Sagging Floor 2nd Story

Although most floors slope it is important to know how much and why.

Sagging floor 2nd story. On the top side of the floor another fix it idea to lay down new hardwood over the existing floor. There are several problems that can cause a sagging or sloping floor which is one of the reasons why fixing a sloping floor is difficult. Water damaged or structurally damaged first floor joists causing the joists to deflect or sag. The first and second floors in our house seem overly bouncy and sag toward the middle.

To prevent the collapse of your second story or injury from falling through a rotten floor you must repair the joists as soon as possible. Depending upon the conditions it is possible to strengthen or repair existing framing members such as floor joists or roof rafters by adding reinforcing material sandwiching the member on either side with plywood is sometimes worthwhile but the plywood must be installed correctly for greatest strength. Four or five beams of the same size as your floor joists typically two by eight and as long as the room. Thre ways to fix a sagging or sloping floor.

How can we evaluate whether the floors need reinforcement and if so what is the best way to do this. Sagging floors are often the symptoms of structural damage to the floor joists below the surface. If the floor is sagging visibly in the middle or is very bouncy you may want to reinforce the floor to eliminate the sag and reduce the bounciness. Temporary adjustable floor jack tall enough to reach the floor joists from the basement floor.

Isolated to first floor isolated to second floor both floors. Sloping to one direction. You will have to make sure your joists can handle the addition of considerably more weight from the plywood subfloor and any floor coverings. Again this could be a sign of dry rotted second floor joists.

The average person can sense if a floor slopes 1 inch in 10 feet and sloping floors or sagging floors are often one of the warning signs that structural engineers look for when analyzing a house. If a load bearing wall is removed on the first floor then the second story floor joist or trusses may drop down in the area where the load bearing wall was removed. A plywood subfloor will bridge any minor waves in the existing floor and leveling compound would help too. A dozen metal rafter ties.

Load bearing wall removed or altered on first floor. Common reasons for sloping or sagging second story floors. Termites can rot or damage the joists typically made of wood rendering the pieces unable to hold up the floor.