How To Fix Bouncy Floor Joists

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.

How to fix bouncy floor joists.

Got bounce part 2. For sistering cut inch plywood into long strips the same width as the joist s web. I am trying to find the balance between having it work and overkill. But when tom sisters or stiffens the underside of i joists he uses plywood.

It was a complex expensive job. 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. 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. 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.

As a rule the same kinds of methods that take the bounce out of solid lumber floors work for i joists. How to fix a floor deflection in an existing floor. 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. 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.

A springy or spongy feeling could indicate a minor issue a major problem or. Still if asked to span too great a distance i joists will bounce. Bouncy floors are one of the most vexing problems faced in houses both new and old. Short flitch plates of steel or lvl can also be bolted on both sides of a joist to repair a cracked or damaged section.

My floor joists are 2x10s 16 inch on center. 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. How far apart should i put the new pieces of 2 10. No one likes the feel of a supposedly solid floor bouncing or sagging underfoot.

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.