swimfrog
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- Apr 16, 2011
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I have an old balcony that has joists 33" apart. The 2x8 joists actually come out of the house and form a cantilevered support for the balcony floor. Another 2x8 caps the end of the joists, and 2x8s are installed perpendicular to the joists flush with the exterior of the house to form the frame for the balcony floor.
The current floor is made from 2x4s, and I'd like to replace those with cedar decking material, partly because I have some left that I can re-use, and partly to make it match a newer deck on a different part of the house.
I'm told that decking material will not work with the joists spaced so far apart, because the decking material will warp.
Is it advisable to "beef it up" by adding additional joists with joist hangers, or would that put pressure on areas that shouldn't be used for support? Is it okay to do this since the goal is just to avoid warping and not to try to provide additional support?
I'm also okay with just replacing the 2x4s with new 2x4s, but curious as to how others would do it.
The current floor is made from 2x4s, and I'd like to replace those with cedar decking material, partly because I have some left that I can re-use, and partly to make it match a newer deck on a different part of the house.
I'm told that decking material will not work with the joists spaced so far apart, because the decking material will warp.
Is it advisable to "beef it up" by adding additional joists with joist hangers, or would that put pressure on areas that shouldn't be used for support? Is it okay to do this since the goal is just to avoid warping and not to try to provide additional support?
I'm also okay with just replacing the 2x4s with new 2x4s, but curious as to how others would do it.