Suspended Wood Floor House

A suspended floor is a ground floor with a void underneath the structure.

Suspended wood floor house.

Ground floor hollow or timber floor. Hollow floors also known as suspended or timber floors are simply timber joists suspended across and supported by load bearing walls under the floor. The dead load on a floor is determined by the materials used in the floor s construction. Traditional ground floors have consisted of little more than a few flagstones or bricks placed directly over the soil.

Ceiling joists are usually 2 by 6s or sometimes 2 by 4s if it is an older home. A floor s framework is made up mostly of wooden joists that run parallel to one another at regular intervals. The victorian era saw the widespread introduction in mass housing with suspended timber floors alongside rudimentary solid floors in hard wearing areas such as kitchens and hallways. 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.

Even if your household doesn t have pets or children the simple act of walking across the floor in shoes is sometimes enough to disturb other people in the home. How to insulate suspended timber floors. Some newer homes have manufactured i beam shaped joists. This combination persisted well into the 1930s with solid concrete.

The fixes we ll show work for both solid wood joists and wood i joists. That means having an unfinished basement a basement with an easily removed suspended ceiling or an accessible crawlspace. Floor joists are typically 2 by 8s 2 by 10s or 2 by 12s. All you need to know.

The floor can be formed in various ways using timber joists precast concrete panels block and beam system or cast in situ with reinforced concrete. Hardwood floors are a popular choice for many homeowners because of their classic beauty and excellent durability. This insulates the floor but still allows some air to circulate preventing the timber from getting damp and rotting. For two of the three fixes we show solutions a and b you need access to the floor joists from below.

The ends of these timber joists are built into or suspended by joist hangers from the external walls of the property. There are a few ways to insulate a suspended floor but the best most breathable way is to hang insulation under the floorboards.