Floor Load Width Deck

This video looks at floor load width flw.

Floor load width deck.

The load that is placed on your deck is expressed in pounds per square foot psf and the total load or more appropriately the design load is comprised of the dead load and the live load. This is the fourth video in the series on the timber framing code. Fewer posts on upper level decks are typically more desirable to the occupants and this drives the use of larger framing materials for longer spans. Flute width compatible with all standard concrete anchors composite deck 11 2 inch depth 36 inch coverage 7 foot to 10 foot optimal span range no acustadek option lowest composite deck slab weight per square foot for the specified concrete thickness above the deck.

For a 12 foot span beam at the edge of the deck our base case example of 2x10s at 24 inches on center does not meet that standard. A typical wood frame floor covered with carpet or vinyl flooring has a dead load of about 8 pounds per square foot. Beam span maximums are based on a maximum anticipated live load. How far apart are floor joists placed.

The species of lumber size of lumber and the load it carries. Meets industry standard 4 5 min. Flw is used to calculate the sectional size of. The extra two inches of vertical distance when a floor is framed with 2 x 10 joists rather than 2 x 12s can be quite important for example.

These standards are borrowed by deck builders and come from the actual code requirements used for the floor deck of a residential home. If there s wall board covered ceiling suspended from the underside of that floor the dead load increases to about 10 pounds per square foot. Building codes for residential decks only require 40 psf. But larger is not always better when builders are constructing a home or adding a room addition.

When i was a builder i built residential decks based on a 70 psf design load 60 psf live load plus 10 psf dead load. The image and text below is a simple guide to the concept of floor load width. Common sense tells you that large floor joists can carry more load and spacing joists closer together also increases the load bearing capacity of a floor. A lot of questions revolve around joists when it comes to building a deck.

What is the proper placement. In general terms joists spaced 16 inches on center can span 1 5 times in feet their depth in inches. 2x10 to 15 feet and 2x12 to 18 feet. A 2x8 up to 12 feet.