Lintel question

[lynne81]

Hi guys,
I've got a potential problem I would appreciate someadvice about.

We have about to redecorate living/dining room and when taking some of the wood away we have exposed the lintel, which goes half a brick into the wall. Underneath the lintel the full brick seems to have crushed in half and the half brick beneath that has had some of its mortar removed and replaced with a bit of wood (which was what the trim was nailed into).

I'm not sure if its safe, at risk of coming away, or what to do to try and remedy it? Does anyone have any advice?

I've put the pictures in an album:
http://www.diynot.com/network/lynne81/albums/


Thanks in advance

 

[r896neo]

Its relatively common to see cracking like that around a lintel bearing. It doesn't look terribly well built and has been packed with various slate and bits but this was probably done at the time. It's no cause for immediate concern but the wedge of wood should be replaced by mortar and re-pointing around the whole area would be worthwhile.

Did these cracks show through onto the plaster?

 

[^woody^]

Its fine

Just bed some 200mm wide mesh in the plaster across the crack, to prevent it cracking again

 

[lynne81]

Thanks for the responses.

There were small cracks on both sides of the wall, look like they had been there a while.

Concerned that the bricks will slide out and the whole thing fall down when trying to remove the wedge of wood.

A friend suggested running some angle iron up the sides but not sure if we are over engineering it.

 

[^woody^]

The lintel is wedged in, and will tend to stay up even when those bricks are removed. In any case bricks don't slide

 

[r896neo]

Woody is quite right. Either re-point around the cracked areas or simply use a bit of expanded metal under the sand and cement coat when plastering.