Joists span across the tops of load bearing walls and may be supported at mid span by a beam or other member.
Floor joist and wall.
After joists are installed plywood subflooring and or drywall are fastened to the joists to complete the structural floor or ceiling.
In building constructions the term joist refers to a horizontal framing member that is the primary structural element of a floor or ceiling frame.
True floor joist span calculations can only be made by a structural engineer or contractor.
How joists support floors and ceilings joists the horizontal members that span two walls and or beams have to carry the weight of the walls people furniture appliances and other stuff we place on them.
Both are horizontal members meaning they are installed level with the ground or floor below and both are supported on their ends and sometimes in their middles by load bearing walls columns or other types of vertical supports.
Joists are spaced at regular intervals much like the studs in a wall frame.
They are covered with subflooring panels of plywood or oriented strandboard osb to complete the floor s structural assembly and create the solid continuous platform on which you install tile carpet or other finish flooring.
When a load is applied to a joist the wood fibers along the bottom edge go into tension and those along the top go into compression fig.
Joists and beams are two types of structural elements that have similar and related functions in home construction.