Timber floor

constructions
 Timber floors
• Wood covered floors may be divided into two classes:-

1. Suspended floors – consists of joists and boards to

cover them.

2. Solid floors – consists of wood boards on concrete

foundation.
 Boarded and joisted floors
• They are classified into :
1. Single floors – consists of one set of joists called common or
bridging joists.
2. Double floors – additional joists called binders are used to support
the bridging joists.
3. Triple floors – it comprises of 3 sets of joists, bridging joists
transmit load to binders which in turn are supported by larger
joists called girders.
 Terminologies
• Wall plates – they are wooden members 100x75 or 115x75 in size.

a) They serve as bearing for the joists

b) Uniformly distribute load from joists to wall.

c) Provide suitable means of bringing the upper edges of the joists

to a horizontal plane to receive floor boards and to ensure a
level surface.

d) Afford fixing for the ends of the joists.

 Terminologies continued…
• Floor boards – the sizes vary from 100 to 25mm wide & 25 to
38mm thick.

• Narrower the boards the better as shrinkage is reduced to a

minimum.

• 100mm wide boards are used for first class work, 115mm for
average work and 175mm boards for commoner work.
• Bridging joists – The timber joists that immediately support
the floor boarding.

• Trimmed Joists – The timber joists that are trimmed and

framed into a trimmer where an opening is to be formed.

• Trimmer joists – A cross timber into which the ends of

trimmed timbers are framed.

• Trimming joists – The full length timber joists on either side of

trimmed joists.
• Binders – The timber joists introduced to support the load carried by
the bridging joists are called binders.
• Girders – Timber joists of heavy sections introduced to support the
load of bridging joists and the floor transmitted through binders.
• Air bricks - They are perforated bricks to provide cross ventilation
under the floor
• Sleeper wall – It is a honey combed wall simply by omitting the bricks
during construction to break the span of the joists into multiple parts.
Single floor construction
• This is the simplest type of timber floor used for residential buildings,
in theatres where dance and drama is done.

• Spans are short or moderate (say up to 4 m) and loads are

comparatively lighter.

•The floor consists of wooden joists (also called bridging joists) spaced
30 to 40 cm apart.

•The width of joists are kept 5 to 8 cm wide. The depth of the joists is
determined from the thumb rule: Depth(cm)=(4xspan in meters) + 5 cm.
 Single floors
Sizes of joists – the sizes of joists depend upon
a) Span

b) Distance between each joist

c) Load on the floor and

d) The timber used

•Span – intermediate supports to ground floors are usually provided
in the form of sleeper walls (102 mm ) at 1800mm apart.

•Spacing – the spacing of joists varies from 300 -400 mm centers.

•Load – the minimum load allowed on floors varies with the type of
building. 1.5 kN/m2 for a house & 2.4 to 9 kN/m2 for a warehouse.

• Suitable timber – redwood is the best softwood used for timber

flooring, whitewood and spruce for cheaper work and pitch pine and
hardwood for first class wood.
 Provision of adequate ventilation
• To safeguard against the disease of timber called ‘dry rot’ well seasoned timber is

used along with adequate ventilation.

• For free circulation of air to all gr. Floor timbers, the wall plates should be supported

by sleeper walls built parallel to and about 50mm from the main walls.

• If the wall plates and ends of the joists are built into the wall it is necessary to form

an air space round the sides and tops of the joists and it is advisable to apply two

coats of creosote .

• For more ventilation for the wooden floor air bricks are fixed in the external walls.

• Voids are also kept in the sleeper wall often called as honeycombed.
Single ground
floor
Timber floors

✓ Single floors (Section through ground floor)

Timber floors
(Details)
✓ Single floors
(First floor)
✓ Single floors (First floor)
Types of strutting
Types of strutting

• Herring bone strutting

a) Includes pairs of inclined pieces of timber which are tightly fitted between the joists.

b) The size of struts can vary from 50 x 32 to 50 x 50 mm.

c) Is effective even if joints shrink in the direction of their depth and thickness

d) The depth shrinkage tends to reduce the inclination of the struts with increase in
compression
Types of strutting
Types of strutting

• Solid strutting

1) It contains nailing of short lengths of floorboards in continuous row between joists.

