Boise, Idaho — December 05, 2017 — Boise Cascade Company, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, offers a predictive analytics tool for the construction market with its BC FloorValue software, developed to help floor designers quickly identify floor performance issues early in the design process and provide options to efficiently resolve those issues.
An integral part of Boise Cascade’s BC Framer® design software, BC FloorValue offers a convenient way for designers to determine if a floor plan has been optimized. The easy-to-use tool checks a floor plan for problems, suggests options to correct detected issues and provides a cost comparison for required upgrades. Designers can evaluate different products or on-center spacing and sheathing thickness options to achieve the optimum price/value relationship. The tool can also be used to evaluate less expensive framing without negatively impacting the floor.
In addition, floors throughout the home can be designed with optimal characteristics for each space – for example, stiffer structural members can be placed under tile floors in entryways and bathrooms, while more forgiving floors can be situated under carpet in bonus rooms, closets and other less frequently used spaces.
“We developed BC FloorValue to ensure that every floor has the right level of performance for its intended use while also balancing the overall cost of the floor system,” said Tim Debelius, marketing programs manager for Boise Cascade Engineered Wood Products. “Floor system deflection, vibration and sheathing deflection are often afterthoughts, and in many cases, issues are discovered after the floor has already been installed. The ability to identify potential problem areas such as uneven floor deflection or vibration early in the design phase, rather than post-construction, is invaluable in helping to avoid customer callbacks, costly repairs and damage to a builder’s reputation.”
Floor Deflection Heat Map Locates Deflection Problems
BC FloorValue utilizes a colorful, visual “Heat Map” to indicate areas of floor system deflection, a first in the industry. The tool analyzes the entire floor as a single system, taking into account how joist, sheathing and support stiffness impact overall system performance. By considering deflection of all supporting members, BC FloorValue accurately pinpoints areas where a low spot may occur, finding areas that might not have been detected during an analysis of individual members.
Vibration Analysis Mitigates “Bouncy” Floors
The new tool also detects the potential for unwanted floor vibrations – identifying the overall vibration characteristics of the floor system and worst performing joist or beam, and then ranking the system on an easy-to-understand, 3-tier rating scale. If the analysis determines that the floor is “standard,” designers can easily review ways to boost it to a higher rating, often for little or no additional cost.
Sheathing-to-Joist Analysis Helps to Eliminate Soft Spots
Finally, BC FloorValue assesses the contribution of sheathing span between joists to the overall feel of the floor. The tool evaluates the worst case sheathing span perpendicular to framing members – an often overlooked component of floor performance – helping to identify potential problem areas where occupants could notice soft spots between joists with flexible floor coverings.
For more information on BC FloorValue and other Boise Cascade products, visit www.bc.com.
ABOUT BOISE CASCADE
Boise Cascade Company, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, manufactures engineered wood products, plywood, lumber and particleboard and distributes a broad line of building materials, including wood products manufactured by the company’s wood products division. For more information about Boise Cascade Company, visit www.bc.com.
© 2017 Boise Cascade Company. BOISE CASCADE, the TREE-IN-A-CIRCLE symbol, BC FloorValue and BC CALC are trademarks of Boise Cascade Company or its affiliates. Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Inc. Android is a trademark of Google Inc. Apple is a trademark of Apple Inc.
