With some advice from a builder friend we are going to replace the floor beams in our cellar, there are 2 beams that sit in a wooden beam above the cellar entrance. The builder advices us to replace it with a Concrete lintel but I have read online that concrete lintels supporting floor beams might not be the best and should be replaced with a wooden lintel. Just need some advice if I should replace it with a concrete or wooden lintel? Thanks
Do not replace it with a precast concrete lintel. They will snap under point loads and need a couple of courses of bricks or block above them to spread the loads onto the lintels.
Would a treated timber beam work that is the same size as the original which was the original when the house was built.
I would just use a small steel if it was mine, but a properly sized concrete one would be perfectly ok. Joists like this are more like a distributed load than a single point load anyway.
Would you be able give some advice or suggestion what small steel lintel would be good to use? Thank you
It looks as though you have a 50 deep timber there: can't see the width probably 100. That is not going to carry much of a load so it is likely that a 2x4 rectangular hollow section, even the thinnest wall thickness, would be more than adequate.
The wooden lintel is Length: 1200mm Width: 100mm Hight: 65mm Thank you for your suggestion. Do you have a pic or link to show what you meant would be good to use please? Thanks
Nothing really, the builder friend thought it was best to replace it as I'm replacing the joists because they have dry rot he thought it would affect the beam at a later date.
If it is dry rot then you need to be sure you have got rid of every bit of timber near to the infestation. Check specialists for detail but I think at least a metre clear. Dry rot continues to spread after source of moisture which started it has gone. Those dims I'd go prestressed concrete. 65x100 standard size and off the shelf in B&Q in various lengths
Thanks for the advice... Because its only a short span to replace the lintel do you think 1 or 2 acrows to support the bricks above?
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