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.

Floor joists for 2nd floor.

Framing for floor openings a staircase is essential for commuting between floors but it creates an opening in the second floor so you can t run the joists from one side of the house to the other without interruption. Floor joists installed on second or third or higher levels double as ceiling joists for the level below. Ceiling joists are usually 2 by 6s or sometimes 2 by 4s if it is an older home. 2 grade of douglas fir are indicated below.

Floor joists are typically 2 by 8s 2 by 10s or 2 by 12s. 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. The joists are so straight that i can t hardly find the crown in the lumber. The 2x12 lumber that i picked up a few weeks ago is perfect.

Some newer homes have manufactured i beam shaped joists. In buildings with basements the first level of floor joists serves the same purpose. 1 psf lb f ft 2 47 88 n m 2. The floor joist spacing is the distance between the centers of any two installed joists.

This size is no longer acceptable when framing a structure. 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. There are two basic types of joists. Live load is weight of furniture wind snow and more.

See the image below for an example of joists spaced 16 on center 16 o c. Maximum floor joist span for no. Dead load weight of structure and fixed loads 10 lbs ft 2. 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. A floor s framework is made up mostly of wooden joists that run parallel to one another at regular intervals. In the past 2x4s or 2x6s were sometimes used as floor joists. First floor live loads have higher requirements than second floor live loads 40 pounds per square foot vs.

Floor joists align with the wall studs which align with the first story floor joists. 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 are relatively large and are designed to support the floor of living spaces and large storage areas. 1 ft 0 3048 m.