Movement joints allow floors and walls to expand and contract. Movement joints can also be used to enable different parts of the same wall or floor to move independently, which can be necessary if they are built off different foundations or supported in different ways.
Why movement joints are important
The amount a wall or floor moves is often small but can be enough to cause cracking and sometimes destabilisation. Structural Repairs Ltd can retrofit movement joints to both floors and walls, either to an engineer’s design and specification or as specified by our in-house team. Movement joints are commonly retrofitted to long walls where thermal expansion is more pronounced. Where possible we hide movement joints behind rainwater downpipes or other convenient features.
Creating a movement joint
The construction of a movement joint can involve the installation of slip ties, remedial wall ties, flexible filler and prefabricated covers. In conjunction with the installation of a movement joint we can undertake other works such as rebuilding or repointing brickwork, installing Helifix masonry stabilisation or applying a plaster skim on internal walls.