Brickwork cannot overhang steel lintel by more than 25mm.

The vertical leg of a steel lintel must always be taller than the horizontal.

They’ll be able to show you the right place in your brickwork for installation. Get a builder or a structural engineer to check out your home before installing a door lintel or window lintel. The last thing you want is for everything to come crashing down, causing damage to your property, or worse, an injury. However, before you even embark on installing lintels in your brickwork, it’s crucial to call in the experts, especially when dealing with load-bearing projects. This small gap enables the lintel to support loads from above and allows for minor movements caused by swelling within the frame itself. Whether installed manually or with machinery like a crane (they’re not light), lintels are installed in a small gap in the brickwork cut above the opening (window dream or doorway).

You’ll need to install a lintel for timber frames with a gap greater than 600mm in width or steel frames greater than 900mm. Do I Need a Lintel?Īlthough steel lintels aren’t the only type of lintel available, whether made of timber or stone, they are essential structural supports over an opening. Though steel is without a doubt the strongest of the bunch, other lintels are still popular today. Before the rise of the steel lintel, lintels were made from a range of materials such as timber, stone, brick and concrete. And when galvanised, primed, or epoxy coated, steel lintels are also rust resistant.Īlso known as the post and lintel system, this effective construction technique has been a mainstay in architecture since ancient times. Able to withstand heavy loads across wide openings without rusting or wearing out, steel lintels are impervious to erosion and distortion thanks to their isotropic properties, not to mention a more practical and less labour-intensive option for superimposed loads. Steel lintels are among the most used components in architecture for their durability and practicality.

Lintel garage door installation