What Is Floor Joist Blocking

Blocking when talking about floor joists is when short wood blocks are used to fill or reinforce floor joists under floors that have a space below them.

What is floor joist blocking.

They help to stiffen the deck s frame and prevent joists from moving or twisting as the lumber expands and contracts. Solid wood blocking helps reduce up or down movement and the twisting of joists. Making professional blocks to make the blocks i cut sections of i joist 1 inches smaller than the space between the joists. Blocking your deck joists blocks cut from the same material as your joists should be installed at regular intervals perpendicular to the length of the joists.

Limiting joist movement also helps prevent gapping between deck boards for a uniform finish. Floor joist blocking when an improperly designed floor joist is loaded it tries to take the path of least resistance which is to twist to the side. The wood used when blocking is usually made up of short defective pieces of wood that can t be used in other pieces of construction. Squash blocks do not provide lateral support.

To carry load bearing walls that stack above walls or beams. Prolong the health of your framing with joist tape. Joist blocking blocking provides the floor joists with lateral support and it provides a way to transfer shear and vertical loads from the walls above to the foundation below. So one of the last things that need to be done before sheathing the deck is to fill in with blocking.

Engineered i joists can span long distances to make a flat and solid subfloor. Tying the joists together with blocking makes the floor even stronger and stiffer.