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.
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.
The feeling of bounce is caused by the flooring moving downward when weight is applied (stepped on). The flooring moves or bounces as it is not properly supported from underneath which puts added pressure on the flooring joints, in most cases causing them to separate, break or squeak.
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.
The expansion gap allows the hardwood floor boards to expand and contract over time. If the expansion gap is not present, then the floorboards may start cupping, which means that the edges of the boards press against one another and raise. These raised edges create soft spots.
One of the most common signs of moisture damage in hardwood floors is cupping. Cupping is when the boards expand across the face and create sufficient pressure at the edge where the boards meet that the planks curl, or rise at the seams between the boards This can happen for multiple reasons.
A quicker and cheaper solution is to attach full sheets of ¾-inch plywood to the bottom of the joists, creating what Tom calls a “giant, monolithic box beam.” Starting at mid-span, apply construction adhesive to the bottom edges of the joists and fasten the plywood sheets—long edge perpendicular to the joists—with 8d ...
If you've recently experienced a flood or another kind of water damage, this could be a telltale sign something's amiss. Soft spots on the floor are a common sign of water damage, and you should get in touch with Indoor Green Solutions as soon as possible.
Some people have one leg slightly shorter than the other and so will walk like that. Put a flat shoe on one foot that will make that leg end up being “longer” than the leg without the shoe. Then walk. You will see that you will walk with a bounce or with a tottering way where their hair swishes from side to side.
Bouncy Floors
If you hear rattling every time you walk around a corner, the floors are probably getting by with minimal support. Bouncy floors cause furniture and other items to shake and vibrate due to inadequate support. If the floors do not feel firm, that's a sign the floor joists need more support.
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.
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.
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.
“Adequately protected from moisture, most subfloor materials can be expected to last for the lifespan of the home.” However, if the subfloor is consistently exposed to moisture, you may need to replace it after 20 to 30 years or sooner.
A damaged foundation and damaged floor joist are often the leading cause of uneven and sloping floors in an old house. Foundation damage can come from dump crawlspace, aged or poor design, and craftsmanship, resulting in a foundation too weak to hold up your house's weight, especially when you have a wood floor.
A: Sagging floors are more common than you might think. In my opinion, the most common causes are wood-eating insects, wood rot caused by water leaks, undersized beams and soil settlement. There are other possible causes, but in my experience the ones I just mentioned account for much of the misery.
Using beams or walls as a support to your floor joists is an excellent way to strengthen them. This option opts for cases where space is not limited and adding columns does not reduce the effectiveness of the design.
If your subflooring is undamaged and the affected area is dry within 24 to 48 hours, you may be able to repair the damaged flooring. Before attempting a repair, ensure the floor is completely dry. Use wet vacuums to clear big water puddles, and set up fans and dehumidifiers to dry out the rest of the moisture.
Water damage happens when water is allowed to saturate a hardwood floor often the result is a condition often referred to as cupping. This happens because more moisture is absorbed by the unfinished underside of the boards causing the bottom of each board to expand more than the top.
Visible Physical Damage
Cupping: The build-up of moisture in the hardwood causes the sides or edges of the hardwood floors to expand and eventually become uneven. As a result, the sides stick out and are not even with the center of the wood.