What a lintel does
A lintel is a steel bar over each window and door. It holds up the brick above the opening. Paint guards it from rust. When paint fails, rust sets in. Rust swells. Swelling steel cracks the joints and brick above it.
You can spot the harm. Look for cracks that step up from window corners. Look for rust stains that bleed down the brick. Look for flat cracks that run level with the top of a frame. These all point to the bar.
Caught early, the fix is tidy. Left alone, the bar keeps swelling. Cracks climb course by course. Then the opening needs real rebuilding.
Signs your lintels need a look
Check each opening on your home.
- Rust stains streak down from above a frame.
- Cracks step up from window corners.
- A flat crack runs along the top of a door.
- Brick above an opening bows out a bit.
- Paint peels off the steel bar itself.
Stains are the first sign. Cracks mean the swell is under way.
How it works
Step 1: We check each opening. We look at bars, stains, and crack paths. We tell you which bars are bad.
Step 2: We brace the brick. The wall above is held firm while we work. Nothing shifts or drops.
Step 3: We cut the old bar out. Rusted steel comes out in pieces. nearby brick is spared.
Step 4: We set the new bar. Fresh steel goes in, primed and painted to fight rust.
Step 5: We relay brick and repoint. Brick goes back. Joints are packed and shaped to match.
Why rust swells and cracks
Rust takes more room than steel. As a bar rusts, it grows. The growth pushes up on the brick it holds. Mortar joints crack first. Then brick cracks.
Paint is the guard. Keep bars painted and rust stays off. Once rust swells enough to crack brick, paint alone will not fix it. The bar must come out.
What shapes the price
Count of openings leads. Each bar is its own small job. Opening width counts. Wide spans need bigger steel. Brick harm adds time when cracked units must be swapped.
Jobs range from one bar to a full house. Every project is different — contact us for a free written estimate. We check each opening and price them plain.
Paint buys time, not a fix
If your bars show light rust but no cracks, cleaning and paint can buy years. We do that work too. It is honest upkeep.
But paint over swelled steel is a cover-up. Cracks will keep growing under it. We show you which case yours is. Then you choose with clear facts.
What a lintel does
Every window and door in a brick wall has a lintel above it. It is the beam that carries the brick over the opening. Without it, the brick above would have nothing to sit on. Most Baltimore lintels are steel angles, set when the wall went up. Older homes may carry stone lintels instead.
Steel lintels rust. Paint wears off, water gets in, and rust starts quietly. Rust expands as it forms, swelling far beyond the steel's original thickness. That swelling jacks the brickwork up from inside. Mortar cracks. Brick shifts. The damage looks like a joint problem, but the joint is the victim.
Stone lintels fail differently. They span the opening like a small bridge. Age and settling crack them across the middle. A cracked stone lintel sags. The brick above follows it down, course by course. Left alone, the sag grows and the opening distorts.
Both types hide their trouble until it shows in the brick. By the time you see cracked joints above a window, the lintel has been failing for years. That is why we look at lintels on every job, even when you called us for joints. The lintel is often the real story.
Signs yours is failing
Look above your windows and doors. Stair-step cracks in the mortar are the classic sign. They climb from the corner of the opening like steps. Rust stains bleeding down the brick point to a steel lintel giving up underneath. Both signs deserve a closer look.
Check for sag. Stand back and sight along the top of the opening. A straight line is good. A dip in the middle means the lintel is bending under its load. On stone lintels, look for a crack running across the stone itself. Any of these means the opening needs attention.
The fix is replacement, done in order. We support the brick above with jacks and needles. The old lintel comes out. A new steel lintel goes in, primed and painted against rust. Brick around it is repointed to match the wall. The wall above sits level again, and the cracks do not come back.
It is structural work, and we treat it that way. The supports stay until the new lintel is set and the mortar has taken hold. No shortcuts over your head, no rushing the cure. When we pull the jacks, the opening carries itself again.
Ready when you are. Call (301) 679-9193 or send the form for a free on-site estimate.