Garage Guide
Do ceiling joists in a garage need to be strenghtened to support overhead storage?
Gable roof with 2x8 rafters 16" oc. 2x10 ceiling joists 16" oc, 24' span. I want to nail 5/8" plywood down on top of ceiling joists to store christmas decorations, kids toys, large bulky items. Roof pitch is 5/12 so usable storage is limited to midspan of 2x10.
Public Comments
- probably depends on the weight of what ever it is. just set it on top of the beams and in in between.
- Should be ok for storing light items...brace the floor to the rafters in the center every 8 feet or so...diagonals from the ceiling joists to the rafters every 4 feet, roughly a 1/4 of the distance out from the walls... support columns, beam or wall in the center would be better. Your proposed setup is exactly what my garage has except I have more usuable space/different pitch and have had no problems in 30 years even with heavy items. 2 X 10 ceiling joists are hardly marginal and prevent the walls from bowing outwards. Snow load on the roof is moderate in Wisconsin winters.
- You can do that as long as your only storing light loads. I take it your covering the 2 x 10 with plywood.
- You didn't mention if you attic has diagonal bracing. If so, 10 lbs per SF is not a problem.
