Howe Lumber Company
555 Main Street
East Brookfield, MA 01515
(508)885-5396
(508)867-3232
Monday - Friday 7:00am-5:00pm
Saturday 7:30am - 3:00pm
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Joist

A joist is essentially a floor support. When you construct a floor, it is not simply sheets of plywood laid out over a foundation. There is usually some sort of stock below to support the plywood and the floor. In residential housing, joists can be made of dimensional lumber or engineered products.

Engineered joists tend to allow for greater open spans, which translates into larger open areas in the basement, or in rooms on the lower floors. The also tend to produce flatter floors when the framing is done. These advantages do not come cheap, of course.

Generally, joists are spaced so that they are 16" apart, center to center. For stronger floors that may need to support heavier loads, 12" on center is not uncommon either. The spacing depends heavily upon the design of the home, though, as well as the recommendations of your builder and architect.


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Howe Lumber Company
555 Main Street
East Brookfield MA 01515 
(508)885-5396  (508)867-3232
Monday - Friday 7:00am-5:00pm
Saturday 7:30am - 3:00pm