Lintel Replacement

What is a Steel Lintel

A lintel is a piece of steel that spans the top of an opening on your property, (e.g., a door or window) supporting the weight of the wall and its components above openings such as windows, doors, or portals. As the steel lintels and beams age, they rust, swell, and deform, creating pressure in your brick masonry wall. As this pressure grows, even the hardest masonry blows apart and can seriously damage or destroy sections of your property.

Supporting a heavy load isn’t always the only function of the lintel, sometimes it is just a decorative, architectural feature.

Most of the steel lintel replacements we see in the Chicago area are the by-product of significant steel attrition, resulting in mortar cracks, masonry wall damage, displacement, and reduction in the structural integrity of your property.

What are the signs of a bad steel lintel?

1. Mortar cracks near the upper corners of doors, windows, and other openings

2. Line cracks, step-cracks, and wall component cracks or position changes. This type of damage means the issue has become serious and besides the lintel replacement, often requires a complete rebuilding of the wall or the damaged section

3. Bricks above the window or door appear to be deflected or wavy instead of laying straight and plumb.

4. Stones or brick above lintel protruding outward from the upper corners of the windows or doors.

5. Cracked bricks in the upper corners of the window and door.

You may be curious as to why your bricks are needing to be repaired so often, when it is in fact the failing steel lintel constantly creating new damage.

Filling cracks with mortar, or covering a corroded steel lintel with paint or an aluminum cap provides only a temporary solution, leaving the actual issue to fester and become worse. The deterioration of the steel lintel will occur at a faster rate because of trapped moisture.

Why are These Issues Commonly Seen in Chicago Steel Lintels?

Humidity, significant amounts of rainfall, and cold winters are the main culprits here. Keeping an eye on your masonry walls will allow you to notice the signs of a failing steel lintel as they occur and can save you from spending a lot of money on more serious structural stability issues.

If your wall becomes compromised, you may need to bring in a structural engineer to assist with restoration, raising the cost of the repair/replacement. In serious cases this is unavoidable.

How is a Steel Lintel Replaced?

• Remove brick/stone section above the window
• Remove old steel lintel
• Install new steel lintel,
• Coat the new lintel with a rust inhibitor
• Install new flashing system, install flashing membrane attached with termination bar to interior wythe of masonry wall
• Install aluminum drip edge
• Install weep ropes/tubes
• Reset brick section above new installed lintel with salvaged brick, or implement a new custom design
• After the initial set, the mortar joints will be tooled and/or brushed to achieve the correct finish

The Benefits of Replacing Your Failing Lintel

It Will Make Your Building Safer

A steel lintel plays a huge role in maintaining your buildings structural integrity and keeping it in good condition is essential. A cracked, broken or expanded lintel will result in serious structural issues that can damage or destroy parts or your building and injure bystanders or the people inside.

Increased Home or Building Value

Your property’s value is determined by its structural stability and visual beauty. Since a steel lintel is integral in maintaining structural integrity and adding visual appeal, it is important to make sure repairs are made as soon as they are required.

How Much Does a Steel Lintel Replacement Cost?

Steel lintel replacement is priced per linear feet of the lintel replaced, this typically ranges between $240-$550/linear foot, and depends on;

• Lintel location (the easier it is to access the lower the price will be)
• Ornamental setup (lintels with brick above it will be less expensive than those with ornamental stone or terracotta)
• Exposure to public ways such as city sidewalks (requires safety canopy installation)

To give you a better understanding of lintel repairs/replacements and pricing please refer to the examples below. These examples may have been completed within the last couple of years and are provided using current pricing and estimates rather than what they may have cost in the past. This is done to give you the best and most accurate idea possible.