Floors Feel Bouncy

There are several factors that can make your floors squeak including seasonal changes in humidity levels and installation issues.

Floors feel bouncy.

The method or methods tom chooses depend as much on practicality as on effectiveness. Or maybe your floors are bouncy because they suffer from all these problems or at least several of them. Floor deflection is common in older homes because the floor joists often are smaller or are spaced farther apart than the joists in modern homes. A springy or spongy feeling could indicate a minor issue a major problem or no problem at all.

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. Then you ll need to add more support. It is time tested and traditional and is tops in performance and din sports flooring certification. Nail plywood cdx or bc to the underside of the floor joists.

Even structurally sound code compliant new floors can deflect or flex more than feels comfortable. If your inspection reveals rot or termites you ll have to tackle these problems before doing anything else by improving ventilation for rot or calling in the exterminators for termites. The standard playing surface is urethane coated hardwood maple 2 1 4 wide by 25 32 thick has a variety of substrate and suspension systems for performance demands. The concrete should be swept to remove any debris that can alter the flat surface.

Reducing bounce on concrete subfloors requires preparation before the panels are installed. Tom s house was built in 1765 but bouncy floors aren t just an old house problem. In addition to the floor being bouncy or spongy you may see cracks in the tile or grout if it s a tile floor or hear a snapping or creaking sound if its a laminated type of floor. There are a variety of ways to stiffen a floor.

If you take a 2x10 solid lumber floor joist that is spanning 16 feet and place a 94 pound sack of cement in mid span the floor joist will bend downwards a given distance. Of course new homes also can have bouncy floors if the joists are approaching the maximum spanning distance for the weight they are supporting. Majority of all gymnasium floors are hardwood and 95 of those are maple. At times there may be spongy floors that appear to slope or sag as well as being spongy.

Floor joists whether they be solid wood engineered lumber like yours or even steel can deflect or bend under a given amount of weight and a given amount of span. No one likes the feel of a supposedly solid floor bouncing or sagging underfoot. Add a wall or beam. Build a wall or place a beam under the joists.