Floor Opening Framing

Construction safety floor openings unprotected holes in the floor deck or roof have been responsible for a number of very serious injuries.

Floor opening framing.

Floor joists are typically 2 by 8s 2 by 10s or 2 by 12s. Openings in floor framing shall be framed with a header and trimmer joists. The thought of cutting through your floor might seem scary but installing any new staircase whether rigid stairs from one floor to another or pull down stairs leading to an attic requires an opening in the floor. Thickness of floor structure floor finish material plus joist plus plywood plus ceiling finish required headroom.

There may be floor openings as each new floor in a building is added for personnel and material access and for stairwells elevators or skylights. Floor openings on a job site can occur during construction renovations or repairs. The second story floor joists are supported by a ribbon board set into the studs. Draw up a basic floor framing plan.

Ceiling joists are usually 2 by 6s or sometimes 2 by 4s if it is an older home. Your sketch should depict the floor s basic shape and layout complete with any additional features like alcoves nooks and staircases. A floor s framework is made up mostly of wooden joists that run parallel to one another at regular intervals. Yet through planning and personal attention falls through openings under foot are very easy to prevent.

Some newer homes have manufactured i beam shaped joists. Its length depends on how much headroom you need. This type of construction is the most difficult but does provide unobstructed openings between the floors allowing for easy installation of utilities without notching and cutting openings. If you make a hole guard it.

When framing floor openings techniques include the installation of trimmer joists which are double joists that beef up the joists on either side of an opening and headers that run perpendicular between joists. Once the studs are in place frame in the door and window openings. The length of the opening in the upper floor. Extremely long spans staircases or interior walls typically require additional support which can complicate your framing.

Where the header joist span does not exceed 4 feet 1219 mm the header joist shall be a single member the same size as the floor joist. Before cutting the hole barricade the work area to keep. The location of headers and trim joists depends upon the length of the floor opening and the direction of the staircase and these. Single trimmer joists shall be used to carry a single header joist that is located within 3 feet 914 mm of the trimmer joist bearing.