What is a footing course?
A footing course is a course of bricks or blocks laid flat on their bed face in cement mortar, forming a base for a wall, foundation, floor, chimney or road. In Dutch it is called a vlijlaag, from vlijen: to lay down gently.
Meanings
- Originally: a layer of bricks or stones laid without mortar on the bottom of the foundation trench, as the base of a shallow foundation.
- In building today: the lowest bedded course beneath the wall proper. A typical example is a course of calcium silicate units on a hollow-core slab floor, on which the wall is then built up.
- Rubble or broken stone: the term is sometimes also used for a layer of broken stone or rubble that acts as a foundation or levelling layer.
- Under paving: a bedding layer that gives the paving units above a good, even bed.
- Timber: in the past a timber base was also used, for example to stop a wall sinking into soft ground.
Application
In housing, the footing course often sits directly on a concrete floor or hollow-core slab. Because the units lie flat, they give a wide, stable bearing that takes up unevenness in the substrate. The rising masonry follows on top. It is closely related to the foundation levelling course, the first course of a wall set dead level.
Tips
- Set it level: the footing course fixes the height and flatness of everything above it. Check it along its full length with a spirit level or laser.
- Full mortar bed: lay the units in a full bed of mortar so that they bear everywhere and are not hollow underneath.
- Clean substrate: sweep sand, dust and loose debris off the floor before you start, otherwise the mortar bonds poorly.
- Damp-proofing: check where the damp-proof course belongs, so that rising damp cannot reach the wall through the footing course.
Related terms
- Foundation levelling course
- Calcium silicate brick
- Hollow-core slab floor
- Strip foundation
- Mortar
- Bedding in construction
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