a galvanized pre-bent wall tie

For an anchoring system to work ideally, wall ties need to be installed in a grid pattern with equal spacing between each tie. This contributes to each anchor supporting an equal amount of load. Strip wall ties have to be installed every 400mm horizontally, and 600mm vertically for typical framing with studs every 16 inches (400mm). If structural members are spaced 2 feet apart, such as on trusses at gables, strip wall ties need to be installed every 600 mm vertically, and 400 mm horizontally. Other anchors fall under different rules following the table down below.

400 mm vertical spacing with 800 mm horizontal spacing
500 mm vertical spacing with 600 mm horizontal spacing
600 mm vertical spacing with 400 mm horizontal spacing

Tying a wall into structure helps avoid movement in the wall and and prevents the wall from total collapse during such events such as an earthquake. Proper installation will insure a masonry wall that will have integrity for lasting years. Contact Tundra Masonry for masonry built with integrity!

The Importance of Wall Ties

​Anchoring a masonry veneer to structure is one of the most important attributes of a masonry wall. The typical masonry wall found on most modern homes is only as thick as the width of one of its bricks or stones (1 wythe thick). As you can imagine a wall roughly 3.5 inches thick can be unstable. Anchoring a wall into structure helps prevent the wall from moving in and out. Where to install an anchor, the choice of anchor, and how often to install an anchor are all factors to consider when building a masonry wall with integrity. Lets talk about anchors AKA wall ties!

Due to anchors being installed in an exterior environment, in a corrosive bed of mortar, anchors have to be made to withstand harsh environments. Typically anchors for masonry are either galvanized or stainless steel. The nail or screw used to fasten the anchor to the structure should ideally be made from the same material as the anchor, to inhibit dissimilar metal corrosion.

In residential construction, the most popular way to anchor masonry to the structure of a house is to use strip wall ties. A strip wall tie is a corrugated galvanized piece of metal. It is installed by bending the the strip wall tie 90 degrees roughly in the middle, embedding at least 2/3rds of one side of the wall tie in mortar, and nailing the other end of the wall tie within 6mm (¼ inch) from the bend into to structure. The nail has to penetrate the structure of the house at least 62 mm. The problem with this product, which is so often used, is when you bend the galvanized strip wall tie, it ruins the galvanization at the bend, and it is no longer protected from rusting. Therefore it is best to use pre-bent wall ties, that have been bent before galvanization.