Signs Your Home's Floorboards Need Repair

Construction & Contractors Blog

Your home's floorboards don't need to actually split or sink for them to need repair work; it's not unusual for floorboards to sag or start to crack without a homeowner knowing, as those parts of the home's frame are covered by carpeting or tile. However, ignoring the need for new floorboards or floor trusses can mean allowing damage to spread to the walls and even the ceiling, as all parts of your home's frame rely on each other for support. Before this happens, note a few signs that your home's floors may need repair.

1. The carpeting starts to shift

A poor installation job can cause carpeting to get loose in certain areas, but if the floorboards under that carpeting get weak and sink, the carpeting will go along with it! You may notice that areas of carpeting seem loose underfoot, or you may see it shifting and moving as you vacuum. In extreme cases, the carpeting may actually start to bunch up in certain areas, as larger parts of your floor no longer support it.

2. Cracks in the walls and ceiling

You may not associate cracks in walls and the ceiling with soft floorboards; however, as mentioned above, all parts of a home's frame rest and rely on each other for support. If your floor gets weak, it will usually sink and shift slightly; the walls may then start to sag as the floors pull them toward this sinking area. In turn, the ceiling may also start to shift and move slightly. All this movement may be invisible to the eyes, but it can cause the drywall or plaster, as well as the paint on these surfaces, to crack.

3. Plumbing pipes get bent or out of place

If your home has consistent clogs in the plumbing, you might inspect the pipes that are under the floorboards. If they're out of place in certain areas, this could be because the floorboards over them are soft and have sunk and shifted. Plumbing pipes are typically attached to floorboards by connectors and hangers; when the floors sink, those connectors may come loose or they shift, so that the pipes are not at the right angle, allowing clogs to form. This added weight of the floorboards can also cause the pipes to crack. For any plumbing problems involving pipes under floorboards, be sure you inspect the flooring and don't assume the problem is just the plumbing.

Remember that recurring problems with floorboards may mean your home is too heavy for standard studs; invest in full trusses, which provide more support and which may ensure your home's frame is solid and secure in all areas. Contact a company like Prefab Technology Pty Ltd for more information.

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22 November 2016

Finding the Best Contractors for the Job

Welcome to my blog, my name is Blake and from now on, I will be writing a series of blogs which will deal with the process of finding and working with contractors when constructing a new building. I am not a construction specialist but last summer I gained a lot of experience in this area when I hired a team of 32 contractors to build a holiday home. When hiring contractors, it is important that you understand how to communicate with them and their ways of working. Below are a series of blogs which will help you to find the best contractors.