Installing lintels is pretty straightforward but we often get asked for advice and tips on the installation of both our prestressed concrete lintels and steel lintel products.
Here we round up 17 tips, which can be found in various parts of our brochure but have collected for you in one handy blog post.
General installation tips for steel and concrete lintels
Recommended bearings for concrete lintels depend on the length of the opening.
1. The lintel should be bedded on mortar and levelled both along the lintel and across its width. Full bricks, blocks or padstones should be used as bearing areas. DO NOT bear lintels onto cut blocks.
2. Prior to installation, the lintel should be examined carefully for any defects, or signs of damage.
3. All external wall lintels must be installed with a flexible damp proof course or cavity tray.
4. Masonry must not overhang any flange by more than 25mm.
5. Masonry above the lintel should be allowed to cure before applying floor or roof loads.
Installation tips for concrete lintels
6. Recommended bearings are 100mm for openings of up to 1m, and 150mm for openings over 1m.
7. Minimum recommended lintel depth is 140mm in order to absorb the shock loading of a concrete floor.
8. Precast flooring units should be laid on a mortar bed across the whole wall width and should not be dragged over supports.
Installation tips for steel lintels
Composite lintels should be adequately propped during construction, at maximum centres of 1.2m.
9. Inner and outer leaves supported by the lintels should be raised together to avoid excessive eccentricity of loading.
10. In the case of cavity walls, the cavity tray should extend not less than 50mm beyond the cavity return.
11. The minimum recommended bearing length is 150mm.
12. Composite lintels should be adequately propped during construction, at maximum centres of 1.2m. The props should not be removed until the mortar has cured.
13. For channel lintels ensure that the inner leaf channel is filled well-cured masonry before work proceeds over. Masonry needs to be built tightly against the vertical section of the channel and a mortar joint added to the top of the masonry so that the loads from units above are spread evenly over the inner flange of the lintel.
14. For RS lintels (rolled steel lintels) a minimum bearing of 200mm is required.
15. RS lintels must be laterally restrained and adequately propped during construction at maximum 1.2 metre centres.
16. Open back eaves lintels must be built in with a course of blockwork positioned tightly against the up-stand of the lintel.
17. For TF lintels (timber frame) a tight fitting timber batten should be placed at mid span to help prevent any lateral deflection.
Don’t forget to check out our 10-step guide to installing a cavity lintel.
If you would like more installation tips and advice then sign up for our monthly digest, or get in touch with us via a contact form below. You can also have a look at out lintel glossary for more information on the terminology used.
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