What is a Ceiling Joist?
The ceiling beam, or ceiling joist, has two prime functions. The first is to tie the walls of a structure or a room together, effectively completing a box configuration. The second is, as the name implies, to support the ceiling of the structure, or room. Ceiling joist framing is undertaken after the walls are erected. Ceiling joists are a number of horizontal beams, running parallel from one wall to the opposite wall of the structure. The beams are attached to the top of the wall at what’s known as the wall plate. A ceiling joist at the top floor of a structure may also support a flat roof, as well as the ceiling. If the roof of the structure is sloped, or pitched, each ceiling joist support is attached to a roof rafter, the angled roof support beams. This joist-and-rafter configuration prevents the sloped roof construction from pushing the walls of the structure outward. Roof trusses are triangular forms used in construction of sloped roofs, and basically consist of rafters and ceili
Hi jc hicks,a ceiling joist is the bottom of your roof truss.When you build a house and have all your walls up,you put on the roof truss’s,they are installed on top of the top plate(the top of the wall)They are put up at either 16″ on center or 24″on center.When you look up at your ceiling,the drywall is attached to the bottom of the truss.Thats your ceiling joist.If your going to remove a wall,if the wall runs perpendicular to the ceiling joist,its load bearing.So all of your outside walls are load bearing,and any walls that run the same way are probably load bearing.
