What Is A Suspended Floor

Suspended slabs are above ground level slabs which are not directly in contact with the earth.

What is a suspended floor.

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. Previously floor timbers had been prone to damp and rot thanks to their direct contact with the moist ground. There are a few ways to insulate a suspended floor but the best most breathable way is to hang insulation under the floorboards. The floor can be formed in various ways using timber joists precast concrete panels block and beam system or cast in situ with reinforced concrete.

This insulates the floor but still allows some air to circulate preventing the timber from getting damp and rotting. 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. A suspended floor is a ground floor with a void underneath the structure. How to insulate suspended timber floors.

If you ve ever found yourself scratching your head when it comes to suspended floors this article might be just the help you need the following are nine of the most common questions branz s technical helpline receives about designing and building suspended timber floors and dealing with uplift. 1 what s required to laterally support ends of floor. This type of floor allows home owners to run electrical wires and other such elements under the floor boards. 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.

Floor structures are generally one of two types solid or suspended. Because the floor is suspended above the ground it should absorb less. 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. Different types of ground floor suspended flooring.

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. 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.