Are you looking for a space in your home? Well, you still have your ceiling. It will maximize the area, and as long as you know the weight you can hang from your ceiling joist, you are good to go.
However, it’s difficult to say how much weight you can hang from a ceiling joist because it depends on various things. The size of the ceiling joists, their construction, and the type of the attic above the ceiling, for example, will all impact the total weight.
How Much Weight Can You Hang From A Ceiling Joist?
If your garage has another floor above it, the ceiling floor structure can typically withstand up to 40 pounds per square foot (including the heaviness of the floor above).
If there is no one more floor above, the ceiling trusses can support a maximum of 10 pounds per square foot. A structural engineer can evaluate the total weight your garage ceiling may withstand safely. (Learn How To Remove Hex Nut)
In Your House, What Kind of Ceiling Do You Have?
1. Floor Trusses
The roofs of most American homes are designed in a triangle or pyramid shape. Rafters were used to construct the roof’s underlying framework in the past. Trusses are now used in over 80% out of modern construction projects, so it is a typical live floor load.
Consider a truss as a stacked, interconnected arrangement of triangles. This enables them to be strongly built regular garage ceiling joists while employing the fewest feasible building materials.
2. Floor Joist
On the other hand, floor joists are huge beams that are typically 16 inches apart. They’re supported by the studs in your walls and load-bearing walls in your areas. As a result, the second-story floor is built directly on top of the joists. It’ll be able to support your amount of weight because of this.
Because joists don’t offer support as much as trusses, that is why load-bearing walls are frequently used in between. The margins of a joist are stronger than the middle. Sag ceilings in homes with ceiling joists are pretty standard.
The most important thing to remember about them is that joists are stronger at the borders than in the middle, making them prone to bowing.
3. Ceiling Trusses
These are garage’s ceiling joists with a piece of plywood fastened perpendicularly between the top and bottom projections. They can hold a lot of weight than standard joists. Your alternatives are restricted if you don’t have additional storey directly over your garage.
Steps in Adding Storage to the Ceiling
1. Distribute the burden.
When adding overhead storage, you have to keep in mind to distribute the weight load across as many trusses as possible. Most support beams will horizontally run across your garage’s width (parallel to your garage door).
Ceiling brackets should never be installed along a single joist. If you install it over numerous joists, it will be significantly weaker. (Learn How Does Split Beam Torque Wrench Work)
2. For further stability, use wall studs.
The majority of the DIY (Do-It-Your Own) overhead storage I’ve seen on Amazon is just suspended from the ceiling by thin metal support brackets. As the weight shifts, it can flex and bend as well.
That’s fantastic in an earthquake, but not when your car is piled high with items. Look for a ceiling storage rack that can be mounted to the wall studs. The wall mounts will provide additional support and prevent any flexing or shaking.
3. Don’t go overboard with the weight.
What matters to manufacturers is how much weight their product can support before it fails.
A completely different topic is how much weight your roof trusses can support before it caves in. Don’t assume that just because they advertise a weight capacity, your ceiling can help it. It is possible that it will not. When in doubt, keep the weight you’re storing their light.
Is it Safe to Store Things in Your Garage Ceiling?
The weight of light fixtures, drywall ceiling, and your garage door opener is designed to be supported by the garage ceiling. The more weight you dangle from your house garage ceiling, the greater the risk of the entire structure collapsing on your automobile.
However, most people will benefit from overhead garage storage if done appropriately. As you’ve seen, it’s critical to think about the type of ceiling in your garage. However, you must consider your overhead storage rack’s weight capacity and the weight of the lights, ceiling, and drywall.
Factors to Consider When Placing Objects to Your Ceiling Joist
1. The Number of Joists Involved in the Project
It’s a good idea to double-check the number of beams involved when hanging objects on a post. Compared to a rail of joists, a single joist is likely to be weak due to structural defects. A single beam will support less weight in this scenario, whereas a group of posts will support far more.
2. The Architecture of the House
Some homes are built so that the ceiling joists load bearing can support the additional weight. Using a joist rail, for example, allows you to apply extra weight. The weight that a beam can support is also determined by whether a long or short joist was employed. When greater weight is given to a long beam, it will sag, whereas a pointed beam will be stronger and more stable.
3. Nature of the Attic
Some attics are left unfinished, making it easy for someone to use their joists to support big objects. An open attic room puts no strain on the post, allowing it to support more weight as possible, depending on its size and other factors. The joists will not support much weight if there are any roof trusses above them.
4. The Weight’s Position
It is common knowledge that if a joist is hung from the ends to increase its gravity center, it will hold more weight. To apply the most weight, consider placing the heavy load near the ends of the joists rather than in the middle. The joist may sag or even collapse if it is installed incorrectly.
5. Errors in the Structure
The joists may be the proper size and are well-designed. However, a minor structural flaw can lead a post to collapse even with only a little added weight. Joist failures are frequently caused by structural mistakes, like a single loose screw and too much weight.
Various factors determine the total ceiling weight that joists can support. The type and substance of joists utilized, the spacing between a joist and another, and roofing components are just a few of them. (Read Can A Chainsaw Cut Through Metal)
Ceiling joists are important in a house because they support the weight and pressure of the roof, which would otherwise be imposed on the walls. They’re included in the code of conduct of construction because not using them would be dangerous to one’s health.
