Are Floor Trusses Stronger Than Joists?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Are floor trusses stronger than joists? Because of less material consumption, trusses are lightweight. In addition to all these things, they provide a wider nailing surface for proper nailing strength.

Floor trusses offer better strength and stability than floor joists in larger spans

.

Are trusses stronger than joists?

Pros: Span longer distances than traditional joists, removing the need for walls in some areas. Lighter weight.

Stronger than traditional joists

.

What’s the difference between floor trusses and floor joists?


The joist supports the load which the floor is built to bear. A truss is used to support the roof

.

What are the advantages of a floor truss system?

About Floor Truss Systems

Some of the greatest benefits include

the ability to provide a stronger load bearing surface and easier versatility for other construction components including plumbing and ductwork

. They also help to speed the building process as there are no modifications needed at the construction site.

Should I use floor trusses?


If you couple floor trusses with factory-built walls, you can minimize construction time and get your house under roof faster

. The precision of these factory-built components is remarkable. I can assure you, the workmanship is far better than you’ll get from most carpenters stick-building your home.

How much weight can floor trusses hold?

That means the joists can support a minimum of

40 pounds per square foot live load

. Though, by consulting the 50 pounds per square foot live load/10 pounds per square foot dead load table, you can see the joists’ span would need to be reduced to 11 feet 11 inches to support heavier weight safely.

How long can you span floor trusses?

A floor truss can be designed to span

30 or more feet

with ease. The truss manufacturer can build them so strong that there’s no bounce to the floor at all. This comes in handy if you desire a tile floor.

Do floor trusses need center support?

There are numerous advantages to using floor truss systems.

Floor trusses don’t require interior supports

which creates larger clearspan flexibility, so interior wall design and placement are easy to build and alter.

How much bearing do floor trusses need?

Unless indicated otherwise by Open Joist Engineering, minimum bearing length of

1-1/2”

is required to support each end of an Open Joist floor truss (see Framing Details 3, 3A and 3B). Open Joist is a bottom-chord-bearing product that must be supported by the truss’ bottom chord.

Do floor trusses squeak?


If there is movement in the components of the truss, it could cause friction between the wood and the metal plate which could lead to squeaks

.

How do you strengthen floor trusses?

The best way to strengthen floor joists from underneath is to

make a supporting mid-span beam or wall beneath the wobbling joists

. Using jack posts or 6×6 posts and 2×10 or 2×8 beams perpendicular to the joists will solve any wobble and ensure your joists never move again.

How do you support floor trusses?

How far apart should floor trusses be?

Most often, floor joist spacing is

16 inches apart on center

, but this can vary depending on building codes and the requirements of the structure in the blueprint.

Are floor trusses cheaper?


Floor trusses are expensive

. Unless there is a good reason for your project to have floor trusses (unusually long spans or heavy load requirements), it would be much more cost-effective opt for a more economical option that does not compromise performance such as the TRIFORCE

®

open joist (see span tables).

Can a floor joist span 30 feet?

Joists are available in several depths and lengths and

superior strength allows them to span up to 30 feet

(TRIFORCE span tables).

Are engineered floor joists better?

While the dimensional lumber versus engineered joists is a close race, we suggest that

an engineered I-beam floor joist is a better choice

. The engineered wood ranks better in both cost, strength, and ease of installation. They are also very versatile and can have larger holes than a 2×10.

Can a floor hold 2000 pounds?

Depends on how over the minimum the original construction was designed to, but

would need to be at least 60 PSF to for a 2,000 pounds load concentrated over a 60′′x80′′ area

. Over a 12′ span, you would need to have at least 2x8s installed at 16′′ on center to support 60 PSF.

Can a floor hold 1000 pounds?

Let’s say you have a three foot wide safe that weighs 1,000 pounds, and your floor joists span 12 feet (which is typical).

This three foot by 12 foot section of the floor was designed to safely carry a live load of 3 x 12 x 40 PSF, which equals 1,440 pounds

.

Can a floor collapse from too much weight?

Excessive Weight on a Floor

However,

if load-bearing supports are not installed properly, this can cause a floor to collapse

. Additionally, some floor collapses can be caused by an excessive amount of people standing or jumping in an already weak area of a floor.

Can floor trusses span 24 feet?

