There are different issues that can cause your floor to start sagging, and by familiarizing yourself with those, you can get them fixed and make sure they don’t become a problem in the future. Sagging floor joists becomes increasingly a problem in older homes, since they may not have been built up to the same standard as houses today. While it may simply be a nuisance at this problem, it could indicate a structural problem with the framing or foundation that you will need to get floor joist repair contractors near you to address. Problems with the subfloor should not be taken lightly.
Common Causes for a Sagging Floor
- Too much weight
The first issue that could be causing the sagging is too much loading on different areas of the floor. The lumber used underneath your floor to provide the necessary support will only be able to support a limited amount each, and if you add really heavy objects on top of them, that might cause the supporting beams to carry more loads than they are supposed to, which then causes them to bend. Over time, this could cause issues and could require that the underlying support is replaced or strengthened.
- Infestation or other types of decay
When the house gets really old, the wood used may have started to decay for whatever reason including excess moisture. Sagging floors could also be an indication of a termite infestation, that would require you not only get a carpenter to repair it but also get an exterminator to get rid of the pests.
- Bad support span
The supporting pieces of lumber will need to be placed the right amount of distance apart. If they aren’t, they simply can’t handle the load. While you can have more support than you need, too little will cause problems.
- Poor quality floor joists
Since they’ll be carrying a lot of weight, the type of wood, its thickness and the quality will we be crucial for it to be able to carry the necessary weight.
Finding the Reason for Your Problem
How do you fix a sagging floor joist? Now that you know the most common reasons why floor joists are giving up, it’s time to investigate your specific situation. It is common for floors to start sagging towards the middle of the house, because it could be the case that the support posts weren’t built properly and therefore not spreading the weight, which can get worse over time.
The supporting posts in the middle of the home should be supporting on top of concrete pads, as this helps avoid direct earth contact and will keep the posts from rotting for a longer time.
The floor joist repair companies will test the support for rot, which could be why the wood is no longer capable of handling the load on top of it. When they discover that the post itself or the area surrounding it is either mushy or rotten, it’s no surprise that it can’t hold up the weight.
When it seems like the issue returns too commonly, it’s worth testing your home for moisture issues, which will be an indication that the venting system isn’t working properly, or that there may be a water leak somewhere that needs to be addressed. When moisture is an issue, have your HVAC system checked out as well as the ducts. With a lot of moisture, insects are also more likely to damage the structural parts of your home, and it can be anything form beetles to termites to carpenter ants.
With the supporting beam becoming weaker, the floor will naturally start to sag, and that is when you need to find out how you should go about dealing with the situation. Your solution will largely depend on how much support is needed and what the current condition is of the supporting framing.
The contractor will determine the extent of the repair that needs to be done. In order to determine how much the floor needs to be raised and supported, you can tie a string across the floor, and since the beams are bending in the middle, there will be a gap between the string and where the floor is. You will often need to jacking to fix the situation, where temporary support is added until the new permanent support is in place. It’s a process that takes time in order to let the floor adjust to the new situation and avoid things going wrong and other places cracking as a consequence of this new added support.
Improved posts with concrete pads that spreads out the pressure is the solution for having to place the supporting beams straight on piles of dirt.
Moisture Problems
As mentioned, the problems could be caused by moisture problems, or at least made worse by them. When that’s the case, the contractor will determine the extent of the moisture problem and take necessary action to fix it. Drying the crawl space is done to ensure that the current fix has the maximum potential for solving the issue, and if there is a leak, this needs to be dealt with, which could include needing help from a plumber.
When the leak has been fixed, the space needs to be sealed off properly, thereby preventing future problems from arising. It is, however, crucial that moisture problems are fixed before you try fixing the sagging floor, since you want to remove the reason for the problem in the first place. Moisture could also have caused the earth to shift which would then mean that the beam wasn’t having anything to support itself against.
If the sagging floor is caused by problems with the foundation, you may be looking at a bigger problem that should be addressed. It’s always better to have the issue addressed as quickly as possible to avoid further damage from happening, and they will often come to your home and do a free inspection to determine how much work needs to be done. Without that, it can be hard for them to evaluate the severity of the problem, and hence the solution.
Since your home is your biggest investment, it makes sense that you take the necessary time to ensure that nothing is causing it to deteriorate. The easiest way for you to get the help of sagging floor joist repair companies is to use the form on our site for the purpose.
All you need to do is fill out the form with your information and you’ll be contacted by up to 4 contractors that are ready and willing to help you with the project. By getting quotes and help from several companies, you’re making sure that you will receive the necessary care for your home at a competitive price.
The problem could have serious consequences if it isn’t addressed, and this is not a project that should be undertaken by homeowners themselves. Ask the contractors if they do a free inspection and have them itemize the quotes that they give you to make sure that the inadequate support doesn’t cause additional structural problems to your home.
Trying to fix these problems yourself could in fact make matters worse, and it might end up requiring that you replace the entire floor rather than simply repairing the joists. Doing these necessary repairs could cause further deterioration and simply getting the opinion of a pro does not cost you anything.
Getting Free Estimates and Quotes When a Sagging Floor is Apparent
When you’ve realized that the floors in your home are starting to sag, we encourage you to get free estimates and quotes to have them repaired as soon as possible. The easiest way to have this done is by simply filling out the form at the top of the page, and when you do that we’ll help match you with the most relevant flooring contractors in your area.