Sagging Second Story Floor Joist

One of our recent whole house balloon frame remodeling projects had a floor so out of level that anyone sitting on the toilet in the future bathroom risked sliding off.

Sagging second story floor joist.

Termites can rot or damage the joists typically made of wood rendering the pieces unable to hold up the floor. Tack a beam under the sagging joists. We have a large bedroom on the second story above a large bedroom on the first floor each about 12 x 18 ft the downstairs bedroom. On the top side of the floor another fix it idea to lay down new hardwood over the existing floor.

You will have to make sure your joists can handle the addition of considerably more weight from the plywood subfloor and any floor coverings. I am in the process of remodeling and am currently redoing the ceilings in the dinning room and living room. 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. Second floor joists are nailed to the bearing walls and supported by a piece of stock called a ribbon board in this case 1 6 stock let into the studs see drawing right.

Sagging second story floor joist. For sistering cut inch plywood into long strips the same width as the joist s web. But when tom sisters or stiffens the underside of i joists he uses plywood. I just bought my first home that is a 1 1 2 story bungalow built in 1919.

Still if asked to span too great a distance i joists will bounce. Load bearing wall removed or altered on first floor. 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. The method used to fix the problem depends on the reason the joist is sagging and the number of joists.

Bounciness is usually caused by undersized floor joists. Thre ways to fix a sagging or sloping floor. Upon removing the old plaster and latte boards i confirmed what i. As a rule the same kinds of methods that take the bounce out of solid lumber floors work for i joists.

A dip or slope in the floor could indicate one or more saggy joists beneath the subfloor. 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. Nailing two 2x4s together will work to span about three joists unless the sag is under a weight bearing wall. Set a hydraulic jack and post under the beam and jack up the joists about 1 8 in.

Common reasons for sloping or sagging second story floors. Hey everyone my name is dane and i am new to the forum. Sagging can be the result of undersized joists an undersized support beam or support posts that have rotted at the bottom or settled into the ground. Sagging floors are often the symptoms of structural damage to the floor joists below the surface.