What Is A Suspended Floor

Floor structures are generally one of two types solid or suspended.

What is a suspended floor.

There are a few ways to insulate a suspended floor but the best most breathable way is to hang insulation under the floorboards. This insulates the floor but still allows some air to circulate preventing the timber from getting damp and rotting. Suspended timber floors which are typically found in older houses are normally made from timber floorboards which are then attached to joists just above the foundations of a house. A suspended concrete floor is a floor slab where its perimeter is or at least two of its opposite edges are supported on walls beams or columns that carry its self weight and imposed loading.

Suspended slabs are above ground level slabs which are not directly in contact with the earth. At the turn of the 18th century when construction techniques moved from boarded floors installed directly on the ground to suspended timber floors over a ventilated chamber the innovation solved a significant problem. How to insulate suspended timber floors. A suspended floor is a specialist construction made of a solid concrete floor a system of sleeper walls and timber joists upon which sits a supported timber floor.

This type of floor allows home owners to run electrical wires and other such elements under the floor boards. They are commonly used to create floors for the upper storeys of houses but can also be sat on top of pre constructed walls to form a ground floor. Because the floor is suspended above the ground it should absorb less. What is a suspended slab.

Suspended timber floors need to have spaces underneath ventilated via air bricks through the outer walls and gaps in any internal walls so that the air can move across the building underneath the floors to prevent the build up of moisture in the timber which could lead to fungal attack. What is a suspended timber floor. Previously floor timbers had been prone to damp and rot thanks to their direct contact with the moist ground. The floor spans between supports and will normally deflect under load to a dimension that is limited by the design used.

Different types of ground floor suspended flooring. A suspended floor is a ground floor with a void underneath the structure. A suspended floor has been laid over the drained pool tank but it remains in place should there ever be plans to restore the swimming pool in the future.