Suspended Timber First Floor Construction

Different types of ground floor suspended flooring.

Suspended timber first floor construction.

This creates a small gap and allows ventilation and air movement to prevent damp forming in the timber joists. Suspended timber ground floors consist of the finished timber floorboards being attached to floor joists which are suspended above the subfloor of the foundation. If there s wall board covered ceiling suspended from the underside of that floor the dead load increases to about 10 pounds per square foot. Suspended timber 58 m.

Suspended timber floors which are typically found in older houses are normally made from timber floorboards which are then attached to joists just above the foundations of a house. There are 2 types of floor construction used in the building industry today. A typical wood frame floor covered with carpet or vinyl flooring has a dead load of about 8 pounds per square foot. Ventilation is required in the same way as a suspended timber floor.

Solid floors are a lot more substantial and require the ground to be made up in layers of ground sub base sand compacted hard core damp proof membrane insulation and concrete. At the turn of the 18th century when construction techniques moved from boarded floors installed directly on the ground to suspended timber floors over a ventilated chamber the innovation solved a significant problem. The dead load on a floor is determined by the materials used in the floor s construction. Most self builders now fit underfloor heating into their homes.

This construction is similar to the timber floor above but uses either pre cast concrete planks or small pre cast concrete beams with concrete blocks laid between the beams. Suspended timber floors need to have spaces underneath ventilated via air bricks through the outer walls and gaps in any internal walls so that the air can move across the building underneath the floors to prevent the build up of moisture in the timber which could lead to fungal attack. Previously floor timbers had been prone to damp and rot thanks to their direct contact with the moist ground. Suspended floors are the norm for first floors and above but are also excellent for creating a level ground floor over uneven ground.

Concrete vs timber floors. Just how well this works depends to a great extent on the floor construction. They can normally span greater distances than timber joists. Constructing a floor installing insulation and laying 18mm chip board tongue and groove any questions fire away i always answer music by joakim karud dreams.

These can be classed as either suspended or solid. Concrete floors are high mass and will act like a giant storage heater staying warm for many hours without any heat.