How To Fix Sagging Floors

Sagging floor repair isn’t easy, especially if you don’t really know how to fix a sagging floor. What can JES do to help you with sagging floors?

Schedule Free Inspection

How to Fix Sagging Floors

If you’ve never looked into the actual reasons for sagging floors, you might just be looking at how to fix a sagging floor because you hate the way it looks. Although sagging floors can definitely be an eyesore, that shouldn’t be the only reason you try to fix them.

Sagging floors imply sagging floor joists, and sagging floor joists are almost always a sign of a deeper structural problem. If you want to know how to repair a sagging floor, you need to know what’s going on to cause this problem.

There are plenty of options for sagging floor repair, and you should definitely try your best to fix the underlying problem before it leads to genuine concerns. With information from this article and an inspection from a JES expert, you can learn more about how to fix a sagging floor joist.

schedule a free inspection now

Sagging Floors

FAQs

Why Do I Have Sagging Floors?

What causes sagging floors? Although it typically just looks like a cosmetic problem from above, anyone who gets a look underneath will quickly discern that the problem is almost always a sagging floor joist. These joists can fail for a variety of reasons.

Are you at a loss when it comes to the sagging floors in your home? These are the most prominent reasons for this problem.

Poor Floor Support Design

The most cut-and-dried reason for sagging floor joists stems simply from poor floor support design. Ideally, the design underneath your home should ensure that the support system holds up each of the floor joists properly.

The problem is, a poor design will make sure the floor joists don’t get enough support. If your floor joists aren’t supported enough, you’ll end up with sagging floor joists and a sagging floor on top of it.

Dealing with poor design requires additions that will restore your home to the proper level. If you’re looking for more regarding how to fix sagging floor problems, a JES expert will be able to discern whether your home simply has design issues.

Home Settlement

A small amount of home settlement happens to many types of homes, even if the soil is properly packed and prepared. The problem arises when the home settles more than it should over time, starting to sink into the ground.

Especially if one side of the home starts to sink more than another side, it can throw off the balance of your existing floor joists. Where the home previously had an acceptable amount of balance, you may start finding cracks and sagging floors as the home begins to settle improperly.

Settlement requires that you stabilize the foundation as a whole. It’s not something you can handle yourself. A JES foundation and crawl space repair expert can give you options when it comes to your home settlement problems.

Crawl Space Moisture

More people deal with a crawl space moisture and humidity problem than they realize. If you have a dirt crawl space, for example, you’re almost certainly dealing with a crawl space that has a very high level of relative humidity, which can be a problem.

As moisture starts to leech into the wooden floor joists, they can start to become more flexible, making it easier for them to bow under the weight of the home above. You can also notice other moisture-related issues, including mold and mildew.

There are many steps to avoiding crawl space moisture. If your sagging floor joists come from crawl space moisture, it’s best to schedule a free inspection from JES to learn more about your potential options.

Reasons to Fix a Sagging Floor

Why should you tackle your sagging floor joists? Many people, especially those who are trying to save money, elect not to fix cosmetic issues in a home for some time. However, it’s important to realize that a sagging floor joist isn’t actually a cosmetic problem, even though it may look like one.

If you’re looking for a reason to pursue sagging floor repair, consider these important reasons to tackle your sagging floor joists now.

Foundation Problems Can Mount Quickly

A sagging floor joist is intimately connected to your foundation. That means when you tackle how to fix sagging floor joists, you’re actually thinking about how to protect your home’s foundation, an important part of any homeowner’s responsibilities.

The thing about foundation problems is that they build on top of each other pretty substantially. When you fix your sagging floor, you’re going to make sure that “small” problem doesn’t turn into a gigantic problem somewhere down the line.

It might only be a cosmetic concern right now, but do you really want to wait until it’s not? As soon as you start noticing your sagging floors, talk to a JES expert to learn more about how to fix it.

Early Fixes Are Cheaper

The earlier you handle these types of home problems, the cheaper it’ll be to fix. After all, with an early fix, you only have to deal with the actual problem. You don’t have to deal with the additional problems stemming from that initial concern.

Think about it. If your sagging floor joist snaps, you may end up needing to completely replace the floor. What’s going to be cheaper: a sagging floor fix today or completely replacing the room’s floor in a few months?

It’s never going to be cheaper to fix your home than it will be today. A JES expert can give you more information about how to fix a sagging floor joist when you get in contact today.

Sagging Floors Can Be a Safety Hazard

Of course, if your sagging floor joist snaps, that’s a significant safety hazard. The possibilities for danger that stem from very extreme sagging floor cases are plenty, and that’s a good point to make note of.

