REMEDIAL WALL TIES/WALL STABILISATION
Cavity walls have been used in construction for around a hundred years to provide better insulation and provide protection from the elements. This was achieved by constructing two leaves of masonry held together by metal wall ties. These early wall ties were usually made of mild steel with a bitumen protective coating and are often referred to as fishtails. In more recent years a wire butterfly type was then used. In time it was noted that the protective coating applied to these wall ties was not sufficient and corrosion would take place usually in the outer leaf of mortar where rainwater penetration had occurred. Some of the original fishtail ties have expanded up to seven times their original thickness, causing outer leaf brickwork to bow and mortar beds to crack. Conditions can be accelerated where properties are more exposed to the elements, coastal air or where a black ash type mortar, which contains impurities, was used.
Our staff are trained in the diagnosis of this problem and are able to carry out the necessary remedial work which involves installing new stainless steel wall ties in the masonry and removing or isolating the old corroded ties to prevent continued expansion in the mortar beds. This will be at a fraction of the cost of the re-building of a wall and will stabilise the masonry.
We are also able to carry out crack stitching repairs to masonry and install lateral wall restraints where structural movement has occurred. This involves cutting back mortar beds and installing stainless steel ties, bedding this in with epoxy resin or installing longer ties through the masonry and tying into internal floor and roof timbers. If you require this service please do not hesitate to get in touch.
