Floors don’t typically have dips or slants, so when they do, it can be a bit disconcerting. If left unfixed, you’re looking at a slippery slope, including the potential for further foundation damage. But, with the right tools, steps, and know-how, you can tackle this repair yourself—here’s how.
Inspecting Your Home
Before you dive into your pick-me-up project of fixing your sagging floors, it’s a good idea to figure out why your foundation is sagging and if you should consider other foundation-repairing methods. Damaged floor joists are one of the most common causes of sagging floors, and knowing how they’re damaged can help you develop the best game plan for your project.
Check Your Support Posts
Is your floor sagging above a basement or crawl space? If it is, check your wooden support posts. Look at where these posts meet the floor. Using a screwdriver, poke the wood or try pushing through it. If it feels mushy or seems rotten, this is likely where the problem starts.
Check Your Floor Joists
Damaged floor joists (these are the wooden beams that run horizontally underneath your floors) usually mean sagging floors. If they’re damaged, that could mean they’re cracked, rotten, or cut. When adding wiring, pipes, or HVAC ducts, floor joists can sometimes be cut improperly during installation.
Check for Moisture Damage
Does it seem like condensation is always lurking on your walls or even your floors? Excess moisture is harmful to your home, and a build-up could cause rot to grow on your joists. If moisture is the main culprit of the damage, you’ll have to tackle that problem while also fixing your sagging floors. With moisture in your crawl space, you may also need to consider crawl space encapsulation costs to keep the area clean and dry.
Level the Floor
Your uneven floors need to be leveled, and to make the floor level, you’ll need to lift it. At this stage, consider consulting a structural engineer. If you’re worried about the structural stability of your home, they can recommend ideas for keeping your home and floors safe and sturdy.
Leveling a floor isn’t something that happens overnight. Getting the correct alignment can take days (or even weeks) since doing it too quickly can cause a lot of stress to your house. Much like moving to a new place, you must give your house time to settle. Leveling a floor can also cause a bit of cosmetic damage to your home, even when it’s done slowly. Don’t be surprised by cracks in your drywall, and you may even see some damage to paint, flooring, and counters.
Once you have your game plan in place, here’s what you’ll need to do: you’ll need a laser level, screw jack, and beam to lift your floor. The laser level will help you determine how much the floor needs to be raised. Place the laser level on areas of the floor where it does and doesn’t sag and use it to mark these areas on the walls. Install a screw jack and beam under the floor joists you want to raise. The metal support in the jack will lift to push the beam into the sagging joist and level the floor. If you have multiple sags along the same floor, consider consulting a professional contractor to speed up your project time and eliminate your spending on expensive tools, like the cost of a steel I-beam.
