One of the most basic tenets of masonry construction is maintaining a standard
3/8" joint thickness. Keeping the joint thickness right means straighter lines,
greater integrity, and a better overall appearance. But traditional methods have
made those goals easier said than done.
A
grass roots effort is under way to modernize the way CMU horizontal welded wire
reinforcing is manufactured and installed in North America. The driving force
behind these changes is due to the requirement to get the cross
rod
location spaced that better aligns to the CMU cross webs and provide for much
more uniform spacing between
veneer wall assemblies.
Because our spacer attaches to the wire at 8” intervals, the spacer itself sets
the bond. The photos on our video page shows how this would work. Bond is being established because there are spacers
that point downward into the head joints of the course below. You can also see
that the spacer elevates the wire towards the center of what would be the mortar
bed.
We adopted our NBL spacer to be used in conjunction with the use of continuous
Welded Wire Reinforcement (ladder type). This method aligns itself with
the cross rod intersections that are spaced at exactly 8” centers. Allowing for
clearance on the block cores to install rebar reinforcement.
This spacing allows for both stacked and running bond applications. This use in
masonry veneer walls, is beneficial in providing additional protection against
problems arising from thermal expansion and contraction. It also allows for a
more uniform distribution of lateral forces. To make the installation of
continuous wire more user-friendly than ever, the spacer is snapped right onto
the continuous wire tie itself.
