what to replace a timber lintel with?

[mat.]

hi, i am in a 1900's terraced house, divided in two maisonettes. mine is the lower one, ground & basement floors. i am doing some work as it was neglected and damp in the basement was left on its own.

there are two steps to access the house from the pavement, and under this steps there is a coal hole. this can be access from the main bedroom through a small door. water is filtering down the pavement and the whole area is damp. there used to be a timber lintel supporting the step above, but it just crumbled down, it was like a big sponge.

i cleared the space where the lintel was and have this measurements for a new lintel,

length x width x height

1500 x 240 x 120 (mm)

this is the space left by the timber lintel, and i was unable to find a new lintel of this size. the closest one is, 1500 x 215 x 100, which seems a proper match.

i am a bit confused as the type of lintel i should use. i would like to avoid timber as damp in that area will always appear. (got the council for the loose pavement slabs, they came, it is better now, but still water finds its way through.) the ones i've discovered so far are concrete and steel lintels.

i read that concrete lintels need at least a number of brick courses on top of them to perform properly. as it is just the step above it, there must only be one or two courses on top of it.

.would a concrete lintel be alright as it is just a step and shouldn't have to deal with more than, maybe, two big humans on top?

.if steel lintels are the way to go, are these lintels all rust proof, or should i look for stainless steel only?

i'd appreciate any help/advice.

also, any good pointers as where to get the lintel from?

thanks and regards, mat.

[BigWallop]

Try looking through these pages:

[mat.]

i am assuming that 12 Kn/M is more than two big people standing on the step holding a piano.

am i too far off?

[Michael McNeil]

At 5 foot by 9 1/2 by 4 3/4 inches it sounds more like a step than a lintle. You might pour the concrete yourself if you can set up the bottom to jold it in place until it sets. That's the most waterproof way of doing it. Failing that Make th epiece up with layers of wood treated with preservative. That's the simplest and quickest way.

Or you could get a timberyard or a tree surgeon to cut you a chunk of tree.

[BigWallop]

See this page: (It's further down in bold text)

[BigWallop]

Newton

The SI unit of force; symbol N. It is equal to the force needed to accelerate a mass of 1kg by 1 metre per second, in one second.

It is also the SI unit of modulus of elasticity.

[Dave Baker]

Nope - that's Newtons per square metre. Modulus of elasticity is a pressure not a force.

Dave Baker - Puma Race Engines

I'm not at all sure why women like men. We're argumentative, childish, unsociable and extremely unappealing naked. I'm quite grateful they do though.