How To Fix A Sagging Floor In An Old House

Friday, April 4, 2014

How To Fix A Sagging Floor In An Old House

If the area is mushy then thats why your floors are sloping. As the posts slowly rot and melt into the floor the house settles accordingly bottom to top.

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If you have a crawl space foundation which is common in the south a sagging floor often means you have a structural problem with your floor joists or beams.

How to fix a sagging floor in an old house.

Joists placed with the crown.
House flipping brothers dave and rich demonstrate how not to raise a sagging floor.
To test if you have rotting wood posts push a screwdriver into the post at the floor line.

This steel column fix does require that the base of the column be secured to the basement floor and the top of the column be secured to the joist.
Over time the dirt your house sits atop can compact causing the foundation to sink.
Check floor joists for signs of sag age termites cracking or breakage.

The jack should be placed directly beneath the center joist.
As a test firmly push a metal probe or screwdriver into the post at the floor line.
This would require that you remove the drywall or plaster to get a solid connection between the plywood and the wood joists.

In some cases you can provide enough added stiffness by nailing and gluing plywood to the underside of the floor joists turning the floor joists into large box beams.
Get under the house with a flashlight to examine the support structure where the floor sags.
Why would we post a video where things didnt work out as planned.

If unsure have a pro come out and inspect it and give you pointers.
Id suggest looking at the joists under your floor and then get into the attic and check the roof structure looking for sagging or other abnormalities.
Be suspicious of wood posts set on dirt floors or wood posts with concrete poured around the post bases.

If the floor is sagging bit there is no noticeable snagging in the roof it could just be the floor.
Foundation repairs are the most expensive reason for sagging floors in old houses.
These type of posts can rot and melt into the floor.

Stand your floor jack between the two beams on top of the one thats on the floor and turn the thread on the jack until it wedges under the top beam.
If this happens the house will settle from bottom to top.
On the top side of the floor another fix it idea to lay down new hardwood over the existing floor.

Because that is what house flipping is all about.