Floor structure
A floor consists of several components. There are of course the floor joists, but also the beams, the rim boards, the low walls & the hangers.
The team of qualified contractors at Structures Première has all the know-how necessary to offer you personalized and sustainable solutions for floor structures in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
The floor joists are the principal supports of the floor, installed every 16" C/C (Center/Center), they will make the major part of the floor structure.
The beams, they are used in the majority of the cases, to divide the spans that are too long. Let say a 30' X 40' house, instead of putting floor joists of 30' span which will be more expensive because of their height, a beam is installed at half span, with steel posts to support it. That causes a decrease in the span of the floor joists to 15', therefore to be able to use floor joists with less height and thus to reduce the overall costs.
The rim boards are used to close the perimeter of the floor. We only use them to close the side of the floor perpendicular to the floor joists. The rim boards also help to transfer the loads from the walls, to the foundations. In the direction of the floor joists, at the perimeter, we use low walls.
The low walls are used to transfer the loads from the walls, to the foundations. The floor joists are not designed to be compressed, so we use a low wall in the place of the floor joist above the foundation on the perimeter.
The hangers are used to retain all the components together, in a coherent and uniform element.
A detailed assembly drawing is provided with each floor structure.
We offer three types of floor joists. All have an open web structure. The principal advantage of an open web joist is its open structure making it possible to pass mechanical, plumbing and electrical components without affecting the uniformity of the joist.
Open web joists, wood webs (slotted & glued)
These joists, which bear the name of Open Joist TriForce, are deliverable in 9 ½", 11 7/8", 14" & 16" height, for spans up to 30'.
Advantage
Competitive price
Adjustable
Disadvantage
No disadvantage observed
These data are based on a spacing of 16" C/C of the joists and are calculated with live loads of 40 lbs/square foot, dead loads of 15 lbs/square foot and a deflection of L/360.
Open web joists, wood webs (plated)
These joists, which bear the name of SP-4, are deliverable in in 9 ½", up to 24" & + height. There is no real height limit, they will have the necessary height to support the floor loads for spans up to 39'-5".
Advantage
Custom made, no adjustment necessary
Possibility of making specific spaces for mechanical components on request
Possibility of using the joists in top chord bearing configuration
Disadvantage
Not adjustable, custom made
Price a little higher
These data are based on a spacing of 16" C/C of the joists and are calculated with live loads of 40 lbs/square foot, dead loads of 15 lbs/square foot and a deflection of L/360.
The span of 39' - 5" is not a limit, but rather the maximum span for a joist of 24" in height. There is always the possibility to make joists of this type with more height and thus to cover even longer span.
LVL beams
Our wood beams are of laminated & glued type. We use these kinds of beams in our floors but also to make lintels. LVL beams are available in 9 ½", 11 7/8", 14", 16", 18", 20" & 24" in height. They come in pieces of 60", but are cut in factory with the necessary length. Each LVL part has a thickness of 1 ¾", and in the majority of the cases, the beam will have to be made up of more than one ply, i.e. several pieces of LVL will have to be nailed or bolted together.
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