Blocking Floor Joists

Blocking provides the floor joists with lateral support and it provides a way to transfer shear and vertical loads from the walls above to the foundation below.

Blocking floor joists. Floor joist bridging vs blocking i like laying 1 1 8 super flat easy to pound t g together dropping a 2x6 from a floor above doesn t put a hole in it. When using shadoe track or joist cap systems use your mitre saw to nip the top corners of each piece of blocking to allow for the overlap of the fastening system. Engineered i joists can span long distances to make a flat and solid subfloor.

Limiting joist movement also helps prevent gapping between deck boards for a uniform finish. Section r502 7 of the 2009 international residential code specifies that joists must be laterally supported by solid blocking that s not less than 2 inches thick and the full depth of. There are many different opinions on why to block floor joists the process behind doing it and how it helps the floor structure.

Prolong the health of your framing with joist tape. Making professional blocks to make the blocks i cut sections of i joist 1 inches smaller than the space between the joists. Snap a chalk line across the floor joists then proceed to install the blocking between the floor joists.

So one of the last things that need to be done before sheathing the deck is to fill in with blocking. I might add that in general if blocking makes a floor feel noticeably stiffer a deeper joist should probably have been used in first place. Place a carpenter s level over the blocking to make certain that it s flush with the tops of the floor joists.

I ve always used a lift for upper floors though. Cut blocking to fit so that joist stays aligned with the string. After several centuries of service floor joists in older homes may sag or crack.

How to make floor joists stronger. Tying the joists together with blocking makes the floor even stronger and stiffer. Solid wood blocking helps reduce up or down movement and the twisting of joists.