What steel Lintels and Beams covers
Structural steel carries load over openings and across spans. Two details decide whether it performs: adequate bearing at each end, and protection against corrosion. Rusting steel expands and damages the masonry it was installed to support.
Structural steel carries load over openings and across spans. Two details decide whether it performs: adequate bearing at each end, and protection against corrosion. Rusting steel expands and damages the masonry it was installed to support.
Installing and replacing structural steel over openings, with bearings and corrosion protection detailed.
Waystar carries out this work on residential and commercial property in Brooklyn and across New York City. Every project starts with a look at the building, and the scope, the materials and the figures are written down before anything begins.
When might you need it?
These are the signs owners usually notice first.
- A wall being removed that needs a beam to replace it
- An existing steel lintel that has corroded and expanded
- A wider opening being formed in a loadbearing wall
- Cracking above an opening where the steel is failing
- A beam with inadequate bearing at one end
What the work involves
- Engineer design reviewed and steel scheduled
- Temporary support installed above the opening
- Masonry removed to form the bearing positions
- Padstones or spreaders installed where specified
- Steel lifted into position and set to level
- Corrosion protection applied and masonry built in around
How the process works
Review the design
Size, bearing length and padstone requirements all come from the engineer.
Support and open up
Temporary support goes in, then the bearing positions are formed.
Set the steel
Beam lifted, levelled and bedded onto the specified bearings.
Protect and build in
Corrosion protection applied, then masonry built in around the steel.
What you get
- Bearings formed to the design rather than approximated
- Corrosion protection applied before the steel is enclosed
- Load supported throughout the operation
What affects the scope
- Span, load and the resulting steel section
- Access for lifting steel into position
- Whether padstones or spreaders are required
- How much masonry has to be rebuilt afterwards
This is a preliminary planning range, not a quote. A property visit is required before any price is confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
Why do old steel lintels fail?
They rust. Corroding steel expands, and that expansion lifts and cracks the masonry above it.
Can a beam be installed without an engineer?
It should not be. Size and bearing are design decisions, and getting them wrong is a structural risk.
How long does the opening stay supported?
Until the steel is set and the masonry built in and cured, in the sequence the design requires.
Services often needed alongside this
This service is part of Structural and Concrete Work.