Drilling through a lintel

[Moderator]

So that's your, er, theory, is it? Nice! Carry on.

MsG

And another informative discussion makes its way towards the tube marked 'down'.

Nice one.

 

[OneTenner]

So that's your, er, theory, is it? Nice! Carry on.

That's my knowledge gained from life, not some gash internet page - and your is presumably from translating building regs from which language?
The OP was wanting to drill lintels to put up curtains, not build a flat concrete raft or intermediate floor - get a grip(fill).

 

[Bacongrills]

No they don't! Your "plain old steel wire" would pull straight through the concrete and defeat the whole purpose of reinforcement - which is to make sure that the lintel can withstand bending pressure put upon it.

The reinforcement mats have lateral ribs that ensure that the concrete has a good hold and is called "B" steel. The corner re-bar rods have, in addition to lateral ribs, also side ribs that wind their way around the length of the rod and are called "B" steel. What you might mean is smooth steel rod (called "A" steel) that is sometimes used to further strengthen the weight-bearing ends of wide large concrete roof spans.

MsG

Nice Googling.

 

[rgjbloke]

There is of course one thing that has crossed my mind. Why is he going to be drilling into a concrete lintel at all.

A lintel will be situated at the base of the wall where the top of the gap is for the window. Lintels vary in size but I’m sat here this evening taking part in this thread and I happened to glance up at my curtains and the brackets for the curtain pole are a good eight inches above the top of the window.

That means they are either clear of the lintel or possibly just touching the top of it depending on what the size of the lintel is.

My house was built in the very early fifties and from the outside, the lintels which are re-enforced concrete look roughly four inches wide.

So the fixings for my curtains aren’t in the lintels at all.

Just wondering if there is an actual issue?

 

[Harryc]

Nice Googling.

FMS - double tapping DMB.
A tad insensitive given we has already deaded all his family at least twice already.
You insensitive person, you.


Keep it up!!

 

[964ST]

You need to look at the properties of the Reinforcing Medium employed in building products (you could also apply it to modern car and plane methods).
The Metal must have a certain “Tensile Strength“ it cannot be brittle! It works with the concrete and enhances it weaknesses.
Likewise a lintel has been „over manufactured“ to be much stronger than required, an 8mm hole (or 2) is not going to cause „Armaggedon!“

 

[MrMemory]

There is of course one thing that has crossed my mind. Why is he going to be drilling into a concrete lintel at all.

A lintel will be situated at the base of the wall where the top of the gap is for the window. Lintels vary in size but I’m sat here this evening taking part in this thread and I happened to glance up at my curtains and the brackets for the curtain pole are a good eight inches above the top of the window.

That means they are either clear of the lintel or possibly just touching the top of it depending on what the size of the lintel is.

My house was built in the very early fifties and from the outside, the lintels which are re-enforced concrete look roughly four inches wide.

So the fixings for my curtains aren’t in the lintels at all.

Just wondering if there is an actual issue?

That is interesting. The original curtain poles were hung just a couple of inches above the window frame. I wonder if I put the new poles above there I would avoid the lintels entirely.

 

[DaManBugs]

That's my knowledge gained from life, not some gash internet page - and your is presumably from translating building regs from which language?
The OP was wanting to drill lintels to put up curtains, not build a flat concrete raft or intermediate floor - get a grip(fill).

I posted that it must be your, er, theory, but you could've saved yourself a lot of trouble by just responding with: "I have no idea what I'm talking about".

My "knowledge" is derived from actually working at the job half-days for two years in Hamburg. I was what the Germans call an "Eisenflechter". There's nothing better than on-the-job experience, but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?

MsG

 

[OneTenner]

There is of course one thing that has crossed my mind. Why is he going to be drilling into a concrete lintel at all.

A lintel will be situated at the base of the wall where the top of the gap is for the window. Lintels vary in size but I’m sat here this evening taking part in this thread and I happened to glance up at my curtains and the brackets for the curtain pole are a good eight inches above the top of the window.

That means they are either clear of the lintel or possibly just touching the top of it depending on what the size of the lintel is.

My house was built in the very early fifties and from the outside, the lintels which are re-enforced concrete look roughly four inches wide.

So the fixings for my curtains aren’t in the lintels at all.

Just wondering if there is an actual issue?

