How To Fix A Floor That Bounces

Bouncy floors are one of the most vexing problems faced in houses both new and old.

How to fix a floor that bounces.

How to fix springy and spongy floors. This article will show you three better ways to take the bounce out of a floor. Stiffening bouncy floor with plywood. No one likes the feel of a supposedly solid floor bouncing or sagging underfoot.

There are a variety of ways to stiffen a floor. You can stiffen the floor in just one room or in as many rooms as you like. Contributing editor mike guertin teams up with structural engineer david grandpré to detail six common and not so common ways to stiffen up the joists and keep the china cabinet from wobbling. It s a span of 10 feet.

How to take bounce out of floors. To lift a sagging. But if you have an unfinished basement or a basement with a drop ceiling you just might have enough access to stiffen up the floor from below. The basement is finished and i don t want to tear out the dry walled ceiling.

Would screwing another sheet of plywood stiffen it up. Bouncy floors can be a sign of structural problems but most bouncy floors can be stiffened to the point that the bounce is no longer a problem. I have a kitchen floor that bounces whenever we walk on it. A springy or spongy feeling could indicate a minor issue a major problem or.

Let s take a look at some of the different options for stiffening up a floor from below for each of the possible floor. Remembering his boyhood kitchen tom makes sure that any new floor he builds is rock solid. Tom s house was built in 1765 but bouncy floors aren t just an old house problem. Even structurally sound code compliant new floors can deflect or flex more than feels comfortable.

Bouncy and spongy floors generally are of little concern unless the cause relates to a certain structural issue. Knowing which of the 7 common causes will help determine the seriousness and help determine the fix. But i know now that we could have made that floor just as stiff even stiffer with a lot less trouble and expense. Stiffening upper floors typically requires removing some or all of the finished ceiling below.

Photo by richard howard 4 ways to stop the bounce. The method or methods tom chooses depend as much on practicality as on effectiveness. In most cases repairing bouncy floors is no easy task.