Floor Joists For 2nd Floor

Ceiling joists are usually 2 by 6s or sometimes 2 by 4s if it is an older home.

Floor joists for 2nd floor. 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. A floor s framework is made up mostly of wooden joists that run parallel to one another at regular intervals. Floor joists are relatively large and are designed to support the floor of living spaces and large storage areas. 1 psf lb f ft 2 47 88 n m 2.

Ceiling joists are smaller boards that carry only the weight of ceiling materials drywall plaster paneling etc and are not designed to be. Since the example house we are designing for is 12 feet wide we need to find in the floor joist span table a joist size and centering that can span 12 or wider. The 2x12 lumber that i picked up a few weeks ago is perfect. If you re concerned about the structural integrity of sagging cracked or twisted joists in your house first call in a structural engineer to inspect the floor and recommend strengthening measures that ll take out the sags and bring the framing up to code search online or for engineers structural in the yellow pages.

Floor joists align with the wall studs which align with the first story floor joists. The floor joist spacing is the distance between the centers of any two installed joists. In the past 2x4s or 2x6s were sometimes used as floor joists. In the main floors of a home the floor joists also form the ceiling structure for living spaces.

Joist span and spacing is set by your local building code. 1 ft 0 3048 m. Floor joists are typically 2 by 8s 2 by 10s or 2 by 12s. See the image below for an example of joists spaced 16 on center 16 o c.

A room used solely for sleeping might need to carry only 30 psf whereas a garage floor over a basement would need 50 psf or higher. 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. There are two basic types of joists. Dead load weight of structure and fixed loads 10 lbs ft 2.

Some newer homes have manufactured i beam shaped joists. The joists are so straight that i can t hardly find the crown in the lumber. Maximum floor joist span for no. First floor live loads have higher requirements than second floor live loads 40 pounds per square foot vs.

Live load is weight of furniture wind snow and more. Floor joists installed on second or third or higher levels double as ceiling joists for the level below. This size is no longer acceptable when framing a structure. In buildings with basements the first level of floor joists serves the same purpose.