Laying A Floor On Joists

Wood joists are structural framing members that are laid upright on edge and nailed equally spaced usually 16 inches on center onto the wall plates.

Laying a floor on joists.

If the uneven floor is due to floor joists that have warped or twisted over time or were incorrectly installed the only way to level the floor is to remove the subflooring and shim the joists. Most flooring installers will lay the flooring parallel to the long length of the room to avoid the ladder affect. Install the rim joist to the end of the ledger with through screws. Laying a floor joist in a wood frame house is a simple procedure that can be done in 4 easy steps.

I agree that if you have less than 3 4 of you should definitely run the flooring perpendicular to the joists or at a 45 degree angle. Joists range in size from 2 x 6 to 2 x 12 based on the distance being spanned. True floor joist span calculations can only be made by a structural engineer or contractor. The correct direction for laying hardwood floors.

This sample table gives minimum floor joist sizes for joists spaced at 16 inches and 24 inches on center o c for 2 grade lumber with 10 pounds per square foot of dead load and 40 pounds of live load which is typical of normal residential construction. You ll use the same size lumber to assemble the rim joists as you will for the main floor joists. If raising the floor height is not a problem you can install a layer of 1 2 inch plywood over the existing 3 4 inch plywood. Joist span and spacing is set by your local building code.

For most jobs 2 in 5 1 cm x 10 in 25 cm boards are an ideal size. While most residential construction uses 2x8 joists with 16 inch spacing there are many other factors you need to consider when determining the proper joist span length. Joists are cut to lay flush with the outer surface of the. The other option assuming you have access to the open joists from below is to install 2x4 blocking between the joists 24 inches on center.

To get all the joists 16 in. However if you have 3 4 plywood or osb you can change the direction. The rim joist sits vertically on top of the sill plate along the outside of the frame to create a lip for the main floor joists. Second installing the rim joist to the.

When building a house or even a deck it is important to confirm you have the correct joist sizes spans and spacing before you get started.