What size i joist to span 24′:– as per general thumb rules and guideline,

a 2-5/6′′×14′′ size of i joists made of engineered wood can allows spans up to 24 feet for a live load of 40 pounds per square foot and dead load of 10 pounds per square foot when spaced 16 inches apart

.

How far can trusses span without support?

A roof truss can span

up to 80′

without support, however in any home that distance would be impractical and incredibly costly. Trusses are designed to span spaces without interior supports, and spans of up to 40′ are the most common in today’s homes.

How far can 2×4 floor trusses span?

A 2×4 can span a maximum of

6′ 7” when spaced 16” apart

and used as a floor or deck joist. When used as a ceiling joist or a roof rafter, a 2×4 can span up to 7′ 3” spaced at 16”, and 6′ 4” when spaced 24” apart. Due to the small spans of 2x4s, they often are not used in horizontal load-bearing capacities.

Are trusses load bearing?

Most exterior walls are load bearing, but not all.

It all comes down to where the roof trusses/rafters and floor joists/trusses are bearing

.

Are trusses stronger than rafters?

They have superior span and strength –

Both the span and strength of truss roofs are superior to rafters

. While truss spans can reach up to 60 feet, rafter spans usually can only reach to about 30 feet. Also, the webbing of truss roofs provides excellent structural strength.

Can you cut into a floor truss?

Are I joists cheaper than trusses?

ADVANTAGE: I-Joists


“I’s” are significantly cheaper than Floor trusses

. Money that can be used on other things throughout the house building process.

Do floor joists have to sit on a beam?

Floor joists spread the loads bearing from above, and must be framed adequately to complete the load paths. Ideally,

if a load-bearing wall runs parallel to floor joists, then it should sit directly over a beam

or a joist supported by a load-bearing wall below.

How long can floor joists be without support?

With 16” spacing, a floor joist can span

up to 14′

as long as it is not cantilevered and terminates with support on either end. If the joists are 24” apart, then one 2×10 joist can span up to 11′ 5”. These lengths are for SYP lumber.

Why does my floor creak when I walk on it?

The noise that you hear when you step on a floorboard (or floorboards) is usually a result of

loose boards

. The bounciness and movement in these loose boards causes them to rub together or onto a fixing nail or floor joist which, in turn, creates an unpleasant and annoying noise referred to as creaking or squeaking.

Why does my floor creak upstairs?

There are a number of reasons why we get creaky floors. These include, for example, friction caused between two hard surfaces rubbing together, movement in a floor, incorrect installation of a timber structure, flex in the joists, incorrect fixings or joists that are not level.

How do you fix squeaky floor trusses?

Does Sistering floor joists work?

Professionals Fix Structural Damage With Joist Sistering

Joist sistering is adding an extra identical floor joist, to a damaged or inadueqate floor joist, and tieing the two together with screws or nails.

It is a very effective way of adding the additional strength needed to hold up a sagging floor

.

How much can you jack up a sagging floor?

It’s important not to jack your floor too fast. If you do, you can cause the wall above the area to crack. Instead, Jack your floor slowly. As a rule of thumb, you only want to raise your floor

1/8 of an inch a day

.

How do I stop my floor from bouncing?

  1. Sistering. Doubling the thickness of joists by adding material to their sides increases strength and stiffness. …
  2. Stiffening the underside. When a joist deflects, its bottom edge stretches slightly. …
  3. Adding mid-span blocking. …
  4. Adding a beam.

Does double joists increase span?

For example,

if you double the thickness or number of joists in a floor, the distance the boards can span will increase by approximately 25%

. But if you double the width of the boards, the distance the joists can span increases between 80% to 100%, even though you’re using the same board feet of lumber.

What is the maximum span for a 2×12 floor joist?

A 2×12 (2-by-12) floor joists can span up to

23 feet 3 inches

, 2×10 (2-by-10) up to 19 feet 1 inches, 2×8 (2-by-8) up to 15 feet & 2×6 (2-by-6) up to 11 feet 4 inches at 16′′ spaced by using southern yellow pine graded as #1 when live load of 30 lbs/ft^2 & dead load of 10 lbs/ ft^2.

David Martineau
Author
David Martineau
David is an interior designer and home improvement expert. With a degree in architecture, David has worked on various renovation projects and has written for several home and garden publications. David's expertise in decorating, renovation, and repair will help you create your dream home.