.
Materials:
- bolts and studs;
- channels, corners or metal frame (depending on the thickness of the wall);
- metal plates that must first be cut according to the thickness of the wall;
- concrete mixture.
All consumables are purchased depending on the calculations made.
How to strengthen?
In a house, walls are strengthened in a door or window opening, as well as a load-bearing wall. Each case has its own schemes and methods for installing a metal structure. Each of them has its own nuances that you need to know.
Reinforcing a doorway is not very different from a load-bearing wall, but it also has its own nuances:
First, the opening is marked for straight lines, you can use a rail;
- at the same time, it is necessary to make markings where the lintel will be - above the opening, the ends of the lintel should rest on the edges of the opening and extend beyond them no more than 25 cm;
- First, you need to install a lintel - it will intercept the load and it will go to the supporting walls, it must be mounted so that it does not protrude beyond the plane of the wall, so before installation you need to make grooves in the wall (grooves) on both sides;
- as a jumper, it is advisable to take a channel, the number of which is specified by the project; it is installed in grooves and bolted together, from below they are fastened with metal plates by welding;
- the void between the masonry and the metal is filled with concrete.
Since the windows are installed in load-bearing walls, the load on them will be greater. reinforced structures are used to strengthen window openings
- Channel profile. In the place where it will be attached, it is necessary to make a groove into which the channel is tightly inserted and secure it with a solution of cement and sand. The profiles can be connected to each other using special pins, washers and nuts.
- Vertical supports made of two channels are also used. They are most often installed in openings whose width is more than 1.5 m. They are welded to channels, which are attached to horizontal lintels.
Vertical channels need to be welded along their entire length to make the structure more durable.
Making an opening in a load-bearing wall is dangerous , so before doing this you need to consult with specialists and obtain all permits. In load-bearing walls made of brick, the reinforcement of openings is done using a channel.
Gain sequence:
- First, you need to make holes on both sides of the wall at the required height to install the channel. The lower level is calculated based on the fact that the lintel should pass along the bottom of the outermost brick. If its support is on an incomplete brick, then under pressure it may split or crumble.
- Next, the channels are installed in a horizontal plane and fastened with pins.
- The last step is plastering the opening with concrete mortar.
After strengthening the opening, it is necessary to make decorative finishing. To do this, you need to mix cement and sand 3:1, respectively, and plaster the required areas. After this, you can finish with drywall, wallpaper, or make any other cosmetic repairs to this part of the house.
Types of channels
A channel is a type of metal profile with a U-shaped section (50-400 mm high, with a wall thickness of 4-15 mm and a shelf width of 32 to 115 mm). Steel channels are produced mainly by hot rolling of billets on section mills, as well as by cold or hot rolling of coiled steel on roll forming mills. The channel is designed to impart rigidity and stability to the structure in which it is used. It works well in bending and absorbs axial loads.
Channels (GOST 8240-89) are divided into:
- channel with a slope of the inner edges of the shelves (the letter U is placed).
- channel with parallel edges of the shelves (put the letter P).
Possible difficulties and errors in the process
When strengthening an opening in the walls, several mistakes can be made:
- Incorrect installation of the channel. Such reinforcement does not always completely adhere to the edges of the opening. And because of the voids, the frame does not take on the proper load. This can cause the brick or wall to collapse.
- Use of low-quality material. This mistake can also lead to the collapse of the wall or the formation of defects on it. It is necessary to initially purchase high-quality materials, consulting with consultants or specialists. Often a channel or corners are purchased that are thinner than needed and because of this the structure may not withstand the load.
The consequences of mistakes can be sad, since a crack in the wall or even its collapse will lead to a lot of consequences and you will have to do everything all over again. You need to immediately take high-quality materials and install the support correctly.
Strengthening methods
To strengthen the door structure, the following products can be used:
- channels , which are used to achieve a binding effect and tighten the structure;
- corners _ They can be secured using anchors or cross plates. And they increase the reliability of the structure due to the contour effect;
- metal frames that are fixed at each corner of the opening;
- reinforced concrete lintels . This material strengthens the supporting function well, but is not suitable for small rooms, as it is voluminous.
The most expensive way to reinforce holes in a wall is to install a metal frame. However, sometimes this is the only possible way to avoid wall deformation.
For a panel or monolithic house, the best option is to install channels. This method will reliably strengthen the structure. In addition, it is much easier to carry out this kind of work than installing an entire opening frame.
Price of work per 1 linear meter in the Russian Federation
Depending on the type of walls and the number of channels used, prices in the Russian Federation vary from 4,000 thousand rubles to 11,000 thousand rubles.
| Double-row reinforcement of brick walls | Number of channels | Cost of 1 p.m. (rub.) |
| 12 | 4000 | |
| 14 | 4500 | |
| 16 | 5500 | |
| 18 | 5800 |
Prices include transportation costs within the city without parking costs. Outside the city, transport costs also increase.
