Firming Up Suspended Floor

How to insulate suspended timber floors.

Firming up suspended floor.

A suspended floor is a ground floor with a void underneath the structure. There are a few ways to insulate a suspended floor but the best most breathable way is to hang insulation under the floorboards. This project is about levelling old timber floors repairing and replacing timber joists. The first and second floors in our house seem overly bouncy and sag toward the middle.

Well that s a seriously big job ticked off for two rooms. We show you how to lay floor boards over the leveled joists how to cut the floor boards to the right shape and how to use a chalk line. How can we evaluate whether the floors need reinforcement and if so what is the best way to do this. If the floor is sagging visibly in the middle or is very bouncy you may want to reinforce the floor to eliminate the sag and reduce the bounciness.

The floor can be formed in various ways using timber joists precast concrete panels block and beam system or cast in situ with reinforced concrete. A springy or spongy feeling could indicate a minor issue a major problem or. All you need to know. The original plan was for builders to take up the all the floor boards of the living and dining room hoist up the joists re build the internal leaves of brick work and re secure the full timber floor but with it being the type of back breaking work most builders now avoid or charge the earth for it s been preventing downstairs.

Determine the height of the false floor in relation to the bottom step of the basement stairs. This insulates the floor but still allows some air to circulate preventing the timber from getting damp and rotting. For example two by four sleepers and floor joists installed flat and covered with plywood raise. How to fix springy and spongy floors.

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. 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. No one likes the feel of a supposedly solid floor bouncing or sagging underfoot. It was a complex expensive job.