Floor Joists Front To Back

In buildings with basements the first level of floor joists serves the same purpose.

Floor joists front to back.

I suppose there are some general rules about joist layout. 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. While personal preference is a factor the direction in which you run hardwood flooring boards is governed by visual and structural guidelines.

Floor joists installed on second or third or higher levels double as ceiling joists for the level below. On first floors it seems that it might depend on downstairs openings windows and doors. In the past 2x4s or 2x6s were sometimes used as floor joists. If your home is more than 20 years old your floor joists are most likely solid wood 2x8s 2x10s or 2x12s.

Therefore you should consider. The floor joists under the wood floor hold the sub floor in place. If you are installing hardwood in the front room of your house you should take into consideration where the front door is located. The floor was normally covered with square edged softwood boards and finished with a lath and plaster ceiling usually 3 coats of lime plaster.

The notching and boring rules of thumb for solid lumber are shown in fig. The direction of the joists can either be party wall to party wall or front to back. Follow the rules to keep your floor solid. This size is no longer acceptable when framing a structure.