Squishy or spongy flooring can sometimes be a sign of water damage, either to the boards themselves or the subfloor. This is often caused by using too much water on the laminate to clean it, such as using a sopping wet mop or steam mop, which damages the wooden core of the laminate boards.
Fix bouncy floors by adding bridging, adding a layer of plywood or adding a wall or beam. We'll show you three ways to stiffen up your bouncy floor—by adding bridging, installing plywood along the joists and adding a wall or beam under the floor. Any one of the three can solve your problem, depending on your situation.
If the floor feels springy and spongy when you walk, the subfloor might not be completely attached. Another reason for a soft floor could be from overextended joists; meaning the joists holding the house up are too long and not supported enough.
Foam Away Spongy Spots. Soft spots in a laminate floor can be caused by an uneven sub-floor or improper installation of flooring underlayment. For quick repairs of soft spots in your laminate floor use an air inflation needle or a syringe (used to blow up sports balls) on a can of spray foam.
If a house's foundation settles unevenly, it can damage the subfloor and, subsequently, the floor itself. A gap between layers can form, and the floor above it may develop soft spots. Rain or snow that fails to drain, improper landscape grading, or a shifting foundation can cause similar problems.
The most obvious is a spongy feel or “give” to the affected area. Other signs of water damage include warping in the floorboards of your hardwood floors, loose sections in your tile floor, bubbling or peeling in linoleum, lifting in your laminate flooring, or a musty smell that could indicate mold growth.
Because the materials simply lay on the subfloor and are rather thin, floating floors typically feel somewhat hollow and are sometimes loud underfoot—especially laminates. This problem can be minimized by installation of a good-quality foam underlayment.
These are all signs that your floor joists are weak or over-spanned and need additional support to hold up the weight of your home. It's important to consult with foundation repair professional before the problems get worse. What Causes Bouncy Floors?
Why does my laminate flooring feel bouncy? It's normal for yourlamiante flooring to feel a little bit bouncy. A minor amount of “deflection” (feeling the flooring compress and spring back underfoot) is actually a good thing – that slight give means the flooring is absorbing some of the impact of your steps.
One of the most common causes of soft spots is water damage, which can occur for many reasons. One common cause of water damage is a burst pipe under the floorboards. You can even cause water damage yourself by mopping your floors with a saturated mop.
Sagging floors are a sign of serious damage to the joists beneath your home and the structure of your home overall. Left untended, this can lead to injury, property loss, and disaster. Worse, insurance companies often will not pay for such losses or repairs if you ignored the issue once the early signs became visible.
Signs of a Significant Problem
Floors that sag 2 inches or more in 20 feet, though, are a cause for concern. Additional indicators of a significant problem include: Foundation cracks. Differential settlement of foundation or slab.
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.
The sagging floor in your older home is likely a result of the supports below the floor of your home aging, settling, and likely racking up damage. You'll want to act on this structural issue before it gets worse, or even dangerous.
Excessive Weight on a Floor
However, if load-bearing supports are not installed properly, this can cause a floor to collapse. Additionally, some floor collapses can be caused by an excessive amount of people standing or jumping in an already weak area of a floor.
Floor deflection is common in older homes because the floor joists often are smaller or are spaced farther apart than the joists in modern homes. Of course, new homes also can have bouncy floors if the joists are approaching the maximum spanning distance for the building loads they are supporting.
At the very minimum, your new laminate flooring should last eight years. However, most laminate can last well over a decade, especially if you take good care of it and keep it protected. The lifespan of your laminate floors may also depend on how much foot traffic is in a particular room.
A floating floor with great materials, structure, and properly cared for may last anywhere from 40 to 80 years or even more. If you're using thin and low-quality floorboard planks, expect a shorter floor lifespan.
One of the primary causes of uneven floors is foundation issues. If the foundation of your home is unstable or has settled over time, it can cause the floors to become uneven. This is particularly common in older homes that were built on pier and beam foundations.
Signs Your House Is Settling
Here's a few different signs that your house is settling. You have multiple sticking doors and windows – If you're noticing many of your doors and windows are not closing properly, your house could be settling. Your floors are bowing – Pay attention to any bowed, sunken, or uneven flooring.