Removing a Load Bearing Wall? You Need a Quality Flitch Beam

A majority of homes today are moving away from the tradition of individual rooms and featuring an open concept. In order to renovate a home and give it an open concept feel, walls have to be removed. Often, this type of renovation may include having to take down load bearing walls. A load bearing wall can be removed as long as the proper header is installed. Most architects and contractors today prefer the use of flitch beam headers due to their ability to hold a heavier load and their stability over time.
Using Steel Flitch Beams
Headers come in a variety of flavors, but steel flitch beams are better suited for longer spans where plywood is not adequate to hold the weight of a roof or second floor. The main benefits of using a steel flitch beam include:

• More strength and weight to the header itself. The load capacity significantly increases, which is ideal when you are holding multiple floors.
• Longer openings can be created with a flitch beam. If you are opening multiple walls to create an open space, a flitch beam allows you to open the wall further than laminated veneer lumber or plywood.
• Equal distribution of the weight, especially when you are spanning a long distance and need to install a lally column under the beam to carry the weight into the foundation.

Freehold Welding offers flitch plates that will help increase the strength of an existing support beam. We can create a sandwiched wooden support beam with steel flitch plates on each side or we can create a full steel flitch beam, depending on the load requirements of your project.
If you need a considerably stronger support beam to handle structural load increases, contact our skilled welders and fabricators at Freehold Welding. Our team will fabricate and deliver the beam to your job site for installation.
Call us to request a quote at 732-577-1516 or contact us online.