HeliFix crack stitching & brick repairs

The render isn’t always the problem

Render on a brick wall can only be as stable as the bricks behind it. If the brickwork is cracking, whether from footing movement, rusting lintels, tree roots, or walls that were never tied together properly, the crack will come straight back through any new render. Stepped cracks that follow the brick pattern are the classic sign.

That’s why we stabilise the masonry first and render second.

What HeliFix crack stitching is

HeliFix is a crack stitching system that uses stainless steel helical bars. A slot is cut into the mortar bed joints across the crack, the bars are set into a grout, and the joint is finished so the repair sits inside the wall. The bars tie the cracked sections back together and spread the load along the wall, without rebuilding it.

• No demolition or rebuilding of the wall in most cases
• Bars are stainless steel, so they don’t rust inside the wall
• The repair sits in the mortar joints, out of sight once rendered
• The brickwork keeps some flexibility rather than being made rigid

How we repair cracked brickwork behind render

1. Inspect the cracking, remove render along the crack where needed, and look for the cause.
2. Engineer’s input where the movement is significant or the job is to be warranted by HeliFix.
3. Cut slots into the bed joints across the crack at the spacing the design requires.
4. Install HeliFix bars in grout, and fill the crack itself.
5. Repair damaged bricks and mortar where needed.
6. Re-render and recoat the area, with mesh over the repair, so the wall finishes evenly.

Other brick repairs we carry out

• Replacing cracked, spalled or blown bricks before rendering
• Rebuilding small damaged sections of brickwork
• Repairing brickwork around failed lintels once the lintel is dealt with
• Preparing old brick walls so new render has a sound base

Seeing stepped cracks through your render? Send us photos of the crack and the whole wall.