Find A Floor Joist
This sample table gives minimum floor joist sizes for joists spaced at 16 inches and 24 inches on center o c for 2 grade lumber with 10 pounds per square foot of dead load and 40 pounds of live load which is typical of normal residential construction.
Find a floor joist. When building a house or even a deck it is important to confirm you have the correct joist sizes spans and spacing before you get started. Shop menards for a wide selection of i joists that are lightweight strong stable and can be used as floor joists. The wooden beams that support a subfloor are called joists. We have had a frozen waterpipe there and i want to check for damage to the pipe a.
True floor joist span calculations can only be made by a structural engineer or contractor. As you get closer to a joist the arrow lights should tell you which direction you need to move the unit. 99 0 23 oz 49 99 49 99. Locating floor joists under carpet.
Take one slide it around on the floor until it appears to catch on something. Step 7 locate the joist under the carpet. That is the floor joist. Then following where you think the joist may run as posted above shortest run between exterior walls slide the other magnet until it catches something again.
Joist span and spacing is set by your local building code. Simply turn the device on place it on the floor and move it to the left or to the right until it lights up. Ship to store free. Floor joists are usually positioned every 16 inches but in some cases they will span 24 inches.
4 2 out of 5 stars 13 174. I want to know where the floor joists are inside a small closet because i may need to make an additional trap door to access the crawl space nearby under our kitchen. Once you locate the first one measure 16 inches over and drill another hole. Just the way you need to find a wall stud before you can attach anything to a wall you need.
As you continue to slowly slide the stud finder across the floor the green arrow lights or orange in some cases should begin to blink faster or become brighter. Add to list click to add item 3 1 2 x 14 i joist 90 series to your list. Compare click to add item 3 1 2 x 14 i joist 90 series to the compare list. While most residential construction uses 2x8 joists with 16 inch spacing there are many other factors you need to consider when determining the proper joist span length.
For vinyl floor get a pair of very high strength magnets. Stud finder sensor wall scanner 4 in 1 electronic stud sensor beam finders wall detector center finding with lcd display for wood ac wire metal studs joist detection. Amazon s choice for floor joist finder.