Floor Joists Front To Back

The floor was normally covered with square edged softwood boards and finished with a lath and plaster ceiling usually 3 coats of lime plaster.

Floor joists front to back.

On first floors it seems that it might depend on downstairs openings windows and doors. While personal preference is a factor the direction in which you run hardwood flooring boards is governed by visual and structural guidelines. The joists were trimmed around fireplaces and stair openings as shown in the graphic. If your home is more than 20 years old your floor joists are most likely solid wood 2x8s 2x10s or 2x12s.

I suppose there are some general rules about joist layout. You can notch and bore joists without sacrificing critical strength but you must follow the rules. Therefore you should consider. The notching and boring rules of thumb for solid lumber are shown in fig.

Most of the time the standard way to install hardwood in this area is perpendicular to the door. In a semi it seems obvious that ground floor suspended floors should have joists running back to front so that most of the air bricks can be at front and back. This size is no longer acceptable when framing a structure. The floor joists under the wood floor hold the sub floor in place.

Floor joists installed on second or third or higher levels double as ceiling joists for the level below. If you are installing hardwood in the front room of your house you should take into consideration where the front door is located. In buildings with basements the first level of floor joists serves the same purpose. Follow the rules to keep your floor solid.