Floor Joist Alternatives

You better have a very fat wallet and an engineer to sign off for the modification in mass.

Floor joist alternatives.

With the wide range of joists used in house construction i thought i would show three common alternatives to traditional timber joists. Here are some alternatives to floor joist replacement that will save money and keep you from tearing up the entire floor. Engineered floor joists are one of these new wonder products that give the architect. Engineered floor joists are custom cut at the factory to the precise length required so time and waste are minimized on the construction site.

Generally newer home floor joists are made from 2x8s or new engineered i beams older homes however may have 2x6s instead. That is of course you want to go complete commercial with steel and concrete panel floors. Joists are horizontal supports that span from wall to wall wall to beam or beam to beam. Also called dimensional lumber these floor joists are easy to get and require no special design for installation.

Let s examine three of these materials. Engineered wood products have pushed the design boundaries to lengths that seemed unachievable a few short years ago. Open joist triforce. Engineered floor joists a better alternative ad 1 modern technology has improved the materials available to the construction industry.

A compelling engineered wood floor alternative triforce costs less than open web trusses yet is as strong and as rigid. This open joist triforce is a compelling alternative in engineered wood floor systems well worth investigating. Modern alternatives are lighter use less wood and can span greater distances than the solid joists. I joists provide a high performance alternative to dimension lumber joists for floor and roof applications.

The installation methods are pretty standard and are therefore known by most carpenters. While it is a good idea to replace rotted material with 2x8s it may require some notching to fit between the sub floor and ledger board. Sistering is the process of installing a second joist to each existing joist and is the best method for reinforcing an existing floor. Basically a tree is cut down and milled to produce 2 10 s or 2 12 s.

Other than engineered joists which are also made of wood products the only alternative are steel i beams with a wood nailer. Using the same size material and using one size smaller. Dimensional floor joists are the old method for framing floors. These composite joists are lighter and use far less timber than a solid joist for an equivalent span.

It has the added benefit of being adjustable onsite. Several popular options include solid lumber lvl wood i beams steel joists and open web floor trusses.