Whether you're a homeowner or looking to buy a home, you should never ignore uneven floors. Sagging, sloping, and buckling floors is a sign of a much bigger problem that can cause serious issues in the future. Fixing the problem sooner will save you money and prevent your home from experiencing further damage.
In some cases, a slight slope may be normal and not cause for concern. However, if the slope is severe or getting worse over time, it could be a sign of a serious problem that requires immediate attention. One potential risk of sloping floors is damage to the structural integrity of the home.
However, the uneven floor may be an indicator of a larger, unseen problem with the house. If your potential new home has buckling floors, you should immediately consult a home inspector to investigate the root of the problem.
Subfloor unevenness cannot be greater than 3/16 of an inch over a 10-foot span or 1/8 inch over a 6-foot span. Subfloors must not slope more than ½ inch per 6 feet (25 mm per 1.8 m) Subfloors must be structurally sound.
Nearly all will say that if a floor slopes 1 and 1/2 inches in twenty feet or more, that there should be further investigation. Floors that slope 2 or 3 inches in 20 feet would be a very serious concern.
The best flooring for uneven floors due to its attractiveness and durability is epoxy, which can also be designed to mimic a wide variety of appearances. Not only will epoxy finish out the floor, but it'll also even it out.
Excessive Weight on a Floor
For example, a floor of an office building is generally designed to hold a lot more weight than a floor in a residential home. However, if load-bearing supports are not installed properly, this can cause a floor to collapse.
Although no subfloor is perfectly level, you should always try to get it as perfectly level as possible. This is important especially if you are installing very thin, flexible flooring like luxury vinyl tile (LVT).
The typical costs for repairing sagging floors start at $1000 and can go up to $10,000, with the average rate being around $300 per square foot. But this can vary depending on the extent of the damage and materials needed to get the job done.
Minor workarounds are possible, such as leveling the furniture that sits on the floor, placing shims in joists where there are dips that are not due to structural issues, or using a power planer to remove some higher spots and bumps in wood or concrete floors. Sometimes covering it up is the best solution.
What Happens if You Don't Fix Sagging Floors? If you ignore sagging floors, it can lead to consequences such as property damage that your insurance company may not cover. It can also lead to injury when someone trips or falls on uneven floors, or even property loss if the damage is great enough.
Many homeowners and owners of commercial property have dealt with a sagging floor. Floors can sag for many reasons. For instance, they may sag due to the natural settling of your property or building materials over time. However, a sagging floor may also signify damage from water leaks or pests, like termites.
Many homes older than 15 years tend to experience some sort of foundation issue or settlement. Slab, basement, and crawl space foundations are all at risk of settlement, which can cause your floors to warp, bend, and become uneven.
Typically, homeowners opt for the same flooring throughout their homes because it creates a cohesive, seamless look. However, some homeowners prefer to mix and match flooring to create a more unique and functional design for their space.
Most flooring materials have different heights and thicknesses that can affect the transition from one room to the other. You might be able to install padding and underlayment when you first lay down the floors to make them more consistent. But you may have to use a threshold or transition strip to create an even flow.
Does home insurance cover foundation movement or sagging floors? Foundation damage caused by shifting or settling earth or sagging floors caused by rotting floor joists are typically not covered by homeowners insurance. If the damage is caused by flooding or an earthquake, you'll typically require separate coverage.
The long beams that provide the main structural support for the floor can cost $200 to $500 per room or $10 to $67 per square foot to repair. A full replacement costs $5,000 to $20,000. If you're only repairing individual joists, expect to pay $100 to $300 per joist.
Average Cost to Level the Floor in a House
On average, you are looking at about $3 – $5 per square foot.
Living on a higher floor has its advantages. You get better views of your locality, better light and ventilation, and there is lower impact of street-level disturbances compared to those on the ground and lower floors. Higher floors are also usually free from the menace of mosquitoes and rodents (mainly rats).
Forgetting to level the subfloor
The subfloor must be level before installing laminate flooring. If the subfloor is leveled, the laminate planks will not lay properly, causing uneven and unsightly floors. If the subfloor is not level, you can use a self-leveling compound to level it out.
You can tell if a floor will collapse by looking at the floors for foundation damage (cracks, uneven floors, bowing, etc.), but the warning signs can also appear as cracks in walls or window frames.
People with barophobia fear gravity. They worry that gravity will cause a fall that leads to serious injury or death. Or they fear that gravity may topple a heavy object onto them. A person with barophobia may also be frightened of images of outer space where gravity doesn't exist.
You can install vinyl on many types of subfloor, including concrete and wood. But that floor must be flat for your installation to be a success. An uneven subfloor can lead to potential problems, such as planks having varying heights that will make the flooring unstable and wear down more quickly.