Timber floor construction is a traditional and common method of building floors using wood. According to the reference, timber floor construction consists of boarding supported by timber joists (bridging joists or floor joists).
Understanding the Components
At its core, a timber floor is a structural layer that provides a surface to walk on. It's built from several key elements working together:
- Boarding: This is the top layer, the surface you see and walk on. It's made of timber planks or sheets.
- Timber Joists: These are horizontal structural members that provide the main support for the boarding. As mentioned in the reference, these can be referred to as bridging joists or floor joists. They are crucial for transferring the load from the floor surface to the supporting structure below. The reference also notes that there are different types of timber joists.
- Support Structure: The joists themselves need support. Based on the reference, the joists are typically supported in specific ways:
- Their ends are nailed to wall plates, which are timbers fixed along the top of supporting walls.
- Along their length, they may be supported by a sleeper or dwarf wall. This is a low wall built beneath the floor specifically to provide intermediate support for the joists, especially over larger spans, preventing sagging.
How it Works
In simple terms, the timber boarding is fixed (usually nailed or screwed) directly onto the top edge of the timber joists. These joists are then laid out in parallel across the space that needs a floor. The ends of the joists rest on and are fixed to wall plates. For added strength or over longer distances, additional support is provided along the length of the joists by sleeper walls or other forms of intermediate bracing.
This system creates a strong, relatively lightweight, and often cost-effective floor structure suitable for many types of buildings. It also naturally creates a void beneath the floor (known as the subfloor space or crawl space), which can be useful for running services like pipes or electrical cables, and is essential for ventilation in ground floors to prevent moisture build-up in the timber.
