How To Fix Bouncy Floor Joists

How far apart should i put the new pieces of 2 10.

How to fix bouncy floor joists.

Years ago while working as a carpenter i helped stiffen a bouncy floor by nailing a new 2 10 to each of the 2 10 joists that supported the floor. It was a complex expensive job. Got bounce part 2. As a rule the same kinds of methods that take the bounce out of solid lumber floors work for i joists.

How to fix springy and spongy floors. Q instead of glue and nails my framing subcontractor used screws to fasten the sheathing to the i joists of a new 14 foot wide addition. Short flitch plates of steel or lvl can also be bolted on both sides of a joist to repair a cracked or damaged section. Bouncy floors are one of the most vexing problems faced in houses both new and old.

Still if asked to span too great a distance i joists will bounce. No one likes the feel of a supposedly solid floor bouncing or sagging underfoot. Where sagging is not the main problem bouncy joists can be stiffened by sistering a new wood or engineered wood joist alongside the existing ones. For sistering cut inch plywood into long strips the same width as the joist s web.

Floor joists running the width of the room are 9 by 2 at an estimated length of 10f 8 inch with a centre to centre gap of 23 inch. While there are no interior walls bearing on the floor system and no excessive notching in the i joist flanges and the joists fall well within the apa s allowable span guidelines my clients say their floor is excessively bouncy. I am trying to find the balance between having it work and overkill. Working in the unfinished basement below the bouncy floor we had to remove the plumbing and electrical lines running through the joists and then rerun the lines.

Before i drywall the basement ceiling i would like to stiffen the floor joists to eliminate bounce by installing new pieces of 2 10 perpendicular to the existing joists. How to fix a floor deflection in an existing floor. There is only 1 noggin in the centre of each joist there is a vapour barrier stapled to the under side of the joists with insulation laid on top. But when tom sisters or stiffens the underside of i joists he uses plywood.

A 4x6 beam run perpendicular to and under joists in the center of the floor frame held in place and raised slightly probably no more than inch by hydraulic jacks will eliminate most of the sag and help ensure that the sistered joists will be snug to the subfloor.