Types of Bearing Wall Support

Function

• Unlike curtain walls, which are metal and glass panels acting as barriers between a building’s structural components and the environment, bearing walls support the vertical load in a building. Another difference between curtain walls and bearing walls is that the latter must support its own weight. A building’s vertical load includes floors, joists, beams and roofs. The horizontal load is exerted by outside forces such as wind and earthquakes. Likewise, columns, which connect vertical walls sitting on foundation walls, help counter these vertical and horizontal loads within the bearing wall system.

Masonry Bearing Wall

• Masonry bearing walls or concrete masonry units (CMU) act as both the building’s foundation and its walls. CMUs can be constructed out of clay brick or concrete blocks. This bearing system might also include calcium silicate brick and hollow clay tile. Because masonry bearing wall systems must be constructed on a strong, firm base, masonry is used to support buildings with steel framing and concrete beams. For instance, masonry bearing walls would not be used with a wood framing, since possible moisture would weaken the wood and endanger the masonry unit.

Wood Bearing Walls

• Wood bearing walls usually rest on a cast foundation and are used in residential homes. Vertical loads such as upper floors typically are composed of plywood or other wood material. The foundation separates and protects the bearing wall from exposure to soil and moisture. Structural components such as lintels are made of materials including lumber and Parallam (a brand of engineered wood).

Concrete Bearing Walls

• Concrete bearing walls are made with cast-in-place or precast concrete. Cast-in-place concrete is produced and poured at the construction site. Precast concrete is assembled first and then transferred to the jobsite for assembly and construction. Because precast concrete bearing walls are helpful when pouring concrete at the project site is not possible, this material can be used to build beams, columns, vertical walls and horizontal planks. Cast-in-place concrete is often used for a building’s foundation walls and reinforced with steel plates during the curing process.

Metal Bearing Walls

• Light gauge metal bearing walls support concrete slabs laid on metal floor decks. In a light gauge metal bearing wall system, the slabs are held up by walls and the steel joists or members that run between the walls of the building. The metal studs that make up the steel framing require runners or tracks at the top and bottom of the structure. All of these structural components stand on cast-in-place concrete or masonry foundation walls. Steel bearing walls usually run cheaper than wood frames due to fluctuating timber prices.