Floor Beams And Joists

Common sense tells you that large floor joists can carry more load and spacing joists closer together also increases the load bearing capacity of a floor.

Floor beams and joists.

Though joists may be any size that you desire using typical floor joist and beam specifications ensures that you can find hardware to fit the joists and that the floor provides adequate support for furniture and other items in a room. Walls and columns often sit on floors so they may rest indirectly on beams. The function of a beam is to provide to straight level surface even with the top of the mudsill which will support the floor joist system between the foundation walls. The load carried by joists and beams is applied at a right angle to the length of the span.

The most common example can be seen in a basement or crawlspace where a large main beam runs down the center of the space and is supported every 8 feet or so with a column or concrete pier. That is beams and joists are building parts that lay flat rather than stand up. Floor joists or beams provide the below surface support for the wood subfloor of a room. But larger is not always better when builders are constructing a home or adding a room addition.

Technically joists are a type of beam. The extra two inches of vertical distance when a floor is framed with 2 x 10 joists rather than 2 x 12s can be quite important for example. Both stretch across long spans. Another way to say that beams and joists hold up weight pushing down along the long straight side.

Beam and joist arrangements can form a supporting frame for a floor. Like other framing components beam and joist floor frames are often pre constructed transported to the site and attached to stumps or. Joists are typically shorter and lay across the beams to give them horizontal support. Beams are thicker and longer and are laid vertically.