Flooring

Abstract

A strut for supporting services between parallel spaced apart I-beam flooring joists is described. The strut has a main section adapted to fit transversely between the two joists and has two end regions which extend beyond and above the main section for resting on the joists, so that the main section is supported so as to extend between the two beams below or in line with the upper faces of the joists. This enables services such as cables, ducting or pipes to be supported below the floorboarding carried by the joists. A number of such struts are located at intervals along the length of the joists in the form of the rungs of a ladder to enable lengths of cables, ducting or pipes to be supported below the floorboarding. A building component comprising a moulding is preferably secured to the top surface of each joist along the length thereof between the struts. The moulding has a rebate along its length to provide a ledge on which a floorboard edge can rest. The depth of the rebate accommodates at least the thickness of the floorboard, and the thickness of the moulding below the ledge creates a void between the floorboard and the upper surface of the joists to accommodate the services supported by the struts. The moulding may also include a second parallel rebate leaving a ridge therebetween. The two floorboards are spaced apart by the ridge. A further rebate can be provided to accommodate at least part of another member. Where a floor covering is laid over the floorboards the rebate(s) is/are sufficient to accommodate both boards and covering.

1 . A floor panel which includes provision for the laying of services below the floor surface thereof after the panel has been installed in a building during construction, and which is constructed off-site, comprising: 
 a) a plurality of parallel spaced apart I-beam joists,    b) transversely extending rim boards secured to the ends of the joists,    c) flooring boards located on the joists but spaced apart therefrom so that an elongate void exists between the undersides of the floorboards and the tops of the joists to form a services run within which services comprising cables, pipes and ducting can be run, without the need for notching the upper surfaces of joists along a run which extends transversely to the joists,    d) support means for pipes, cables and ducting in a services run which extends parallel to the joists, comprising a plurality of spaced apart struts which extend transversely between the joists defining the services run, the struts being spaced apart along the length of the run and secured to and extending between adjoining parallel joists in the form of the rungs of a ladder.    
     
     
         2 . A floor panel according to  claim 1  wherein the struts are secured to the joists using one of the following attachment means namely adhesive, clips, friction fit joints and fir-tree connectors.  
     
     
         3 . A floor panel according to  claim 1  wherein each strut includes a central region adapted to span the gap between the upper rails of two parallel I-beam joists on either side of the services run, and each strut is stepped at each end to form an end region which extends over the upper rails of the two I-beam joists to support the central region at a height which is below the building component mouldings.  
     
     
         4 . A floor panel according to  claim 3  wherein each stepped end region which is to overlie an I-beam joist has a thickness commensurate with the height of the floorboard supporting ledges of the mouldings.  
     
     
         5 . A floor panel according to  claim 4  wherein each stepped end extends over an I-beam by not more than the width of each upper rail.  
     
     
         6 . A floor panel according to  claim 1  wherein each strut comprises an elongate element opposite ends of which are supported by miniature joist hangers secured to the upper rails of the I-beam joists.  
     
     
         7 . A floor panel according to  claim 1  wherein pipe and cable retaining clips are provided on the struts for retaining pipes and cable thereon.  
     
     
         8 . A floor panel according to  claim 7  wherein at least the part of each strut which spans the gap between two adjoining parallel I-beam joists is moulded from plastics material and clips are moulded integrally with the strut.  
     
     
         9 . A floor panel according to  claim 1  wherein the thickness of the parts of each strut which extend over the rails of adjoining parallel I-beam joists is commensurate with the depth of the void below the floorboards, whereby the parts of the struts which extend over the joists provide additional support for the floorboards.  
     
     
         10 . A floor panel according  claim 1  wherein elongate spacers are provided between the joists and the floorboards to create the void and wherein one such spacer extends parallel to and between two adjoining parallel I-beam joists, and the central span of each transverse strut also provides support for the spacer.  
     
     
         11 . A services supporting strut adapted to extend transversely between a pair of adjoining parallel spaced apart I-beam floor joists, the strut having a central section adapted to fit between the pair of joists, and end regions which extend beyond and above the ends of the central section of the strut, for fitting over the upper rails of two I-beams.  
     
     
         12 . A strut according to  claim 11  wherein floorboard supporting members are located on top of the I-beams, and the thickness of the end region of each strut is commensurate with the thickness of floorboard supporting portions of the members located on top of the I-beams.