Hi, a builder has put a patio door in and for the brickwork above the lintel, he's used expanding foam between the brickwork instead of compo. Is this common practice as he told me. Thanks Rylan
No! You should never use expanding foam as an alternative to sand & cement mix (Compo)
Absolutely not, foam is only ever used in the 5/10mm gap which is the tolerance when measuring/fitting a new window or door it should never be used as a substitute for mortar it degrades over time. Thanks LMH Estates
I’d only use expanding foam to fill the gap around the frame once it’s been secured in by the fixings screws. The excess is trimmed off and either a plastic trim is used or pointed up.
No this is definitely not common practice
Hi there the simple answer is no as expanding foam would still have movement when its gone off as compo goes hard the tradesman would be okay sealing the side of the doors with expanding foam but not for holding your bricks together
Yes it is common practice to fill around windows or doors with expanding foam. Then you can point over it with mortar or apply pvc trims over the top.
Hope this helps.
Jack
If between the top of door and lintel then yes, if above that’s a big no!
Thats not common practice it should be mortar between bricks.
No this is definitely not to be used as a replacement of mortar! Do you have photos as it’s not unusual to use expanding foam when fitting a door! But as you’ve explained it’s not meant to be this way
No this isnt comon practice.
No , expanding foam is for filling gaps around windows , doors etc to provide extra strength and windproofing
expanding foam can be used as an alternative to sealant to fill gaps around the door or window frames, it is not recommended for use in place of mortar or compo as it is not designed to provide structural support.
Brickwork above a lintel requires a strong and stable bond between the bricks and the lintel to prevent the bricks from sagging or moving over time. Traditional mortar or compo provides this support and helps to distribute the weight of the brickwork evenly across the lintel.
Definitely not always mortar 100%
This should be mortar between lintel and brickwork
hard to tell without seeing the issue but the brick work should be sat on the lintel normally a very thin bed or resin or slate can be used ,
Yes expanding foam is common practice in this situation
No it can not go between the lintel and brickwork it can go between lintel and door but that’s it
No this is not acceptable expanding foam has no load bearing properties ..Only used between frame and lintel ..
You use mortar not foam on brickwork
no foam is only a filler medium not structural
If it’s under the lintel where the door has been fitted and there’s a tiny gap then yes. This is common practice to seal to door.
But if it’s on top of the lintel and it’s for a brick to be bedded then no. This is pretty dangerous
Expanding foam is used in a wide range of applications especially when working with doors, windows and brickwork.
Don t understand why above the lintel. Above lintel shod be the brick without any gap, the gap is between the door frame and lintel. Any way any gap between bricks should be mortar, or dry pack mortar.
Definitely not, should be packed with slate and filled with mortar.
Yes but I would prefer to do it in sand and cement
foam is for filling little gaps that not seen and stuff if it actually face brick it needs pointing up properly
Yes alot of builders do this. Some use mortar aswell
No this isn’t common practice to put expanding foam in the brickwork joints if that’s what you mean they should be pointed back in so it’s all solid and sound . If it’s around the patio door frame then yes expanding foam is used to fill in the gap around it before it gets sealed with a sealant
Absolutely not, expanding foam is primarily used to fill in small gaps or small voids and should never be used as an alternative to mortar to bond bricks together.
It depends where it is. If it’s substituting a brick joint then this is wrong. But if it’s around the frame work in the patio doors then it’s fine.
No, this should filled and pack tight with compo for strength purposes
This is definitely not common practice at all
He’s been lazy there,or unable to actually relay the bricks