# Forum Home Renovation Brickwork  Square off brick arches - Lintels

## mcdonaa

G'day,
I have 3 internal double brick arches that I want to square off. 
My process will be to cut grout from one side of the wall above arch, slide in lintel ensuring suitable length is covered both ends, then remove all relevant arch bricks below this point. 
My question is, being double brick, do I need a lintel on both sides or will lintel on one side suffice?

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## David.Elliott

You say internal arches, and double brick. 
If they were originally built as internal then they should be single brick.
If they were once external but are no internal thanks to an addition, they may be double brick. 
So... if they are indeed double brick then a "T" lintel would be the go, with the leg of the T up into the cavity. This saves you the drama of getting render and plaster to stick to a lintel long term. This means you will have to remove the mortar and bricks from probably two courses immediately below where the lintel is to be installed.
Keep in mind that if these are load bearing you will need some support most probably. If there are more than 10 courses above the bricks "should" hold on the corbel, which means for a short time, and if you are gentle it should be quite easy. 
If a single brick then the above challenge of render and plaster is the go as you will need to remove those, to get the "L" lintel in far enough that you can plaster over...
the other thing you could look at would be placing steel door frames, minus hinges (they come like that) in place. There is a version that is in three pieces so you can assemble in the hole. These will supply more than enough strength to support the wall, DEPENDING on how many courses above... 
Post a pic, let's see the challenge...

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## mcdonaa

> You say internal arches, and double brick. 
> If they were originally built as internal then they should be single brick.
> If they were once external but are no internal thanks to an addition, they may be double brick. 
> So... if they are indeed double brick then a "T" lintel would be the go, with the leg of the T up into the cavity. This saves you the drama of getting render and plaster to stick to a lintel long term. This means you will have to remove the mortar and bricks from probably two courses immediately below where the lintel is to be installed.
> Keep in mind that if these are load bearing you will need some support most probably. If there are more than 10 courses above the bricks "should" hold on the corbel, which means for a short time, and if you are gentle it should be quite easy. 
> If a single brick then the above challenge of render and plaster is the go as you will need to remove those, to get the "L" lintel in far enough that you can plaster over...
> the other thing you could look at would be placing steel door frames, minus hinges (they come like that) in place. There is a version that is in three pieces so you can assemble in the hole. These will supply more than enough strength to support the wall, DEPENDING on how many courses above... 
> Post a pic, let's see the challenge...

  
Hi thanks for the reply.
the wall is double as it's part of a wall that's internal but is also an external wall of the 2 nod storey (offset house). So there's a full storey of bricks above this arch. I just can't see how I can get a t shaped lintel in this wall in all honesty although I agree it makes the most sense particularly when considering trying to stick a render to it etc.

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## mcdonaa

guys further to this, another idea i am toying with is to install old recycled timber (sleepers) across the top and sides of the doorway - where top beam would sit on vertical beams running up doorway frame.  the doorway is very wide (150 cm) so happy to lose some width with the thickness of sleepers.  would this be structurally sound? any other considerations?

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## intertd6

> guys further to this, another idea i am toying with is to install old recycled timber (sleepers) across the top and sides of the doorway - where top beam would sit on vertical beams running up doorway frame.  the doorway is very wide (150 cm) so happy to lose some width with the thickness of sleepers.  would this be structurally sound? any other considerations?

  what your proposing is outside the scope of the masonry code, but what you could do is use the sleepers in a false fashion, but the masonry would be have to supported by the usual way by engineered proprietary products.
regards inter

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## Moonlight58

Hi guys,
I am living in perth wa, do you know anybody that square off internal arches?cheers

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## barney118

when you are dealing with arches, the arch has compressive forces all the way that's how they work without falling over.

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