Late 50's urban semi (the house!) ground floor has ~180mm from window head to ceiling, first floor has ~250mm so not much chance of missing the ground floor lintels - but digging out the plaster and using Gripfill / Sikaflex or similar to bond a batten onto the lintel - which can be flush with the plaster, then screwing the curtain rail brackets onto that would work.

 

[OneTenner]

I posted that it must be your, er, theory, but you could've saved yourself a lot of trouble by just responding with: "I have no idea what I'm talking about".

My "knowledge" is derived from actually working at the job half-days for two years in Hamburg. I was what the Germans call an "Eisenflechter". There's nothing better than on-the-job experience, but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?

MsG

'You have no idea what you are talking about'
There, happy now?
Is this when you were a picture restorer, spy, medic or something else you have yet to reveal to us plebs?
Stop polluting decent threads with your poorly-researched wibble.

 

[mrdude]

There is of course one thing that has crossed my mind. Why is he going to be drilling into a concrete lintel at all.

He wouldn't be drilling into the lintel anyway, the outside wall contains a lintel - then you have an air gap (and insulation), then either a timber frame or another wall which is either skimmed or has plasterboard on.

You should just get a wooden baton and put it about 2 inches or so above the window - put some no nails on it, and secure with a couple of screws. If the wall is timber framed - use some magnets to find screws/nails in the framing, and screw into that. You can drive the screws into the baton so they are not shown and put some filler on top of them before painting.

That way you won't mess your wall up when you change curtain poles in the future as you can just keep screwing to the wooden baton.

As for drilling - you don't need an sds drill, just a hammer drill will do if you have one, use masonry drill bits and drill at a slow speed so you don't burn the drill tips out.

 

[Harryc]

I posted that it must be your, er, theory, but you could've saved yourself a lot of trouble by just responding with: "I have no idea what I'm talking about".

My "knowledge" is derived from actually working at the job half-days for two years in Hamburg. I was what the Germans call an "Eisenflechter". There's nothing better than on-the-job experience, but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?

MsG

Fheck off muppet.
You really are a total arsewipe.

 

[Bacongrills]

Bugsys big book of lies.
Volume one.

 

[Moderator]

My house was built in the very early fifties and from the outside, the lintels which are re-enforced concrete look roughly four inches wide.

Your early fifties house probably has higher ceilings than a nineties house. I‘d struggle to fit curtain pole brackets 20 cm above my lintels in my 89 house without the whole curtain tops thing looking too near the ceiling.

 

[Harryc]

Bugsys big book of lies.
Volume one, part i of xviii

View attachment 524603

 

[Moderator]

'You have no idea what you are talking about'
There, happy now?
Is this when you were a picture restorer, spy, medic or something else you have yet to reveal to us plebs?
Stop polluting decent threads with your poorly-researched wibble.

It was when he was running oversized hods strapped to his back up and down multiple storeys via the scaffolding (no ladders needed).

Don’t you know anything?

 

[giatttt]

There is some utter mince being stated in this thread on the subject of lintels. The average domestic lintel will have a cross section that courses with standard metric bricks. A traditional brick built house will have lintels on both inner and outer leafs.

The reinforcement is a steel wire that has been held in tension until the concrete has cured. The lintel can then be cut to length. The 100x65mm lintel I stuck up this afternoon had a single length, the 145x145mm one had two. This is our local supply: www.robslee.co.uk

 

[Harryc]

There is some utter mince being stated in this thread on the subject of lintels. The average domestic lintel will have a cross section that courses with standard metric bricks. A traditional brick built house will have lintels on both inner and outer leafs.

The reinforcement is a steel wire that has been held in tension until the concrete has cured. The lintel can then be cut to length. The 100x65mm lintel I stuck up this afternoon had a single length, the 145x145mm one had two. This is our local supply: www.robslee.co.uk

nice - poke it up your bottom.
Just for sh!ts and giggles.

 

[Moderator]

nice - poke it up your bottom.
Just for sh!ts and giggles.

With a concrete lintel poked up his bottom I don't imagine there’d be much of either, shits or giggles for the poor chap.. Trapped wind may be bit of a problem too.

 

[OneTenner]

It was when he was running oversized hods strapped to his back up and down multiple storeys via the scaffolding (no ladders needed).

Don’t you know anything?

Oh yer, forgot about that - was that whilst he was standing in for a Olympic runner and just happened to break several world and national records 'by accident' with no training other than a mug of builders tea and a couple of untipped woodies?