Floor Trusses vs Floor Joist

What Is Floor Joists?

Floor Joists are part of the ground framing systems. Floor Joists are utilized with beams and members, to acquire strength and weight-bearing for floors. Joists are horizontal structures of the framing systems that are attached to the counterpart vertical members.

Floor Joists are designed to be structured parallelly and with equal spaces from each other. When attached in this way, they frame the flooring foundation, often of open spaces.

Floor Joists are commonly used for the foundation flooring of top levels of buildings or structures. When these have Storeys, Floor Joists help in the transferring of loads of the whole floors onto the supporting vertical beams.

Floor Joists can help in managing the load and stress of not only the exterior of buildings and structures but also of the interior aspects. The weight of furniture or people can go unnoticed and be transferred onto the vertical frames of the foundation with the help of these Floor Joists.

What Is a Joist?

A joist is a horizontal structural member. It is used in framing to span open space. Often incorporated into floor framing systems between beams that later transfer loads to vertical members. which serves to provide stiffness to the subfloor sheathing.

Floor Joists: Pros and Cons

Pros of Floor Joists:

The Pros of the Floor joists are as follows:

1. Floor Joists can bear and also transfer a load of buildings and structures onto the corresponding vertical members which are also a part of the foundation framework of floors.
2. Floor Joists work with open spaces in buildings or structures, helping in support and strength maintenance.
3. Floor Joists can also bear the extra load of even people and furniture when utilized to their maximum output.
4. Floor Joists are capable of carrying the weight of whole new floors.
5. Installation of Floor Joists is an economical and pocket-friendly option.

Cons of Floor Joists:

There are also some cons of floor joists which are as follows:

1. For the installation of Floor Joists, it is mandatory to also employ the construction of walls, beams, or columns for proper support.
2. Floor Joists cannot be installed in large areas without support beams, unlike other methods of flooring foundation.

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Floor Trusses vs Floor Joist

Floor trusses are one of the best solutions for the various floor framing issues and it is also recommended by the Engineers, contractors, and architects for the construction of the various structures.

In this article, you will get to learn about floor trusses floor and the difference between floor trusses and Floor joists.

What Are Floor Trusses?

Floor Trusses are part of the ground framing systems. Floor trusses are used with beams and members to provide strength and weight-bearing for the floor. The supporting members in the floor truss are connected to their corresponding web. The webs are structured in triangulation in this framing system.

The triangular design of the web and bearing provides depth to the whole ground and base framework. This depth is beneficial in giving strength and solid structure to the floor.

Floor Trusses are commonly used for the foundation flooring of top levels of buildings or structures. The interspace between the top chord and the bottom chord of Floor Trusses has the advantage of giving great efficiency and weight-bearing to the structure of the building or the top Storeys.

The use of Floor Trusses gives the architects an opportunity to build wider areas of flooring on Storeys, without the need for supporting beams or walls on the floor below. This helps in keeping the rooms on both Storeys, above and below the Floor Trusses, bigger and much more spacious.

In spite of not requiring too many beams for support, Floor Trusses are a floor foundation that is solid. The load-bearing of Floor Trusses is also high and this helps in keeping the building or structure sturdy

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Pros and Cons of Floor Trusses

Pros of Floor Trusses

There are various advantages of floor trusses that are as follows

1. When there are any framing problems in the process of construction of floors, either for basements or Storeys, Floor Trusses prove to be an effective solution.
2. Floor Trusses are high-quality architectural foundations that are also quite easy to install.
3. The construction and installation of Floor Trusses do not require the utilization of heavy-duty and costly machinery equipment.
4. The span of construction of Floor Trusses can go as far as thirty feet, without the need for the construction of extra beams, walls, footings, or columns for support or base.
5. The construction of Floor Trusses takes place on wider surfaces, providing the whole structure with stability. This keeps the work area easy to access and also makes the work easy.
6. The time that it takes to install Floor Trusses is much lesser than the time it takes to install any other type of traditional flooring.
7. The designing of Floor Trusses can be done in a way that can make the floor and its foundation stiff and strong, providing the result of a solid floor.
8. When constructed with professional design and installation, Floor Trusses can be built to have as little bounce to the floor as possible.
9. Floor Trusses allow only minimal twisting and shrinkage after installation.
10. Floor trusses give the architects a wider surface for nailing and gluing work, which in turn improves the overall performance of the floor as well as improving its life span.
11. The interspace between the top chord and the bottom chord of Floor Trusses has the advantage of giving great efficiency to the structure of the building or the top Storeys.
12. The design and form of Floor Trusses allow for the easy addition and construction of cantilevers, balconies, and also other special bearings, according to the requirements of the architectural plan of the building or structure.
13. Floor Trusses offer a wider nailing space which keeps the process of construction hassle-free.
14. Floor Trusses are designed as webs with enough space in between that the space can be utilized effectively for electrical and plumbing schemes.
15. The construction of Floor Trusses does not require the construction of extra beams, walls, footings, or columns for support or base.
16. Floor Trusses can be given various forms and designs as per the requirements of the construction plan.
17. The use of only a main beam for the installation of a wide span of Floor Truss reduces the cost of construction of the architectural project.

Also Read: What Is Non Load Bearing Wall? | How to Remove a Non Load Bearing Wall? | Cost to Remove a Non Load Bearing Wall

Cons of Floor Trusses

There are also some cons of the floor trusses which are as follows

1. After the installation of Floor Trusses, it is required to keep proper maintenance for efficient long-term use.
2. The proper installation of Floor Trusses needs the supervision of professionals.
3. The effective and dependable installation of Floor Trusses demands that the other foundation structures and planes are also proper. If not, the whole structure may have to be rebuilt.
4. Even small mistakes or changes on the site of construction while installing Floor Trusses can lead to a lot of delay and loss of valuable construction time.

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Which is Better: Floor Trusses or Floor Joists

The construction of Floor Trusses can be carried out in multiple designs or models making it a very versatile and effective choice of flooring foundation to use. On the other hand, Floor Joists has limited designing possibilities, also keeping in mind its comparatively heavyweight and need for supporting structural beams.

The installation of Floor Joists involves the construction of supporting beams, whereas Floor Joists can be installed in a much wider area without the involvement of construction of any supporting beams.

The materials and designs that are used in the construction of Floor Trusses are lighter than the ones required for the construction of Floor Joists.

The use of Floor Joists is a much less expensive method than the use of Floor Trusses. The total cost of construction and installation of Floor Joists is much less than the total cost of construction and installation of Floor Trusses.

Also Read: Types of Beams in Constructions

Difference Between Floor Trusses Vs Floor Joist

 

The Difference between the Floor truss and the floor joist are as follows:

Why Use of Floor Truss or Floor Joist?

Due to the need for Floor Joists of vertical beams and other supporting columns, the use of Floor Joists comes with extra costs and construction time. Whereas, Floor Trusses require less or no support beams or walls.

When it comes to bearing weight, Floor Trusses are the better choice between Floor Trusses and Floor Joists.

If the availability of good professionals and quality materials allows the option, the use of Floor Trusses will prove to be a better option than the use of Floor Joists.

Conclusion

The use of Floor Trusses results in the construction of strong and stiff floors.

When it comes to bearing weight, Floor Trusses are the better choice between Floor Trusses and Floor Joists.

The construction of Floor Trusses can be carried out in multiple designs or models making it a very versatile and effective choice of flooring foundation to use.

In conclusion, keeping in mind all the pros and cons of both Floor Trusses and Floor Joists, it can be safely assumed that if the availability of good professionals and quality materials allows the option, the use of Floor Trusses will prove to be a better option than the use of Floor Joists.