However, even just the sagging floor itself can be a safety hazard. As you walk through your home, you’re expecting to step on solid ground every time. You may run into problems if your floor slopes downward in parts.

This doesn’t even take into account elderly people or people who use a mobility aid. Regardless of the people who live in your home, it’s important to contact a JES expert to fix a sagging floor for safety.

How to Repair a Sagging Floor

What do you need to do if you have a sagging floor? Because there are many potential reasons for a sagging floor, there are also many potential repair options. The one you choose depends on your home’s needs and what you’re lacking.

A JES expert can help you choose between these options and any others that may be applicable to your specific situation.

Install Support Structures

This is most effective if your floor is sagging only because of poor structural design. In these cases, a support structure, like the IntelliJack floor joist jack system, can be very effective in restoring the floor joists to their original position.

Support structures need to be able to support all the weight above them, which can be a very difficult job. That means you need to make sure you’re using a support structure that actually works well for your needs.

Although this can be very useful for issues with structural design, it’s not useful if you’re having any other problems not related to the structural design. Talk to a JES expert about whether you can use this solution for your needs.

Stabilize the Foundation

Sagging floor issues arising from a sinking foundation may benefit from a pier system. JES offers a variety of pier systems tailored to your individual home needs.

Pier systems go underneath your home, driving into the bedrock to make sure your home stays at its current height. In fact, some systems may even be able to raise a sunken home back to its original position above the soil.

This is useful in many situations, but not all. Also, because there are many different pier systems available, it’s important that you contact a JES expert, who will be able to let you know which pier system will work best for you.

Remove Crawl Space Moisture

Moisture is an incredibly important thing to get rid of in a crawl space or basement. It can cause severe structural problems. Before you can handle sagging floor repair, you first need to seal off your crawl space to remove existing and new moisture.

This is especially true if you have very serious moisture-related problems like mold, wood rot, mildew or wet crawl space insulation. You need to get rid of that before you can put your sagging floor joists back to their normal height.

Crawl space moisture can have a very intense impact on your home. If you’re dealing with these problems, a JES expert can give you advice on how to fix it.

Can I Fix a Sagging Floor On My Own?

DIY solutions are gaining popularity more and more as people consider their efficacy over traditional fixes. In some situations, DIY solutions can certainly help you save money. When it comes to how to repair a sagging floor, however, it’s important to consult an expert.

Here are a few reasons to book a JES inspection, rather than trying to fix the problem yourself.

Fixes Require Precision

It may not seem like it from the outside, but many of these fixes require a significant amount of precision. You can’t just sister a joint in the area it seems is sagging the most and be done with it.

An expert knows all the places that require the most precision. Plus, when you schedule an inspection from a JES expert, you can also take advantage of the high-quality materials and systems JES uses.

You don’t want to suddenly learn that the fix you put in a few months ago actually failed within the first few weeks. Instead, you want a long-lasting, precise fix that will stay in for good. A JES expert will help you with that fix.

Severe Problems Require Expert Knowledge

DIY solutions typically work best for mild problems. That’s true in any area, including home repair. You may be able to spackle over a hole from a screw, but what are your options when it comes to serious problems with your home foundation?

You may not know what to do in these situations. It’s important that you go to the experts for severe problems that may develop into genuinely important structural concerns, like the problems that arise with a sagging floor.

If you’re looking into DIY sagging floor repair, you might not know what you’re getting yourself into. Trust a JES expert to help you with your sagging floor joists in an effective manner.

You Need to Fix the Problem Fully

When it comes to how to fix a sagging floor, the most important thing to keep in mind is thoroughness. You can’t just put a bandage over the issue. You need to fix the sagging floor joist and all the problems behind it.

Right now, you might not even know what’s causing your sagging floor joists. It’s imperative that you know what’s actually happening in your basement or crawl space if you’re going to handle your sagging floor repair.

A free inspection from JES will let you know what’s going on with your home foundation. From sagging floor joists to crawl space moisture and beyond, this inspection can give you the information you need to fix the problem for good.

Learn More About Sagging Floors and Request a JES Inspection Today

Although it can be frustrating to deal with a sagging floor, you don’t have to just handle this problem on your own forever. Instead, you can call in a professional from JES, who will do an expert inspection and let you know your options.

No matter how serious your sagging floor problem is, JES can help you fix it. Request your free inspection today to learn more about what’s going on under your home and discover what you can do to fix it.

CHOOSE THE EXPERTS HERE TO HELP YOU

Schedule your free inspection