Bed Joint Reinforcement Repairs London Homes

Homes in the London Borough of Camden have had their walls structurally repaired and strengthened by a program of retrofit bed joint reinforcement. More than 3000 metres of Twistfix helical bars were specified for use in this substantial masonry repair scheme in the affluent Bloomsbury area of the capital city.

Whilst the grand façade of this 10-storey terrace revelled in splendour, the rear elevations, which were built with cheaper building materials, were beginning to show their age. Signs of lintel failure were noted above many windows as walls sagged and bowed above the openings. Thermal and moisture movement had also taken its toll causing a series of cracks in the brickwork. Attempts to repair cracks and to rebuild masonry above some windows had done little to improve the structure and had left the old walls looking scarred and battered.

A local Structural Engineering practice was appointed to design and manage the refurbishment of the terrace. The engineers put together a brickwork reinforcement scheme using Twistfix structural repair details to specify the appropriate products to deliver a concealed and unobtrusive structural repair system that would stabilise the structure, stop the cracking and fully restore the strength and integrity of the walls.

Registered contractor, NBS of West London, was chosen to execute the remedial work, which comprised cutting new expansion joints, stitching cracks in walls and installing high tensile reinforcement to form deep masonry beams in the brickwork.  The engineers used BRE load tables to determine the distance between the reinforcing bars, forming the correct depth of the brick beam required to span the window openings.

"We installed 3250 metres of helical bed joint reinforcement on this central London project" says site supervisor Mr James Wiggins, "using almost 300 tubs of WHO-60 masonry repair grout and almost 40 tubes of epoxy resin crack sealer.  Whilst we couldn't undo some of the shocking repair work undertaken in the past, with the help of Twistfix we have been able to ensure that the newly strengthened walls will not need to be touched again for an awful long time".

It is always a pleasure to hear directly how our superior masonry repair products have allowed our registered contractors to achieve professional, lasting results and to restore peace of mind to the owners of the buildings they work on. We look forward to sharing further news and case studies with you; please check back regularly or subscribe to our newsletter to receive special offers, product updates and informative articles directly.