Steel Lintel Replacement NYC
Steel lintel replacement in NYC for rusted lintels that are cracking and pushing out the brick above your windows and doors. We open the masonry, replace the failed steel, and rebuild the brick so it matches the rest of the wall.
- Rusted Lintels Replaced
- Brick Rebuilt & Matched
What Steel Lintel Replacement Involves
A lintel is the beam that carries the brick over a window or door opening. In most NYC brick buildings, that beam is a steel angle hidden just behind the first course of brick above the opening. Steel lintel replacement means removing the brick over the opening, taking out the old steel, setting a new lintel in its place, and rebuilding the masonry on top of it.
The trouble starts when water reaches the steel. Rust takes up far more space than the steel it comes from, so as a lintel corrodes, it swells and lifts the brick above it. That pressure, often called rust jacking, is behind many of the cracks you see at the corners of NYC windows. Once it starts, it doesn’t stop on its own. The steel keeps rusting, the cracks keep growing, and the brick over the opening slowly loosens.
Why Rusted Lintels in NYC Can't Just Be Painted Over
Painting or caulking a rusted lintel from the outside hides the problem for a season at most. The damage is on the back and ends of the steel, buried inside the wall, and it keeps expanding whether you can see it or not. The only lasting fix is to open the wall, replace the steel, and make sure water can’t get to the new lintel the way it reached the old one.
Brick Opened Above the Window
The masonry over the opening is removed carefully so the old lintel can come out without disturbing the wall around it.
New Lintel, Proper Bearing
A new corrosion-protected steel lintel is set with solid bearing on both ends of the opening.
Flashing & Weeps Restored
Flashing over the new lintel sends water back out of the wall instead of letting it sit on the steel.
How to Spot a Failing Lintel From the Street
Lintel damage has a pattern, and once you know it, it’s easy to see on almost any block in the city.
Look at the brick right above and beside your windows. If any of these are showing, the steel inside is likely rusting.
Stair-Step Cracks at Window Corners
Cracks climbing diagonally up from the top corners of an opening.
Rust Streaks on the Brick
Orange staining running down the wall from above a window.
Flaking Steel You Can See
Layers of rust peeling off the exposed edge of the lintel.
A Crack Along the Lintel Line
A horizontal crack in the first course of brick over the window.
Brick Bulging Over the Opening
Masonry pushed outward or uneven above the window head.
Windows Starting to Stick
Frames that bind or shift, which can happen as the opening distorts.
Step by Step, How We Replace Steel Lintels in NYC
The brick above a window is carried by the lintel, so the wall has to be supported the whole time the old one is out.
01
Support the Masonry
The brick above the opening is temporarily supported before anything is removed.
02
Remove Brick & Old Lintel
The masonry over the window is taken down and the rusted steel pulled out.
03
Set New Lintel & Flashing
The new lintel goes in with proper bearing, and flashing is installed above it.
04
Rebuild, Point & Clean
Brick is rebuilt to match, joints are pointed, and the wall is cleaned.
Lintels, Local Law 11, and Other NYC Requirements
Rusted lintels show up in more than one NYC rule, depending on the size and type of your building.
A Common FISP Finding
On buildings over six stories, cracked and displaced brick at window heads is often listed in FISP reports.
Landmarked Buildings
On landmarked buildings and in historic districts, the rebuilt brick and mortar above the lintel generally need to match what LPC approves.
Work Above the Sidewalk
Upper-floor lintel work may call for scaffolding and pedestrian protection, and larger jobs can involve DOB permits.
What Goes Into Steel Lintel Replacement Cost in NYC
Lintel jobs are priced opening by opening. What we find at each window shapes the final number.
Number & Length of Lintels
How many openings need new steel, and how wide they are.
Floor Level & Access
Ground-floor openings versus upper floors needing scaffolding.
Brick Above the Opening
How much masonry has to come down and be matched.
Window Interference
Whether trim or the window itself has to come out.
Why NYC Owners Hire Us for Lintel Replacement
A lintel job looks simple from the outside, but most of the skill is in what gets hidden again once the brick goes back up.
Replaced, Not Patched
Failed steel comes out every time, never painted over.
Water Kept Off the New Steel
Flashing installed so the new lintel stays dry.
Masonry Supported Throughout
The wall is carried safely while the old lintel is out.
Brick That Blends In
Rebuilt masonry matched to the wall around it.
Customer Stories From Our Lintel Replacements
4.6 /5
Lintel Replacement Projects in NYC
Related Masonry Services in NYC
Steel Lintel Replacement Throughout NYC & Westchester
Rusted lintels are one of the most common masonry problems on older brick buildings in the city. We replace them on houses, row homes, and apartment buildings in four NYC boroughs and Westchester County.
- Bronx
- Brooklyn
- Manhattan
- Queens
- Westchester