Alongside the constant flow of insurance based works HB Jones (MIDLANDS) Ltd deal with on a daily basis there are a steady amount of non-insurance claims that pop up on the work schedule throughout the year. These are mainly small jobs which do not warrant claiming through insurance as the works are of lower value than the insurance excess.

 

These jobs vary from basic plaster repairs to localised take down and rebuilds.

 

Crack Stitching a Solid Wall

All masonry buildings expand and contract, until recently little or no allowance was made for this fact. Cracking of uniform thickness, in long spans of masonry is can often be the result of subsidence movement, requiring the introduction of remedial, helical bars.

Helical bar and grout is the most effective way to repair tensile cracks within masonry, the long stitch evenly redistributing the forces within the masonry over a larger area of brickwork and correct instalment leaves minimal visible evidence on the building.

 

Method

A wall chasing unit is used to cut out horizontal slots in the mortar bed. All dust and debris is removed from the slot and all faces are sealed using primer. The required numbers of helical bars are cut to the appropriate length, ensuring that they fit into the prepared slots. A thick bead of grout is then injected into the back of the prepared slot and the helical bars inserted to ensure displacement of the grout.

Note the red filler in between the brickwork. This is the highly adaptable epoxy resin used on a regular basis for crack repairs.

A further bead of grout is inserted, ensuring the bar is fully covered. Mortar pointing is applied to finish the repair.

The next photograph illustrates a helical bar installed horizontally for exceptional improvement in the strength of the structure; at the stage where the bars are finally covered with mortar.

If this method is installed internally then a wire mesh is fixed across the affected area before re-plastering. This provides additional strength to the crack repair. A layer of EML mesh can be seen covering an area internally for added strength prior to plastering.

 

If you require a quotation for any structural repairs please contact the office via phone/ fax or email during office hours.

Our email address and phone number can be found on the ‘contact us' page.