Floor Joist Leveling By Sistering

Here s how we are correcting the problems.

Floor joist leveling by sistering. If you have an uneven floor you may need to think about leveling floor joists with shims. I am going to sister this joist with an identical sized joist 2x10 over its full length. Then sister the joists will lvl joists at exactly the level you want. The amount of weight that each floor joist handles is pretty amazing.

How to sister a floor joist. But it s usually best to run the sister joist over the entire span. When the sagging joists are level apply a generous bead of construction adhesive to the existing joist. My plan is to use construction adhesive and tack it into place with nails.

Leveling the floor with shims is when you attach thin wedge shaped pieces of wood on top of the low areas of the joists to make the top joists even. Then attach the sister joist using three 16d common nails driven every 16 in. Sistering joists is a job for the pros who will bolt the new joists to the old joists and position the ends of the joists on the same sill plate that supports the original joists. Doing so strengthens weak joists and can help straighten sagging joists.

Sistering joists means beefing them up with additional material. You will have a level sound surface to lay your new floor on. You will have to make sure your joists can handle the addition of considerably more weight from the plywood subfloor and any floor coverings. It is important to jack this end level to keep the floor from sagging any more and to keep the joists from splintering later.

Framing lumber is the typical. On the top side of the floor another fix it idea to lay down new hardwood over the existing floor. This job can run you 1 000 and 5 000 depending on the extent of the job. Lay a new 3 4 plywood subfloor and bob s your uncle.

When sistering these pieces together it is easy to put just a few nails in the boards and move on. Our 60 year old floor joists are showing their age. To permenantly secure the joist i will use 1 2 inch carriage bolts in sets. I forgot to mention the construction adhesive in between them.

Sistering is a. Now that said when you have a major humpy floor you should bite the bullet and remove the subfloor planks down to the joists.