Brick filling falling out of I-beam . . .Can anyone help me out - in a bit of a pickle!

[mushymat]

Ive been removing some old plaster work that was not done incorrectly correctly, and on Monday a plasterer is arriving to re-skim the wall.

So, in the process of removing the old skim layer Ive come across the supporting beam which by the looks of it has been filled with cement and bricks...and a lot of it is loose.

A solid meter of this is loose, I can pick it up and move it with one hand.

Anyone know what I should do. Im thinking perhaps remove it, go buy some cement and redo it ready for Monday, but I dunno. Ive looked online and Ive never seem mention of filling a beam with bricks.

Any ideas or thoughts!?

 

[Mottie]

Ask the plasterer? If he can’t suggest something you’ll have to put him off until it’s solid enough to plaster over.

 

[Nige F]

Get some tubes of Pink Grip (or solvent Grip fill ) and squirt it in where you can - even make some holes through the brick to the steel - That will be set by tomorrow and hold the loose bits together for the plasterer to look at. Much better than sand/cement for remedial work like yours. I fixed a 1meter long 20mm crack over a window like that, before the window was pulled out and replaced

 

[bobasd]

please post a much larger view of that area.
the odds are that its loose filled the length of the beam?

isthe "beam" an RSJ an is that the edge of the RSJ flange we can see?
what is it supportin - are ther joists restin on the brickwork above the RSJ?
is the "beam" above window? does the beam have a soffit?
the black background looks like felt paper - is it felt? is this a bay?

I would cut out an remove all out all the loose stuff an then build it up again as a firm background for solid plaster or plasterboard.
the ceiling needs cuttin back to clean an clear plaster - new ceilin backin will be needed at the wall abutment.

 

[mushymat]

please post a much larger view of that area.
the odds are that its loose filled the length of the beam?

isthe "beam" an RSJ an is that the edge of the RSJ flange we can see?
what is it supportin - are ther joists restin on the brickwork above the RSJ?
is the "beam" above window? does the beam have a soffit?
the black background looks like felt paper - is it felt? is this a bay?

I would cut out an remove all out all the loose stuff an then build it up again as a firm background for solid plaster or plasterboard.
the ceiling needs cuttin back to clean an clear plaster - new ceilin backin will be needed at the wall abutment.

Hi bobasd,

here's a couple more shots - basically I removed the loose bricks and cleaned it out (have small kids running around, didn't want to kill one with loose falling bricks!). And the beam is only slightly longer than what you can see here.

I let my plaster know (sent him these photos) and he said its not something he could fix and I need to call in a bricky to "get it stitched in". I dunno, he seems a bit flaky so Im thinking about getting a 2nd opinion.

As for the cealing - I assume youre taking about the gap? I plan to cover that with coving .

 

[JohnD]

I think it's a wall plate not a beam.

the plasterer is right - repairing falling-down brickwork is not a plasterer's job. Nothing flaky about that.

I think you need to strip out the loose stuff and rebuild it. Lightweight concrete blocks would probably be adequate. You will need to support the floor joist that rest on the wall plate while you do that. It is not very difficult but rather than hiring or buying the equipment and learning how to do it, you may to better to ask around for personal recommendations of a small local builder. Take off all the loose plaster so you can see what you're dealing with. Quite likely the brickwork is standing on the door lining which is not now permitted.

Any thing less than a proper job will crack again, and perhaps fall on your head, or your family's.

If you have a daughter, when she becomes a teen she will take up door-slamming and the bricks will fall out.

 

[mushymat]

I think it's a wall plate not a beam.

the plasterer is right - repairing falling-down brickwork is not a plasterer's job. Nothing flaky about that.

The brickwork is sound I think - What I was talking about was a row of half bricks that had been cemented into the "H" of the beam. Its not structural in anyway, it was simply filler to give something to plaster over.

Maybe Im misunderstanding though...

 

[JohnD]

On my PC I can't see an H-section. I wonder why it's there?

Steels are usually boxed in with plasterboard (for fire resistance) then plastered.

 

[mushymat]

On my PC I can't see an H-section. I wonder why it's there?

Steels are usually boxed in with plasterboard (for fire resistance) then plastered.

Yeah, its quite dark I think, makes it had to see whats going on.

Heres a basic diagram, hopefully this might help.

Brown is brick, red is the metal beam, and blue the ceiling. The bricks that I pulled out where just cemented onto the gap in the beam (see green). Im 99% sure they are doing nothing other than filling the space so plaster had something to stick too.

 

[Lower]

Get some lengths of 2x4 and wedge them vertically into the web of the RSJ. Then screw some plasterboard to the wood and as long as the level you end up with is behind the current plaster the plasterer can pack it out to the right thickness.

 

[bobasd]

whats an rsj doin in that position in the first place?
maybe ther was previous structural alterations presumed somehow would bring extra pressure above the opening?
is ther any disturbance on the other side of the wall panel inside the room on the right?
i wonder what if anythin is lintellin the door openings?

wwhats the story with the plasterboard on the left - its proud to the surface of the wall plane an blinds part of the architrave on the left hand doorway?
has a partition been removed?
has ther been a previous nock-tthrogh between the kitchen an the dining (?) area?

the small obscure glass panes dont look like safety glass?
given youve got little ones i'd deff check all glass in doors or partitions is safety glass or get shut of it.