In header bond every course of the wall is a course of headers: the whole wall shows nothing but the short ends of the bricks. Each course is offset by half a header from the one below. The Dutch names are *patijtsverband* and *koppenverband*.
Why headers only
In a wall more than one brick thick, a header lies across the wall. That means every single brick ties the two faces of the wall together. The result:
- Maximum bonding across the wall — the wall behaves as one solid block rather than two skins standing side by side.
- High compressive strength — which makes it the bond of choice for heavily loaded, thick masonry.
- Suited to curved work — headers make round walls, arches and vaults easier to build than stretchers, because the joints splay less towards the outside face.
Applications
Header bond was used historically wherever strength mattered more than appearance:
- Foundations and cellars
- Fortifications, bastions and casemates
- Hydraulic works such as lock walls and quay walls
- Vaults and arches, whose curvature calls for headers
- Wells and flues with a circular cross-section
Header bond versus a header course
A header course is a single course of headers within a bond that also contains stretchers, as in English or Flemish bond. In header bond the entire wall face is made up of header courses; no stretcher appears at all.
Points to watch
- Considerably more bricks go into a square metre than in a bond with stretchers, which makes the work slower and more expensive.
- The tight, small-scale appearance is distinctive. When restoring a historic facade it is important to continue the existing bond exactly.
- Make sure every course offsets cleanly by half a header; otherwise the perpends line up and the wall loses the very bonding the bond was chosen for.
Related terms
- Brick bond
- Header course
- English bond
- Stretcher bond
- Stretcher
- Perpend
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