Reinforcing 2x6 Floor Joists
Look this up in a joist span table available in numerous places on the web if you do not believe me.
Reinforcing 2x6 floor joists. Sistering is the process of adding a new joist next to each existing joist. A couple of additional thoughts i have if your new joists are lvl beams or wood i joists. Reinforcing floor joists is best done by doubling of floor joists. Long spans of joists in newer homes may wobble or bounce from foot traffic.
Doubling of joists is recommended under walls heavy objects like tubs and at large openings. In the case of 2x6 joists you can pair them up with additional 2x6 joists by nailing them together side by side. Reinforcing joists with plywood reinforcing floor joists a concord carpenter stiffening a floor fine homebuilding got bounce part 2 how to fix a floor deflection in an existing. You can apply sheathing to the underside of floor joists only if the bottom edges are at the.
After several centuries of service floor joists in older homes may sag or crack. When installing on the underside of the joists the process is the same. It would be difficult to find a joist hanger that would fit a double joist comprised of a 1 3 4 lvl or i joist and 1 1 5 2x6. I have a bedroom with a bouncy floor.
With a span like that the timber size that you sister in would have to be at least 2x10 s. If the floor is bouncy but the joists are not sagging the simplest fix is to reinforce the joists by installing additional joists adjacent to the original ones. Add an additional row of fas teners midway between the joists to pull the layers tightly together. To penetrate the joists by 11 2 in and space them every 6 in.
Doubling of joists can solve alot of problems like sagging uneven or undersized floor joists. How to make floor joists stronger. It could be impossible as i haven t opened the floor yet. My next project is to reinforce 2x6 joists on a 2nd floor to better support a bathtub.
The bedroom is above a 16x20 attached garage. But saying plywood is as strong as another 2x product is something i hadn t considered. Further investigation revealed 2x6 floor joists spanning the 16 feet on 16 centers this explains the bounce. 2x6 joists at the span that you are talking about 16 and 18 are not strong enough to support a floor as a living space.
I was going to attempt to sister in another 2x6 glued and screwed and catch 2 support walls. Since you have a floor on 24 oc joists i would use 3 4 material above. I would probalby place them in between the existing 2x6 s.