Floor Joist Bridging

October 27, 2022

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Retrofit I-Joist

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Structure Lock provides steel struts that are stronger, safer, and seismically superior to wooden bridges or blockings. We manufacture our products using 18-gauge galvanized steel designed to interlock dimensional joists and engineered I-joists of all sizes and spacings. Additionally, our Pass Through design allows piping, conduit, and wiring installations to be obstruction-free while maintaining our locked-in design. Our retrofit spacers allow for easy installation into any existing floor, patio, deck, modular home or flat roof with limited modification required. Our interlocking, triangulated, wrap-around design works in compression and tension, preventing the joist from tipping over or collapsing under stress. The slotted design allows for shrinkage, giving your floor, deck, or flat roof superior strength over wooden decks or blocking. We offer all of our bridging solutions in a variety of material thicknesses, custom configurations, and architectural materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, or copper. Our products are designed to help reduce joist tipping, warping, squeaking, squeaking and bouncing. Structure Lock products create a webbed steel structure helping to evenly distribute weight (load) across the floor or flat roof, allowing your structure to last longer and perform better over time.

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20 Years Later, Does It Matter If The Joist Bridging Was Installed Wrong?

A: Joist bridging is the correct term for the bracing between floor joists, but it usually doesn't look like what you have. Typically, decking is made of solid pieces of wood as thick and deep as the joists but fitted tightly together at right angles, or it is made of thin pieces of wood or metal installed in pairs diagonally between the joists , creating a series of X shapes. Some manufacturers offer one-piece X-shaped cross braces already manufactured, and some styles come in one piece, but are then field-split into two sections that slide together and lock in half of the X at the precise length. It's necessary. During construction, decking keeps joists vertical so they cannot twist. After construction, for the life of the house, decking helps stiffen and strengthen the joists by tying them together so that some of the load on one is transferred to neighboring joists. Metal cross bridges come in a variety of styles, each requiring installation details validated by the manufacturer's engineering department. Darrel Hewitt, an engineering technician for Simpson Strong-Tie, a leading manufacturer of metal bridges and other fittings useful in building framing, looked at the pictures you sent in and said he didn't never seen a bridge designed to be installed like yours. . He didn't recognize the parts as Simpson products, but added, "If they're our bridges, they'd be installed incorrectly." The empty nail holes in the metal leave no doubt, he said. So that's a problem."

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But even if your bracing was nailed down, it wouldn't make it work like typical bracing, because the top connects to the floor, rather than to the top or near the top of an adjacent joist. "If the deck is nailed to the subfloor and then to the bottom of the joists, [the tension force] would be pretty insignificant," Hewitt said. This would tie the floor and joists together, rather than accomplishing what should be the primary goal: tying the joists together so they can share the loads. You can leave the bracing that is there, but add metal or wood bridges lined up nearby in a straight line perpendicular to the joists. Simpson's nailless decking, which has NCA in the product names, is one of the styles that can be installed after the joists are in place, but it's only available for joists spaced 12 or 16 inches apart. Staggering the pieces would allow you to nail straight through the joists, which is easier but not as good; however, even that would probably be enough, and it would definitely add more rigidity than the system you currently have, Hewitt said.

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Floor Joist Bridging Menards

Help With Floor Truss Design

Most other pins are about a foot short, then of course as the loads increase the range becomes short. It looks like you'll have to go with an engineered floor joist or if you can get a 30' then use a 10' joist on each side to get your 20'. basically the same thing in the Pocket Reference Guide.

Floor Joist Bridging Home Depot

Posted by GLT

Throw a beam in there.... :)

Posted by Eunoia Eigensinn

Posted by Glen A Stromquist

I was considering 2X10 solid blocks, but a builder told me that

the decking distributes the load "more evenly" and if I could get my hands

on a nail gun, would be easier to put than trying to put the blocks

on an existing floor. I was considering solid 2X10 blocks, but a builder told me that the deck distributes the load "more evenly" and if I could get my hands on a nail gun it would be easier to install than trying to install the blocks on an existing floor. The top part of the bridge or blocks should be nailed in any case, but I guess with the bridge at least the bottom part could be nailed normally. I was recommended to add more decks and make sure it was done *before* my hardwood floor was installed. I think solid wood blocking would be a waste of time and

glen; I think blocking solid wood would be a waste of time and

Posted by Eunoia Eigensinn

Your joists were probably domed and may not have been installed perfectly

plumb and square, so leveling the blockage now would most likely end up in

Your joists were probably domed and may not have been installed perfectly plumb and square, so the retrofit blockage would likely end up in

Posted by Eunoia Eigensinn

shitty crisis which in addition to doing nothing good, can contribute to *more*

creak. If the flex is noticeable then I would say your joists are undersized

a shitty fit that, aside from doing nothing good, may contribute to *more* squealing. If the flex is noticeable then I would say your joists are undersized

Posted by Eunoia Eigensinn

the scope. Bob's explanation is most interesting (I'm still reading it very slowly trying to take it all in) and informative. the obligatory Costco stop next to the door and asked a guy on the floor if they had steel or wood decks. This guy knew what I was talking about and said no but Windsor Plywood down the road would stop there and no they didn't have it either but Totem would have it, called a Totem store which I knew was on my way and yes they had wooden decks, 2X3 decking (my existing one is 2X2) for 16" and 12 centered 2X10 joists, about $10 a pack of 25. They are here beside me working to dry out a bit as I write this in my basement. about 14' made up of 2X10 at 12" centers and there's a 2X2 7' deck line (except where the heat pipe is), which is as it should be (I guess). (If my camera digital was in the cradle it belongs to, I'll attach a jpeg) The only part I notice the flex is on the 14' span, so I figured I'd "prop it up" a bit before installing hardwood and that I might as well do both sides while I'm Now the flex isn't really that bad, just noticeable (to me anyway) and I thought it was better to do it now than after installing the hardwood on the chimney r above, again doing this from "outside" advice, and as you probably guessed I'm not the carpenter type so the advice is all i have to do here Oh yeah the beams the two spans sit on are 4 2X12 nailed and glued together I think that putting another beam through isn't feasible or practical, but I'm interested in the other methods suggested if they're better than adding mode bridging. Thanks again for all the great answers! ps.

Floor Joist Bridging Spacing

Does A Tji Floor System Require Mid Span Bridging?

Decking is sometimes required in floors or roofs when solid wood joists are used. Load sharing can be significant due to the wide variation in material properties between joists within any solid sawn lumber grade group.