ᐅ Covering a steel lintel with masonry or enclosing it from below
Created on: 10 Jan 2022 19:01
D
daytonaHello friends of skilled craftsmanship,
I’m working on a DIY project and have the following question:
Note: All data have been properly determined by a structural engineer. For this question, however, several solutions seem possible, so I hope for many ideas and suggestions.
A larger opening width (5 m (16 ft 5 in)) is to be made in a 24-brick exterior wall. The current clear rough opening height is about 2.75 m (9 ft). A lintel made of IPE450 was calculated and recommended because it results in almost the desired finished clear opening height of 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in) after installation (1-2 cm (0.4-0.8 inch) of leveling mortar between the beam and the ceiling). However, lower steel beams such as HEA300 or similar might also be possible, which would likely be cheaper and easier to handle.
The question is: if a shallower lintel/beam is chosen, should it be built up above with masonry and supported underneath, or installed directly under the floor slab and then clad from below (with profiles, XPS, Wedi panels, or similar) to achieve the 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in) clear opening? The advantage of the second option is that if a thicker floor construction is chosen later (tiles or similar), the cladding could be more easily adjusted.
Thank you and best regards
I’m working on a DIY project and have the following question:
Note: All data have been properly determined by a structural engineer. For this question, however, several solutions seem possible, so I hope for many ideas and suggestions.
A larger opening width (5 m (16 ft 5 in)) is to be made in a 24-brick exterior wall. The current clear rough opening height is about 2.75 m (9 ft). A lintel made of IPE450 was calculated and recommended because it results in almost the desired finished clear opening height of 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in) after installation (1-2 cm (0.4-0.8 inch) of leveling mortar between the beam and the ceiling). However, lower steel beams such as HEA300 or similar might also be possible, which would likely be cheaper and easier to handle.
The question is: if a shallower lintel/beam is chosen, should it be built up above with masonry and supported underneath, or installed directly under the floor slab and then clad from below (with profiles, XPS, Wedi panels, or similar) to achieve the 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in) clear opening? The advantage of the second option is that if a thicker floor construction is chosen later (tiles or similar), the cladding could be more easily adjusted.
Thank you and best regards