Floating Wooden Floor Bouncing

If you take a 2x10 solid lumber floor joist that is spanning 16 feet and place a 94 pound sack of cement in mid span the floor joist will bend downwards a given distance.

Floating wooden floor bouncing.

Floating floors are exactly that because they float. As homeowners we quickly get used to a floor that has a little bouncy or spring to it as we walk across it and seldom give any thought to whether there is a problem. When weight is applied to the flooring it moves downward because it is not supported causing the bounce. The method or methods tom chooses depend as much on practicality as on effectiveness.

Is material that expands and contracts. Spongy and bouncy floors generally are of little concern unless the cause relates to a serious structural issue. Working in the unfinished basement below the bouncy floor we had to remove the plumbing and electrical lines running through the joists and then rerun the lines. How to take bounce out of floors.

Even structurally sound code compliant new floors can deflect or flex more than feels comfortable. Years ago while working as a carpenter i helped stiffen a bouncy floor by nailing a new 2 10 to each of the 2 10 joists that supported the floor. The materials that floating floors are manufactured with regardless of whether the top of the floor is wood cork etc. We wouldn t typically replace good flooring with plywood but as this is being ov.

A wood or laminate floor can only bounce when there is a gap between the underside of the plank and the sub floor. Tom s house was built in 1765 but bouncy floors aren t just an old house problem. Check out the previous episode where we discuss the plans for this kitchen. To lift a sagging.

This issue can be minimized with a perpendicular beam. A previous installation of a floating floor on a wooden joist supported surface can develop bounce from a weakening of the joists themselves. Floor joists whether they be solid wood engineered lumber like yours or even steel can deflect or bend under a given amount of weight and a given amount of span. Bouncy floors can be a sign of structural problems but most bouncy floors can be stiffened to the point that the bounce is no longer a problem.

There are a variety of ways to stiffen a floor.