Bracing Floor Joist For Gun Safe

Bracing will stiffen a floor system prevent floor joists from twisting and increase overall stability however there are actually two types of floor joist bracing commonly used.

Bracing floor joist for gun safe. Upper floors i would look for first floor walls underneath the safe location. When this happens the joists will not be level but they also may not be away from the subfloor but instead curving away from them. Not sure if the beam will be right under the front edge of the safe or maybe 4 6 inches in front of the safe. The size and spacing of the joists are determined by local building codes based on engineering requirements.

The ends of the joists are supported by bearing walls or beams. Possibly put some cross bracing between each set of joists. The joists are typically 2 x 8s 2 x 10s or 2 x 12s and are capped on the ends by headers. Step 3 bowing.

Over time your floor joists can bow or bend from years of use. Whether your home is new or old it is sometimes necessary to install floor joist bracing in order to eliminate squeaking and deflection in the flooring itself. Use three 2x6 s maybe 2x8 s to create a cross beam below the sistered joists. In this video you will learn why every egstoltzfus home comes standard with floor joist bracing.

If you re interested in what else the the captain s journal has to say you might try thumbing through the archives and visiting. The spans of floor joist are usually short and supported by foundation walls and carry beams supported by columns on concrete footings. On a first floor i wouldn t be overly concerned. Cross bracing and solid blocking.

You are currently reading an engineered solution to the problem of gun safe weight on floor joists entry 14104 on the captain s journal this article is filed under the category s featured firearms guns and was published september 28th 2015 by herschel smith. The sub floor usually plywood is then nailed to the top of the floor framework.