Why is my Floor Sagging?

Your property’s flooring should be firm, even, and level underfoot at all times. If you start to notice it becoming bouncy or springy, or you see visible areas of unevenness and sagging in your home, it is time to contact a professional for advice. There are a number of reasons as to why your property’s flooring might start to sag or become uneven. While some are less ominous than others, none of them are good. Broadly speaking, the causes of a sagging floor can be classed as structural or localized in nature.

Structural causes of a sagging floor include foundation damage, bowing or leaning walls, and movement in the wider structure of a property. This kind of damage most often causes sagging or uneven flooring by separating the floor from the joists that are supposed to provide it with the necessary support. In these cases, the floor itself will not generally need to be repaired. Instead, taking measures to deal with the underlying issues in your home should be your first concern.

Localized causes of damage to your property’s flooring tend to be those that impact the floorboards themselves or the joists that support them. Joist over span is fairly common and can occur for a number of reasons. The most common are improper design, faulty materials, and damage as a result of things like wood rot or structural movement. When the cause of sagging is localized, the repairs, too, will be localized and generally less disruptive than the wider structural repairs that might otherwise have been needed.