Building up to take the load

[richard7761]

The wall is a half-brick one.

I've taken the fireplace lintel away, and I'm filling the fireplace opening with brickwork.

The wall is load-bearing.

Given that the fireplace opening was 1.2m high x 0.5m wide my new brickwork therefore has the same dimensions.

Okay, as it happens I'm now left with a 7mm space between the top of my new brickwork and the original brickwork. My new brickwork of course should take the load above it and transfer it to the foundations.

How can I ensure that happens? I'm thinking of simply ensuring the 7mm gap is filled with cement. In other words, not hammering in, say, a metal shim.

It should be noted that the original wall is going to be cut in half, and that cutting point, along the original wall, is the position where the fireplace opening terminated on it's right hand side.

 

[tony1851]

Try mixing some damp sand and cement (1:3) and packing it in. Problem is, some will fall out the other side. What would be wrong with a few steel shims gently tapped in, and then pointed-up?

 

[limerockconstruction]

Steel shims and point up is the usual way - when faced with narrower gaps we have in the past gunned in resin which goes off pretty solid!

 

[richard7761]

There is new brickwork behind the wall I'm building up to, so I could make a wooden tamper thingy, about 6mm deep and say 50mm wide, and push in/compress the cement against that brickwork.

From what has been said, that would be acceptable.

Or, shimming with steel, also acceptable.

Thanks all for replies. Rich