2) This method is not as effective as herring bone strutting as its tends to loose the
strength due to movement.

3) Wastage of material takes place in this type of strutting.

4) To make this type of strutting effective it is essential to fix a long circular steel or
wrought iron rod through the whole of the joists and near to the strutting.
Types of strutting
Double floors
 Double floors
• This type of floors are stronger than single joisted floors and used when
span is between 3.5 to 5 m.

• The bridging joists are supported by large horizontal members called

binders at suitable intervals. Floor boards are supported by bridging
joists.

• Binders are to be spaced 2 m c/c spanning in shorter direction of the

room not exceeding 5 m.

• The ends of the binders if embedded inside the wall are to be placed over
stone or concrete base with necessary gap on top and sides to avoid
contact with masonry.
•Double floors
✓ Double floors
 Plan
First floor (double floor with balcony)
✓ Double floors
✓ Double floors
✓ Double floors
Triple Floor
Triple floors

• This type of floor is used when span of binders is generally 5 to 10 m and the
superimposed load is very heavy.

• Bridging joists which will support floor boards will be supported by binders which in turn
will be supported by the timber girders.

• Binders are connected to the girders by using tusk and tennon joint.

• Timber girders are to be supported in the shorter direction preferably not exceeding 5 m.
Fr a m e d o r t r i p l e j o i s t t i m b e r f l o o r s

Bridging joist

Binders
More than 7.5m

3m

Girders

PLAN
D e ta i l s o f f r a m e d t i m b e r f l o o r s

Floor boards
Bridging joists
Furring piece

Girders
Binder Binder

Ceiling
Tusk and tenon joint
Ceiling joist
 Single joist Double joist Triple joist
(framed)
3.6 to 7.5m More than 7.5m
Below 3 m

Bridging joist
Strutting
Joist

Bridging joist
1.8m to 2.4m
Binders

Girder

Binder
Solid floors
These floors are of concrete, they may be covered with wood boards or
blocks.
Boards on concrete - wood fillets are partially embedded in the concrete
floor and the boards are fixed to them. To prevent dry rot concrete must
be dry, the fillets must be treated with preservative and the top of
concrete given two coats of bitumen.
Blocks on concrete – the concrete floor is covered with wood blocks, a
bituminous material or mastic being used as an adhesive. The nominal
sizes vary from 225 to 300mm long by 75 mm wide by 25 to 38 mm thick.
 Timber floor joinery details
•Joints for floor boards –
a) Square or plain joint
b) Rebated joint
c) Tongued and grooved joint
d) Rebated tongued and grooved joint
e) Splayed, rebated, tongued and grooved joint
f) Ploughed and tongued joint
g) Heading or end joints
 Joints between the floor boards
• Square or plain joint – edges are cut and planed at
right angles

• Rebated joint – a 10mm wide tongue is formed

along the lower edge if one board and it fits into
rebate formed on the adjacent.

• Tongue and grooved or feathered and grooved

joint – a narrow pointing tongue fits into the
groove along the other. Tongue is slightly smaller
than the groove to enable boards to fit closely.
This is mostly used.
 Joints between the floor boards
• Rebated tongued and grooved joint – this is
expensive but good. Boards are secured by nails
which are concealed.

• Splayed rebated tongued and grooved joint –

this is another joint which is secretly nailed.

• Ploughed and tongued joint – grooves are

formed or ploughed in the square edges of the
boards to receive tongues of hardwood.
 Timber floor joinery details
• Joints used at trimmed openings
a) Tusk Tenon joint

b) Dovetailed housed or notched joint

c) Bevelled housed joint

d) Square housed joint

 Tusked
Tenon joint

Single notched
and cogged
joint

Housed joint
 Dovetailed, Bevelled and square
Half lapped joint
housed joint