Hardwood Floors April/May 2017

AT THE SITE

By Brett Miller

Technical Troubleshooting: Starting from the Bottom – Evaluating Wood Substrates

Evaluating wood substrates is one of the most critical aspects of successful wood flooring installations. This is because the substrate is the foundation upon which the wood will be placed, and any deficiencies with the substrate could impact the wood. It is, therefore, important that you understand how the conditions of the wood substrates can affect the performance of the wood floors, and how to address those conditions to maximize the end results. JOISTS AND TRUSSES A joist is a horizontal support that reinforces a flooring system. It runs between foundations, walls, or beams and is typically laid out in repetitive patterns. Joists can be made of wood, engineered wood, steel, or even concrete. Traditional lumber joists are sized according to the species and grade of wood, spacing and span of the joists, and the design load. I-Joists have a higher strength-to-weight ratio than lumber joists and are used for longer spans. They use top and bottom flanges that are typically solid lumber, structural composite lumber, or laminated veneer lumber (LVL). Floor trusses are usually made up of lumber on top and bottom chords, with an open web configuration, and also use metal plates. The lumber in the floor truss flanges is usually oriented flat-wise. These trusses are often used for longer spans than lumber joists.

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